![]() Nouble was adjusting to life in China in 2015 when he first adopted the look. You look good, you feel good, you play good. For him, the psychological impact is twofold. When I was about to play and I looked down at my feet, I felt inspired.įormer West Ham forward Frank Nouble is another who wears his socks low. Football is about psychological state and, as a player, if you put on coloured boots, your state changes. Kids aspire to be like the pros, who wore coloured boots. ![]() It’s the same as (insisting on) black boots back in the day. “Adults coach kids on their work and don’t encourage things like individuality. “Coaches and players have a strange relationship in this country,” says George. Psychologist and author of Soccology, Kevin George, an ex-professional footballer himself, says this approach can be problematic. ![]() A scout for a Premier League club, who asked to remain anonymous to protect his relationships, confessed they wouldn’t look at a player who wore socks down by their ankles, questioning their mentality and team ethic. Low socks are an act of self-expression, but they’re not for everyone. Grealish is the most marketable English player since David Beckham and the phenomenon of low socks has exploded since he rose to prominence in Villa’s first team, so much so that you can now list a top-flight XI, with subs, of players who wear socks around their ankles. The aesthetic matches the personality and he has the impressive calves to match. Thank God for that washing machine, some might say, as it moulded an image that is perfect for the player who has worn the No 10 on his back since 2016 for Villa and then Manchester City. Design: Sam Richardson)įor what it’s worth, Grealish only adopted his signature style by accident, claiming that during his academy days, he was forced to wear low socks as they shrunk in the wash, but he went on to play well and, as a superstitious character, maintained the look. There’s something romantic about seeing a player operate with their socks near their ankles. But Jack is a decent character with a good personality and, overall, a decent boy.” No special treatment because discipline is important at any level. “It’s the same for everyone in the academy, regardless of talent. When he went back to the reserves or under-21s, he would be told by Kevin MacDonald to pull them back up, but then, when he was back with the first team, they’d be down again. “When he moved into first-team circles, suddenly, the shorter socks started to reappear. “Week after week, we’d tell Jack to wear his socks high as per normal wear his shinpads as per normal, as academy policy dictates. “Tony McAndrew and Kevin MacDonald, his coaches at the time, would often come to say, ‘He’s got those short socks on’,” says Jones, who had a 35-year association with the club. Whether it’s for comfort or style, preventing injury or gaining a psychological edge, football socks - and how they’re worn - have never been more important.Īston Villa’s academy is one of English football’s more impressive conveyor belts of talent and, under the leadership of academy manager Bryan Jones, has developed a number of high-calibre players who went on to have distinguished careers at the highest level: Gareth Barry, Gabby Agbonlahor and Gary Cahill, to name a few.ĭiscipline was the cornerstone of this success, with black boots very much the order of the day, but a young Jack Grealish, an under-15 at the time, “suddenly adopted an idea that he would change the rules of the academy”. Fast forward to today and players continue to use socks as a way of expressing their individuality, whether it’s through the use of sock tape, cutting socks around their calves, incorporating tube socks or, indeed, #LowSocks.
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