Espanyol Away 2013-14

Since watching Espanyol last season on a trip to Barcelona I have a bit of a soft spot for them so on my most recent trip I made it my top priority to pick up a shirt from the current season...

I found this in a shop called Sport Zone where it was 10 Euros cheaper (30) than the club shop. The plan was to get it printed but as I brought it after visiting the Espanyol club shop the only other shop that would print didn't have the official names and numbers....and also wanted to charge an extra 10 euros to print it, I politely declined!

The shirt uses the standard Puma template from last season but does have a few unique twists to it. The black sash behind the club badge has the parrot which is a symbol of the club but haven't actually found out what the significance is. Another extra to this template is the light blue stripes to the shoulders, usually the template is plain. Also the main body of the shirt is made to look like a cotton t-shirt, this is very similar to the new Marseille shirt (which I will be adding to the blog soon).
Inside the shirt the club slogan of "La forca d'un sentiment" is written behind the yellow and red Catalan stripes, the slogan roughly translates to "the strength of feeling".

Bronby Away 2012-13

Spontaneous purchase here from Sports Direct.  I hadn't seen this Adidas template before so thought I'd add it to the collection.  I have no idea what the insignia is inside or at the bottom of the shirt is but it does have the word slag!
The pictures didn't come out very well, the stripes are aluminous yellow and the shirt is dark grey, or electricity and dark shale as Adidas call it.  Either way it matches perfectly with my running shorts and trainers.

USA Centenary Home 2012

Next up in my World Cup series is the USA centenary home shirt from 2012, player version. This shirt was purchased on eBay, the idea was to take it on holiday with me to Washington DC and get it printed over in the states, but unfortunately it wasn't posted in time so didn't receive it 'till after the holiday! However I was able to find an official sporting ID nameset on eBay which I took down to my local DW sports and they kindly printed the shirt for me, for free.
As you can see from the picture the shirt is the official player version with rubber "t-strips" on the shoulders and lazer cut holes on the sides. The fit of the shirt is a little more tailored to the body, although thankfully for me the Nike shirts aren't as tight fitting as the Adidas player versions.
I have to say this is one of my favorite shirts in my collections, and the fact it cost about £40 in total compared to the usual price of over £100 makes it more satisfying.
The shirt was used in qualifying for the 2014 World Cup and notably featured in a friendly match against Germany where the states won 4-3.  I found it a little ironic that match was played in Washington DC at the JFK stadium, where I watched my first MLS match and should have had the shirt with me if it had arrived on time in the post!

Pescara Away 2012-13

The first ERREA shirt in my collection is the Pescara away shirt from last season. I believe Pescara were in Seria A the season this shirt was out but subsequently got relegated. I noticed the shirt a while back while playing FIIFA, loved the colour scheme and the Dolphin woven into the material. The material of the shirt feels very thin, similar to a Lycra style base layer or one of the old Kappa shirts. This was another purchase from the clearance section on classicfootballshirts.co.uk

Russia Home World Cup 2014

First up from my collection of World Cup shirts is the Russia home by Adidas. This has to be one of my best eBay bargains, long sleeved shirt for £25. I was sceptical it might be a fake given these usually go for £50 (in short sleeves) but on very close inspection I'm convinced it's authentic. It came with all original tags and in a sealed Adidas bag, perhaps it was off the back of a lorry as they say, but needless to say I'm pretty chuffed with it!

The shirt is inspired by Russia's history in the space race with the blocks down the front. The colour is very nice and is the usual departure from the traditional red or blue that's been used in the past. All the Adidas World Cup shirts feature a solid block across the back, just above where the players name would be, this apparently creates a solid line when the players are in a huddle but have yet to notice it. The Russia flag just below the three stripes on the arm is a very nice touch, haven't noticed this on any of the other World Cup shirts. 

I would like to get the shirt printed, hoping the Adidas store on Oxford street will oblige on my next trip to London.

Marseille Special Edition 4th 2012-13

As mentioned in my last post, I brought this shirt from a French supermarket in Lens, was very surprised to see they have all 4 Marseille shirts from last season, all at 37 Euros. I had been after this shirt for a while after I saw in on a trip to France last year but it was 75 Euros and couldn't quite justify that sort of money.
OK, more about the actual shirt....This was released as a special edition to raise funds for the fight against breast cancer. As far as I know it was only work twice by Marseille, but never the less I like the simplistic design and the black and pink works really well.

Marseille Away 2012-13

A rather unique offering here from Adidas, a reversible shirt. One side is black and the other is orange. The idea came from the Marseille fans who would turn their bomber jackets inside out to show the orange lining. I don't confess to the know the entire history of is but I believe it's something to do with "skin heads" but it seems strange the club would endorse such a culture. 

The other feature of the shirt is the "tattoo" design to he sleeves and orange back. This was designed by a famous French tattoo artist apparently, his name is signed onto the shirt but can't make it out.
I actually saw this shirt in a supermarket during a recent visit to northern France but decided to buy last seasons 4th shirt (blog post to follow) instead. This decision worked out well as ClassicFootballShirts got a batch in the very next day nearly £10 cheaper than I saw in France.