Newcastle United are a football team based in the North-East of England. In the past they have had famous players pull on the famous black and white stripes such as Paul Gascoigne, Kevin Keegan and Alessandro Pistone.
Last season they combined years of overspending and baffling managerial appointments – including a guy called Alan Shearer who actually used to be a striker but was mistaken for someone with tactical know-how – with a fantastic milestone of being relegated from the top division for the first time in over 20 years. This was achieved through a heady concoction of inept defending and an inability to attack. It was an exotic offering that saw the ‘Toon Army’ (a kind of poorly-equipped club military force who love getting naked on football terraces) witness one of the meekest and passion-devoid Premier League exits ever.
Wind forward a few months and many of the guilty culprits are still dressing in the club’s Magpie-influenced livery. One of those, Steven Taylor, has actually managed to craft himself back into a decent looking defender this year, so for the purposes of Boot Wars stepping down a rung or to in order to sniff out the true cheesy essence of cleat politics, we felt it only right to showcase the local lad’s Nike Total 90 Laser II football boots as Newcastle come up against Sheffield United on Monday night.
As a boot the Nike Total 90 Laser II football boots have failed to impress in recent times. Hopelessly underperforming in last season’s Boot Wars, it has started off the new campaign with a draw and a defeat, and as Chris Hughton’s side look to overcome a recent wobble in form, it may well be the boot’s sweet-spot and slick attacking qualities that are brought to the fore. Attack is, after all, the very best form of defence.
The Nike Total 90 Laser II football boots are a well-formed boot, made with strong synthetic sides and with a tongue section that’s firm, durable, and focuses in power, direction and accuracy into the circular top-ridge.
In much the same way as Jamie Carragher in a pair of Adidas Predator Powerswerve boots though, you do have to question why a defender is wearing such an attack-minded boot, but time will tell on this one as Monday night’s clash at Bramall Lane nears ever closer.
Coming up in opposition is United hitman Ched Evans, who is beginning to make his mark in Yorkshire following a summer move from Manchester City. The Welsh international plies his trade in a pair of Pumas, a committed, protected and forceful brand of boot that matches with his all-action physical presence in the final third.
The funny thing about Puma at the moment is that while everyone is making a right old fuss about the Puma V1.10 football boots, it’s easy to forget that they’ve still got some other classic boots on the market. The good thing about the new release is that it is bringing the price of all the other boots down, and in the meantime, certainly in the case of Evans, the Puma King XL is a more than adequate boot, combining strength, style and power with the classic Puma snug fit.
It’s a brand which relies on heritage and values the player’s own ability as the leading force in the success of the boot – in other words, if you play like a Sunday league footballer it’s not suddenly going to make you look like Wayne Rooney… particularly as he wears Nikes… but you get the point.
A solid, reliable boot that leans as much towards heritage as it does technology. But will it be enough to undo Taylor’s attack-minded defensive weapons?
Ransacker Prediction: You get the feeling that this one could go either way. The Nike Total 90 Laser II football boots may be a dynamic and modern boot, but for pure tackling quality it remains a risky choice. Combine that with Evans’ all-action attacking threat, and you may well feel that these guys should be swapping boots before kick-off. We think this one might end up all-square.
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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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