urgent shopping help needed - London
 

Our friend who is returning to the US tomorrow would like to get a soccer shirt for a gift and spend about 15 pounds. Any place in central London he could find that? Thanks.
Sally

If he doesn't want a specific team 'strip' he should be able to pick up a generic football shirt for that at any sports shop.

If he wants a team strip, he'll have to find a market or somewhere doing fakes for that budget.

He's not going to find a "genuine" England or major club shirt for anything below £35.

I'd go to Berwick Street market in Soho, Church St market off Edgware Rd or Chapel St market in Islington to find a fake.

Or wait till he gets home, get onto ebay, buy a cheapo and lie about finding it in Britain.

Or buy "genuine" club replica football shorts from Nike or JJB Sports, which are colossally cheaper than shirts. Even though they cost more to make.

There's a Lilleywhites sports shop on Regents Street/Picadilly circus.

Soccer Scene at the end of Carnaby Street is a good bet for all footabll related paraphernalia.

They have a huge range of football kits and you may even be able to pick up Premier league team's 2007/2008 (as opposed to 2008/2009) kit top for around £15.

<i>Soccer Scene at the end of Carnaby Street is a good bet for all footabll related paraphernalia.</i>

It was in &quot;Bend It Like Beckham&quot;

There's a shop at the arse end of St Martins in The Fields that sells merchandise from the top clubs.

Not just shirts (which will be at least &pound;30) but other stuff like mugs, scraves, mousemats and pretty much anything you can get a picture of a Cockerel/liver bird/ lion etc etc on.

They also have a section for autographs.

Oddly the only place you might get a cheapo replica are the clubs themselves - they sell of last season's strips at a discount.

Chelsea and Fulham are the easiest to get to.

15 pounds will get you a knock-off. My grandson bought his from a kiosk in Leicester Square. There are lots of them set up there.

Beware though - the sextons don't look anything like the real thing - that's how they get away with selling them.

So if it's for a present, be prepared for a less than grateful response.

Ahh, Cholmondley, you are forgetting America's total ignorance of the sport.

(I'm an American with a total ignorance of the sport so I can say that.)

Well I am up to a point. The thing about the seppos and footie is they're either completely ignorant or they tend to the fanatic.

So if you buy a snide for someone who is a fanatic - they will know.

There is branded &quot;leisurewear&quot; available that is kosher and just about in budget.

Again; the arse end of St Martins has the gear.

Right on!

(I have no idea what you just wrote. I understand the part about a great fan knowing a fake jersey, but that is about all. Where Jews and Caribbean Islands come in, I have no idea.)

Look it's quite simple.

Your clued up seppo will be able to spot a mooody dicky at a hundred paces. So if you can't give him a pukka bit of schmutter then be prepared to get the hairy eye if you try and slip him a sexton.

Got it now?

Oh, well when you put it like that...

Is a mooody dickey made of leather?

Sallyky, your friend should definitely try Lillywhites.

It's a huge sportswear store, right on Picadilly Circus. Five floors crammed with stuff, often with great bargains. Be prepared for crowds, it's often incredibly busy.

We bought my nephew a Man United shirt there for 10 pounds, he was rapt. Who cares if it wasn't the real deal (I have no idea and neither would my nephew).

Kay

Thanks for the help -- especially the language lessons. Our first thought was that the best thing was to buy from eBay and lie, but figured he couldn't get away with it. So we went down to Covent Garden Market and moseyed around. He found a few other things, but no shirt -- till we walked along the Strand and were handed a card advertising Football Legends selling gear at sale price. He bought what is called an official retro 1968 Manchester shirt. Who knows, but the son won't know either and that's all that matters! Thanks again. Our friend can go home to the US with a light heart tomorrow.

If it looks like this it's pukka:

http://billsportsmaps.com/wp-content...bys_grail2.gif

(BTW They won the European cup that year - but they were wearing navy blue shirts in that game)

It does look like that and it is navy blue, so I guess he done good.

The real deal:

http://www.mufc.cc/images/1.jpg

That's it -- exactly. Great!