- The summer of 1990 was a watershed for me – Italia 90 provided me with my first sustained experience of football and, by extension, kits. The following domestic season, I regularly attended Cork City games and devoured Shoot! on a weekly basis, absorbing a lot of information that I still retain. The fact that I was an Arsenal fan and they won the league was no doubt a factor. To mark the 30th anniversary of that campaign, I’ve decided to look at the kits worn in the English top flight, written as if it’s 1990 – below are the first ten teams in alphabetical order, with part 2 to follow
Arsenal
The 1989 champions have a brand-new home kit, an evolution on the previous style and now featuring the full club crest. The change strip, worn on the famous night at Anfield a year ago, remains for a third season, though now including the mandatory Football League logos.
Aston Villa
Last season’s runners-up have lost their manager Graham Taylor to England and there are changes on the kits front too as Umbro return for the first time since 1981, replacing Hummel. White and black remains the choice for the change strip, though now trimmed with sky-blue rather than purple.
Chelsea
Bobby Campbell’s side surprised a lot of people last season as they finished fifth in their first season back in the top flight. The Blues’ first-choice kit remains the same – though we would prefer to see a return of the 1970s-style white socks.
They have a brand-new white and red change strip featuring a diamond pattern but, as their first two away games are against Crystal Palace and Queens Park Rangers, we wonder if a third kit will be needed.
Coventry City
Having swapped Hummel for Asics last year, the Sky Blues’ kits remain unchanged – and there’s nothing wrong with that as each one is nice.
Crystal Palace
Having worn yellow and black in their unsuccessful FA Cup final replay in May, one might have expected Palace to keep that for their new kit but it’s nowhere to be seen. They did wear a plain yellow shirt in pre-season but that didn’t make the cut, either.
Instead, they have two change kits which are reversals of each other – it’s clever in that they will be in red and blue for every game, but the match at Villa Park could prove troublesome.
Derby County
The Rams are another team who will be appearing in the same set of strips as in 1989-90 – really though that mismatching away kit could do with replacing.
Everton
A new away strip for the Toffees, similar to the third kit that became more popular than the previous grey and white outfit but with an additional blue zig-zag pattern.
Leeds United
Howard Wilkinson’s side return to the top flight after last season’s promotion and they are decked out in a new home strip, with yellow given deservedly more prominence than on the outgoing one.
Liverpool
No change for the champions, apart from the fact they won’t need to wear a white third shirt at Aston Villa.
Luton Town
The same kits as last season for the Hatters, but now with Vauxhaull adorning their chests rather than Bedford. We can expect quite a few mashups.
Another cracking idea for a piece. The timeframe also aligns nicely with when replica shirts started becoming more freely available over here. From this entry alone, kickabouts around my way would have had Liverpool, Luton, Leeds, Everton and Palace shirts on show! Unheard of even a year or two prior.