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The Snood

The snood seems like some kind of character out of a Dr. Seuss story rather than a neck warmer, but that's exactly what it is: a band of cloth that you wear around your neck when it's cold.

Definition of a snood: a tubular neck scarve or neck warmer

The snood is really more for skiers, not soccer players. But when you're from Argentina, like Carlos Tevez, and used to playing in warmer weather, when the temperature starts to drop down close to freezing on those cold English nights, you might want to wear a snood.

Carlos Tevez is the symbol of the snood and, maybe, the first wearer of the snood in the English Premier League. He's become a bit snooty too, as he's repeatedly saying he's unhappy now at Manchester City and not getting along with members of the management.

It's really a shame that the snoody Tevez has bumped up to trouble with managers while playing in England since he's such a fantastic player who gives his all when he plays the game. He just wants to feel welcome and wanted, or at least that's what he said when he was at Manchester United.

And Alex Ferguson has jumped into the snood fray along with his former hard man Roy Keane and current center back, Rio Ferdinand. The Manchester United gum chewing manager said his players won't wear the snood.

Alex Ferguson: "Real men don't wear things like that," Ferguson told The Sun, and added that he had banned the use of the trendy neck-warmer.

Roy Keane had this to say: "Don't get me started. I don't know how they do it. It's very strange. Gloves, scarves, I think somebody came on a few weeks ago for [Manchester] City who had a hat on. I don't know how they do it and focus on the game, it's weird. That's the way the game's gone."

Rio Ferdinand, the United defender, backed up that claim by posting on his Twitter account: "I'm telling u peeps, U won't see a Man Utd player wearing a SNOOD."

There are those that defend the snood, one being Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger, who said they serve a medical purpose when players have neck problems in the cold weather.

Arsene Wenger: "I get advice from the medical team - that's why we let them wear them," the Arsenal boss told the club's website.

This seems quite a stretch but you have to like how he stands up for his players. Perhaps Wenger will go out and sign Carlos Tevez - that would be something. I just want to see Wenger wearing a snood during a game at some point. Or maybe a player getting his snood ripped off his next, nah, that's too much. I don't care either way what the players wear as long as they're playing well. It's the old white shoes or bright colored shoes, you can wear them if you are good.

The game has changed in a way, as the English Premier league has had a surge in internationals coming to play on the cold parks of England over the past ten years. Players who aren't used to the cold, and who want to wear gloves, long sleeve jerseys, and even tights.

Will the snood take over in other parts of the world? I'm sure players are wearing the snood over in the Serie A, since in Italy fashion is almost as big as soccer. How about Spain? Does it get cold even over there?

What about fans, are they buying up the snood? I'm guessing they are, as Manchester City have their initials emblazoned on the snood that Carlos Tevez is wearing. That would be a sight though, 50,000 fans wearing the snood in support of their talisman.