After unveiling our list of the Premier League's best kits last week it was only a matter of time before we turned our attention to the abominations clubs forced their players to wear.It's not an objective exercise to settle on the Premier League's 10 worst kits but it is a painful one as will become evident below.
Incidentally, there is no shortage of candidates for this list.
Indeed, limiting ourselves to just 10 probably lets too many off the hook so send us your suggestions via the Comment field at the bottom of this page.
1. Arsenal away 1992-93. Known among fans as the 'bruised banana' shirt, this outrageous kit typified the arrogance of the brash away kit designs of the 90s. The shirt fabric was printed with a navy zigzag fading design and topped with a shadow pattern. Was a surprising hit with the Arsenal faithful. It's difficult to see why.
2. Manchester United away 1995-96. A kit made famous for its part in Manchester United's defeat at Southampton. Sir Alex Ferguson memorably made his players switch shirts at half-time blaming poor visibility as the reason for the 3-1 score-line. The fiery Scotsman claimed that the sun was so bright that the grey shirts couldn't be made out and United changed into blue shirts. It didn't have the desired effect as the Red Devils crashed to a 6-3 defeat.
3. Blackburn away 1997-98. There was certainly no such visibility problems with this kit. Rovers' 97/98 away strip was bright orange with a shadow strip pattern and a silver collar and shorts. This vivid outfit coincided with a revival in the club's fortunes under new manager Roy Hodgson.
4. Chelsea away 1994-96. Eye-ball burning is probably the most apt way to describe this kit. Officially graphite and tangerine in colour, it combined a silvery-grey speckled pattern with orange panels and navy trim. It's main claims to fame were that it was worn in the West Londoner's superb 2-0 win over Bruges in the European Cup Winners Cup and it was the first Chelsea shirt worn by Ruud Gullit.
5. Newcastle away 1995-96. Resembled more of a Rugby Union kit than a football strip. Designers Adidas sought inspiration from a kit worn by Newcastle West End in the 1880s before they merged with Newcastle East End to form United. The kit featured the same 'grandad' collar as the home shirt and was paired with ecru shorts. It was worn in the same season the Magpies surrendered the Premier League title to Manchester United.
6. Newcastle away 1997-98. Yet another shocker designed by Adidas for the Magpies. The round neck was identical to that of the home shirt, but that was where the similarity ended. This shirt was navy blue with outrageous orange and green vertical bands and trim alongside a large shadow print of the club badge that was incorporated into the fabric.
7. Norwich home 1992-93. The 1992/93 season saw some big changes for the club. Not only were they part of the newly formed Premier League under the guidance of recently appointed Mike Walker, the Canaries also took to the field in a glaring new Ribiero home kit. Sporting strange green blotches over the traditional yellow, it proved to be a hit on the pitch and was worn in a famous 2-1 victory over Bayern Munich.
8. Everton away 2001-02. For a reason only known to Everton's kit suppliers, Puma chose to bring back the salmon pink colour sported during the club's early days. Inspired by one of the Toffees' earliest strips from the 1800s, the shirt featured black sleeves and pink piping from collar to cuff.
9. Liverpool away 1996-97. The Reds were one of the first club's to introduce an ecru away strip in the mid 90s. The oddly cream coloured shirt featured a round neck design and the same Liver Bird shadow pattern as the home jersey. The strip failed to bring good fortunes on the pitch as Liverpool crashed to a 3-0 defeat against Paris St Germain in the Cup Winners Cup semi-final first leg.
10. Aston Villa away 1993-95. Very much a marmite kit with the Aston Villa faithful. Loved by a few but hated by the majority and unlike any modern strip worn by the club. Asics opted for bold red, black and green stripes and coincided with a poor run of form leading to the departure of Ron Atkinson.
Comments (Page 1 of 1)
maybe Man utd's GREY kit(the one which was blamed for a loss at Southampton) could be included in the 10 worst kits.
Bozo, they were #2 on the list
As alway the ones which try and be different get the bullet. most of those were actually quiet smart. The norwich,man u away, the chelsea away and the arsenal away I agree with (allthought he Arsenal away is in fact the old Div 1 Football league I think.) Buy the rest were smart.Plain does not mean stylish it often means people living in the past-as Umbro are about to remind us with the next England Away if rumours are to be believed!
Sorry but the ecru Liverpool away kit was lovely....best away kit they had with reebok
Agree with all the others especially the Newcastle kits...adidas had better do better with next years Liverpool kits and having seen mock ups...Do not hold your breath....LFC fans
I was at the Manchester United Vs Southampton game with the infamous grey strip worn by United. I think they had a point, changing at half time as I couldn't pick them out from where I was sat? Still, changing the kit didn't do any good in the end and they were probably well beaten by half-time. Shockingly bad kit!!