Buzzin Football

The Worst Football Kits Of All Time

In the early 1970’s Leeds United played in an all white football kit akin to Real Madrid and England wore one of two kits – white shirt, dark blue shorts and white socks or a change strip, in case of a colour clash, of red shirt, white shorts and red socks. The only other feature was an oversized three lions badge that probably weighed as much as a complete kit today!

But then Admiral began jazzing football kits up with ‘go-faster’ stripes on sleeves and shorts to match.  The England kit looked amazing with the addition of a red and blue stripe on a white sleeve, and red and white trim on lighter blue shorts.  At the same time Leeds began wearing a similar away kit of yellow with white and blue trim. But when did stylish and cool turn to disgusting Jackson Pollock disasters and awful designs?

The Worst Football Kits Of All Time uses sketches of century old football kits to show that bad colour co-ordination is not a new phenomenon, but with big business and the monetization of football clubs in the late 1980’s / early 1990’s football kit manufacturers appeared to do anything to change a team’s design; and as this book shows, in some cases the result of horrific and tasteless in the extreme.

In the 1990 World Cup, England were wearing white shirts and dark blue shorts with a very understated trim.  The look was as classy as David Platt’s last minute goal against Belgium.  But by Euro 1996 they were playing in a non-descript blue and grey number, while David Seaman was made to wear probably the worst goalkeepers’ kit of all-time (see above).  Red shorts and socks and a shirt that resembled a liquidized pizza and side salad!

In many cases, classic designs can lose their appeal by the simplistic of additions. For the 1991-2 season in their ultimate wisdom, Brighton & Hove Albion decided to make the mistake of wearing blue and white striped shorts with their traditional blue and white striped shirts.  The result was awful.

I recall going to watch Chelsea in a pre-season friendly against my local side, Gillingham in 1995.  Glenn Hoddle was manager of Chelsea and Ruud Gullit was to make his debut in English football. Chelsea played in what I personally believe to be the worst away kit of all-time.  Grey and orange is not the best of colour schemes, but to make it worse the shirt was a mish mash of plain and stripes – yuk!

I think the 1990’s was probably the worst decade for bad football kits, but if you think bad colour schemes are a thing of the past, check out the image above of Everton’s 2010-11 awful pink and black away kit, as sported by Yakubu.  No wonder he left for Blackburn!

The Worst Football Kits Of All Time by Dave Moor is published by The History Press price £9.99.

There’s a Golden Sky - How twenty years of the Premier League has changed football forever

There’s a Golden Sky – How twenty years of the Premier League has changed football forever examines just how far the game of football has come in the past 20 years since those dark days, sucking in players and money from around the globe and providing fame, fortune and hours of pleasure in return.

Examining the changes that have occurred, Ian Ridley seeks to discover if the soul of the game still exists. Through interviews with larger-than-life characters from around the game – managers, referees, administrators, players and fans Ian Ridley has woven together a rich and fascinating story of football’s metamorphosis from social outcast to favourite child.

Free Competition

Buzzin Media has 5 copies of  There’s a Golden Sky to giveaway.

To enter the competition all you need to do is correctly answer the following question:

Who won the first English Premier League title?

Send your entries to comps@buzzinmedia.co.uk with ‘Golden Sky’ in the subject line (any other subject title will be not be entered) with your answer and your full address and contact telephone number.

This Buzzin Football ‘Golden Sky’ Book Competition ends on 24th November, 2011. The editor will randomly choose 5 winners.

The editor’s choice is final.

There’s a Golden Sky – How twenty years of the Premier League has changed football forever by Ian Ridley is published by Bloomsbury in Hardback & e-Book priced £18.99.

Another great weekend of Premier League games including two greatly anticipated matches – Liverpool away to Tottenham & Chelsea travelling to Manchester United just seven days after they destroyed Arsenal 8-2 at Old Trafford.

I don’t think anyone could have expected Liverpool to be so poor.  They never got off the bus, as one cliché goes; and Spurs took full advantage by playing fast, fluid football, the best I’ve seen them play since last season’s Champions League matches against Inter Milan.

Liverpool finished the match with nine players after two yellow cards were shown to Charlie Adam and Lucas respectively.  But the way they were playing, Liverpool wouldn’t have won if they had finished with their whole squad on the pitch!

In between the first and last matches of the day, Manchester City threw away a two goal lead at Fulham, and even more surprising was Sunderland thrashing Stoke 4-0 at the Stadium Of Light.

So confident were the bookmakers Paddy Power of a Manchester United victory, they were offering money back on all losing bets, if Chelsea won.

So many times matches like this one are hyped to ridiculous levels and fall short on entertainment value but this was a corker.  Chelsea performed well with an attacking formation.  Andre Villas-Boas continued with the young strike force of Fernando Torres, Juan Mata and Daniel Sturridge.

The weakest link was Frank Lampard who looked off the pace and lacking confidence. Lampard was substituted at half term as Man Utd were amazing leading 3-0 even though the end-to-end game was anything but one sided, with Chelsea having their fare share of possession and more shots on goal.

Minutes into the second half and Fernando Torres was put through one on one against former Athletico Madrid team-mate David de Gea.

Torres showed his growing confidence with a deft chip.  He was put through again and once more showed great skill to beat de Gea, only to shoot wide in front of an open goal.  It was this which courted the headlines, rather than Torres playing well and Wayne Rooney missing a penalty as he slid and landed on his bottom, reminiscent of John Terry’s penalty miss in the Champions League Final against Manchester United in Moscow.

As for Arsenal, they through away a lead to lose 4-3 to Blackburn Rovers.  Pressure continues to grow on Arsene Wenger as the main question appears to be not whether he should keep his position but who Arsenal could possibly replace him with.

Manchester Utd were awesome and deserved the win though Andre Villas-Boas tactic to attack United rather than sit back almost paid off.

They are now two points clear at the top of the Premier League and the only team in the division with maximum points.  In past seasons they have been slow out of the blocks and finish strongly.  This season it could be all over by Christmas!

Played three, won three.  Manchester United head the Premier League on goal difference from their fiercest and now closest rivals, Manchester City after two amazing results last Sunday that had north London cowering like a beaten dog.

Roberto Mancini’s Man City must have thought they had done enough when they put five past Tottenham at White Hart Lane in the early afternoon kick-off, which had Harry Redknapp blaming Chelsea for their poor start to the season.  Sami Nasri made his debut and alongside David Silva helped the blue side of Manchester completely outplay Spurs.

Upfront Sergio Aguero and Edin Dzeko were chosen ahead of Carlos Tevez & Mario Balotelli as it happened this was to be the game that all doubters of Edin Dzeko’s ability were to eat their words, as the Bosnian striker scored four goals with a truly sublime performance; and for the first time I witnessed why Manchester City paid £27m last January.

Manchester City’s demolition of Spurs followed a 3-2 away win at Bolton and a convincing 4-0 home win against newly promoted Swansea>  But it was the thrashing of Spurs who finished fifth last season suggests City have stepped up another gear as they look likely to be the only serious Premier League contenders to Man Utd.

Whatever Man City can do, Manchester United can do better!

After whipping Spurs 3-0 at Old Trafford last week it was the turn of north London rivals Arsenal to enter the Theatre Of Dreams; and with a new look Man Utd brimming with Barcelona-style confidence it was a bad time for a depleted Arsenal side without a handful of first-team regulars and the loss of Sami Nasri & Cesc Fabregas, I don’t think anyone apart from the most blinkered of Arsenal fans expected anything but a comfortable home win.  But no one was expecting 8-2!

8-2 and it could have so easily been more.  Wayne Rooney hit the post and Wojciech Szczesny was one of the only Arsenal players who could seriously hold his head up after what was such a humiliating defeat that Arsenal FC have apologised and offered all fans that made the trip a free away game ticket.

I am confident that Arsenal’s troubles are not going to disappear that quickly, and along with Tottenham were left at the weekend scratching their heads wondering if someone has put something in the Manchester water supply.

Of the other so-called ‘big six’ teams, Chelsea looked laboured, slow and obvious in their play until new signings Juan Mata and Romelu Lukaku were introduced in the second-half as they eventually beat off Norwich at Stamford Bridge 3-1, while Liverpool continue to forge ahead under the leadership of King Kenny Dalglish as they beat Bolton 3-1 at Anfield.

It’s been a great start to the Premier League, and one thing is for sure, the Premier League champions will be from Manchester.

Sir Alex Ferguson’s latest team of Red Devils played Tottenham Hotspur off the pitch for large parts of the match at Old Trafford last night, as Manchester United thrashed Spurs 3-0 with outstanding performances from young guns Danny Wellbeck, Tom Cleverly and Ashley Young joining ‘old boys’ Wayne Rooney and Nani in a team with an average age of just 23.

Amazingly Man Utd went into the game without Rio Ferdinand & Nemanja Vidic.  But Phil Jones, Johnny Evans and Chris Smalling joined Patrice Evra along with new goalkeeper David de Gea in keeping a weak Spurs attack with Jermain Defoe offering no threat as the lone striker.

In fact, if it wasn’t for veteran goalkeeper Brad Friedel, playing his league debut, Spurs could have lost by a whole lot more.

Both City and United have now won back to back Premier League matches and have thrown down the gauntlet to the rest of the chasing pack.  After this display, is anyone foolish enough to bet on the Premier League title going anywhere else but Manchester come May?