Fit for any fella on any occasion

Whether it's for a birthday present, Christmas present, leaving present, congratulatory present, graduation present or any other kind of present, buying gifts for men just isn't that easy, whatever the occasion. Whilst many women are somewhat easily pleased (or at least satisfied) with the typical offerings of flowers, perfume, jewellery and such like, many of those who have had to buy a gift for a male friend or relative will have realised how difficult it can be to find something that the recipient will be really pleased with and enjoy for years, but that will also score you some major points on the originality front.

There are, of course, a few presents that always crop up no matter what the occasion. You know the kind of thing we're talking about here... a not-too-cheap but not-too-expensive bottle of wine that with a bit of luck they'll like, but in reality will probably find its way straight to the wine rack, where it will remain, gathering dust, for the next couple of years. Then there's the book/CD/DVD that they'll have either already seen and own a copy of and will be on e-bay quicker than you can say 'happy birthday!'.

Aside from that, there's always the standard 'novelty item', which, let's face it, always seems like a brilliant and what's more hilarious idea in the shop, but really no one ever actually finds that funny. That's the problem with novelty items they're sold (and bought!) under the misguided pretence that 'novelty' is actually a good thing, but when you think about it, it really isn't. The world 'novelty' clearly implies that the item in question is going to be completely useless for any kind of practical use and at best will illicit one weak laugh before it's generously donated to the local charity shop.

So how do you avoid these dodgy gifts and buy something that's both original, a little bit special and that the man in question will actually like? Well, when faced with the task of finding a decent present for a fella, no matter what the occasion looking to his favourite sport or hobby for inspiration is a good place to start. Most men are an avid follower of one sport or another and so whether it is cricket, football, or formula one racing, buying a present which in some way appeals to their love of this sport is likely to go down well, like the personalised football book. At the very least it will almost definitely have more lasting success than a bottle of his least favourite red wine or a pair of novelty socks!

It has to be said though, as much as it would be ideal, this is not a straight-forward recipe for guaranteed success and there are a number of things that can go wrong with this approach... For example, it's pretty much guaranteed that the birthday boy is going to know far more about the sport in question than you do, so it's always a good idea to avoid gifts that the buying of which would require at least some basic (if not extensive) knowledge of ice hockey/basketball/rugby/whatever. Let's face it, whilst you think it might be a great idea (and it probably is) to buy them a new piece of technical equipment that will really help their game, how much is it going to help if that little gizmo is actually for netball and not basketball? The answer is not very.

The majority of blokes enjoy learning new facts and trivia about their sport of choice, however and so books or DVDs with lots of (apparently) interesting information are likely to go down well and appeal to the sports nerd inside of them.

For football fans, a personalised football book makes a really great gift, no matter what the age of the football fan and what the occasion is that you're buying the gift to celebrate. A personalised football book is a special gift because it is unique to the recipient, embossed with their name and dedicated to the football team that they support. Each personalised football book is full of information and reproduced media articles about the team in question, neatly celebrating all of the team's most glorious sporting moments.

A personalised football book is also an ideal gift for football fans of any age; older fans can enjoy the book as a way to relive cherished memories and younger fans will enjoy the opportunity to learn more about their favourite team. A personalised football book certainly won't relegate (excuse the pun!) to a dusty shelf, but will instead be enjoyed time and time again. A personalised football book is then a great gift for any fella on any occasion.