Congratulations to Darren Bent on scoring his 100th Premier League goal tonight! Here’s a close up view of the very special Speciali R boots Darren has to mark the occasion. Here’s to 100 more!

These are some colourful boots! Look out for them on the feet of Aston Villa striker Darren Bent this weekend, when he debuts them in his club’s FA Cup 4th round tie against Arsenal. Created especially for Darren, there’s only a tiny number of these yellow and purple football boots ever being created. Ahead of the game, we had a quick chat with Darren about his boots, and him closing in on 100 Premier League goals. Here’s what he had to say….

You’ll be debuting these boots in a big game at the weekend, are you looking forward to the game at Arsenal?

‘Yeah, it should be a good game. I wasn’t involved in the game earlier this season, but I was at the last one down at the Emirates and it was a good game. Being an Arsenal fan as well, it’s always nice to play against them, but hopefully we’ll beat them!

The FA Cup is a special competition, and if you can beat Arsenal on the way, then it’d be even better. Beating Arsenal wouldn’t make it any easier though – that’s the magic of the FA Cup, that you can play any team and everyone just grows in stature. It doesn’t matter what division you’re in, anyone can beat anyone, it’s just about producing the goods on the day. If you don’t do that, then you’re out!

Winning the FA Cup would be a massive thing for Villa, we’re a massive, massive club and they should be winning trophies. If we could win the FA Cup, which is such a big prize, it’d be great for all the fans, and there’s no reason why we couldn’t do it.’

These special boots are a bit colourful, is that what you were looking for?

‘Yeah! I’ve always wanted some boots that are a bit more out-there, and Umbro have certainly produced the goods with these ones. I’m looking forward to wearing them! Umbro boots have always been really comfortable, they’re probably the most comfortable boots out there, and then they’ve done this yellow and purple colourway just for me, and they look fantastic, so I’m really pleased. With the colours, I just liked the look of them, I liked how out-there they are. You can’t sit on the fence with these ones.

The boots have also come at a great time as you’re close to getting 100 Premier League goals. Were you aware that you’re close to joining a very special group of players?

‘Yeah, it’s always been an aim of mine, to get in the Premier League 100 club, it takes some doing and there’s some absolutely class players in there. Alan Shearer, Robbie Fowler, Thierry Henry, these are all people that I regard as the best to ever play in the league. I’m on 99 at the moment, so I’m just looking for one more, hopefully I’ll get one off my shin or anything, just so I can be part of that. Once I get in there I’ll just be looking to get more as well. If I could get to 150 and beyond I’d be so happy.’

Obviously if you keep scoring goals, you could be part of the England squad at the Euros this summer. Have you thought about that yet at all?

‘I’m just concentrating on the cup and the league to be honest, because I’ve been in a similar position before, and all I can do is focus on what I do and play as well as I can for Villa, and if I got to go to the Euros with England I’d be delighted.’

We’ve done some special boots for you before, when you were the first player to have their Twitter name on their boots. How does it feel to be a trendsetter?

‘Nice! As long as people know that I was the first person to do it that’s cool, it’s all good fun. Trendsetter, I like that!’

Thanks to Darren for taking the time to speak to us. You can get your own pair of Umbro Speciali boots over at Umbro.com now – the Speciali 3 is on sale now.

The Speciali has long been regarding as Umbro’s iconic boot, offering classic style, comfort and great fit year on year, game after game. Now, following in the footsteps of the commemorative Speciali ’92 comes the latest design for our classic boot: the Speciali 3.

On sale from today, the Speciali 3 has everything you’d expect from the Speciali, with some interesting new innovations that keep the boot at the top of the class. The two colourways here – black and light blue, and white, black and orange – have already been spotted on the football pitch as top players such as England striker Darren Bent test them out. Now, they’re available to buy, so you can put them through their paces as well.

Available with both soft ground and hard ground outsoles, the Speciali 3 has a lightweight TPU outsole that gives the wearer greater flexibilty and heel stability. The SG studs are aerospace graded aluminium, lightweight yet incedibly durable. The uppers are crafted from the finest soft leather, making the boots incredibly comfortable, something that continues inside the boot thanks to Poron sock inserts. An assymetrical lace area provides a greater strike zone, so you’ve no excuse for those shots that hit row Z rather than the top corner!

Soft ground and hard ground Speciali 3 Pro football boots in both new colourways are on sale now on the Umbro website – head there now for more details and to grab yourself a pair.

Following our chat with Manchester City legend Paul Lake, we recently had the chance to speak to another special character from the club’s history – Steve Redmond. City’s youngest ever captain, Steve was a mainstay in the MCFC defence between 1984 and 1992, making over 200 appearances for the club.

Steve also played for the club in a pretty interesting game for the club which we’ve discovered online. In December 1990, City played Spurs at home, just as they’re doing this weekend (check out the video we discovered below of the original game). On this occasion though, thick fog in Manchester meant that the club had to don their maroon away kit just so they could be seen on the Maine Road pitch. A rare appearance of an away shirt being worn by the home side, it proved to be a lucky omen, with City beating Spurs 2-1. Steve Redmond got the first goal on that occasion, a rarity for him, and something he was happy to talk about!

Do you remember that goal Steve?

‘Yeah, it was off my knee I think! Quinny headed the ball to the back-stick, and it came off my knee, and then Clarkey (Wayne Clarke) claimed it! I didn’t score that many, I remember my first for the first team, against Coventry away on Boxing Day. I played in centre midfield and we drew 2-2, and I got both goals. I also got a header against Oxford at Maine Road, and a left-foot free kick against Luton on the plastic pitch, they all stick out.’

What was it like to captain Manchester City at 18 – the club’s youngest ever?

‘It was a bit weird at first, as a youngster I wasn’t the loudest. But when I went to City I moved from centre forward to a centre back, and from there it’s easier to see everything and dictate to people. To be honest, it wasn’t that bad, I didn’t have to give anyone a rollocking in the dressing room or anything like that. We had a good group of lads which helped. I wasn’t a big time Charlie, so hopefully the other players just respected me for who I was. I got a bit of abuse just because I was a Scouser – if anything went missing in the dressing room, I usually got the blame, that kind of thing!

I remember when I was captaining the first team, looking back at the lads in the tunnel and thinking ‘I’m in charge of these guys’. I always remember my mum telling me that her and my dad cried when I lead the team out, that’s something that will always stick with me. But once you’re out on the pitch, it doesn’t’ really matter who the captain is, there should be 11 captains. But as an honour, to do it as an 18 year-old and to progress so quick, it’ll stay with me forever.’

You were also part of the team that won the FA Youth Cup against United. Was that a highlight of your time at the club?

‘I remember that game well – it was a two legger, we drew 1-1 at Old Trafford, Lakey (Paul Lake) scored a penalty, and we got them back to Maine Road and we won 2-0. The 5-1 would have to be the highlight though – the win for the Youth Cup against United was the first – but for a result in the first team it would be have to be the big one at Maine Road. Also, being a Liverpool fan, the first time playing at Anfield always stood out. I’ve still got the video of the 5-1 in the house, once every blue moon I’ll put it on and show my son, ‘look, your dad was a footballer!’ It was just one of those days that I’ll never forget, everything clicked for us and we scored some great goals.’

You played during a great era for English football, who were the best players you played alongside and against?

‘It’s difficult to single one person out to be honest. Players like Keith Curle, Colin Hendry, Mick McCarthy, they all had things that made them great players, they’d run through walls for the team, the ultimate player would be a combination of all three. It’s the same with players you’ve played against – people like Lineker or Ian Rush stood out because they were quick, but then there’s Mark Hughes who was as strong as an ox. Dalglish was very clever, and then someone like Mick Harford who you knew was going to smash you to bits. That’s why it’s hard to pick one, when you’ve played against such a collection of different players.’

It seems like a different era, in terms of defending and what was allowed in the game?

‘You watch games now, and any time an attacking player gets near the box, everyone backs off. It’s going to get to the stage where you won’t be able to make a tackle. In my day, centre forwards knew that in the first two minutes they were going to get smashed, and they just got on with it. Nowadays, every tackle is scrutinised on TV, there’s no chance of just having a moan and getting on with it. I loved a tackle, and it’d lift the crowd almost as much as a goal would. I’d be sent off most weeks if I was playing today!’

Do you still watch City today?

‘I go to watch City when I can, and I always enjoy it. In terms of the current squad, I do like Kompany, I’d have liked to have played alongside him. I wouldn’t fancy facing someone like David Silva though!’

Thanks to Steve for taking the time to speak to us. You can buy the classic Manchester City away shirt that was worn in 1990 for the game against Spurs NOW – it’s on sale at the Umbro website now, alongside the classic home shirt from 1989. Head to Umbro.com for more details.

The Umbro GT II already has one new colourway that’s caused a stir amongst football fans, and this fresh new colour is all set to make itself known as well. Keep your eyes peeled this weekend for the silver and red GT II, an eye-catching look for Umbro’s fastest, lightest football boot.

Seen on the feet of England and Tottenham Hotspur defender Kyle Walker and Sunderland striker Connor Wickham, the silver GT II boots are going to be lighting up the leagues from this weekend. They’re on sale at Umbro.com from Saturday January 14th.

This week’s theme – the first of 2012 – was another one from the ‘why haven’t we done that already?’ category. Inspired by the fact that Budweiser are sponsoring the FA Cup, and it’s the 3rd Round of the competition this weekend, we thought it’d be the perfect time to think of beverages.

We got an absolutely cracking response from you lot, so thanks to everyone that got involved – there were loads of great puns that we just couldn’t fit into our final line-up. If you want to get involved in the next punathon, check out our Facebook and Twitter pages every Friday. Cheers!

What difference does a load of footballs make? As you can see in this picture, our donation of some footballs to the town of Las Laderas in Peru made some children very happy. The balls arrived in Peru via company near us here in Manchester, Amoria Bond. As part of their fantastic charity work, Amoria Bond have pledged to build a number of houses in the shanty town of Las Laderas, and they got in touch with Umbro asking if we had any stock we might be able to donate.

We supplied a bunch of footballs and tee shirts to take with them, and we hope they’ve being put to good use now by all the children in Las Laderas! Amoria Bond built 30 houses in the town on their recent visit, and are planning on building another 70 homes over the next two years, as well as a soup kitchen to help feed all the people in this particular area of Peru.

The work that Amoria Bond have been doing is fantastic, and we’re very pleased to have played even a little part. Check out this video that shows some of the work the team put in during their recent trip:

We all have our favourites at this time of year, and footballers are no different. We met up with England and Aston Villa star Darren Bent a few months ago, and asked him for his top Christmas film and song. His answers? Home Alone for the film – solid choice. But favourite Christmas song? In his own words, “the one that goes, ‘Last Christmas, I gave you my heart….’, who sings that one?”

Yes, we can reveal it here, Darren Bent is a fan of Wham! Here’s Darren with some cooler musical types, Kasabian:

We spoke to Darren while he was trying on the Umbro Poppy Tee, pictured above. The shirt, which was on sale through the Umbro Tee Shop and at Wembley, raised over £2,000 for the Poppy Appeal – thanks again to everyone who bought one!

Have a great Christmas, from everyone at Umbro – remember you can still enter our Spot The Ball competition, and will all 12 Tees Of Christmas!

You can tell it’s nearly the end of the year here at Umbro HQ: the office is almost deserted, and those that are still here are knee deep in mince pies! With the seasonal spirit in the air, it’s high time that we present our favourites from the past year – when we’re not watching football, we all enjoy a good film, a good TV series, and some of us even read a book from time to time. Here’s some of our favourites from 2011…

Favourite Film

Usually the favourite film is easy to pick out, as a few big blockbusters capture everyone’s attention, like last year when Inception was a clear winner. However, 2011 has been much closer to call. While the likes of Senna, The Hangover 2 and Rise Of The Planet Of The Apes all had their fans, The Inbetweeners Movie has just pipped them all the top spot. Perhaps it’s that classic Umbro England shirt in the poster that’s made it such a favourite round here?

TV Programme

Another category with a pretty diverse set of nominations, because we all like to watch something different when we get home from work, and only one vote for a football-related programme! No one voted for The X Factor or Strictly either, so there is hope. There’s a tie for first place as well, with two big American drama series getting an equal amount of votes. Game Of Thrones and Boardwalk Empire are both popular, but I’m going to pick Game Of Thrones as the winner as that’s the one I voted for! Anyone claiming a fix will have their votes discounted…

Music

It’s hard enough for people in the same band to agree on a song sometimes, so you can imagine how difficult it is to get all of our staff to agree on anything! A whole host of albums by the likes of TV On The Radio, The Vaccines, Noel Gallagher, David Guetta, Elbow, Adele and Hard-Fi were nominated, as well as two records by bands we’ve worked with over the past 12 months: Chase & Status and Kasabian. It’s the rock and rollers that just pipped the dance titans as well, with Kasabian’s Velociraptor! grabbing the most votes.

Although both Chase & Status and Kasabian were also nominated for best song, neither won the title. That honour goes to Adele’s ‘Rolling In The Deep’, which was a clear winner.

Books

Another clear winner is in the book category, and it’s another one with a strong Umbro connection. It’s not ‘Multipliers’, a book many members of staff had to read for a management course and admitted was the only book they’d read this year, but it is I’m Not Really Here, written by former Manchester City star Paul Lake, who we interviewed yesterday (talk about good timing!) The book didn’t just receive votes from City fans either – followers of all sorts of clubs voted it into top spot.

Football

Perhaps City’s fans are better at responding to emails asking for votes for favourite footballers, perhaps he united all of us despite the different clubs we support, but there was just one winner for our football of the year. Messi ran him close, but star Spaniard David Villa won the vote outright. There were 300 votes cast for Preston and Canada striker Iain Hume, but most of these seem to have been discarded on the second count…

Football moment of the year is always a tough one – fans of one club can’t even agree on a particular goal or game. So here’s some of the best ones that were put forward by our staff, in their own words…

“David Silva’s pass for City’s 6th goal in the 6-1 win”

“Sitting behind the goal watching Wayne Rooney’s overhead kick against City”

“3rd goal by Messi in the Super Copa de Espana 2011 second leg.. 3-2 Barca”

“Derby coming from a goal down and man down after 6 minutes to beat Forest at the city ground 2-1! Clough is back in business!”

and finally….

“Yaya Toure’s FA Cup Semi Final winning goal”

Do you disagree? Let us know some of your favourites from 2011!

Word has reached us from far flung lands of a sports star making a big mark in some Umbro Geometra boots, although we think some of this story has been lost in translation, as it doesn’t sound quite right. American football star Matt Prater plays for the Denver Broncos, and he’s the toast of the team at the moment after he scored what was described to us as: “a 59 yard field goal to send the game to overtime and a 51 yarder to win it IN overtime”.

We’ve fed this into our UmbroTranslate machine, and we think that Matt has scored a screamer to equalise in the last minute of a cup tie, and then bagged another in extra time to win it for the Broncos. All whilst wearing some Umbro Geometra boots. Nice work Matt! Some things are puzzling us though…

First of all, in the picture above, one of Matt’s team mates is clearly handling the ball, surely the ref should’ve spotted that? And doesn’t he look a little bit, well, overdressed for a game of footy? I know it’s winter and Denver can get pretty chilly, but surely a pair of gloves and a snood would do the job? Anyway, well done to Matt, the Geometras look great, bet you were over the moon. Maybe someone should try and snap him up in the January transfer window?