The musical WAG has opened in the West End and has been well received. Jessica Lawlor, a real life WAG who plays mega-bitch Victoria, revealed that boyfriend Stephen Ireland was the more nervous of the two. Jessica said that it was a “constant battle” for her to get the Premier League star to relax although she was pleased for the support he had given her.

Jessica, 26 performed during the show’s premiere at the north-east London venue of Ye Olde Rose and Crown. The pub theatre was a grand venue as the blond bombshell gave a standout singing display and even starred in a catfight with Pippa Fulton. An appreciative crowd of over 150 people delighted in the raunchy comedy and ballads.

Jessica’s real life WAG friends include 26-year old Chantelle Tagoe, Manchester City Emile Heskey’s fiancée and Carla Kompany, wife of captain Vincent Kompany; all of whom have seen a dress rehearsal and boyfriend Stephen plans to see the show in a few days after his return from Los Angeles.

In the show, Jessica’s co-stars include Pippa Fulton, girlfriend of Clayton Donaldson the Brentford striker and former Eastenders star Belinda Owusu. Pippa, a former star of the Fame Academy says the musical plays on the well known stereotypes of football and people seem to love it.

Amongst a celebrity packed audience was 63-year old Paul Gambaccini, the veteran TV presenter and DJ who suggested the show had a bright future and was “very impressed” with the performances.

Gary Neville, a coach with the English football team, has said that there won’t be any repeat of the WAG problems that occurred during the World Cup in Germany back in 2006. Many families of footballers have also chosen to stay away from Poland and Ukraine because they fear that there might be some instances of racism.

In 2014 the competition is going to be held in Brazil and it is more likely that the WAG issue is going to re-occur then when the families of the footballers will probably want to go with them. Mr Neville has assured people that the chaotic scenes of the past are not going to occur again and the families of the footballers are not going to overshadow the footballers themselves.

Mr Neville has commented, “When we go abroad for a competition it is important that we don’t disturb the players too much, and that they have conditions that are similar to what they would experience at home. Between matches in the UK, footballers do not go out into the countryside, but they live in the city. This is why when we travel abroad, we choose to find accommodation in the city centre. This maintenance of normality is a way to ensure that the players perform at their best.”

This is Mr Neville’s first appearance as a football coach which is a great leap of faith when you consider the importance of the upcoming matches. Although he was a successful player, it is unknown about whether he is going to be able to translate that into coaching brilliance. Roy Hodgson chose Mr Neville as the coach after he was impressed by the various observations that he made while appearing as a pundit on Sky television.

Many people have been considering that the fact he was a television pundit might be a problem as he made comments about several of the players who he is now trying to work with. About this he commented, “Sure, I’ve highlighted mistakes, but I’ve always been honest and I think the players know this.”

 

Images released of new M&S suits for the England football team

Images released of new M&S suits for the England football team

On the 23rd April, St George’s Day, came the official launch of the suits that the English football team will be wearing as their formal dress at the Euro 2012 competition.

The suits have been both designed and supplied by Marks & Spencer and the images show a traditional team line up with a bit of a twist; there are 3 real lions lined up alongside the players.

This is the fifth year that M&S has been the official tailor for the England team, having supplied them with their formal wardrobe since 2007. For these latest suits, their bespoke in house tailors have followed guidelines set down by the England team itself. They have sourced the finest British fabrics and finishes and made each suit a perfect fit for every player.

The suits have been specially created to be lightweight and comfortable in the hot summer temperatures of Poland and the Ukraine. Richard price is the director of menswear at M&S and he has said that this has resulted in modern and slim fitting Autograph two buttoned suits that deserve a place in the wardrobe of every football fan.

The two-button single breasted suit jacket is sculpted to a slimming modern block with sleeve head roll shoulders for a classic fitting, slim silhouette. Additional styling details include narrower lapels and slanted pockets, along with impeccably finished internals featuring the World Cup winners star. Trousers are flat fronted and slim fitting with an elegant modern shape. The suit is cut from 100% British wool fabric in bright navy, complimented by a navy stripe tie, crisp plain white shirt and pointed Gibson shoes.

“We’re really pleased to continue our relationship with M&S and are delighted with the latest suit that has been designed for the team. The players are all really happy with how it looks and feels and we’ve had a fantastic reaction to the iconic lions imagery, it really brings the partnership to life” said Sean McAuliffe, FA Group Head of Business Development.

To support the launch of the images and the campaign as a whole, M&S has partnered with the Sun Online to create an exciting online hub. Packed with behind the scenes video from the team photo shoot, exclusive competitions, quizzes and a virtual application that allows users to join the team. The microsite will also launch on St George’s Day.

 

 


Patrick Vieira has recently reacted to what he thinks is a misinterpretation of comments he made about Manchester United. The Frenchman, who plays for Manchester City, recently created a great deal of controversy with fans of Manchester United, when he said that their attempt to bring Paul Scholes out of retirement in order to play was the club desperately trying to improve its game.

He says that the quotes have been taken out of context when they were used during an interview. They were initially made in order to be part of a campaign Vieira does as part of his charity work. They were made for a video about supporting the fight against starvation in Africa.

A statement released by Manchester City has read, “He gave the interview to the BBC and people have been misinterpreting the statement. Mr Vieira also feels that during the interview which was done with Dan Roan, from the BBC, the questions from the reporter were very leading with regard to seeking comment from him about Manchester United.

They were especially leading in regard to Manchester United being given preferential treatment by referees at matches.” Mr Vieira maintains that is comments have been taken dramatically out of context.

David and Victoria Beckham have recently made the announcement that they are going to be leaving the United Kingdom permanently in favour of Los Angeles. They are also reportedly selling their homes in France in addition to their £18 million UK property.

A source close to the couple has recently commented, “They have been wanting to sell their home for some time now. They were nervous about putting the house up for sale when the property market was in a slump and they just recently made the decision that the time for the sale was right.

It is still the case that they have lost money on the property because they conducted a great deal of renovations but I don’t think money is something they are too concerned about.”

They purchased the home, which is located in Hertfordshire, in 1999 for a reported £2.5 million. However, in this time they’ve spent over £18 million on renovations. The home now includes a petting zoo, gym, studio, swimming pools as well as tennis courts. It has also been reported that Victoria Beckham intends to buy an apartment in London to act as a base for when she is in the city for work.