So glad we picked Stoke City versus Portsmouth for our Boot Wars clash this weekend and not that mind-numbing affair at White Hart Lane. So glad too that we paired Potters hitman Ricardo Fuller up against a Pompey striker (Frederic Piquionne) who only managed to get 17 minutes on the pitch!
Nonetheless, in that time we still managed to gain a fair bit of insight into the qualitites of the players’ respective Umbro Speciali Statement football boots and Adidas F50i football boots. This was the classic showdown of two cleats worn by your proper old-fashioned bustling centre-forwards. A football boot that turns its snout up at the technology and focuses solely on comfort, style, precision and protection. The Speciali in particular is a solid leather piece of workmanship, unspectacular to some, but given the physical demands of leading the line for someone like Fuller, the perfect tool of the trade.
Portsmouth are in a battle this season, and such is the approach of those down the bottom, the keyword for survival is ’scrap’, so with tackles flying in and Fuller’s gung-ho striker’s game coming up against some hardline centre-back responses, the Speciali’s thick leathered, well-structured arched design was the perfect foil, whilst it’s accentuated heel protection could be thanked for the fleet of foot which provided the Jamaican with half a yard in which he plundered the only goal of the game with a 25-yard rocket past the out-stretched hand of Jamie Ashdown.
Piquionne, to his credit, looked lively, the Adidas F50i football boots are no slouch, but few would dispute the Umbro Speciali Statement football boots most definite ’statement’ of the day as the younger brother in an Umbro range so dominated by the SX Valor again comes up trumps.
Ransacker Verdict: Umbro Speciali Statement football boots 3-0 Adidas F50i football boots
Boot Wars Latest Standings
Pos
Team
Pld
W
T
L
Pts
1
↑
Nike Total 90 Laser II & III
4
2
1
1
7
1
•
adidas Predator Powerswerve XTRX
4
2
1
1
7
1
•
Umbro Speciali Statement
3
2
1
0
7
4
↓
Nike CTR 360 Maestri
2
2
0
0
6
5
↓
Nike Mercurial Vapor Superfly
3
1
1
1
4
5
↓
adidas F50i TUNiT
3
1
1
1
4
5
↓
Puma V1.08
2
1
1
0
4
8
•
adidas adiPURE II TRX
2
1
0
1
3
8
•
adidas Predator X
3
0
3
0
3
10
•
Nike Air Tiempo Legend III
3
0
2
1
2
11
•
Nike Mercurial Vapor V
2
0
1
1
1
12
•
Under Armour Dominate Pro
2
0
0
2
0
12
•
Puma King XL
1
0
0
1
0
12
•
Lotto Zhero Leggenda
1
0
0
1
0
12
•
Puma PowerCat 1.10
1
0
0
1
0
Other Recommended Reading
- BOOT WARS: Ricardo Fuller v Frederic Piquione
- BOOT WARS RESULT: Brede Hangeland v Stephen Hunt
- BOOT WARS RESULT: Jamie Carragher vs Michael Owen
- BOOT WARS RESULT: Stuart Parnaby vs Ashley Young
- BOOT WARS RESULT: Simpson v Thomas
About the author
James is an experienced football journalist who edits two leading Premier League club mags. He has worked for Sky Sports and is endlessly complaining about shin splints. And Mark Lawrenson. His favourite boot is the Adidas Predator Powerswerve. Although it's rumored that he once owned a pair of Nicks boots!
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