September 2002, Andy and John had returned from placement, the pharmacy lads were about to start their final year and Craig returned from a years placement with Adidas in Germany. Well, that was it. Everything else simply disappeared into oblivion. Forget your Nike trainers or those Reebok bottoms – ‘Pah’ – they’re just inferior. For the entire 8 months during 4th year, the boys in 13 Hylton Rd were subject to the Adidas battering ram that destroyed countless conversations on clothing style. Craig managed to acquire 18 pairs of the latest Adidas A Cubed trainer that was still a prototype, it was just a pity he only had 2 feet. He even managed to obtain Zidane’s right football sock. Just because.
Even if Adidas had commissioned a group of 14 year olds from a Munich special school to design Beckham’s new shorts, it was inevitable that they would just be the best. Every other item of clothing was simply dismissed in an swift, efficient yet succinct movement of the mouth that translated into a ‘Pah’. You knew where you stood in the pecking order. You knew you were down there with Chris Bangle and his failed attempt at the new 7 Series that even BMW admitted ‘should never have reached production stage’. Adidas – the best a man can get, for now.