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The worst football kit ever

24 years ago this week, on 13 April 1996, the international plc and money machine (with an attached football team) made a disastrous and expensive decision to play in a game in a kit designed not for football, but for its aesthetics when worn as a fashion item.  Football had reached a nadir, when even the items of clothing worn by the players was designed with closer reference to the revenue it would generate than the effect it would have on the athletes wearing it.  



Facing a poor Southampton side, United wore grey-and-grey shirts, with white (with red and black) shorts and white socks with a single red hoop.  This contrasted quite well with the red-and-white striped Southampton shirts and black and red shorts, but not so well with the red-and-white striped socks.  But it blended in too well with the background. 

Sir Alex Ferguson had hired a "coach", Gail Stevenson from Liverpool University, to work specifically on sight and peripheral vision and worked with the team on a series of pre-match exercises to help the players with their ability to "pick out" team-mates in a match situation.  Gail had warned Sir Alex that the grey kit - designed to look great with a pair of jeans - gave its wearers a significant disadvantage.  It was harder to "see" team-mates in a dull, drab, pale-coloured kit, especially when it blended in with the black-and-white advertising hoardings around The Dell (Southampton's ground at the time) and the pale faces in the crowd, picked out by the bright sunshine that day.  

Ferguson knew the kit was a problem, but had to use it, as Manchester United plc had agreements with kit suppliers Umbro and shirt sponsors Sharp.  But he also travelled to Southampton with a full set of alternative (blue-and-white) kit (shirts, shorts and socks), which the players changed into at half-time, earning the club a £10,000 fine.  

The first job of a kit is to enhance the performance of its wearers.  The second job is to earn the club increased, profitable income.  When the second job is prioritised over the first, it can be disastrous.  And, in this case, it lost the club money, as well as to contributing to an embarrassing, unlikely thrashing.  It's therefore the worst football kit, ever.  

Unless Lifers have better choices.  Over to you... 
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Comments

  • I found an old CAFC programme lying around once. I think it was from around 89 or so. In his notes, Lennie Lawrence complained that our grey away kit was making it hard for the players to see each other! 
  • MrOneLung said:

    Australia 
  • England’s red euro96 GK kit that looked like a printer malfunction 
  • More disgracefully as it's the national team, the England Euro 96 change kit was another one designed to look "good with jeans". It was horrible as well


  • Reggina 2012


  • Found all these in an article in Shortlist. 
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  • Coventry Brown away kit 💩 
  • More disgracefully as it's the national team, the England Euro 96 change kit was another one designed to look "good with jeans". It was horrible as well


    Was literally just gonna post about colour designed to go with jeans as they wanted it to be a fashion statement as well as a replica kit. 



  • Coventry City’s brown kit - quite simply horrific
    I quite liked this one.

    Around this time they were sponsored by Talbot and I believe had a design of a T in the top.  This may well have been in brown.

    Name the player and ground in picture.
  • check that bad boy out !that would put off any penalty takers
  • check that bad boy out !that would put off any penalty takers
    Vibrant colours on goalkeepers are supposed to draw players to kick the ball towards the colour, like target training. They also make the keeper seem bigger compared to the backdrop of the goal nets.

    This was said of the above kit:

    “There’s been a lot of research into the science behind goalkeeper kits, which is why you see a lot of luminous colours and chevron patterns which enlarge the presence of the keeper in the goal. 

    "The fluorescent yellow keeper kit carries an unmissable multi-coloured kaleidoscope pattern on the front, which resembles a target to aim for – rather than the goal itself – and catches the eye with its disruptive magic-eye effect."
  • Bad kits these days just arent acceptable, fair enough in the olden days as fashion sense was just awful

    But what went through the designers mind when they created this? - Its the sort of design you'd expect to see a NASCAR team wearing!!


  • Scoham said:

    So many questions. 

    When did Johnny Jackson (second left, back row) sign for that team?  Is Gareth Southgate (front row, far left) getting over-friendly with the team-mate on his left? Why have the two players in the front row on the right only got one arm each?  And finally, what on earth is the goalkeeper doing to the player bent over in front of him? 
  • Bad kits these days just arent acceptable, fair enough in the olden days as fashion sense was just awful

    But what went through the designers mind when they created this? - Its the sort of design you'd expect to see a NASCAR team wearing!!


    Years ago I think the most ourageous away tops sold well.
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  • Lets not ignore other Sports Jerseys either...


  • edited April 2020
    My mates company make footy kits, they're pretty fun designs that could be classified as bad kits, but they're intentionally like it. 

    https://amphibianappareluk.com/teamwear/uniforms

    image4330
    image4721
    image5939

    image8657image12693
    A lot of them are used in the Sussex/Surrey area by grass roots sides and a few by semi pro clubs. 


  • Coventry City’s brown kit - quite simply horrific
    I quite liked this one.

    Around this time they were sponsored by Talbot and I believe had a design of a T in the top.  This may well have been in brown.

    Name the player and ground in picture.
    I quite liked the Blue kit with the T for Talbot Cars in it

    Its Ian Wallace and I think the ground is White Hart Lane - am I right ?


  • Coventry City’s brown kit - quite simply horrific
    I quite liked this one.

    Around this time they were sponsored by Talbot and I believe had a design of a T in the top.  This may well have been in brown.

    Name the player and ground in picture.
    Ian Wallace, could be any number of grounds with terracing in front of the seats, I'll go for White Hart Lane?


  • Coventry City’s brown kit - quite simply horrific
    I quite liked this one.

    Around this time they were sponsored by Talbot and I believe had a design of a T in the top.  This may well have been in brown.

    Name the player and ground in picture.
    I quite liked the Blue kit with the T for Talbot Cars in it

    Its Ian Wallace and I think the ground is White Hart Lane - am I right ?
    Correct, my first glance was Derby.


  • Coventry Brown away kit 💩 
    Bottom left, name the totteringham player.
  • Jorge Campos liked to design himself some absolute rascal shirts, I did like the Mexico Aztec shirts 


  • Coventry Brown away kit 💩 
    Bottom left, name the totteringham player.
    Ledly King


  • Coventry Brown away kit 💩 
    Bottom left, name the totteringham player.
    Ledly King
    Close.
  • edited April 2020

    Never noticed Seaman had 'Gland' on the front of his shirt. Better than the other way round I suppose.
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