What is it with shin pads being so small that some of these younger ones advertise it with their socks half way between the knee and ankle thinking it looks good. I remember, only just, back in the day when you wanted maximum protection for your shins you had pads that covered most of the front of your leg. Now they seem to to about 3 inches long!!! No wonder there have so many injuries. As with the lad playing for Portsmouth, one at arsenal, the kid Davis at Everton, another at arsenal and liverpoool.
Is this a fashion thing just to be noticed like hair cuts?

Shin pads, daft haircuts and gloves.

Always preferred small slip in pads rather than the bigger ones with ankle supports/straps and all that.

Found it more comfortable.

Wish I'd worn them. Too late now.

I prefer ones that go under your foot and have those disc things that cover your ankle bones. Stay exactly where they're supposed to and have save me from no end of hacks to the ankle.

Aye chess can be dangerous!

I'm surprised that there isn't a minimum requirement for the size of shin pads either by the FA or club, bearing (baring) in mind how much some of these key players are getting paid and the consequences i.e. long term injuries resulting from a slightly mistimed or enthusiastic tackle. If players walked out to play without shin pads I think they would be sent back to put pads on. I think even a sock pulled up could give a little protection from grazes even. Makes me shudder when you see a half bare (bear) shin just before a tackle comes in.
Having said that when I was a young'un, just starting to play, my first shin pads were corrugated cardboard. Anyone else use them?

A few years ago I did a refs course and in that we were told that as long as the player has some form of protection then thats ok. It didnt even have to be a shinpad! It could even have been rolled up newspaper, it would still be acceptable.
Whether things have changed now I dont know. They seem to be more concerned about the colour of tape used to keep your socks up.

Saw that Davies lad for Everton an he just looked a tool, but then I think players with pink boots(or any other attention seeking colour) makes them look tools too so I'm probably just old.

First time I remember noticing it was Brett Ormerod for Blackpool, it stood out as belief seems to be that lower league defenders are more likely to kick you. He obviously wasn't worried about it.

The only player with tiny shin pads I've seen with an injury around that area is Gaston Ramirez for Boro last season. Got a nasty gash where anyone with any sense would have had protection. All this talk of gashes and protection can only lead to one thing. Cue Monkeybutt....

I always thought Steve Claridge was one of the first to wear tiny shin pads but going by google, he only wore 1 shinpad as one shin was mishapen and he couldnt get a shinpad around it?!

Eh?

Bloody hell, I had a shinpad that had been squashed and mis-shapen under a bag of gravel in the garage, probably would have been perfect for him. Made the pair useless to me. If only they'd had Freecycle back then.

I wear those big buggers with the ankle bone cover...I'd like to try the smaller ones but if I did I'd get injured....doesn't take much these days for me to be sidelined.

When you have them at checkmate and they kick you under the table obvs!

Bizarrely, Monkeybutt may be telling a semblance of truth in his attempted humour! From distant memory I seem to recall kasparov vs Fisher(?), where the authorities did put a barrier under the table to stop them kicking each other!

I must admit I prefer the bigger shin pads with the ankle protectors, plenty of times they have saved me from an injury.