Angola

Home 2008/09; Puma

This was one I picked up long before the idea of starting any sort of actual collection.  I was just thought it would be fairly unique in Ireland to have an Angola shirt.  And to be fair, I've yet to see another one around.  I bought it in TK Maxx but I can't remember what I paid.  Recently, Puma have been releasing some great shirts for African nations, most of which have very specific designs for each.  It wasn't always the case though, and this template was used for almost all nations at the time.  I am usually a fan of simple designs, but this is a bit too simple. The Puma logos are a thick rubber, which was standard at the time and feel sturdy, the crest is another stick-on job and feels quite cheap.  Apart from that, it is very red and, erm, that's about it.  

The team that wore it, the 'Sable Antelopes' (see the crest), played there first game in 1977, following Angola's independence from Portugal in 1975.  That first game was a 1-0 win at home to Cuba.  19 years later, in 1996, they  qualified for the African Cup of Nation's for the first time.  Sadly, they lost their first two games but a 3-3 draw against Cameroon was sure to reclaim some pride.  After qualifying for the 98 version, they then had to wait until 2006 for another appearance.  Most notable here, was throwing away a 4-0 lead in the last 11 minutes versus Mali, ending up drawing 4-4.  Three of Mali's goals came in injury time.  Ouch.  

Angola have played in a World Cup, having reached the 2010 tournament in Germany. Angola also hosted the 2010 African Cup of Nations.

Republic of Ireland

Away 2005/06; Umbro.

I'm Irish, so this is one of a few Ireland jerseys I have.  We've had a lot of bad shirts over the Umbro years, but I actually like this one quite a bit.  Like any Irish jersey (barring rare finds) that is sold in the shops, it comes with a sponsor on the front.  This practice began in the late 80s when the FAI signed a sponsorship deal with car manufacturer Opel, which unfortunately for fans, had a clause that their logo would be plastered across the front of all replicas.  This set a precedent, and Eircom and then Three followed it when they became sponsors in later years.  I beleive for a long time we were the only ones, but recemntly I have seen othetr nations also sell some shirts with sponsors so eventually I expect it to become the norm, when FAs realise they might get some extra dosh.  Interestingly, the English FA are staunchly against it and recently refused to place the Vauxhall (the brand that Opel is sold under in England) logo on the front of their shirts for a promo shoot.  In the same shoot Wales, Northern Ireland and Scotland sold out and put the Vauxhall logo on the front.

But logo gripes aside, it is a nice jersey.  Another Umbro effort that featured various cuts, panels and shapes that was popular at the time but here it works much better.  It is a template that a good few other teams used, but the two shades of green at the shoulder refelt the crest, which is a nice touch.  Though personally, I am not a fan of the current crest, but that is for another day.  On this shirt, the crest was a cheap stick on (see below) but in recent years it was been embroidered,

In football terms, Ireland's golden age to date has been the late 80s and early 90s, Qualifying for Euro 88 (the first appearance at a major tournament), Italia 90 and USA 94.  They have also appeared at Japan/Korea 2002 and EURO 2012 last summer, though that was something of a nightmare.

So far, the only silverware picked up at senior level is the 2011 Carling Nations Cup and the infamisu Icelandic Triangular Tournament of 1986.