Having revisited the Admiral ‘tramlines’ design with their home shirt in 2022-23, it was always a strong bet that Coventry City would produce a modern take on the brown change kit.
The club have leaned into the ‘Worst Kit of All Time’ label that the original was unfairly lumbered with and we would expect that the sales figures for the new range will be very positive.
However, it is the classification of this new offering that we take issue with – launched as February turns to March, it is being marketed as a fourth kit.
Now, we don’t have a problem with fourth kits in and of themselves. One created at short notice, out of necessity, is something we can get on board with – but, even if Coventry were to meet an opponent that clashed with their sky-blue home strip and the peach-coloured away, we doubt there is much the brown outfit could solve that the navy third could not.
Equally, we can live with a commemorative kit in addition to the regulation three or one used in Europe or domestic cups – but contrast how, in the FA Cup third round, Tottenham Hotspur’s kit paid tribute to their 1901 victory in the competition whereas Everton wore a navy and kit strip against Sunderland, just because.
As ever, we are wary of sounding too much like an ‘in my day’ merchant but, as much we enjoy seeing new kits and assessing them, function still trumps form in our book.
It’s like your diet – the same way that chocolate for every meal wouldn’t be great in the long run, more and more new kits, every day from all angles, is not necessarily a good thing.
As mentioned above, the new range is being launched closer to the end of the season than the start – and we’re not even sure if it will be worn on the pitch. Given that Frank Lampard’s side are looking good for promotion, might it have been a better approach to have it as a third kit in the Premier League, ensuring greater exposure?
If a shirt’s launched halfway through a season, then it should only be half the regular price