Football Gifts for Christmas

March 8, 2010

Football is our national sport in the UK and as such millions of people spend their hard earned money on watching their team despite rising prices at some of the country’s leading clubs. For those who love football, shopping for Christmas gifts this year is going to be easy for them as there are a wide range of products that are related to different teams.

Whether you support champions Manchester United, Chelsea, Arsenal or any other of the top clubs you will be able to find memorabilia that shows your support for the team. The gifts that are available are novelty gifts that are reasonably cheap, these include items such rubber ducks for the bath, leather wallets and small statues. All these items contain the emblems of the team you support and let everyone know where your allegiances lie.

Nowadays buying the football shirt of your favourite team is very expensive and with the likelihood that they will bring a new one out next season, somewhat pointless. Couple this with the fact you may want your favourite players name blazed across the back only for him to be sold to another big club for the amount of a small country’s GDP, buying a football shirt is not what it used to be. Therefore, buying smaller gifts at a lower cost is a better idea this Christmas.

You can also purchase table top games like desktop car football which is great fun (during lunchtime!) at work or at home. You can re-enact thrilling games at work or at home and find out who the real winner is by bagging a goal in stoppage time with a volley into the top corner. There are also cuff-links in the shape of your favourite teams’ kit so even if you are out at a formal dinner you can show everyone who you support.

Not many of us have a choice about which football team we support as it normally goes either where you were born or who your family support. This allegiance is with you forever now and you should be proud of your team whatever happens. Most teams go through a patch of success and heartache but you should stick with your team through thick and thin.

See if you can bag yourself a last minute scorcher by finding the ideal football gifts on mens gifts sites.

Top 10 Gifts For Football Fans

March 7, 2010

With the new Premier League season just around the corner and excitement building over the South Africa 2110 World Cup competition, football fans everywhere are gearing up for plenty of action from the beautiful game.

The big teams are becoming the most successful and lucrative brands in the world. Manchester United, Barcelona, Liverpool and Real Madrid are expanding their fan base in India and China. Soccer fever has gripped the world.The USA team reached the quarter finals of the Confederations Cup and David Beckham plays in Los Angeles. Football has become a global phenomenon.

If there’s a football fan in your family, you can be assured they’ll love to receive a gift with their favourite teams colours on. Here are my top 10 gifts for football fans.

1. Tickets
Often hard to come by. Enjoy the thrill of being at the game and a pie at half time.

2. The Replica Shirt
What self respecting fan wouldn’t want to show his support in his club’s colours.
Your name and squad number on the back.

3. The Team Tours
Get a guided tour of your teams home ground. You might get to meet the team!

4. Team Scarf & Hat
With great new styles and plenty of choices, all fans can keep warm in the winter.

5. Football Monoploly
The big teams all have a version of Monopoly. For Park Lane see Old Trafford.

6. The No.1 Fan.
A chanting, dancing fan toy.Made by fans for Fans. Hilarious and collectable.

7. Footy Wallpaper
Decorate your kids room with floor to ceiling views of their favourite football grounds.

8. Personalised Football Books
Your name on the headlines, “Fan Signs for United”

9. Table Football
The classic table game.

10. Rubber Duck
Yes, Rubber ducks in your teams colours.

If there’s fan in your life you can be assured they’ll love any of the above.

What To Buy A Football Fan, Football Gifts and Football Toys

March 7, 2010

Millions of people follow football every week.  From the billion pound brands of Manchester United and Chelsea to the village green kickabouts on a Sunday morning.
Allegiances with the clubs are particularly strong with young men and children and there has been a huge demand in football merchandising for new and interesting products.

Of course the replica kit is always the biggest selling and favourite item, then there are the Away kits and the European kits, These kits come with shorts and socks to complete the set. Then there’s always the scarf and hat for the cold winter nights at the game.

There are also lots of great gifts for a boys bedroom. A lot of kids turn their rooms in to shrines to Liverpool, Arsenal, Manchester United, Liverpool etc. It’s possible to buy curtains, lamps, carpets, duvet covers and pillow cases all emblazoned with the clubs brand and colours. There are even floor to ceiling wallpapers printed with some famous football grounds like Old Trafford or Villa Park, or doors printed with famous players and the club’s crest.

Other great ideas are personalised gifts such as football story books,posters, calendars and photos, often printed to make it look like your son/father/brother/daughter is the top scorer for a team such as Manchester United. There are also lunch boxes, mirrors, mugs, sweatbands, flags, slippers, badges, I’ve even seen rubber ducks for sale in team colours!

Great toys are also for sale such as chanting, dancing football fan toys. Dressed in replica kits, these little fan toys are proving a great hit in the footie world. They are also likely to become quite collectible as only a certain amount are produced each season before the kit changes.

So if you are thinking about buying a gift for a loved one, remember this…You can’t go wrong if it’s got his favourite teams colours on it!

Manchester United football gifts

March 7, 2010

In 1878 at Newton Heath, Manchester, once farmlands that turned to the industrial revolution in keeping with the times, railway men and like many formed their own football teams. Newton Heath Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway FC or Newton Heath L&YR FC was the beginning of a rather special moment in English football history. Their first playing ground, which in fact was nothing more than a field on North Road and shared with local cricketers before acquiring a more stadium like venue 15 years later at Baker Street, Clayton. 1 year prior to this, the club had signed up for the Football League and had amended their name to the shorter, Newton Heath FC. What was adverse for the club in 1902 and very much could have been the end was the debt they seemed to accumulate. It is believed that bailiffs closed the Baker Street ground until the some of £2.500 was paid. There is a congenial story connected to this but how factual it is remains unclear. The club captain, Harry Stafford, apparently attending a fundraiser with his St. Bernard dog was asked by a gentleman named John Henry Davies, a wealthy brewery owner, if he cared to sell the animal. Stafford refused the offer but then took the conversation to the subject of Newton Heath and the problems it faced. Regardless of how true this is, what is true is Davies did become chairmen after making a large financial donation. Davis changed the colours of Newton Heath from green and gold to red and white and furthermore decided on a new name, Manchester United FC.

 The clubs first few seasons were spent in Division 2 but they always managed to finish in the tables top half. In 1904 and for a record transfer fee at the time for United they signed the football gifts of Charlie Roberts for £750 from Grimsby Town. Roberts did have an impact on the club when in the following season they finished second and got their promotion to Division 1. Other players United signed were detrimental to Manchester City been punished for over paying players. Many players were told they could never play for City again. This is where Manchester United seized the moment, buying players like Sandy Turnbull and Billy Meredith. In 1907/08 season United finished 9 points clear of Aston Villa in the tables to win the League. The next season saw the club lift two trophies – Charity Shield and later but bigger the FA Cup. They did lift the League title again in 1910/11 season but this is where the club just lost some of its finesse. United had one last move to make during this time, to their final home – Old Trafford.

 In 1945, United’s manager’s role became available and who better to fill that slot than the football gifts of Alexander Matthew Busby better known as Matt Busby, who at the time was assistant coach at Liverpool FC. Busby was a Scottish football player who incidentally also played for United’s biggest rivals Manchester City. Before Busby accepted the job, he did request some concessions from the board at Manchester to minimise interference from them and several were granted which consisted of, Busby choosing the squad, training sessions and the signing of new players. Oddly, Busby first signing was ex football player Jimmy Murphy but his role would not be on the pitch but as Busby’s assistant. This came about when Busby heard Murphy giving a speech on football to a group of soldiers and was obviously impressed enough to offer him a job. Busby brought to the club great players and local lads like Jack Rowley and Stan Pearson who helped United finish 2nd in the tables for 3 years on the trot. In 1948 Busby, lead United to FA Cup victory beating Blackpool 4-2. One of Busby’s successful guiding principles was to get more youth players on board and even though this took time to employ, the rewards were massively beneficial in the long run. Busby’s babes as they came to be known consisted of fantastic talents such as Duncan Edwards, Bobby Charlton and Roger Byrne.

 In 1958, a catastrophe accident shook not just football but also the world when flight 609 crashed during take off with 44 people onboard. In total 23 people lost, their life’s and 8 of these were members of the Busby babes. Duncan Edwards was one of the fatalities; he died 14 days later in hospital through his injuries. Many hold the belief that if given the chance, Edwards would have been the best footballer in the world. The other players along with him were Liam Whelan , Tommy Taylor , David Pegg , Mark Jones , Eddie Colman , Roger Byrne and Geoff Bent.

 With Busby recovering from his injuries, Jimmy Murphy became acting manager. In spite of playing with lesser skilled players, the United team adapted and reached the FA Cup final but sadly lost to Bolton Wanderers 2-0.

 When Busby returned to the club, he had to assemble a new squad to try and recreate the desperately missed skills of those individuals that had now gone. Having gone through this ordeal most managers would not have had the resolute to of stepped inside another dressing room but with Busby the show must gone on. His task started with signings such as Pat Crerand, Denis Law and a young Irish lad named George Best. The latter was discovered by United scout Bob Bishop when best was 15 years old. Bishop sent Busby a telegram from Northern Ireland, in it, it read,” I think I’ve found you a genius.”  Football gifts like Best do not come along to often. He had it all in terms of pace, skill in his ability to out manoeuvre the finest defenders – one way then another with the ball glue liked to his feet; a joy to watch. The results that Busby wished for were not so imminent in returning but they did finally reveal a light at the end of the tunnel in 1963 when United won the FA Cup beating Leicester City 3-1. Then in 1965 and 1967, Busby’s United won the League Title and then the European Cup in 1968, making the United the first English club to win the competition. Busby had accomplished what he had set out to do and in 1969, he stepped down as United’s manager. He did however return for a short spell but that was the last whistle for him. Currently Matt Busby is still the longest serving manager of Manchester United FC.

 In the late 60’s and 70’s with many of the clubs top players leaving, saw that once bright light of United now starting to fade. United saw Several managers including Wilf McGuinness, Frank O’Farrell, Tommy Docherty axed, and Dave sexton who became another statistic before been sacked by the board. 1981 the colourful Ron Atkinson was given the chance to shine at Old Trafford and he did just that. Getting football gifts like Bryan Robson on board, one of the best midfielder’s English football has seen plus Paul McGrath and Gordon Strachan, Atkinson soon established a new stronger United that had disappeared for a long time. Within 3 years, the club was back on form, winning the FA Cup in 1983 and 1985 and were front-runners to take the League title in 1985/86 season. What happened though was the complete opposite as they ended the season unexpectedly in 4th position. The season after could not have got much worse but it did and United found themselves in the bottom half of the tables and forever drifting closer to relegation. The board had seen enough and Atkinson was promptly replaced by Alex Ferguson from Aberdeen in 1986.

 If Ferguson was looking for the best of starts out of the blocks, managing United, he certainly did not get it. For the first 3½ years, Ferguson had produced nothing that special and early on in the 1990 season, the feeling at Old Trafford was that a dismissal was looming. The sudden change in attitude came when they beat Crystal Palace 1-0 in the FA Cup final at Wembley then in 1991 the squad brought back to Old Trafford the Cup Winners Cup, beating Barcelona 2-1. They had another invite to Wembley in 1992 for the League Cup final against Nottingham Forrest and walked away the winners with a 1-0 victory.

 In 1995, saw a British record transfer fee of £6 million for Newcastle United’s Andy Cole. United wrote one in the history books by becoming the first English club to have won the Double twice. More youth players were entering the squad like David Beckham, Paul Scholes and the Neville brothers with other players such as Paul Ince and Mark Hughes been sold on to various clubs.

 No English club had ever won the treble but United changed that and rewrote the history pages yet again in the 1998/99 season. This period is probably noted as the clubs pinnacle point in terms of success. First, they wrapped up the Premier League title then with goals from Scholes and Sheringham they added the FA Cup beating Newcastle United 2-0. To complete the treble they were up against FC Bayern Munich in the UEFA Champions League final. The match was played at Camp Nou in Barcelona, Spain. Referee for the game was, Pierluigi Collina, he later revealed, it to be of his most unforgettable matches he had refereed. Throughout the game, United trailed 1-0 and it appeared that the ending was going to be doom and gloom for the English club. Subsequently injury time was added and to the amazement of all watching, United miraculously scored two goals to beat Munich and lift the trophy. This game is considered to be of the best comebacks in the game of football. The Munich players could do nothing but, and understandably sob on the pitch. Not many clubs in the world could have pulled that out of the bag at exactly the right time. Later and deservingly so, Ferguson was knighted for his services to the game of football.

 After that triumph, United were always going to struggle to go one better than the treble. Even with the club topping the Premier League in 2000 and 2001 the silverware just wasn’t flowing. In 2004 they did knockout League Champions Arsenal from the FA Cup and went on to take the trophy beating Millwall 3-0 at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff with two goals from Ruud Van Nistelrooy and one from Cristiano Ronaldo. The club paid £12.24 million for the Portuguese Ronaldo in 2003 after Ferguson became aware of his football gifts. Ronaldo, arrogant and cocky at times was an instant sensation at United with his ability and skill. During this time, American businessman Malcolm Glazer at the despair of fans, brought out shareholders of the club and by 2005 took full control over United, appointing his sons as directors.

 2005/06 season, United had their share of problems with Alan Smith and Ryan Giggs taking on injuries plus Van Nistelrooy and Keane leaving for different clubs. They were still a club to be reckoned with and proved it by winning the League Cup in 2006.

 The following 2007 season, United were much stronger playing a more attacking game one that they were accustomed to. There were I hopes that the club were on their way to winning another treble, however, United lost to Milan in the semi-finals of the Champions League. The FA Cup was still alive for United and they were favourites to win it but Chelsea denied them that trophy at the new Wembley Stadium beating them 1-0 in extra time.

 2008 Manchester United had no such rejections when a win over Wigan Athletic crowned them League Champions then defeating Chelsea on penalties gave them their third European Cup. Ryan Giggs was also honoured by breaking Bobby Charlton’s record in making 759 appearances for the club. In addition, they also won the FA Community Shield then in December 2008; the FIFA Club World Cup trophy was added thanks to Wayne Rooney scoring the only goal. A couple of months later in 2009 United were League Cup champions and then in May won their 11th Premier League title.

 In 2009, Ferguson signed Michael Owen, Gabriel Obertan and Antonio Valencia but in the process had to let go of the football gifts and best footballer in the world, Cristiano Ronaldo for a record transfer fee of £80 million to Real Madrid.

Blissful Football Gifts Bring Die-hard Followers of the Game Closer to Favorite Teams & Players

March 7, 2010

When you first think about presenting an exceptional gift to someone special in your life, some of the unique gift ideas that will strike your mind straightway may also include football gifts. As the most popular game of this planet, the beautiful game of football has taken everybody under its captivating grip irrespective of age, gender, language, religion and region barriers. Kids, youths and even adults from various parts of the world enjoy playing this game as well as watching and collecting latest information on the game, thanks to booming age of electronic media and the Internet. As a result, you can do a world of good for football lovers by presenting them fascinating football souvenirs and gifts.

Football, of late, has taken the shape of a battle with intense competition going on at different club as well as country levels. Hard-fought professional football leagues such as English Premier League (EPL), Bundes Liga of Germany, Serie A of Italy and La Liga of Spain have attracted skilled and gifted players from several continents and brought them under one roof. There are massive sponsorship deals, equally huge inter-club transfers of players and above all, unbelievably gigantic fan support. Fans of clubs like Arsenal, Manchester United, Chelsea, Barcelona, Ajax and Juventus and countries like England, Italy and Brazil are quite passionate about their team performances and follow them madly wherever they go. The ecstasy and agony of favorite teams are reflected on their lives as well.

Popular clubs and football teams of different countries are leaving no stone unturned in recognizing the priceless support of their followers and releasing official team shirts, gears and lots of other items like leather wallet, bottle opener, key ring etc. with official team logo to the public. Die-hard followers derive a sense of pride in boasting these precious items and egg their teams on with double enthusiasm and vigor.

With huge popularity by its side, football gifts and souvenirs are fast catching up with masses around the world. People can resort to a number of online retail stores like Football Souvenir Store that display wide collection of football souvenirs and gifts from some of the greatest teams. You can select your desired gifts from items such as team mugs, rugs, clocks and eye-catching toys and games depicting the team logo and theme. The advantage of buying football gifts online is their affordability. These fabulous gifts come within your means. So there is no obstacle before you in possessing them.

Football gifts and souvenirs are wonderful medium to bind teams and their fans together. You can’t present any better item to a football lover. He or she will be the happiest human being of the world by receiving gifts that include framed photographs of favorite players, official bootbags, backpacks and stationary sets. Age is not a barrier as you can present them to anyone ranging from kids to grown-up persons.

If you’re on the look-out for delightful football gifts and souvenirs, you can purchase them online at http://www.footballsouvenirstore.com/, the No. 1 online retailer for these marvelous gifts. Go through variety of items related to so many popular clubs and countries around the world and buy them at reasonable prices.

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