Today’s request comes from Simon Ståål:
Inspired by the PL Classics:
What if Norwich had signed for two years with Umbro rather than Ribero in 1992.
* Home kit based on Aston Villa's template (Norwich did have that type of shirt in 1910/11)
* Beware of a clash with that season's Umbro goalkeeper templates…
— Simon Ståål (@SubGK1) March 22, 2019
It’s an interesting request, given that the real-life Norwich 1992-94 home kit, made by Ribero, is associated with such positive memories.
Nevertheless, given that Norwich haven’t had Umbro since the mid-1970s, there is novelty attached and the home works quite well.
During the 1980s, Norwich change kits tended to follow the design of the home strip but with white replacing yellow. However, Ribero opted to introduce purple to the palette for the rarely-worn alternative they produced. The Ipswich home style is used as the base here.
As Simon mentioned in his tweet, the home could be troublesome with Umbro’s 1992-93 goalkeeper offerings. With the yellow and green shirts ruled out, Norwich would presumably have had the purple version as first choice, but if that was unsuitable then something else would have been needed so we’ve gone for a red edition.
Having finished third in the inaugural Premier League in 1992-93, Norwich qualified for the Uefa Cup, beating Bayern Munich in a memorable campaign. Their run included a victory over Vitesse Arnhem in which a one-off navy kit was worn, and in Umbro-ising that we have opted for the black Manchester United away as the starting point.
As Stuart Bateman points out, that kit in its truest form wouldn’t have been allowed in Europe – United had to alter theirs for the game against Barcelona in 1994 – and so we have removed the extra Umbro motifs from the sleeves and shorts.
Feedback is always welcome, along with request for future FKFs. Leave a comment below or tweet us @museumofjerseys.
Great job. FKF Idea: Chelsea F.C. on Nike (1991-92 Borussia Dortmund-Style).
i have one too, Sheffield Wednesday if they had stuck with Umbro instead of going with Puma in the early 90s ……bonus points if you can use any Manchester United kits cos i liked the style of some of those (Blue and White one from 96 might be a bit too obvious but i will allow it lol)