Ryan Giggs helped Manchester United reclaim the Premier League trophy. Having won 10 title medals in his illustrious career, should he also get the accolade as the best player the Premier League has ever seen?

It was the 29th November 1987, when Alex Ferguson made one of the best signings of his managerial career. Ferguson signed a 14 year old boy onto the Manchester United’s books. On the 9th July 1990, Ryan Giggs was given a Manchester United contract - almost 18 years ago.

Ryan Giggs made his first team début for Manchester United against Everton, on the 2nd March 1991. That was 758 games ago, now Ryan Giggs has equalled Bobby Charlton’s appearance record for the club and may well surpass it when Manchester United face Chelsea in the Champions League final in Moscow next week.

The Greatest

When people think about the best player to grace the Premier League, a few names always crop up; Cantona, Henry, Zola, Bergkamp, Shearer, Cech, Adams and there are others, but few can dispute that Giggs is amongst the list.

Honours

Looking at his unrivalled war chest of honours (right hand side), nobody comes close to the Welsh Wizard, but its not just his medals that make Giggs the best the Premier League has seen…..

Talent

Giggs started his career as a left winger. His pace, control, balance and skill frightened full backs all over the world. It drew comparisons with another footballing legend, George Best and he was awarded the U-21 European Footballer of the Year.

Aged 17 he became the youngest player to represent Wales internationally. He went on to gain 64 caps before retiring from international football in 2007.

Consistency

Giggs has maintained his form throughout his career at Manchester United, at the top level of football, never making fewer than 30 appearances in a season. A formidable record considering the competition for places and the standard of the game he has played.

Loyalty

In an age where moving clubs every few years is so commonplace, it’s rare to see a player stay at a club as long as Giggs has. He could have earned millions in transfer fee’s over the years, instead he focused on his football.

Off the Field

Giggs is a great role model for children. He now refrains from over publicising himself, something he was perhaps guilty of when he first came on the scene. Even his football boot sponsor has been consistent, Giggs has been with Reebok for several years now and currently wears the Reebok SprintFit football boots.

Versatility

Of late Giggs has demonstrated that he is not a one trick pony. As the years have crept up on him, he has had to adapt his game as he has lost a little of his pace.

Giggs started out as a pacey winger, before adapting to play as a central striker and more recently he has been used as a central midfielder.

Ryan Giggs

Few can contest the ability of Ryan Giggs, he’s performed at the very top level for almost two decades and his attitude has been exemplary. Look at the all round player and person Ryan Giggs is, he’s the greatest the Premier League has ever seen.758

You know how it is. There you are, sitting on your PC or laptop, beavering away on a much needed work related document, paying a bill via electronic banking or just emailing a mate then…ping…up pops a message on Facebook or Skype from an old acquaintance, an ex partner or some geezer in Nigeria who says you’ve won 50 grand on their national lottery and all you need to do to collect the cash is send him £1000 to sort it out for you. Yeah right.

At Footy Boots, we rarely have time for social networking, so busy are we researching and sourcing the latest products and new developments in the football boot world.

But that may be about to change.

Imagine that you could interact, via the wonders of the Net with six of the biggest names in football on the planet.

With social networking now no longer solely in the domain of computer geeks, people who can’t get a boyfriend or girlfriend or individuals who really should get out more, drinks company Pepsi have embraced the phenomenon and have announced details of a new website that will allow users to set up their own profile and compare their interests with the likes of David Beckham, Thierry Henry and Ronaldinho.

The sextet is completed by Cesc Fabregas, Lionel Messi and Frank Lampard.

All six players will star in a multi million pound TV advertisement campaign which is due to be launched next month.

The new website, www.pepsiyouniverse.com features a section called ‘Youniverse’ where users can design their profile as well as taking a look at a behind-the-scenes video of the making of the ad, with commentary from all six players.

Duly enthused by this initiative, at Footy Boots we’ve already signed up, being keen to know if any of the ‘Sexy Six’ share a passion for our great interests outside of newly designed football boots – those being pigeon fancying, German films of the 1950’s and Haribo Sour Mix. C’mon Beck, lets be hearing from you.

In this week’s Coke Column, Giles talks about his hopes for Arsenal (his boyhood team) and what he plans to do when he retires from football.

Hi everyone, we’ve had a good start to 2008 at Northampton. A six match unbeaten run was ended by a 1-0 defeat to Yeovil in a poor, scrappy game last week in which the home side scored the winner in the 94th minute. We didn’t get the ball down and play and it was a sad way to end our undefeated run and the manager was rightly unhappy with our performance. We bounced back from defeat at the weekend to beat Gillingham 4-0. I came off the bench to score - my goal took a deflection and looped over the keeper, but they all count! Gillingham weren’t really at the races and I think 4-0 could have quite easily been six or seven. Our new striker Adebayo Akinfenwa also scored a couple, which I’m sure would have been good for his confidence. He’s now scored 4 since he joined us. Adebayo is a good player from what I’ve seen so far. He has a good touch, holds the ball up well, and gets in the box and scores goals, so I’m sure he’ll be an asset as we try and finish as high as possible this season.

I’m going to watch the Arsenal v AC Milan Champions League game at the Emirates tonight. I can’t wait! I have been an Arsenal fan for as long as I can remember and I used to love Ian Wright, he scored so many goals. Once I went to one of his signing sessions at Covent Garden as a kid and he sort of stuck as my Arsenal hero after that. I was also a big fan of Patrick Vieira, Emmanuel Petit, Dennis Bergkamp, and the speedy winger Mark Overmars. In the current crop of players, I really like Cesc Fabregas. I’m also really looking forward to watching Kaka. What a player! I always try and learn from players playing in a similar position to me, looking at their passing and movement, but sometimes I just watch some of the things they do and say wow! I suppose that’s why they amongst the best players in the world.

A lot of people seemed to think Arsenal would struggle this season without Thierry Henry. I think if anything, losing Henry has made Arsenal a stronger group of players. They are certainly playing well, and I really do think they can win the League. The FA Cup defeat at Manchester United was disappointing. I don’t know whether Wenger and the players maybe had one eye on tonight’s match. I’m hoping we can maybe sneak a 1-0 victory tonight and then hold on in Milan in a few weeks time.

It’s a long, long way off but people do ask me if I’ve ever had any thoughts on what I’d like to do when I retire. A footballer’s career is short compared to other industries, often less than fifteen years, so it is important to think about your post career objectives. I definitely want to stay in sport following my football career. My brother Jon coaches Under 10s football and it is something he is really passionate about. Maybe I will look to follow in his footsteps when I retire and do a bit of coaching!

I’ve got a game away at Hartlepool on Friday night so hopefully we can get a result there.

And up the Arsenal tonight!

Egypt retained the Africa Cup of Nations, Eto’o scored highest and Puma won as far as football boot brands go.

The Africa Cup of Nations has come of age and is now a tournament that stands up with the best. The standard of the game is very high, as is the excitement that is produced from the continents best footballing nations.

A record 99 goals were scored in the 3 weeks, there was not one penalty shoot out and extra time was used but once, a testament to the attacking tactics employed in Ghana.

Egypt took the trophy when they beat Cameroon 1 - 0 in the Ghanaian capital, Accra. Making it a record 6 wins for the Pharaoh’s.

Also for the 6th time, Puma sponsored a winning Africa Cup of Nations team. Puma have invested heavily in African nations, 2 in total, perhaps wiseley based on the improvement African teams have made in world football. In 28 out of the 32 games, at least one Puma team was present.

Samuel Eto’o was the top goal scorer of the 2008 Africa Cup of Nations, he scored five goals during the tournament. At just 26 years of age, Eto’o became the Africa Cup of Nations all time record goalscorer. He has scored 16 goals in five competitions.

Puma triumphed again, as Samuel Eto’o wears Puma’s football boots, the Puma V1.08.

The Manchester United kit to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Munich air disaster.

The commemorative kit will be worn during Manchester United’s derby on Saturday 9th February, with Manchester City.

The kit is styled in a 1950’s fashion. It will not feature the logo’s of sponsors, or the league and will be worn without the names of players. Kit sponsor Nike have made the kit and along with their main sponsor AIG, both firms have agreed to give up their branding. A replica kit will not be sold, the kits used on the day will be given away to survivors of the disaster and associated guests.

In another mark of respect, the players have also approached their football boot sponsors and will be wearing black football boots during the game, as previously reported in our article Black Football Boots Commemorate Munich Disaster.

Munich on the 6th February 1958, a plane carrying journalists, supporters and the Manchester United football team, known as the Busby Babes, crashed on its third attempt to take off. Twenty-three of the 44 passengers on board the aircraft died in the disaster, including eight United players and one former Manchester City player.

At Old Trafford, their clock remains frozen at 3:04 p.m. on Feb. 6, 1958. With the word Munich beneath it. The time and date when the plane carrying the Manchester United team crashed on take off from Munich’s airport.

In this week’s Coke Column, Giles talks about scoring his first goal for Northampton and the romance of the FA Cup.

Hi everyone, I’m pleased with the way the last few games have gone. We got a 1-0 away win against Gillingham last week and then on Friday beat Leyton Orient 2-0 at home. Orient were flying at the start of the season and they’re still in the play off mix so it was a good result for us. I also scored my first goal for the club in my second home game. I felt unlucky not to score against Hartlepool a few weeks back so I was pleased to get off the mark against Orient. Poul Hubertz flicked on a header about 35 yards out and I pushed it on with my left foot to knock it past the defenders into the area, before flicking it past the keeper with my right foot from just inside the box.

That goal was for the gaffer and the physios really. I’m very grateful to Stuart Gray for giving me the opportunity to step up a level and putting his faith in me, and also to the physios for all their help in getting me back from injury. It was good to get off the mark, and I thought we played well as a team.

Our next home game is against Brighton and I don’t see why we can’t go out there, play with confidence, and pick up another three points. My fitness is improving match by match and I’m only going to improve my sharpness by getting out on the pitch and playing.

Who says the romance of the FA Cup is dead?!

With playing on Friday, I was able to watch the live FA Cup games over the weekend, including my old team Mansfield take on Middlesbrough. Mansfield did well, playing like that it’s amazing to think they’re at the bottom of League Two. They dominated play in patches, especially at the beginning of the second half and Mickey Boulding hit the bar. On another day, it could have been a different result.

I was really chuffed for my mate Richard Pacquette. I played with him at QPR when I was younger and he now plays for Havant and Waterlooville. He scored to put the non league side 1-0 up at Anfield and he called me straight after the game. What an amazing performance it was by the part timers, in the first half it seems with a bit more luck they could have gone 2-0 up, then it would have been interesting! But ultimately, in the second half, Premiership class told and Liverpool ran out 5-2 winners. Richard was certainly buzzing though, and the team rounded the weekend off by going to the Man Utd v Spurs game at Old Trafford.

Your questions:

Hi Giles, What do you think of the situation at Newcastle? Do you think it is a good move for Keegan to go back there and to bring in Dennis Wise? From Danny P

I think if anyone can turn the situation round at Newcastle, Kevin Keegan can. He did a good job last time, and he certainly knows the club inside out. I was a bit surprised when I heard Dennis Wise was going there. He seemed to be building something at Leeds and has brought quite a few players in during the transfer window, including Brad Johnson from Northampton. I guess the opportunity was far too good to turn down. I’m not sure exactly what role he will have, but I reckon the fans will appreciate him and the players will respect him, due to what he did at Leeds and the combative, never say die attitude he had as a player.

See you in 2 weeks!

In this week’s Coke Column, Giles talks about his return to first team football.

Hi everyone, well after a year out with injury, I’ve finally returned to playing first team football. I must admit it’s been one of the most frustrating year’s of my life, especially as I’ve been close to coming back on several occasions only to suffer a new setback. My year out of competitive football has had one positive however, in allowing me to spend time with my baby daughter, who had her 1st birthday last week.

I made my Northampton debut against Leeds United at Elland Road last week. We lost the game 3-0 which was very disappointing but I thought I did ok when I came on for the last twenty or so minutes, when we were already 2-0 down. It was quite a high tempo game and unfortunately I picked up a yellow card within the first couple of minutes of being on the pitch. Leeds are a decent side, they’ve obviously got all the facilities and infrastructure to play at a much higher level again and I think they’ll definitely be in the mix to go up at the end of the season. My mate Brad Johnson has gone there, and he made his debut against Crewe on Monday. I was sad to see Brad go but I think it’s a very good move for him as it gives him a huge possibility of playing at a big club in a winning side, and most probably playing in the Championship next season.

Following ninety minutes of reserve team football against Southend last week in which I wasn’t too happy with my performance, I made my home debut against Hartlepool at the weekend, my first ninety minutes of first team football since New Year’s Day 2007! When Stuart Gray told me I would be starting I was absolutely buzzing, and couldn’t wait for the match. We ended up drawing the match 1-1 which I thought was a fair result. However we need to start turning the home draws into wins, so we don’t get sucked into the battle at the bottom, as there are several clubs behind us in the table who have games in hand.

As far as my performance went, I was fairly happy with the first half. My touch and passing weren’t bad, though I did give the ball away on occasion. In the second half I was holding back quite a lot and not pushing forward as much as normal. It’s going to take about six to eight games to get back to full fitness and sharpness, so I hope people are patient with me. My game is about being box to box, I like to come back and defend, but I also like to push forward a bit like Steven Gerrard does for Liverpool. I’m going to have to play intelligently over the next month or so to conserve my reserves of energy for the full ninety minutes; there is no point me pushing forward, then leaving us exposed at the back.

I half expected to only play around sixty minutes on Saturday, but I think playing the full ninety minutes will be very beneficial in the long run. I nearly won the game for us in the last ten minutes, having a diving header well saved by the keeper, from a free kick. I got a bit of a bash on the hip when I went in for the header, but I’ve been icing that and I should be fine for the match away at Gillingham on Saturday.

Fingers crossed by the next time I speak to you we will have a few good results under our belts.

See you in 2 weeks.

In this week’s Coke Column, Giles discusses the January Transfer Window and how he spent his festive period.

Hi everyone, firstly I’d like to wish you all a very Happy New Year and hope you had a very enjoyable Christmas.

I was training on Christmas Day, in fact we played a small game which was good fun. After training I drove back to London to have Christmas Lunch with my partner’s family before visiting my own family in the evening. My baby daughter got lots of presents and was really spoilt! She’s probably a bit young to know exactly what is going on at Christmas but it’s going to be fun spending this time of year with her over the next few years. I got some nice presents, one of which being the new Pro Evolution football game for the Playstation 3. I’m sure some of the players will be dropping in to have a game over the coming weeks. Due to the fixture pile up over the holiday season, New Year is quite a quiet affair for a footballer. Myself and my partner spent New Year’s Eve out for dinner with Ian Henderson and his girlfriend.

Over Christmas, football clubs often put on pantomines or comedy shows for the players. This year our youth team put on a nativity type pantomine where they had a bit of a joke at the other players expense! I escaped pretty much unscathed but some of the other players had a bit of mickey taking including the Manager!

We got a very good result at Huddersfield at the weekend but unfortunately couldn’t hold on for a win against Millwall yesterday. I’m back on track fitness wise and am hoping to be available for selection next week, possibly after featuring in a reserve match on Monday.

The January Transfer Window opened yesterday and there has been speculation over whether Bradley Johnson will stay or go, with a bid being put in for him from a Championship Club. Brad is one of my close mates and although it would be nice to play alongside him, if he does move on I’m sure he’ll do really well and I’ll certainly be keeping tabs on his progress.

I don’t actually agree with the concept of having Transfer Windows. I don’t know of any other industry where people are only allowed to move jobs at given times of year. It must really frustrate Managers. I’m sure this is why we see inflated prices, because numerous clubs end up scrapping for the same players. People say January is not always the best time to buy as the player needs to adjust to his new surroundings mid season. Some of the big clubs don’t seem to buy in January but it seems that Chelsea, Liverpool and Man United may all look to strengthen their ranks. The only possible argument I can see for having Transfer Windows is that clubs know exactly when they can and cannot buy players, and it means there is not disruption to squads throughout the year. To be honest though, I don’t know if that argument really stands up.

Hope you all have a great 2008 and I’ll see you again in 2 weeks!

In this week’s Coke Column, Giles discusses his plans for Christmas.

Hi everyone, I’d like to wish you all a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year, and hope you all have an enjoyable time over the festive period.

The festive period is a bit strange as a footballer. We cannot really let our hair down and enjoy ourselves as much as other people as the matches come thick and fast. We got a good result as Nottingham Forest at the weekend and it would have been a great result had we been able to hang on and win. Hopefully that can be a turning point and we can start to move back up the table. With an away game to Doncaster on Boxing Day and a home game against Millwall on New Year’s Day, me and the rest of the lads certainly wont be indulging on Christmas Day or on New Year’s Eve!

We had our Christmas party on Monday which was good fun, and we did a bit of a pub crawl around Northampton. We were thinking of having a Fancy Dress theme but in the end we didn’t, which was perhaps wise, given some of the costumes that players seem to wear at different football club’s Christmas parties!

I’ll be training on Christmas Day, although my family and I will be having a traditional Christmas Dinner. It will be my first year in Northampton with my daughter Nevaeh, and partner Hannah, and I’m really looking forward to it. I think both Hannah’s and my family are going to pop in on Christmas Day so it will be nice to have everyone around.

As far as New Year’s Resolutions go, mine is to play more football! After my ‘Annus Horriblis’ this year, I’m hoping to stay injury free in 2008. I had a double hernia op in Manchester two weeks ago and felt pretty sore for a few days afterwards but I’m feeling better now and really want to push myself into contention for the New Year’s Day fixture against Millwall.

Hardly a Resolution but I hope both Northampton and England have a successful year. With Jose Mourinho ruling himself out of the running for the England job, I think the FA has picked a winner in Fabio Capello. He certainly has a good pedigree. He’s won titles at every club he’s coached at so why not give him a chance.

Anyway I’ll speak to you all again in 2008 and once again hope you all have a happy and healthy festive period.

In this week’s Coke Column, Giles discusses England’s failure to qualify for Euro 2008, who he thinks the next England manager should be, and his latest injury setback.

Hi everyone, the last two weeks have certainly not been the happiest for me on a footballing level both as a player and a football fan.

As I said in my last column, I thought England had performed poorly throughout the Euro 2008 qualifying campaign and I was slightly concerned about the way they were going to line up against Croatia. I thought tactics wise, Steve McClaren got it wrong and I’m unsure why he brought Scott Carson in for his first competitive start in a do or die game. I didn’t think England deserved to get anything out of the game and looking at the qualifying campaign as a whole we certainly didn’t deserve to qualify. It begs the question as to how do players who perform so well week in week out in the Premiership fail to reproduce that form in the national team. It’s a difficult one to put your finger on but I reckon the pressure to perform has a lot to do with it. Playing for your national team is the greatest honour to be bestowed on a player and each player is put under so much pressure by us all - the media, fans. I’m not using this as an excuse but it does seem that they are able to play without fear for their club sides but then it just doesn’t seem to happen at international level.

So who do I think can turn things around for England, motivate the players and try and get them to relax more when playing for England? I think the outstanding candidate is Jose Mourinho. He proved himself as being able to get the best out of his players at Chelsea and I think he would definitely command the respect of the England players. Plus he is a known quantity. Many of the players have worked for him before, know what he can do and what he has done. I would let him bring his own backroom staff in too. There is no point making him work with someone he doesn’t want to or hasn’t worked with before. In short, we need a manager and backroom team that are going to help make England a force in world football again.

If I had to go for an English manager to take charge of the national team, I would choose Harry Redknapp. He has done a fantastic job at Portsmouth, seems to get the best out of his players and is a straight talker.

Steve McClaren is of course not the only manager to lose his job in recent weeks. Billy Davies has obviously left Derby, and Chris Hutchings is no longer at Wigan. There’s also talk of Sam Allardyce being out of a job if Newcastle fail to beat Arsenal tonight and the possibility of Alan Shearer taking charge. That baffles me to be honest. Big Sam has only been at the club for a short time and he’s a very good manager. He worked wonders at Bolton and I think he needs to be given time to get the players to gel. I certainly don’t agree with all the talk of getting rid of him.

Northampton have been drawn against Millwall in the third round of the FA Cup. I’m expecting a difficult replay away at Walsall but I think if we get through that we’ve got a good chance of beating Millwall and progressing to the fourth round. Fingers crossed we can keep our cup run going but the league is obviously the priority so we need to turn things around and start winning.

I was hoping to be in the squad for the Walsall cup game last week however it was not to be. I played in a reserve game against Oxford and I was feeling much fitter, my touch was good and I was quite pleased with my performance. In the second half though I was struggling to sprint and was getting sharp pains in my hernia region. I’d been feeling problems in this area for a few weeks and was checking in regularly with the Doctor. I got taken off after 70 minutes of the match and after going to see the Doctor and Specialist it was decide I needed a hernia operation. As a result I have had to write the Coke Column at the beginning of this week. As you read this I will be in a hospital bed in Manchester recovering from the operation. I’ll be out a further two to three weeks but it’s better to get this sorted now rather than it get progressively worse if I came back and played with the problem.

Your questions:

Hi Giles, I can’t wait to see you in the first team shake up. I agree with you that Steve McLaren should never have been given the England job but do you think, considering players must be English, the managers should English as well. Also, please name the current League 1 Manager who you think would do the best job as McLaren’s replacement. From Jamie

To be honest I believe we should get the best man for the job whether he is English or not. It would be great if we had an outstanding candidate that was English but I think Jose Mourinho is the man that can turn the national team’s fortunes around. If I had to choose a League One Manager, I could only really consider our gaffer as I don’t know enough about the other managers. There are a lot of good young managers in League One but you get to know exactly how the manager’s work by being on the training ground with him every day and therefore I can‘t really say how good other League One managers. All I know is Stuart Gray is a good manager, he commands the respect of the players and is supported by a good backroom staff.

Hi Giles, How far do you think you can go in football? For example, provided you stay injury free, do you think you could make Premiership standard, International? Good luck! From Paul

To be honest at the moment, I just want to get back on the pitch and play. Obviously every player wants to play at the highest level they possibly can and I’m no different. But it’s down to me to show that by performing well enough on the pitch and take the opportunities that come my way. It would be great to get into the Championship with Northampton over the next couple of years.

See you in two weeks!

The brainchild of Leeds born Simon Skirrow in 2004, Australian football boot brand Nomis is one of a number of emerging football boot brands bringing new ideas and technological innovation to the football boot market.

Nomis is based in Brisbane, Queensland, on Australia’s east coast, although the football boot specialist is now distributing its products throughout Germany, Scandinavia, Brazil and the UK in a total of 1200 retail outlets. Nomis is on course to sell 75,000 pairs of football boots this financial year. Next year’s target is 200,000. Indeed, as we previously mentioned on Footy Boots, Nomis’ new Futspeed range is to be released in the UK next April.

Nomis is probably most famous for having Harry Kewell as one of its contracted players. Australian Kewell famously ditched his lucrative football boot deal with Adidas, in favour of wearing Nomis football boots for free. The Liverpool winger famously wore them for the first time in Liverpool’s dramatic European Cup win against AC Milan in Istanbul in 2005. Kewell currently wears the Nomis Spark, a football boot made of K-leather, with a two density outsole offering improved comfort, flexibility and stability.

Skirrow who has been involved in the football boot business since joining Adidas at the age of 17, says it is, “the thrill of the challenge” that drives him to pursue better football boot technology. He says he loves the challenge even more today than he did as a teenager, as the development of new techniques and advanced materials provides more opportunities for diversification.

By the age of 29 he was Adidas’s senior vice-president of global football, overseeing the company’s sponsorship of 70 of the world’s leading teams. One of his greatest achievements was to develop the world’s most successful football boot, the Adidas Predator, alongside Craig Johnston.

Nomis’ goal is to create the most comfortable football boots possible for footballers, while at the same time boosting performance. Skirrow states: “Our aim is to be known as the football boot company. Not an elitist boot. One that is good for Harry Kewell and just as good for my son and your son.”

Nomis football boots retail for between £40 and £120, positioning them at the mid to top end of the football boot market.

The last few years have seen the introduction of increasingly lighter football boots; players often appearing to be running around the pitch in a pair of runners spikes! However the recent spate of metatarsal related foot injuries has highlighted a need for a more protective and supportive style of football boot.

Skirrow agrees that the weight of the football boot should be a consideration, though he cautions that it should not be the main feature. He believes light football boots tend to lack the necessary heel and midsole strength that the foot needs to support itself, which could lead to difficulties or even injury for players.

Click here for further information on Nomis football boots.

In this week’s Coke Column, Giles discusses his continued recovery from injury and England’s struggle to qualify for Euro 2008.

Hi everyone, since I last spoke to you I have played two further reserve games. I have now featured in three games and I feel that I am starting to regain my match fitness and hope to be involved in the first team reckoning sooner rather than later. When returning from such a long injury lay off, it obviously takes time to regain that sharpness but I am confident that I can develop into a better player under the guidance I am receiving from the management staff at the club.

I played a full ninety minutes against Peterborough last week. This was my first full ninety since the turn of the year and it was a great feeling completing a match. The game finished 1-1 and although I thought I played ok, I was still a bit disappointed as I know I am a much better player than that. I felt I worked hard and felt fitter than in my first comeback game, which was pleasing.

I had another run out for the reserves on Monday night. We ended up losing 5-2 against a Norwich side which featured a number of the first team squad. By comparison, we gave a run out to quite a few of our younger players as the first team were preparing for the FA Cup 1st round replay against Darlington the following night. I thought I played ok against Norwich. I broke into the box on several occasions, which is an area of my game where I feel I can be a threat. I got a few shots on goal, one from about 12 yards out which the keeper pulled off a good save to push round his near post. Unfortunately after sixty minutes, the injury curse struck! A corner was floated over and I lost my man. I went for a diving header and got whacked full on in the face by a defender’s boot. I managed to head the ball towards goal and it was going in but one of our players back heeled it over the line to make sure. When I got up I had blood coming from the top of my head and under my eye. I was taken off and given seven stitches in my head and one under my eye which will probably leave me with a small scar. I’ve got a black eye at the moment aswell, so that’s the modelling career down the drain!! Still, it’s only superficial and if the manager feels that my fitness is now sufficient enough for me to be involved in the first team squad against Walsall at the weekend, I’ll be raring to go!

It will be interesting to see how we go against Walsall at the weekend, as we will also be playing them in the next round of the FA Cup. We got a good 2-1 win last night against Darlington in our replay. I’d actually drafted for this week’s Coke Column prior to the match that I thought we’d win 2-0 and we were very close to that scoreline, with Darlington scoring their consolation in stoppage time. Hopefully we can beat Walsall in the next round and draw a Premiership side in the third round.

I didn’t get a chance to see the Israel v Russia match on Saturday but I think England should count themselves very lucky to be in the position they are in ahead of tonight’s match against Croatia. I don’t think they’ve been good enough throughout the qualifying stages and probably haven’t deserved to go through, as they ultimately have had to rely on another game going their way. I’m not a huge fan of McClaren either. I didn’t think he was the man for the job when he was appointed and I’ve not seen anything so far to change my mind. As a proud Englishman I really hope he can prove me wrong and take the lads all the way at Euro 2008 next summer in Austria and Switzerland. I actually thought Scolari should have got the job. If McClaren ends up leaving after tonight, which I don’t think he will as I can’t see England not qualifying now, I’d go for someone like Jose Mourinho to replace him.

I’ve heard England may line up 4-5-1 tonight with Gerrard, Lampard and Barry in the middle and Joe Cole and Beckham/SWP on either flank, with Crouch ahead of them. I personally think this is a bit defensive and would put either Defoe or Bent up front with Crouch to give him a bit more support and firepower. If it’s not working, then we look to change it. I would also start with Cole on the left, Beckham on the right, and Stevie G and Lamps in the middle. I know Gerrard and Lampard can’t seem to play well together but I feel that Lamps is so consistent for Chelsea and scores for fun that we can’t not play him as he adds a goal threat from midfield, and Gerrard is Gerrard isn’t he, he’s always going to be in my team! My prediction for tonight is 2-0 to England. Fingers crossed!

Speak to you in two weeks when hopefully I’ll have fully completed my comeback from injury.

Your questions:

Hello Giles, I was wondering what is your reaction on Augustin Binya’s (Benfica)’s harsh tackle on Scott Brown (Celtic) in the UEFA Champions League?
As a player, have you suffered from a similar challenge before? And in your opinion, does the stud configuration have an effect on such challenge?
From Phantomclf

I thought it was a shocking challenge to be honest and a six game ban was about right. Only Binya will know whether or not he went into the challenge with the intent on breaking Scott Brown’s leg, but the lad’s amazingly lucky to come out of the tackle unscathed. Luckily I’ve never been on the receiving end of a challenge like that and hopefully never will.

Regarding the debate on football boots, I always wear moulds and I’ve never had any problems. I just prefer the feel and grip of them. I suppose there’s an argument that if you wore moulds in very wet conditions, you could slip and twist your knee, but as I said I’ve never encountered any problems. I’m not sure how they would have an effect on a challenge like that. That was a bad challenge in anyone’s language, simple as that!

Look forward to answering more of your questions

Keep checking in every two weeks to read The Coke Column!

Rafa Benitez has become the latest Premiership manager to wade into the debate surrounding the impact of modern day football boots on the recent upsurge in metatarsal injuries.

The Liverpool manager has recently had Adidas Predator Absolute duo Daniel Agger and Xabi Alonso ruled out after breaking bones in their feet and believes now is the time for an inquest into the problem.

Along with his Merseyside managerial counterpart, David Moyes, at Stanley Park neighbours Everton (see ‘Moyes blames football boots for metatarsal injuries’ article), Benitez has called on the leading football boot manufacturers to analyse why so many players are suffering metatarsal injuries.

‘Rafa the gaffer’ believes part of the problem might be the number of studs or blades on the soles of modern day football boots. He said: “Because I am really old, I like the old football boots. But now they change everything but I don’t know if that is the problem. Technology is very important but before we were playing with six studs and that was enough, now we see thirteen or twelve or eight in different positions. But really I don’t know. You cannot blame the football boots but something is wrong and maybe the big football boot companies need to analyse them.”

Benitez insists the fractures suffered by midfield dynamo Alonso and central defender Agger to their feet, and winger Jermaine Pennant to his shin, are a result of bad luck and is hopeful Liverpool’s fortunes on the injury front will soon improve.

He said: “I have been analysing the problems we have been having and when you talk about fractures it is something you cannot control. So all we can do is keep our fingers crossed and wait for the injured players to get better.”

The Reds, however, put their injury worries behind them this week by recording the highest ever score in Champions League history, with an 8-0 romp against Besiktas, a game in which Nike Mercurial Vapor football boot wearer Yossi Benayoun grabbed his first hat trick in Liverpool colours.

Other players who’ve crocked their “mets” lately include David Beckham (Adidas Predator Absolute Globe), Wayne Rooney (Nike Total 90 Laser), Lionel Messi (Adidas F50 Tunit 2), Robin van Persie (Adidas Predator Absolute Power), Steven Gerrard (Adidas Predator Absolute), Gary Neville (Adidas Predator Absolute), Scott Parker (Puma v-Konstrukt), Michael Owen (Umbro X Boot III), and Emile Heskey (Nike Air Legend).

In this week’s Coke Column, Giles describes ‘a week in the life of a professional footballer.’

Hi everyone, this week I thought I would give you a behind the scenes look at what goes on during my week, from training sessions to family life. I hope this will be of interest, especially to some of the younger players out there who are keen to understand what many professional footballers get up to on a daily basis.

My daily routine usually begins with getting up about 8.30am before heading in for training at about 9.30am. When I arrive at the ground some of the lads are grabbing a bit of breakfast but I usually have my cereal and toast at home. Everyone has to be in by 10am for a 10.30am start and if you arrive late you get a £10 fine. I wont tell you how many, if any fines I’ve got!

As soon as I get into training I get changed into my kit and go on the exercise bike for ten minutes to warm up. When you’re returning from such a long lay off, it’s obviously imperative to make sure all your muscles are warmed up properly. I’ll also often get a rub on my back or knee from the physios. The daily training sessions begin at 10.30am and though we work hard they’re really good fun. No two days are the same and the gaffer is very innovative in his thinking. We may do anything from possession games, crossing and finishing drills, games in grids. On a Monday, we normally finish training around 12.30pm, before having our lunch. Lunch can include anything from pasta and chicken, to curry and rice with loads of veggies. When the other lads have left I stay behind to work on my fitness by doing extra running with the physios. I’ll then head off to the gym to do some leg weights.

I’ll be back home between 3.30pm and 4pm, where I spend time with my partner and baby. Brad and Brett Johnson, Ian Henderson, and Mark Hughes, often come round for a game of Pro Evolution Soccer. I’ll then relax for the rest of the day, normally eating a stir fry, stew, salmon, pasta, or chicken, all served with vegetables for my dinner about 7pm. I head off to bed about 11pm.

Tuesday and Thursday are double session days. The morning will consist of a training session, often with a little game thrown in, finishing about midday. After lunch, we head off to the gym for 1.30pm where we get split into two groups. The first group does core body work with the physios, whilst the second group goes off with Jim Barron, the goalkeeping coach, to do upper body weights. After completing the session, the groups then swap over. The full session lasts an hour and a half.

Wednesday is a day off but not for me. I need to take every opportunity to train at the moment so I go in just before ten in the morning to work on my running with the physios. I go through various running drills and then head off to the gym to work on my legs in the afternoon. I’ll be home by 2pm.

Friday is a light session as we’re doing our final preparations for match day on Saturday. We’ll often do a squares game where eight players are in a box, two in the middle and six around the side. The six players have to keep possession of the ball while the two players in the middle close them down. We also have an 11 v 11 walk through game and do some set piece work. The lads who are involved on Saturday will then head off between 11.30am and 12pm to leave a mixture of youth team players and those not involved at the weekend to take part in a small training game. I find this really useful as the gaffer often takes me to one side to work on my running during the game, before slotting me back into the game.

Saturday is match day! I’m currently going in at about 11am, but this obviously depends if we have a home game or not. I’ll do some more running with the physios and then get changed into my suit for the game. The lads who are involved in the match will come in at 1.30pm. After the game, I’ll often head back to London to see my family or meet up with some of the lads. I try and keep Sunday as low key as possible. I have a bit of a lie in and get up to watch the football highlights in the morning. I’ll then take my daughter to the park or do a bit of shopping or have lunch with my family, before catching the sunday football match on TV.

Phew! Well that’s my week. Hopefully it will give you a bit of insight into what goes on in my world!

Your questions:

Hi Giles. I read in the Coke Column that you played in a reserve game a few weeks ago. Have you played in any games since and is there any further update on when you’ll be back? From Dave

Hi Dave. Yeah I played about 60 minutes a couple of weeks back against Southend. We were supposed to be playing last week against Stevenage but that was unfortunately called off as they had a Cup replay which clashed. We’ve got a reserve game at Peterborough next week so I’m hoping to be involved in that. Training is great, but there’s nothing like getting games under your belt to improve your match fitness. Hopefully after that game, we’ll all have a better idea of when I can start to challenge for the first team.

Keep checking in every two weeks to read The Coke Column!