England last night crashed to a 3-2 home defeat against Croatia ending their hopes of qualifying for Euro 2008 and leaving manager Steve McClaren out of a job.

McClaren, who was appointed on August 1st 2006, has never won over the majority of England fans, after serving as understudy to Sven Goran Eriksson during his distinctly average tenure. The former Middlesbrough manager did little to enhance his managerial reputation during his time at the Riverside and most football supporters were mystified when the FA hierarchy appointed him in the first place.

Remarkably the England manager last night expressed his desire to continue in his role, though the FA has this morning acted quickly to end his reign, attempting to regain some shreds of credibility after such a poor appointment. McClaren’s reign is the shortest in the history of the England national team.

With the announcement of McClaren’s sacking the FA continue their recent trend of having to shell out large compensation packages to manager’s who have simply not been up to the job. The FA must have deep pockets, McClaren is expected to receive a £2.5 million payoff, following predecessor’s Sven Goran Eriksson’s pay off which ran into the millions.

We here at Footy-Boots.com have always been vocal in our opposition of Steve McClaren’s appointment as England boss, so much so that we have been stocking a ‘Taxi for McClaren’ t-shirt in the Footy Boots shop. You can celebrate the sacking of Steve McClaren by clicking here to buy your ‘Taxi for McClaren’ t-shirt.

All the blame however should not be laid at the manager’s door. True it was McClaren who picked the internationally inexperienced Scott Carson in such a critical game, whilst leaving out big game player David Beckham, but surely the rest of England’s so called ‘golden generation’ should have been up to the job. It is a manager’s job to motivate his troops, but isn’t playing for your country motivation enough? In short, England didn’t turn up last night, as they haven’t for most of this qualifying campaign.

The new manager, whoever he may be, will first have to address the problem of why so many of these multi millionaire players who perform week in week out for their respective club teams too often fail to perform on the international stage.

England fans, players and the manager are not the only ones crying into their cereal this morning. As reported on Footy Boots over the last few months, England’s failure to qualify for the Euro 2008 championships would have dire consequences for the economy, with British high street shops and companies losing out on a potential £1 billion pounds.

Football boot brand and England football shirt supplier Umbro has more to lose than most and has today confirmed that “2008 sales revenues will be hit by a substantial reduction in expected sales volumes for the new England away football shirt.”

If Steve McClaren’s men fail to qualify for next season’s Euro 2008, it will not only be the England manager who finds himself in hot water.

England’s hit and miss Euro qualification campaign has cranked up the pressure on McClaren and even seen the release of a ‘Taxi for McClaren’ t-shirt, which you can buy here at the Footy Boots Shop.

Whilst the England manager cowered in his bathroom during the final minutes of Israel’s narrow 2-1 win over, the business community contemplated the potential loss of a £1 billion summer bonus.

Involvement in a significant tournament sends the nation’s fervour soaring and that means open wallets on the high street. The British Retail Consortium estimates that last year’s World Cup boosted UK retail spending by more than £1 billion. If England fail to secure a draw with Croatia at Wembley tomorrow and miss out on Euro 2008 qualification, more than £500 million would remain unspent. At the very least, pubs, clubs, off-licences and the advertising and gambling industries would miss out on some £600,000 of spending.

As reported in a Footy-Boots.com article in September, England shirt supplier Umbro anticipates a disastrous 2008 should the Three Lions not make the trip to Austria and Switzerland next summer. The football boot brand expects to lose £15 million of profits if the team do not qualify.

Though the Football Association has the relative security of long-term broadcasting and sponsorship deals worth more than £500 million, it is estimated that a summer off would have cost the FA £10 million through loss of ticket revenue, merchandising and 45 licensee arrangements with commercial partners.

McClaren’s unscheduled dash to the toilet raises the question of whether he can handle pressure situations. Will he crack under pressure if the England team is staring down the barrel of defeat in the last ten minutes of Wednesday’s final Euro 2008 qualifying match?

One of his managerial counterparts, Arsene Wenger, has backed England to qualify provided McClaren is prepared to make some brave decisions, and change his system. Wenger believes England can clinch a place in Euro 2008 by employing a five man midfield, with Steven Gerrard lining up alongside Frank Lampard and Gareth Barry, with David Beckham and Joe Cole on either flank.

The Arsenal manager said: “I know England have most often used 4-4-2 but I feel there could be an innovation on Wednesday. But I’m not Steve McClaren and I leave that choice to him. I personally think it will be 2-0 to England. That will put them top of the group and then you cannot say they have under-achieved!”

Having said that, Wenger believes Croatia’s statistics prove they will be a tough opponent at Wembley and should not be underestimated. He added: “From the outside it looks as if England has an easy task - but it’s not. There are only two factors when a team has nothing to play for: are they very easy to play or are they extremely difficult to play. I would be temped towards the second solution. Croatia just lost a game but are still qualified. There is no special pressure and Wembley has a special aura in the whole of Europe. Nobody wants to miss that kind of opportunity to play a good game. I think it is a very dangerous game for England. Also you cannot go into a game like this only trying to draw it, you cannot give that kind of message to your players. So you have to prepare the game like you want to win it but knowing that a point is enough.”

Will McClaren oversee an England draw or victory to send England through to next summer’s Euro 2008 or will he be the first manager since Graham Taylor in 1994 (USA World Cup) to fail to lead the Three Lions to a major competition? Remember to click here to buy your special ‘Taxi for McClaren’ t-shirt.

Footy-Boots.com is giving away a free Soccer Pro Player Pack* worth £9.99 to the first ten people who request it on the Footy Boots Forum!

Soccer Pro is a new match supplement which has been developed in response to the intensifying demands of the modern game. It claims to bolster the performance levels of professional footballers. Premiership stats for the 2006/7 season show that 151 goals were scored in the final ten minutes of the match, that’s over 16% of all goals scored. Footballers in 2007 are quicker, stronger and bigger than ever before. The top players are running close to 12km per match, so it’s hardly surprising they are getting so tired late in games. Muscle cramp and blips in concentration are signs of fatigue and often result in late goals.

It’s not often that we here at Footy-Boots.com look to endorse a product, but after testing Soccer Pro ourselves we found it really improved our energy levels, especially in the final stages of our matches.

Soccer Pro took over three years to develop. The head of RnD at Soccer Pro HQ, Dr Mathew Leigh, reveals more about the recently patented formulation: ‘Our aim was to create a product specifically for the modern Pro-footballer. Soccer Pro has been designed to fit into a player’s existing match-day routine and give them something extra during the vital stages of the match. Our challenge was to deliver cutting-edge ingredients into a format that worked for footballers.’

Soccer Pro can be used shortly before kick-off or at half-time. Each sachet contains one match serving and the small, chewable tablets are fruit-flavoured and easy to eat. All the ingredients in Soccer Pro are totally natural and 100% safe for sports use.

Although Zuku, the manufacturers of Soccer Pro, would not reveal the specific professional players using Soccer Pro, they are currently supplying a number of professional clubs and the product has been well received.

For your chance to win a Soccer Pro Player Pack*, (containing six sachets - retail price £9.99) absolutely free, click here to go to the Footy Boots Forum now and make your request!

*Competition only open to people resident in UK.

Two of the football boots nominated in the Football Boot Awards 2007 helped Manchester United and Arsenal secure vital 1-0 wins in the Champions League group stages last night.

Wayne Rooney struck his first goal of the season in his Nike Total 90 Laser football boots which are up for nomination in the Football Boot of the Year, Best Looking Football Boot, and Most Innovative Football Boot categories, to give the Premiership Champions a narrow win against Roma.

Roma may be relieved to escape with a 1-0 defeat after incurring a 7-1 drubbing at the hands of United in last season’s quarter final. Indeed, Nike Mercurial Vapor III wearer Christiano Ronaldo kicked off the pre match banter by suggesting that a certain Roma defender begged him to stop dribbling at the worn down Italian team’s backline after the scoreline reached 6-0!

A late strike by Dutch international Robin Van Persie sank Steaua Bucharest last night and gave Arsenal a second successive Champions League win. Van Persie hit the only goal in his Adidas Predator Absolute’s, which are up against the likes of the Hummel 8.4 Pio Sport, the Mizuno Morelia, Prior2Lever Assassin and the Umbro Speciali ‘07 in the Awards’ Most Comfortable Football Boot category.

The most impressive result of the night was Rangers 3-0 victory away at French Champions Lyon, maintaining their 100% start to this season’s European campaign. Scotland international Lee McCulloch (Adidas Predator Absolute) began the scoring before Nike Mercurial Vapor III duo Daniel Cousin and DaMarcus Beasley added breakaway goals early in the second half.

Tonight, Liverpool entertain Marseille whilst Chelsea face a tough trip to Valencia.

For Chelsea, John Terry, (who’s signed Umbro X Boot Destroyer’s you could win by voting in the Football Boot Awards) is likely to play through the pain by wearing a protective mask, which looks a cross between a pair of Biggles goggles and something a superhero would wear!

At Anfield, Liverpool will be hoping to gain their first three points of this season’s competition but will have to pay close attention to the returning Djibril Cisse. The French international’s Adidas F50 Tunit 2 has been nominated in the Best Looking category alongside the Mitre Vortex Pro, Lotto Zhero Evolution and the Umbro Ultra SX, worn by Barcelona playmaker Deco, whilst also featuring in the Most Innovative and Football Boot of the Year categories.

Meanwhile Rafa Benitez has challenged beanpole Peter Crouch to let his Puma v.106 football boots do the talking and follow Yossi Benayoun’s (Nike Mercurial Vapor III) recent example by scoring the goals that may secure him a more regular starting place. The Puma v.106 football boot locks horns with Crouch’s England strike partner Michael Owen’s Umbro X Boot III in the Football Boot of the Year category, as well as coming up against the Nomis Glove in the Most Innovative category. The Puma v.106 also features in the Most Comfortable category.

If you haven’t voted in the awards yet, click here

Voting has opened for the Footy-Boots.com Football Boot Awards 2007 in association with Zoo.

By voting in the Football Boot Awards, you will automatically be entered in a prize draw for a winning prize of a pair of signed John Terry Umbro X Boot Destroyer Football Boots and a runner up prize of one pair of football boots per season for the next five seasons!

All the top football boot brands have nominated their leading football boots in the following categories to be voted on by the Footy-Boots audience.

Football Boot of the Year
Football Boot Brand of the Year
Best Looking Football Boot
Most Comfortable Football Boot
Most Innovative Football Boot

Voting begins on Tuesday 2nd October and runs until Tuesday 16th October. Award winners and prize winners will be announced on Footy-Boots on Tuesday 30th October.

Click here to vote in the Football Boot Awards.

Footy-Boots.com is a unique source of information for fans of football and of course football boots.
As the leading independent voice on football boots, we give you the heads up about new football boot releases, bring you commentary, and frequent exclusive videos from football boot manufacturers, as well as providing a different angle to the game of football.

Footy-Boots.com is aimed at the grassroots footballing community, and as such the site is managed by people who are passionate about football. Typically we are grassroots footballers, who get involved in midweek five-a-side games and Saturday and Sunday league football on muddy park pitches!

Since we launched this online football boot source in April 2006, it has grown beyond belief, with more and more people visiting every month. If you’ve enjoyed Footy-Boots, put a link to us wherever you can and tell your friends!

A facial injury to England captain John Terry has added more misery to what has been a turbulent couple of weeks for Chelsea Football Club.

Umbro X Boot Destroyer football boot wearer Terry sustained a depressed fracture of his right cheekbone following an aerial challenge with Fulham’s Clint Dempsey in the 0-0 draw at Stamford Bridge on Saturday.

Terry showed his renowned battling qualities to carry on playing until half time, for a goal shy Chelsea team who have amazingly failed to score in the Premiership throughout the whole of September. Indeed, former AC Milan goal machine Andrei Shevchenko has appeared a shadow of his former self, with his Reebok Sprintfit’s again failing to help him hit the target.

Initial worries that England hard man JT could miss the Three Lions crucial Euro qualifiers against Estonia and Russia seem to have receded, with news coming out of the Chelsea training camp this morning that a successful operation coupled with his impressive healing powers may give him an outside chance of playing in the Blues Champions League game against Valencia on Wednesday.

If you would like a chance to win a pair of signed John Terry Umbro X Boot Destroyer’s, all you need to do is vote in the Footy-Boots.com Football Boot Awards in association with Zoo Magazine. Log onto Footy-Boots.com between Tuesday 2nd October and Tuesday 16th October to cast your vote!

Join the Fantasy Football League on Times Online

Want to prove you know about football management as well as football boots?

Well now is your chance to demonstrate in the Times Online Fantasy Football League.

By entering you have the chance to win some major prizes from The Times Online. You can also join leagues, or create your own with your friends and colleagues. Perhaps you might even start a Footy-Boots league and post the details as a comment.

All you need to do is click here, or click The Times Advert on the right.

And finally, the best thing about this fantasy league competition, is it is absolutely FREE!

So get yourself registered and good luck for the new season!

The Hottest, Best and Latest Football Deals

In our mission to get the best deals for our visitors, we at Footy Boots bring you the hottest offers available on the net. With the new season approaching, this is the perfect time to bag a bargain football boot, especially on ranges which have just released new colourways or have been replaced - and don’t forget all the new football shirts that are being released as well!

Football Boots Offer

Kitbag are selling the superb Nike Mercurial Vapor III (Deep royal colourway) for £49.99 a saving of 58%! Click here.

They are not the top end Lotto Zhero Gravity, but the next best thing, and a football boot for the player serious about comfort - the Lotto Zhero Evolution football boots for £39.99 - reduced from £90! Click here.

The Mizuno Morelia football boots are on sale at Just Socca for just £50.00 in both Firm and Soft Ground versions. Click here.

Football Shirt Offers

Manchester United 07-08 Kit can be pre-ordered before it’s released on 1st August from Kitbag from only £29.99! Click here.

Let us know if you have “Bagged A Footy Boot Bargain” - or if you have spotted any cracking offers you want to share!

Our super deal on the Umbro Xai V has been selling like hot cakes! Maybe all this hot weather has gone to our heads, but to shift the last few pairs of football boots out of the door and to celebrate the Champions League Final the price has reduced to just £30 - a saving of over 60% on the RRP!

For your last chance to grab this deal before it’s gone, view our offers page now.

The Footy Boots team have been beavering away to land a SUPER DEAL for our loyal readers.

We’ve gone to Umbro and JustSocca, put their arms behind their backs and landed a top end football boot for just £40! NOW £30!!!

It’s the Umbro Xai V, previously worn by the England and Chelsea captain John Terry.

Read the Xai V article here.

The only downside is that this deal is available for 1 week or until we run out of the boots!

To grab this deal before it’s gone, view our offers page now.