Blackburn Rovers 2011-12 Kits Review
Posted by John Devlin
Its always tough to reinvent the Blackburn home kit due to its highly distinctive and traditional halved shirt. But for many designers the more strict the limitations, the more inventive their design outcomes can be. In my view Umbro have hit the jackpot with this Rovers home kit that harks back to the late 70s/80s style of strip complete with bold red V-neck and cuffs and red turnover on the socks. Its about time sportswear companies stopped beating about the bush and integrated red fully back into the Blackburn palette and this bold gesture does the trick perfectly. The rest of the shirt is pretty simple – the only other elements of note are the additional stitched panels on each sleeve where they join the main body – presumably these are to aid movement if Umbro’s reasonings behind some of their recent England strips are anything to go by – and the fact that the shirt has reverted to alternating sleeve colours as opposed to last season’s sleeves that matched the colour of their respective halves.
Pre-season the Blackburn kits were sponsored by Venkys – a chicken meat processing company and the club’s new owners. However by the time the season kicked off their brand had been replaced by logo of young people’s charity The Princes’ Trust with Blackburn donating their shirt sponsorship this season to the organisation. Although its all for a good cause, unfortunately I would venture that the logo itself doesn’t really work on the Rovers shirt as it is barely legible at times and could probably do with a tweak here and there so that people could actually see who the club are supporting on their jerseys.
Away from home the club have returned to a yellow change strip and crafted it into a really smart outfit. The shirt features black sleeves and a new minimalist neck design that’s cropped up on a few Umbro jerseys this year. The shirt also features the additional sleeve panels that were included on the home jersey. Although I love the kit I think a pity that the side wore red as their main colour last season as a red away kit would have complemented the reintroduction of the colour on the home outfit well (although presumably the red kit will be retained as third colour this season should the need arise). Still, I think the Blackburn kits, while nothing stunning, are another set of good, functional outfits.
Nottingham Forest Home Kit 1992-94: True Colours Hall of Fame
Posted by John Devlin
Umbro had produced some fine Forest kits since they reclaimed the club’s contract in 1986 but for me this is the pick of the bunch. Harking back to the early 70s trend of non-contrasting jerseys Umbro added an old-fashioned red collar to the Forest shirt and adorned it with elegant pinstripes – a full decade since their first widespread appearance on kits. It was a strip that exuded class and sophistication.
As was the trend at the time the club badge was now housed within a shield and Umbro also featured their new upper-case logotype. The white shorts were trimmed with a broad red band across each hem and the kit was completed by red socks topped off with the standard early 90s Umbro diamond trim.
As well as the regular white shorts, the shirt was accompanied by a smart alternate red pair in the 1992-93 season although the following year the 1991-93 away black pair were worn with the home shirt (although the red pair did make at least one appearance, away at Notts County despite there being no clash). Bizarrely in another blast from the past, the 1990-92 home white shorts design was worn for at least one game in the 1992-93 season, the home encounter against Spurs.
The shirt was also unusual in that it featured two different sponsors’ logos during its lifespan. The 1992-93 season saw the side alternate between Labatt’s and Shipstones (although replica versions only featured Shipstones). Labatt’s were another brand owned by Greenalls, the parent company who had originally purchased Shipstones in 1978. It seems that Labatt’s shirts were only worn when the match was live on TV as part of the sponsorship agreement agreed with Greenalls, thereby gaining maximum exposure for a more national brand than the parochial Shipstones.
The kit was worn during a tumultuous time for the club. Legendary manager Brian Clough left the City Ground at the end of the 1992-93 season – a campaign that also saw the ‘too good to go down’ Forest relegated to Division 1.
Worn by: Stan Collymore (who sported the shirt for press photos on signing for the club in 1993), Roy Keane, Kingsley Black.
Worn in: The 2-0 home defeat to Sheffield United that sealed the side’s dismal relegation at the end of the 1992-93 campaign – Clough’s last home game as Forest manager.
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Aston Villa 2011-12 Kits Review
Posted by John Devlin
A brief glance over the past few years of Nike’s Villa kits reveals that, well actually not much has changed. Sticking to tradition, the club have retained their familiar claret shirts with sky blue sleeves in very similar designs since 2002. Nike’s kits have, in the main, topped this off with minimal, tidy necks. So in 2011, has this home kit formula changed?
Well, yes and no. The claret and blue shirt combo remains and there is still not much of a neck design to speak of but this season sees the shirt adorned with a subtle chequerboard shadow pattern that lifts the otherwise plain jersey. The chequerboard motif was first introduced last season (instigated by the club’s chairman apparently) and has also been rolled out amongst other elements of Villa merchandise including the matchday programme.
The biggest change though with this season’s home kit comes with the socks. Gone are Villa’s regular sky blue or claret socks and in comes a rather daring black pair (trimmed with the club’s traditional colours though) in a throwback to the 1920s-1950s era when the club wore similar. I have to admit I’m a sucker for socks that at first glance don’t ‘go’ with the rest of a kit (maybe its because I’m a Scotland fan?) so I have to say I love them!! The fact that they have historical inspiration only gives them extra brownie points in my book.
Away from home Villa’s new change kit mirrors the design of the home in a more familiar white/claret/white combination. The shirt retains the chequerboard design introduced on the home jersey along with an identical neck and sleeve stitching template. The shorts, as with the home kit, are plain giving ample opportunity for mixing and matching with the home strip should the need arise. No surprises with the socks this time which feature an identical turnover to the home.
Last season’s sponsor FxPro have departed Villa Park and are replaced by Malaysian betting company Genting Casinos in a move designed to raise the club’s profile in the Far East. Including Genting’s Chinese logo as well on the shirt is further evidence of the club’s intentions.
With a risk of Nike’s Villa efforts becoming stale, the designs have been given an added spark of interest this year with the introduction of the black socks and for me this move has helped create a couple of good, solid strips.
Arsenal 2011-12 Kits Review
Posted by John Devlin
Before putting together a page with the full kits for 2011-12 I thought I’d look at each team’s strips for the season in a bit more detail. First up, Arsenal.
Biggest change on the Arsenal kits this year is the introduction of a new badge commemorating the club’s 125th anniversary. Frankly the new crest is HUGE and completely dominates the shirt. The design sees 15 laurel leaves on the left hand side of the badge and 15 oak leaves on the right. The reasons for these may not be immediately obvious (!) According to the club’s official site the laurel leaves “reflect the design detail on the six pence pieces paid by 15 founding fathers to establish the club. Laurel leaves represent strength” and the oak leaves “represent the origins of the club – the 15 founders met in the Royal Oak pub”. I was surprised to be honest that the meanings behind these symbols are so weakly contrived and don’t actually adequately reflect, in my view, the impressive stature of the club and its true beginnings. I would venture that there are more iconic symbols that could have been used.
The rest of the home kit sticks solidly to good old Arsenal principles of red shirts and white sleeves, trimmed with just a sliver of red on each sleeve. Nothing wrong there other than the fact that an almost identical kit was launched just a year ago (the main difference being the crew neck colour). If the football world is going to persist with single season kits I feel manufacturers for the sake of simple value for money do need to design kits that offer a more substantially different design to the previous.
Another Arsenal kit principle seems to be one of creating confusion. Last year it was which goalkeeper top is the official first choice and the promotion of a third strip that it seemed they had no intention of wearing. This year its the socks. In virtually every game (I think) this season the regular home kit has been worn with white socks. Yet publicity photos of the new kit show the players sporting red pairs. And indeed, on the official site, only red home socks are sold. So whats going on?! Clearly there has been a last minute change in the official home kit but for some reason true replicas are not being offered. Very strange…
The away kit adopts the navy blue/teal colour scheme that has been favoured several times since Nike took over in the early 90s. In fact their first change kit for the club comprised of these colours. Basic cut/trim is identical to the home, the key design feature is the diagonal division of the shirt into the two colours with alternating sleeves. Not a bad look but one that is taking a bit of getting used to for me. As its the 125th anniversary I would rather have seen a more historical angle to the away kit than this. Navy socks are first choice but teal pairs will also be worn. As with the home kit, the slivers of trim on each sleeve (not sure if these appear on the long sleeved versions – can anyone confirm?) look great until the Premier League patch is applied over them. Wonder what happened to the rulings that sleeves need to be kept bare in order for tournament patches to be added?
In conclusion, a solid home kit spoilt only by the big crest and the fact that its actually not that much different to last years, and a brave away that may prove to be a bit of a grower!
Mystery West Ham Shirt
Posted by John Devlin
I picked up today a second hand copy of a great book published by The National Football Museum entitled ‘The Football Hall of Fame’. It includes pics of numerous matchworn shirts but this one really caught my eye.
Judging by the short sleeves, V-neck and badge it looks like a Bukta-produced 1957-60 home shirt but with a big difference – the sleeves appear to be white and not the usual light blue.
Whether the colour appears much paler due to the photograph (unlikely) or the blue has faded through the years (again unlikely going by the colour of the badge) is up for debate, but to me it looks like it definitely has white sleeves. Could it be a rare third strip perhaps? I’ve not heard of the Hammers donning this particular style in the past, and can’t really imagine a situation where such a strip could be called for. Its a real mystery.
Just wondering if any West Ham experts could cast any light on the subject? I’d be really interested to find out more…
Leeds United Away Kit 1989–92: True Colours Hall of Fame
Posted by John Devlin
This season sees Leeds run out away from home in all black but for many of the club’s supporters (and most probably neutrals) yellow is the only change colour the club should wear.
This classic outfit was launched in 1989 just before things got, well, a bit lairy on the kits front and is an absolute gem. Stylish and elegant the shirt combines a rich yellow with a standard Umbro blue collar and button-up neck and two levels of shadow pattern on the shirt; a regular triangular motif alongside a wavy line design.
The kit, including yellow shorts adorned with large blue and white side panels ticked all the right boxes for Leeds fans – it even also included the, now iconic, Top Man sponsor for the first two years of its life. Yes, unusually the kit lasted for three seasons and very memorable they were indeed for the club. In 1989-90 they clinched the old Division 2 title before two years later repeating the achievement at the very top of the English league – Division 1. That season (91-92) the jersey was sponsored by local paper the Yorkshire Evening Post.
As well as its strong and solid design, there’s no doubt the period of success the club enjoyed during its lifespan has contributed to this kit still being fondly remembered by the Elland Road faithful.
Worn by: Mel Sterland, Gary McAllister, Gordon Strachan.
Worn in: The stunning 3-2 victory at Sheffield United that sealed the 91-92 Division 1 crown.
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Arsenal Away Kit 1997-99: True Colours Hall of Fame
Posted by John Devlin
The late 90s isn’t always regarded as a golden era for kit design but it did throw up some absolute classics such as this fine Arsenal away strip.
Crafted in the average Gunners’ fan’s favourite change colour of yellow/amber, paired with navy blue and an elegant red trim, the shirt incorporated a neat new collar design and a bold horizontal band running across the chest and arms that housed the familiar JVC logo of the era. In fact this was the last Arsenal away kit to feature the branding of their original shirt sponsor before the Sega/Dreamcast deal commenced in 1999. A nice touch was the use of the ‘cannon’ logo on the shorts rather than the full Arsenal crest.
Nike’s late 90s Arsenal kits were always something special but for me this design, which was produced for the first time using Nike’s Dri-Fit fabric, was exceptional. Bold and brave and forever associated with a great Arsenal side.
Worn by: Marc Overmars, Nicolas Anelka, Dennis Bergkamp
Worn in: The 1997-98 Premier League winning season including a vital 1–0 triumph over Manchester United. Also worn in a 3–0 win over the Red Devils in the following season’s Charity Shield.
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Manchester United Home Kit 1992-94: True Colours Hall of Fame
Posted by John Devlin
I’m staying in the early 90s era for the 
next Hall of Fame entry and prompted by the club’s extraordinary 8-2 drubbing of Arsenal yesterday I’ve gone for a Manchester United classic – the 1992-94 home kit.
Difficult as it may seem to younger football fans the early 90s saw a United side without a league title for 25 years and despite a run of high profile managers and players the league had alluded them. Something had to change to inspire the side to their holy grail, who’d have thought that it would be a new kit supplier!
After over a decade with adidas the club switched to Umbro for their new kit that they would wear in the first ever Premier League season. The early 90s was a golden era for Umbro and they approached all of their designs with confidence and flair. For the first time many of their strips were influenced by outfits from bygone years and their first strip for Man Utd (one of the company’s local sides of course) followed suite with an old-fashioned collar that even featured a lace-up neck. Good in theory but by the end of the season several players had taken to removing the laces for matches – still, nevertheless it looked great.
The kit was much more than just a retro collar though. The fabric was emblazoned with a shadow/jacquard pattern comprising of a geometric MUFC motif. A similar design was incorporated into one side of the shorts. The baggy jersey and of course the recently back in fashion long shorts, teamed up to create a truly iconic outfit topped off with the logo of long-term shirt sponsors, Sharp.
As can often be seen in football kit history, a change in kit supplier can coincide with a dramatic change in fortunes. This phenomena can be illustrated no better than with this Umbro strip. United went on to win the Premier League crown in both of the seasons the kit saw active duty as well as clinching the double in its second year of use.
Worn by: Ryan Giggs, Eric Cantona, Lee Sharp, Brian McClair
Worn in: The 4-0 thrashing of Chelsea in the 93-94 FA Cup final that sealed the club’s first ever double.
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Tottenham Hotspur Home Kit 1991–93: True Colours Hall of Fame
Posted by John Devlin
Just like when Kennedy was shot, or Diana died, anyone with a remote interest in football kits will remember where they were when they saw Spurs walk out on to the Wembley turf in the 1991 FA Cup final wearing shorts of a length not seen since…ooh…before you were born.
Its hard to imagine now the uproar the Umbro shorts caused with fans and players alike more accustomed to the skimpier and snugger pairs that had grown increasingly skimpier and snugger since the 1960s. However the laughter soon stopped and within just a couple of years every team was decked out in more amply sized shorts and in fact have worn them ever since. It was a truly trendsetting move from Umbro.
There was more to the kit than just big shorts though. The previous decade’s penchant for slick modernist V-necks was discarded and instead a proper old-fashioned button up collar was introduced to the baggy shirt. It wasn’t all retro influence though as the fabric of the jersey featured a state of the art trademark “3D” geometric Umbro shadow print. The socks switched from white to navy. Top this off with curved trim on the cuffs (adorned with the ‘Spurs’ motif’) and you have yourself a timeless kit.
Worn by: Paul Allen, Gary Mabbutt, Paul Gascoigne
Worn in: The dramatic 2-1 win over Nottingham Forest in the 1991 FA Cup Final during which the kit was given an early preview. The final, of course, was overshadowed by Gazza’s reckless tackle that damaged his cruciate ligaments and marred his last game for Spurs.
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BBC Radio Merseyside Interview Thurs 14 July
Posted by John Devlin
I’m being interviewed again on BBC Radio Merseyside tomorrow (Thursday) morning at about 9.15am. The feature is all about the Liverpool and Everton kits that are on sale tomorrow and they’ll be running a phone-in asking the question “should grown men wear replica shirts”?
Tune in if you can…
http://www.bbc.co.uk/merseyside/programmes
