Somerset County Cricket Club Sunday League 1998 by Pony
Worn for the AXA One Day League, this was fairly cheap and so I snapped it up - I was fairly new to cricket at the time and was eager to show my support for my home county.
India Cricket (Fake)
I bought this for about 20p from a lady with a makeshift stall on the side of the road in Munnar whilst on an amazing trip around Kerla in Southern India, Christmas 2006.
2012 Great Britain Athletics by Adidas
A cool memento of an amazing summer - and something I actually wear whilst performing the sport it was designed for! Attending a Team GB football match was such a refreshing experience compared to watching England
Toronto Maple Leafs 2003-2007
An Ebay bargain. My love of Ice Hockey was born after my wife and I spent our Honeymoon in Canada in 2005
Sepultura - Brasil bootleg
France Training by Adidas 2002-2004
This was an ebay purchase that features my favourite French super market - I would be grateful, if someone could date this for me.
I've been obsessed with football most of my life and find the culture that surrounds it fascinating, especially the wonderful world of football shirts. Similarly to my records, the collection tells the story of bits my life. I am a massive football fan and supporting one club isn't enough!
The first shirt I ever owned was in fact a Manchester United shirt from around 1984 which I seem to remember wearing A LOT of the time. My Aunts and Uncles were United fans and I got taken to Old Trafford a couple of times, which I remember being a fairly awesome experience. I was as obsessed with the game as any other boy until the advent of my teenage years, when I discovered rock n roll which didn't seem to allow any room for football. It wasn't until Italia 90 and the general nationwide resurgence that happened after England's heroic failure that year, that I also fell in love with the beautiful game once more.
1992/1993 Bristol City Away by Nibor
This will always be my favourite. I love the horrendous colour combination as well as the classic robin/spenshun bridge badge and it reminds me of our classic victory over Liverpool at Anfield in 1994. Between 1992 and 1996 our shirts were actually "own brand" - Nibor is robin (City's nickname) spelt backwards. I didn't start seriously following City properly until I left Bristol for college and started to have a sense of where I was from. Everyone up north always seemed to ask "who do you support" fairly early on in a conversation and I knew the correct answer wasn't Bristol Rovers.
1990/1992 England Third by Umbro
As worn by Bernard Sumner in the ENGLANDneworder World in Motion video, this was the first shirt I ever bought and I have brilliant memories of Italia 90 and that summer in general. Supporting England took a downward turn for me after that, beginning with the disappointing show at Euro 92 then the failure to qualify for USA 94. But disappointments such as these are not why I really turned away from my national team - I follow Bristol City, so i'm used to disappointment. Euro 96 was a minor reprieve but by the time of the 98 world cup I just didn't care anymore. I do find it difficult to articulate fully why I no longer support England but I'll do my best here:
They seem to represent to me everything that is wrong with this country. Having experienced a number of unpleasant racial incidents whilst watching the three lions at Wembley and in pubs, at home and abroad, I felt more and more ashamed to be associated with this team and all that it has come top represent to me. And why would I want to sing that horrendous national anthem about the Queen, which praises and worships an un-elected tax dodging benefit scrounger?
Some of my best friends are England fans and I do understand why they don't understand me, especially as I now support France - but more on that later! Different things mean different thign to different people. I do still occasionally watch the odd England game, mostly during major tournaments, but emotionally I feel nothing, no matter what happens on the pitch, be it a winning goal or a crushing defeat.
1993/1994 Bristol City Home by Nibor
1996/1997 Zamlek (Fake)
Purchased whilst on holiday in Egypt, Zamlek of Cairo are one of the bigger teams there.
1998/2000 France Home by Adidas
Probably my most prized shirt, this is a replica of Zidane's shirt issued shortly after France won the World Cup in 1998, noticeable by the addition of gold star above the French cock. I saw him play the year after, against England at Wembley and he frankly embarrassed the English defence - it was like witnessing a living god on earth. My son's middle name is Zinedine.
Around the same time as my disillusionment with England began, I began to be seduced by the French national team - at Euro 96 they had offered glimpses of magic. Being a Francophile runs in my family and so maybe it was only a matter of time! To be honest it was always about Zidane. I did feel some doubt after he retired, but I've stuck with them through thick and thin and still feel true passion and emotion, be it good or bad, when I watch them.
I understand why people can' comprehend my ability to switch but it was never a case of simply changing sides. This is a world where players can change citizenship and represent a country other than their birth. Not ever having ever been a particularly patriotic person this is not how my mind works. I know that I am lucky to hold a British passport, but this shouldn't be the case - why should I be luckier than someone else purely on the basis of where I was born. I have always found patriotism a strange concept. Why should I blindly worship a privileged German family because I was born in the United Kingdom?
ALLEZ LES BLEUS!
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1999/2000 Barcelona Home by Barça
This is an own brand shirt, purchased in the official club shop after a visit the Nou Camp, whilst on holiday on Barcelona.
1999/2000 Olympiakos Home (Fake)
Purchased whilst on holiday in Crete because I liked the design and Greek text.
2000/2001 Bristol City Home by Admiral
A classic design from the Danny Wilson era.
2002/2003 Olympique de Marseille Home by Adidas
Marseille is one of my favourite cities in the world, it seems like such an exciting place.
2002/2003 Olympique de Marseille Away by Adidas
Another favourite of mine. I love the design, colour, fabric and sponsor's logo.
2008 Palestine Home
A replica of the official shirts Purchased to support the Palestinian cause. Profits went to a local charity on the West Bank. I strongly recommend watching this documentary called Frontline Football about the difficulties facing Palestinian football under Israeli Occupation.
2008/2009 Bristol City Home by Puma
I bought this shirt before a game a few days after my son was born. Sleep deprivation suggested that I should get his name printed on the back - I'm not really a tattoo kind of man. I fell asleep during the game.
2008/2009 Bristol City Away by Puma
2008/2009 Olympique de Marseille Home by Addias
2010/2011 Bristol City Home by Adidas
I was very excited when it was announced City had signed a four year deal with Adidas but most of the designs turned out to be substandard templates and I was underwealmed with most of them. This was the first effort, but I don't really like it that much.
2010/2011 Olympique de Marseille Third by Adidas
This was the shirt OM were wearing when I saw them play for the first time at Stamford Bridge in the Champions League and then again at Old Trafford later that season.
2010/2011 Chelsea Home by Adidas
This was the season that I first visited Stamford Bridge.
2010/2012 Senegal Home by Puma
My love of Senegalise music has extended to their national football team.
2011/2012 France Away by Nike
A fantastic design.
2010/2011 Bristol City Home by Adidas
The best of all the Adidas strips sees a striking design.
2011-2013 Bristol City Away by Adidas
I love this. It caused uproar from the more simpler areas of our support because of the blue. City missed a trick not celebrating the 100th anniversary of our only FA Cup Final appearance.
2012/2013 Koninklijke Beerschot Antwerpen Home by Masita
A gift from a very good friend in Antwerp. The club tragically went bankrupt at the end of this season after years of miss management and ceased to exist, only to unofficially merged with K.FC.O.Wilrijk into K.FC.O. Beerschot-Wilrij and start life in the first division of the Belgian Provincial leagues. There home is in the Antwerp Olympic stadium and I hope to watch them there one day.
2012/2013 Olympique de Marseille Third by Adidas
Designed by Akhenaten from Marseille hip hop group IAM, this is a pretty cool shirt as it's actually reversible, revealing some graffiti designs on the other rear. There's even a song to go with it! I love the French Hop Hop scene
2013/2014 Bristol City Away by Adidas
2014 France Home by Nike
Wanted:
1996-1998 Juventus Third (Zidane) by Kappa
2000-2001 France Home (Zidane) by Adidas
2012-2013 France Home by Nike
2013-2014 Olympique De Marseille Third by Adidas
