Football Manager 2012 Unveils Revolutionary Sho'ot With Graham Taylor

By Simon Gallagher / October 19, 2011

No, your eyes do not deceive you - that is indeed Graham Taylor the former England and Watford manager modelling a new revolutionary form of footwear aimed squarely at managers by Football Manager 2012's development team SI Games and Sega. The pioneering Sho'ot has been designed by the game makers to help managers stay on their feet on the touchline, adding a safety net for those managers who prefer a more active touchline approach but who fear the mocking of the crowd when their thousand pound loafers leave them on their backside on the turf. And with 70% of football managers currently donning suits on match day, their smart shoes needed a pragmatic makeover to reflect both fashion evolution and functionality. Taylor, looking resplendent in a grey suit, and all too willing to play up to the camera, including a frankly baffling array of facial expressions gave his own thumbs up to the Sho'ot:

I can see these catching on, they are so comfortable and look great. The new shoes are a real reflection of how managers are evolving €“ combining style with the practicality that the modern manager needs. Wearing a suit on the sidelines helps retain the respect needed to run a modern club but it€™s important that British football managers never leave pitch side. We can€™t be too aloof and sit in the stands. Wearing the Sho€™ots allows managers to be influential in the game while keeping their feet firmly on the ground.

Unconfirmed reports suggest that Phil Neal agreed. It is hoped that the invention will catch on among the more suave modern managers and assist the likes of Jose Mourinho, Harry Redknapp, Roberto Mancini and Andre Villas Boas, who are all famed for their effortless style. Apart from Harry Redknapp. Miles Jacobson, Studio Director for Football Manager 2012, commented: €œThis is a real step forward, with the winter approaching the Sho€™ot will be a revelation for football managers. The game, Football Manager, has always reflected the difficult situations that managers have to deal with. It€™s great to be able solve a fundamental problem modern managers encounter.€™ Strictly speaking, this post is just an opportunity to run the following images of Graham Taylor being a supermodel. Something that I have wanted to be able to write about since I was but a small child dreaming of a fantastical future in online video game journalism as England failed to reach the 1994 World Cup. I would particularly be interested to know what the photographer said to Taylor to prompt this first pose... Two words: class act. After successful trials, the Sho'ote will be available later in 2012. Ever the man for innovations, Sam Allardyce has already ordered a pair for every member of his management team, bankrupting West Ham in the process. Probably. How the Sho€™ots were made The leather upper from the formal shoe has been retained, along with the foot-bed A bespoke sole plate has been developed (based on existing technical mouldings from current football footwear) A pattern for the sole plates has been fabricated and tooled in silicon rubber. From this, polyurethane resin castings are made and bonded to the foot-beds of the formal shoes The €˜wrap-a-round€™ style of sole plate gives the look and feel of the technical sole mouldings found on modern day football boots, both around the arch, outside and heel of the boot The resin is a semi-rigid compound and will offer grip both on the pitch and in the office As a finishing touch, an €˜extended tongue€™ has been incorporated to display the brand name and is also intended as a €˜nod€™ to the styling of the lace guard found on many contemporary football boots