So we’ve had a look at some pretty decent kits for next season, and there are some really nice ones in there, but as with most things that are a hit, there is always going to be a Fernando Torres sized miss somewhere along the way.
That has never been more true than when looking at these kits, be it home or away – or even a third kit (because who doesn’t have the cash to splash on three separate strips each season), because some are downright awful.
You wouldn’t think a kit manufacturer could get it so wrong with one strip, when they get it so right with another, but apparently, that’s what some of them have done. Here are five of the absolute worst.
West Ham Away
While Umbro made a delightful job of West Ham United’s new home shirt this season, they made an absolute hash of the away shirt.
This number receives the yellow card for having far too much going on at once.
While Hammers fans will be delighted that an away shirt features their beloved claret and blue for once, the diagonal stripes on the top portion of the jersey make this one an eyesore.
Norwich Third Kit
There’s always that one team every season that releases a new shirt that is simply ridiculous and in 2015/16, it is the turn of Norwich City.Thankfully for the Canaries, this nightmare of a jersey is their new third shirt, produced by Errea meaning that they won’t be wearing it on that many occasions.
With the Italian sports manufacturer going for a 90s feel, this Aviva sponsored shirt looks like it should’ve stayed in that era or failing that, at least in rugby as opposed to football. It’s made worse by the fact that all three of Norwich’s shirts feature a very similar colour scheme – totally failing to grasp that away kits are different for a reason.
No one looks happy to be wearing the monstrosity in the promo picture, and new signing Youssouf Mulumbu looks like he can’t wait to get out of it.
Swansea Away
Before we talk about Swansea City’s daring 2015/16 away jersey, take a look at the Welsh club’s #CopperStripe YouTube video that promotes their new home number – you’d imagine Huw Jenkins is going for an Oscar rather than increased shirt sales.
But back to this monstrosity, green is always a tricky colour to pull off on the football pitch – unless you go for an olive style like Plymouth Argyle, but to mix a luminous shade alongside navy and an ugly-looking white Goldenway FX sponsor logo simply makes for a recipe for disaster.
AFC Bournemouth Home
Will any club ever get promoted to the Premier League while being as much of an underdog as AFC Bournemouth are this time around? With their Dean Court home seating just 11,700 spectators, Eddie Howe would have to work an absolute miracle to keep the Cherries in the top flight this term, and good luck to them.
Given their miniscule status in the big league, Bournemouth aren’t supplied by the likes of Nike or Adidas, but rather JD Sports, who have whacked three off-putting logos across this home jersey in a way Mike Ashley and Sports Direct would be proud of.
Combine this with their new Mansion sponsorship, not to mention the club’s standard red and black colourway, and again, too much is going on in a kit that looks like it belongs in League One. Sorry Bournemouth fans.
Everton Away
Now with this number, if Everton received Premier League approval to don sleeveless shirts like Cameroon once famously did in Rigobert Song’s era, we’d say yes, quite nice and inoffensive.
But why Umbro decided to go with a sleeve design that wouldn’t look out of place in Primark, we’ll never know.
Take it from us, the Everton home shirt for 2015/16 is far better, while with this one, you may as well keep it on after an away day, because you can get your money’s worth and wear it to bed given how much it resembles a pj top.
