New Nike Mercurial Vapor IV, are they Pink or Berry?

Nike is releasing its latest color of the Mercurial Vapor IV range. But the question on everybodies lips is are these cleats Pink or Berry? Nike is advertising them as 'Berry' but from all the talk going around they are more of a Pink color!

The questions is, who will be brave enough to wear these cleats when they are released? They are being released as a limited edition, so when they are released you are going to want to get a pair as soon as possible, believe me even though they are going to be a pink color, they will sell out fast!

Pictures of the cleats have been held very closely by Nike, driving up the interest in the cleats. Even the Professional players and commentators in Nike's advertisments have only seen a picture, but not been allowed to keep it! The only picture released is the one above left. As soon as the first pics are released we will have them here, so keep an eye on the blog for a first look at the cleats. The release date in the UK for the cleats is November 24th!

Cristiano Ronaldo Mercurial Vapor IV FG, Goal!

Cristiano Ronaldo is making up for lost time after missing the first 3 games of the 2008/09 season. With 8 goals so far this season in the Premier League, including 6 goals in his last 4 games. His two goals in saturdays games came from blistering free kicks. Ronaldo has a unique ability to make the ball turn in the air, and against Stoke, after only 3 minutes of the game, Ronaldo had the ball swerving and dipping into the back of the net. For any Fantasy League manager, Ronaldo is a must!

We have reviewed the Nike Mercurial Vapor IV FG that Ronaldo wears before, but lets take another look at these unique cleats. These cleats are designed for speed, and the lightweight design helps give a player a one step advantage over their oponents. A VAPOR forefoot plate with multidirectional traction pattern gives you excellent grip. The upper material used in the cleat is soft, supple Teijin synthetic leather. They weigh a superlight 7.4oz.

From other reviews, these cleats are an excellent purchase. Because of the materials used, the cleats contour to the shape of your foot increasing the comfort. Speed is a huge part of the current day style of soccer, so these cleats are a must have for wingers and speedy forwards looking for an advantage over their opposition!

Also, check out this pretty funny video of Manchester United's Kit-man using Ronaldo's gear, pretty entertaining!!
http://inside.nike.com/blogs/nikesoccer/2008/11/12/nike-pro-albie-is-tackleproof

Tottenhams Resurgence

Tottenham experienced an extremely difficult start to the 2008/09 season. After 8 games, they found themselves bottom of the table with only 2 points and a sacked manager. Juande Ramos came in for a great deal of stick, and bore the brunt of starting the season so badly after leading Spurs to glory in the Carling Cup in his first season. Losing Robbie Keane and Dimitar Berbatov impacted the team hugely, as they struggled to get things going up top. But over the past few games things have really changed. Darren Bent and Roman Pavlyuchenko are starting to form a strong partnership leading the team to 3 wins and a draw in their last four games. So, what cleats are these players wearing?

Funnily enough, Bent recently changed cleats, moving from Nike cleats to the Umbro SX Flare - White/Navy/Gold. These cleats seem to have ignited his goal scoring touch, having bagged 7 goals so far this season and 5 in the last 5 premiership games. The Umbro SX is designed for improved motion and touch control. It has an anatomically designed insock that helps improve comfort. Not only are they made of Kangaroo Leather, but Michelin have partnered with Umbro to develop an advanced PU control print system applied to the front and upper area of the cleat. This helps to increase ball control, touch and help in passing accuracy. These cleats are more of a wide fit, and weigh 9.4oz.

Pavlyuchenko has only scored 2 goals in the Premiership, but both of these have come in his past 3 games and have been winning goals. His partnership with Bent is sure to be the key to Spurs challenging climb up the table. Pavlyuchenko wears the adidas F50.8 TUNIT Russia Upper. The F50.8 is a unique cleat as it allows you to change the top to any style available that you like. Before Euro 2008, Adidas released many different uppers for the qualified countries. The Russian upper comes in a main white, with red stripes and a blue Russian symbol on the tongue area. It has a second density, clear 3D heel/bottom unit. As with other Tunit F50.8 uppers, it has a covered lacing system that allows for increased striking area.

With Spurs still in the Uefa cup, and having knocked out Chelsea in their quest to retain the Carling cup, it is probable that we will see more of the Bent/Pavlyuchenko relationship and their cleats!

Hull City: Season so far in cleats

Who would have thought that 11 Premiership games into the season, Hull City would be lying in 6th place with 20 points! Or that they would already have beaten the likes of Newcastle and the mighty Arsenal, or score 3 goals in a narrow loss at Old Trafford to Man Utd. They find themselves in the dizzying heights of the table, more than half way to the 'safety' number of 36 points. We thought it would be nice to show you some of the current Hull warriors and let you know what cleats they are wearing as they battle their way towards staying in the premier league!

It started with promotion to the Premiership, Dean Windass scored the winning goal in the Championship playoff Final versus Bristol City. Windass is wearing PUMA v1.06 i FG K. The v1.06 were released before the 2007 season. They weigh a mere 7.80z, are made of Kangaroo Leather and are part of Puma's V-speed line. The 2008-09 version, v1.08, is discussed in the Newest Cleats review.

Next, the opening day of the 2008 season, a home game versus Fulham. And it turned out to be a great start! Fulham drew first blood, but goals from Geovanni and Caleb Folan gave Hull a well deserved 2-1 Premier League victory on their first attempt.. Hull's first top flight goal scorer, Geovanni, wears Umbro Speciali PU - Black. The Speciali's are a unique cleat designed for that hard-working, no nonsense midfielder. Weighing 10oz and made of Kangaroo leather, these cleats have a reputation for breaking in easily and being just plain old comfortable.

But they were brought back down to earth with a thumping 5-0 loss to Wigan, and then a loss to

Swansea City in the Carling cup. But Hull bounced back with at excellent 2-1 win at St James Park, taking advantage of Newcastle's bad start to the season.Marlon King grabbed both goals. King wears adidas F50.7 TUNIT Start Kit - Black/White/Royal. Tunits give you the unique ability to change your soccer boot depending on the weather conditions. What a great advantage to be able to use one pair of cleats for several different conditions! These cleats are ultra light. You can purchase different upper designs, from a countries flag colors to 'clima-cool', depending on your style.


After a tie with Blackburn, Hull traveled to the Emirates Stadium to take on Arsenal. Paul McShane scored an own goal mid way through the second half, but goals from Geovanni and a late summer loan signing Daniel Cousins lifted the Tigers to a very famous 2-1 victory. It helped lift them to 6th in the premiership table. Cousins, who signed from Glasgow Rangers, is from Gabon. He currently wears Nike Mercurial Vapor SL FG - Pine Green/Metallic Silver/Red. These are the cleats that Christiano Ronaldo debuted earlier this season in the marine/volt/metallic color. The entire outsole of this cleat is made of carbon, a very unique composite that is much lighter and more efficient than graphite! They weigh only 7.4oz, and offer a contoured sock liner with ventilation holes to help keep your feet a little more cool.

Three more wins followed against Tottenham, West Ham and West Brom giving the tigers 20 points from 9 games!! The win against Tottenham marked two excellent victories over North London opponents in one week. Their last two games were against former Premier league champions, resulting in losses, although losing 4-3 at Old Trafford shows that the team possesses a great spirit and is not willing to lie down to even the best opponent. 4-1 down early in the second half, Hull pulled back 2 goals and could have snatched a draw late on. Hull look to have the capability of staying in the premier League for another season, even at this early stage. But can they continue there good form and stay in the top half of the table?

My prediction: With Phil Brown stating that he needs 3 more signings at Christmas, I think the team will have what it needs to stay up. If they can keep the confidence that is currently in the team rolling, I see them getting to 44points(after looking at the fixture list), which would see them finish just around the 9th-10th place spot.

Puma V1.06 i FG at sale price

I have just noticed that the ever popular Puma V1.06 is on sale at a terrific price at the moment! The cleats, normally priced at $190 are currently on sale for appoximately $80 to $90 depending on the style you want. I have just purchased a pair, and as anyone else who has ever owned a pair will tell you, these cleats are ultra light and when you break them in they are super comfortable. Weighing in at 6.80z and with a covered lacing system, these cleats are perfect for wingers and speedy forwards. Puma might have an updated version of this cleat, but for the price I would recommend buying a pair while they are available, even if just as a back up. I would recommend ordering a size up as these cleats are small fitting. I am a size 9 but ordered a size 9.5. Check out the links below for more information.
PUMA v1.06 i FG - Camo Red/Metallic Silver Current $89.99
PUMA v1.06 i FG - Ebony/Orange/Metallic Currently $79.99
Puma v1.06 i FG - White/Black/Red Currently $79.99
PUMA v1.06 i FG K Currently $79.99
PUMA v1.06 i FG K - Black/Black/Red Currently $79.99
PUMA v1.06 i FG K - Dark Shadow/Blue Currently $79.99

Danny Kennedy - Adidas Predator

Name: Dan Kennedy
Position:GK
Team History:UCSB 2001-04
Puerto Rico Islanders 2005(USL)
Club Deportivo Municipal Iquique 2005-08(Chile)
Chivas USA 2008-

Cleat size: 10.5
Sneaker size:11

Preferred cleat? Predator firm grounds
In one sentence why? Very comfortable and I like the control I feel that I have with the ball.

What do you look for when choosing a cleat? Color- I usually wear black cleats, Comfort- I do not enjoy blisters, and weight- nothing too heavy

How much would you pay for the perfect pair?
$200 seems to be the standard for nice cleats these days, so I guess I wouldnt pay more than that.

What advice would you give to someone when choosing a new pair of cleats?
I usually have about 4 pairs of cleats, three firm grounds and one soft ground...I like the firm ground cleats to play in when the conditions permit, I also like to train in them. I always have a firm ground broken in and ready to go...for rainy and wet conditions...I usually rotate my cleats using them for games only in the begining, then once they start showing wear and tear I turn them into my training boots. I usually clean and leather food all my cleats the day before the game.

Danny Kennedy is currently one of the leading goalkeepers in MLS. His leadership qualities are well renowned, shown by his captaincy of the 2004 UCSB team that played in the schools first ever National Championship Final game. We thank Dan for sharing his knowledge on soccer cleats with us!

David McGill: Umbro

Name: David McGill
Position: Center Midfield
Team History: UNC Charlotte 2000-01
UCSB 2001-03
Dublin City 2004-06
Shamrock Rovers 2006-07
Shelbourne 2007-
Cleat size: 9-91/2
Sneaker size: 10

Preferred cleat? Umbro
In one sentence why? Because I have broad feet and they are a broad fitting boot.

What do you look for when choosing a cleat?
A boots comfort is the priority, not its label. If the boot is not comfortable then you will not be able to play to your best. Second would be the leather of the boot, make sure it’s a good quality so it can last more than one tackle!

How much would you pay for the ‘perfect’ pair?
I wouldn’t really have a limit on a price. If I'm comfortable in the boot then I'd pay whatever the price is, be it $20 or $200.

What advice would you give to people when purchasing new cleats?
First and foremost is comfort. I would always have at least 2 pairs of boots, 1 pair of molded and 1 pair with studs, but usually I try to have 2 pairs of each. This is because of the weather conditions here in Ireland. The 4 pairs should do me for the season. To break in my boots I’d ask someone with a slightly bigger foot to wear them in training once or twice. If you can't get someone that will do that then put on a couple of pairs of socks, soak the boots in water and wear them in training yourself.

Are there any tips you can give for maintaining cleats?
Always look after your cleats by washing them as soon as training or your game is over. A good polish or some leather balm on them when they have dried should also help increase lifespan.

David plays professionally in Ireland for Shelbourne FC. He had a very successful career in college, before turning down the chance to sign for LA Galaxy, opting to sign for Dublin City, who were at that time in the FAI First Division.
He is best known in Ireland for scoring the winning goal in the first division play-off in 2006, helping Dublin City FC win promotion to the Premier division for the first time.