Pop over to Austria and Switzerland, find yourself a football pundit and ask this question: “Will Fabio Capello make a difference to the forthcoming performances of the England national team?”

The response you’ll get will probably be along the lines of ‘he’s a great manager and coach but you can only work with the tools you’re given’.

And that, in a nutshell, is England’s problem. Lots of enthusiasm, endeavour and belief but, at the end of the day (Brian) not enough technical ability.

Capello is going to have to work miracles to earn his enormous salary because, lets be honest, any Tom, Dick or Harry would probably pick at least 9 out of any England starting XI (James, Ferdinand, Terry, Cole, Gerrard, Barry, J Cole, Bentley, Rooney ? that’s our go).

And despite flirting with Terry Venables’ Xmas tree formation and the glory days when the likes of Mark Wright could manipulate the ball at the back like a continental defender, it’s going to be 4-4-2. Come to think of it £6 million a year is a lot of dough to select about 2 players and send them on their way with a: “C’mona lads. You canna do it. These Moldovans are of a poor quality. Justa lika any shop bought pasta sauce.” Or something like that.

So with the likes of Portugal, Spain and Holland showing the rest of Europe how high tempo, flowing, constructive, technically superior football should be played, it’s perhaps apt that Nike and the Premier League have chosen this time to team up to find the best footballing talent in the UK at a series of trials called Most Wanted.

The Most Wanted events will be running throughout July across the UK & Ireland and are designed to find 22 young talents with the hunger, drive and determination to take their game to the next level.

Starting on July 5 in London, the Most Wanted team will be running a series of open trials for 150 players (per trial) committed to prepare for the 08/09 season like it’s their last. At each event those worthy enough, those prepared to stand up and be counted, will be selected for the Most Wanted Final Squad and experience the ultimate training weekend with some of football’s biggest names.

Working with it’s stable of world-class talent within the FA Premier League, including Wayne Rooney, Joe Cole and William Gallas, Nike has developed a series of technical, mental and physical football trials that will test the all round strength of a select group of young British football talent.

Backing this up is a Nike TV advert which will air for the first time on ITV tomorrow night. However, being a Footy Boots regular, you don’t need to wait until then as you can catch a sneak preview here.

Featuring Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson, it gives a truly unique insight into the passion and inspiration he brings to his players. The spot captures footage from the Carrington training ground where Sir Alex is running the rule over the latest crop of youth talent.Whilst watching over the training session, Ferguson’s relentless ambition and desire to take it to the next level come to the fore through a voiceover that the likes of Ronaldo, Rooney and Ferdinand will be all too familiar with.

With the failure of the Home Nations to qualify for Euro 2008, Fergie asks each young footballer watching if they are prepared to train for next season as if it’s their last and if they are good enough and strong enough to part of his Most Wanted.

“I know my reputation precedes me. But reputations don’t win games. Some call it temper. My boys know its passion. And they respect it. Because it means they’re worthy. The question is, are you? Are you going to sit back and watch a party that you are not invited to?.Or are you going to stand up and be counted? You have two months to become my most wanted. There’ll be no trophies, no gimmicks, no poetry. Just plain old fashioned graft. I’ll be waiting.”

An insider on set said: “It was amazing watching Sir Alex in action during filming. All of the youth team players were aware they were part of an ad but you could see they were affected by his presence, the intensity and quality improved the instant he came on set. No one was in doubt as to the influence and respect he commands throughout the club.”

Any player over the age of 16 can compete at their local trial for a place on the ultimate training weekend with the Manchester United manager.

Mire esto. Es muy bueno.That’s Spanish for Watch this. It’s very good.

But then, you probably knew that. More than likely in fact if you happen to live on Merseyside.

Footy Boots can reveal that the latest Nike video viral is out and it’s a belter. No performing dogs or breakdancing 14 year olds here (Britain’s got talent my backside), this is true entertainment. Clever, original and entertaining - everything that ITV’s Saturday night schedule isn’t.

The viral shows that while Kopites can’t cheer-on England this summer, they will be fully committed to Liverpool’s number 9. As a camera swoops around the European Capital of Culture, Spanish flags are flying everywhere. Liverpudlians are seen brushing up on their Spanish in evening classes, buying paella pans and snacking on Tapas.

The viral concludes with a bemused looking Torres watching his influence first-hand during a Spanish flavoured kick-about in the park.

An insider said: “During filming Fernando was surprised at how much of an impact he had on his adopted home. The way things are going Liverpool could be a bi-lingual city by the start of the 2008/09 season.”

This clip kicks off a series of virals that will be released over the next few months by Nike showing how athletes, managers and fans are taking their game to the next level.

To watch more video courtesy of Footy Boots all you need to do is click here.

In August 2002, Capital Radio ran a feature on an up and coming player at Everton. Reporter Gary Weaver was stood in the playground of the De Le Salle school in Croxteth on Merseyside raving about an ex pupil and striker by the name of Wayne Rooney.

He was, according to Weaver and a number of past and present Everton players, the most exciting youngster any of them had ever seen.

Less than 2 months later, Rooney went from child prodigy to national superstar when he smashed in ‘that’ goal for Everton against Arsenal at Goodison Park, ending the Londoners 30 match unbeaten run in to the bargain. The goal prompted commentator Clive Tyldesley to say “Remember the name: Wayne Rooney.” Rooney was 5 days short of his 17th birthday.

Spin forward half a decade and Rooney has moved on from national superstar to global brand.

He’s one of the biggest names on Nike’s books (he wears the Total 90 Laser II), received a £5 million advance from publisher Harper Collins for a 5 book deal and he has marketing agreements with Coca Cola, Nokia, Ford and Asda.

And of course, there’s the small matter of his forthcoming nuptials with long term girlfriend Coleen McLoughlin, herself a media favourite in her own right.

In this Nike video, Rooney talks about the sacrifices he’s made for his sport, the level of practice required and how his attitude to training and progressing as a player shaped his career and stellar success.

If you missed out on Joe Cole, you can catch up with the England and Chelsea midfielder here WHAT JOE KNOWS.

Winston Churchill (and when was the last time you saw him quoted on a football web site) once described the country of India as a riddle wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma.

What Joe Knows

If the former British Prime Minister was still with us today he might well use the same analogy when describing the talent that is Joe Cole.

The personification of footballing artistry, flair and invention or a modern day, cosmetic non requirement?

Up until the 2006 World Cup, Cole divided opinion amongst England football fans like no other player since Glenn Hoddle.

But such were his performances on England’s ‘problem’ left side, that nearly all the doubters were silenced. Indeed, his amazing volley against Sweden in the group stages and assist for Steven Gerrard’s goal saw him named as Man of the Match, a feat he repeated in the 2 - 1 win against Switzerland earlier this year - Fabio Capello’s first game in charge of the national team.

Cole shot to prominence in his early teens after a remarkable performance for the England youth team when he scored 7 of the 8 goals they put past Spain. A product of the West Ham youth academy, his exploits since both at club and international level have all been well documented.

However, if you thought you knew all about Joe Cole, then think again.

Footy Boots gets right under the skin of the 26 year old as he talks about growing up, his early teams and his desire to succeed. And there’s invaluable advice to young players who are hoping to follow in Cole’s imperious foot steps.

Joe Cole wears the Nike Tiempo II football boot.

And so, at the end of a hectic 6 weeks of filming, we come to the end of our series of Perry Groves video football boot tests.

Such have been his performances in front of the camera, Footy Boots has fielded calls from the likes of Steven Spielberg, Ang Lee and Martin Scorsese all clammering to sign Perry up for new projects. Indeed, we were even contacted by the ‘In and Out’ film company from California but after studying a few examples of their work (37 DVD’s to be honest) we eventually had to turn them down.

Luckily for us, Perry has stayed loyal to his first love, rebuffed the offers from tinsel town and continued on his quest to report back to the Footy Boot aficionados.

Since we started, Perry has tried out the Umbro SX Valor, SprintFit, Tiempo Legend II, V1.08, and Nomis Glove.

And today, in our final film, the former Arsenal legend takes a look at the Adidas adiPURE.

Since Perry made his report, Adidas have brought out a special version of the boot for Euro 2008.

You can see these below and check out Perry’s video of the original here.

Make sure you keep an eye on the Footy Boot video section for a brand new series of films coming up soon.

New Nike video - Take It To The Next Level.

If you’re planning to watch the Champions League semi final, 2nd leg between Manchester United and Barcelona, and why wouldn’t you be, make sure you’re in your chair or on your bar stool a few minutes before kick off.

Whilst the pre match chat is normally an ideal opportunity for a cuppa or trip to the bar, at Footy Boots we will definitely stayed glued to the screen to watch the airing of a brand new Nike commercial, directed by none other than Guy ‘Lock, Stock And Two Smoking Barrels’ Ritchie.

Entitled, ‘Take It To The Next Level’ , the ad charts the progression of a young football player from his beginnings in non-league football through to competing at the highest level for his country.

Some of the world’s best football players, including Cristiano Ronaldo, Cesc Fabregas, Ronaldinho, Wayne Rooney, Ruud Van Nistlerooy, Zlatan Ibrahimovich, Marco Materazzi and Rafael Marquez, feature in the all-action two-minute commercial which unfolds from the player’s first-hand perspective - the viewer is the player and is in the middle of all the action - on and off the pitch in all its glory.

The ad certainly hit the mark as far as Rooney was concerned. Asked for his advice to any budding young player he said “I think the advice I’d give to them is, as in any walk of life and in any sport, the main thing you have to do is work hard. If you work hard, practice everyday and make sure you are determined! I think with those three things you can then set yourself a good platform to go on and do well.”

And Arsenal star Cesc Fabregas said the journey portrayed by the player in the commercial was very similar to his experiences as a youngster at Arsenal. “For me all went very quickly and it’s the truth that it was an incredible experience, because I was playing as a substitute and here and there trained with the first team with players like Henry, Pires, Bergkamp. All these players who make you grow. It was just an incredible experience for me.”

Nike describe the commercial as follows.

To get to the next level in football, you need a fine-tuned combination of skill, physical fitness, mental toughness, emotional control, the best products and a bit of luck. This journey is the ultimate roller-coaster ride - it is not quick, pretty or easy and there are plenty of surprises along the way. You see what it takes to get discovered - what it takes to keep improving. You live the ups and downs, the glory and the sacrifice, the fun and insanity a modern footballer experiences on his journey up the ranks of the game.

The viewer quickly finds out that it is essential to adapt to every new situation technically, physically and mentally. The progression sees you meet constant challenges, work as part of a team, show ultimate commitment to training, be the victim of bad fouls, celebrate wins, be under pressure to deliver at critical match-deciding moments be humbled by other star players. The journey has some obvious advantages - glamorous evenings out with your beautiful girlfriend and adoring fans shouting your name and clambering for your autograph.

The story starts when you are spotted by Arsene Wenger at a non-league youth fixture after scoring the winning free-kick. You no longer hear about Arsenal’s results on the television - you are there - playing for the team - using the Player’s entrance. Cesc Fabregas kisses you in one match (a bit worrying) and screams at you in the next match (OK, that’s better).

You absorb the energy and emotion from passionate screaming fans who pack football stadiums when you play in the Manchester United v Arsenal clash in the English FA Premier League and you face teams such as Inter Milan and FC Barcelona in the Uefa Champions League.

You see first-hand the power of Wayne Rooney’s kick, the accuracy of Zlatan Ibrahimovich’s shot, Cristiano Ronaldo’s dazzling skills and incredible pace and Marco Materazzi’s man-marking. Ronaldinho smiles when he shakes your hand during the line-up at Camp Nou, but his spectacular dribble leaves you far from smiling.

The journey culminates in a dramatic Final between Holland and Portugal (right, I’m Dutch - no problem, I can do rock music and pretty girls). You are up against Cristiano Ronaldo once again. Your team-mates Ruud Van Nistlerooy and Wesley Schneijder play the ball into you and urge you to ‘Take It To The Next Level’ - even on this stage.

Director Guy Ritchie was obviously in his element during the shoot. He said “This is the largest advert I have filmed. Usually I do one commercial a year. Essentially this is like shooting a feature film on this one. So we spent a week in Barcelona, a couple of days up in Manchester. I think it’s 9 days overall which is long for a commercial.

“The footballers we’ve been working with were very nice fellas. Cristiano Ronaldo was a particularly nice chap. Also Ruud Van Nistelroy played football with my son for 20 minutes which made him very happy. They’ve all been very, very accommodating.”

Thanks to Nike, Footy Boots has obtained a sneak preview of the commercial so ahead of the debut showing, you can catch a glimpse right here.

The Footy Boots video boot reports have certainly caused a stir since Perry Groves launched his investigations two weeks ago.

Ron from Scotland contacted us to say “Congrats on getting Perry Groves to work for Footy Boots - he’s a legend.” John and Barry emailed from an army base overseas to say simply “we love Perry” whilst Lucio from London wrote “it doesn’t matter what Perry Groves wears on his feet - the man is a genius.” Mind you, that email was written in crayon.

This week, after putting the Umbro SX Valor and Nomis Glove through their paces, Perry switches his attention to the Reebok SprintFit.

As it happens, these football boots were in the news recently as Barcelona striker Thierry Henry was due to wear the brand new version of the Reebok SprintFit Pro for the first time in last weekend’s 0 - 0 draw with Espanyol. Due to a fever, Henry didn’t feature, but they just might get a run out this evening against Manchester United in the Champions League semi final.

Henry said ““The Sprintfit football boot just keeps on getting better and better. What I love about this football boot is it allows me to play my natural game, it’s like an extension of me.”

As for the manufacturer, they say that the football boot delivers an unbeatably snug fit thanks to Reebok’s Kinetic Fit System technology. An exquisitely soft K-Skin leather upper aids both flexibility and ventilation, creating a comfortable environment for the foot during play.

So Henry likes them as do Reebok. But importantly, what did Perry make of them? Find out just how highly the former Arsenal player rated them right here.

Cesc Fabregas will be starring in his very own TV show, creatively named The Cesc Fabregas Show.

The Cesc Fabregas Show

The show will look at the character and attributes of Fabregas off the football pitch and looks to be completely tongue in cheek. That’s opposed of course to the Philippe Senderos Show which is completely foot in mouth.

See a preview in the Footy Boots Video section.

The Arsenal player will take his audience on the journey of the life of Cesc Fabregas. The show will be a mix of football, comedy, there’s a Derby County gag there somewhere, and entertainment. And, just like the Gunners season, the show will come to complete standstill 3 weeks before the end of it’s planned run.

The one-hour ’shot as live’ film in front of a studio audience, will include live interviews, football stunts and pre-shot sequences.

A host of stars from football will also appear, including Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger and the scout (football scout, not woggle wearer) who first spotted Cesc Fabregas.

Our preview shows Fabregas in a fictional agent’s office (fictional being another word for honest) looking disgusted with his representative’s attempts to cheer him up with offers of houses, cars and even an Arsenal coloured helicopter!

See a preview in the Footy Boots Video section.

Commissioned by Fabregas’ football boots sponsor, Nike, The Cesc Fabregas Show is due for broadcast on May the 19th.

It must have been a tough weekend for Perry Groves, watching his former side Arsenal crash out of the Premier League title race with their defeat at Manchester United, but the ex Gunners favourite was still enthusiastic enough to once again hit the training pitch for another Footy Boots football boot video review.

Last week it was the turn of the Umbro SX Valor (as worn by England and Chelsea’s John Terry) and in the weeks to come, Perry will be casting a critical eye, not to mention a critical pair of feet, across the SprintFit, AdiPure, Tiempo Legend II and V1.08.

This time round, it’s Australia’s finest which comes under the microscope, the Nomis Glove.

What did Perry think? You can find out right here.

Having secured the services of Perry Groves amongst some intense competition from a number of other football web sites including www.didntheusedtobeaginger.com and the ever poular and respected www.groveswasbetterthanronaldinho.co.uk, Perry has been on the training ground for his first Footy Boots video boot report.

Over the course of the next few weeks, the former Arsenal star and now Sky Sports pundit, will be testing various football boots including the SprintFit, AdiPure, Tiempo Legend II, V1.08, and Nomis Glove.

Umbro SX Valor

This week, the 1987 League Cup winner has been trialling the Umbro SX Valor, as worn by Chelsea and England’s John Terry.

Our Perry might not be at his ’spring chicken’ best any more (in fact it’s more like Kentucky Fried Chicken these days) but his football brain is still as sharp as ever. Find out what he made of the SX Valor by watching here.

Thierry Henry features in Reebok’s latest viral video Your Move.

Reebok have created a new viral video entitled ‘Your Move’, which features their leading football boot endorser Thierry Henry.

The video begins with Thierry Henry marking out a white box on a road. Following Thierry, there are other people outlining similar boxes in a variety of situations. It soon becomes apparent that these boxes have been created to showcase a multitude of sporting skills.

Whilst Thierry features in the video, he’s not showcasing much of his own talent beyond balancing the ball on his head, although their is a freestyle footballer juggling with the ball as he sits on the ground.

The video ends with Thierry offering you to take the square, for ‘Your Move’.

See the video in the Football Boots Video section.

At Footy Boots, we are often asked to compare and contrast different makes of football boots, to recommend boots for certain tasks - shooting, passing, volleying etc, and to provide advice on value for money and overall boot quality.

So much so that in fact, we’ve recruited another member of staff to keep us on top of all the new football boot technology and design.

Unlike most of the Footy Boots crew who as players could be best described as enthusiastic amateurs, we’ve taken on a footballing legend, Perry Groves.

Still a fans favourite at Arsenal, Groves was the first signing made by George Graham when he took over at the London club in 1986. The following season, Groves set up the winning goal in the League Cup final against Liverpool and he was part of the team that won the league title in 1989 and 1991.

Starting next week, Perry will be testing out various football boots including the SprintFit, AdiPure, Tiempo Legend II, V1.08, Nomis Glove and the SX Valor and you can see the results in video form right here at Footy Boots.

In addition, Perry, who has been forging a successful media career particularly with Sky Sports, will become a regular Footy Boots columnist and will tackling the major issues facing the game today.

Perry said “I am delighted to be joining Footy Boots and I look forward to testing out and trialling the modern football boots of today. I hope the videos prove entertaining and informative and that I get to keep all the boots afterwards!” Best keep an eye out on eBay then.

Perry Groves fact file

Born: April 19th, 1965

League Clubs: Colchester United, Arsenal & Southampton

Honours: League Title 1988/89 & 1990/91, League Cup 1987

Fresh from the recent release of their brand new Damn Boots video commercial which has caused a bit of a stir since it’s debut on Footy Boots, Nomis has continued the marketing offensive with an innovative idea which, in Germany at least, will give football boot fans a unique opportunity when it comes to selecting a new footwear.

In association with US brand experts Johannes Leonardo, Nomis has launched the Right Boot Store, which is currently doing business in Berlin. In fact, it’s across the road from the Adidas Originals shop in the Berlin - Mitte district. Wonder why they chose that particular venue?!

The store asks customers to stop buying into the hype surrounding the sports industry, and instead ‘Ask your feet’.

The Right Boot store is based on the fact that the human body is the perfect mechanism (they obviously haven’t been to the Footy Boots office recently) to compare the quality of one football boot against another. Customers can simply walk in, choose a right football boot that fits, take it home at no cost and test it by wearing their current boot on their left foot. Indeed, at www.nomisfootball.com there’s an 8 point guide to selecting the correct football boot for the experimental period.

If customers prefer the Nomis right boot after 2 weeks, they’ll then be sent a matching left football boot for the price of a regular pair.

Nomis asserts that the sector has also been plagued with reports over the past few years linking player footwear to blister, metatarsal and other foot related injuries (and if you’ve seen the video you’ll know why this such an important premise for the company) which aims to seize the opportunity by providing a comfortable, performance-based alternative.

Nomis was founded by Simon Skirrow, former VP at Adidas, where he was instrumental behind the hugely successful launch of the ‘Predator‘. Despite being a relative newcomer on the boot scene, Nomis has certainly made its mark on the market place with an emphasis on competitor nose tweaking and patented technologies such as NoMud, Wet&Dry Control as well as other technical innovations including Stik and a redesigned stud system.

Nomis football boots, already widely available in Australia, New Zealand and Europe are soon to ‘do a Robbie Williams’ but without the birds and tattoos and try and break in to the US market with a launch across the pond imminent.

See the Nomis Glove Boot Test with Perry Groves

Nomis: Damn Boots - The Nomis football video

If you become Adidas Senior Vice President for Global Football at the age of 29, it’s pretty clear that you know your way around the football boot market. Even more so if, along with Craig Johnston, you come up with the design of one of the world’s most successful boots, the Adidas Predator.

That in a nutshell is the resume of Simon Skirrow, the man behind Nomis.

Based in Brisbane, Australia, Nomis have quickly established themselves as a resourceful and highly creative force and they’re certainly not backward about coming forward, clearly getting under the skin of some of their main competitors, most notably Skirrow’s former employers in Germany.

So perhaps we shouldn’t be surprised that the latest Nomis marketing assault is another classic piece of Skirrow thinking. The newly designed web site at www.nomisfootball.com plays host to a brand new video which is sure to become a hugely popular download over the next few days and weeks.

It would be mischievous of Footy Boots to offer a critique of what the video is trying to achieve, apart of course from increased sales, and who the targets of the narrative may be. We’ll let you decide that for yourselves after watching the new ad on our player. Let’s just say that this is a million miles away from a standard football boot commercial. Enjoy.