Get Your Kits Out For The Lads….

Best Sunderland Away Kits

Best Sunderland Away Kits

Get your kits out for the lads……

Red and White Stripes and Black shorts…. simple

Playing Away……

Obviously in the event of a colour clash, there is a need for an Away Kit. After Norwich City were relegated from the top flight in 1981, Wolves were then able to go through the whole of the 1981/82 campaign without wearing their away kit.

‘No need to bring a change of clothes lads….’

Main kit – away kit – simple?

Theoretically yes, financially no. Like many others, the team I follow has at least 2 new kits every  summer. Red and White stripes are pretty simple though? Therein lies a problem, over the years they have managed to make a mess of such a simple design though….

The ‘Butchers Apron’from 2017/18 – rather fittingly it was worn by possibly the worst Sunderland team in living memory?’
Nike got plenty of stick at the time for this offering – ironically it’s become a bit of an iconic kit over the years

Sunderland away kits through the years…..

Having said, there’s only so much you can do with Red and White stripes. The Away Kit, offers a whole new world of opportunity… bringing out a new Away shirt every summer, means that by the law of averages…..

Best Sunderland Away Kits
You’ll have some great kits……
Best Sunderland Away Kits
You’ll have kits that some love and some hate…..
Best Sunderland Away Kits Pink and Blue
You’ll have some absolute shockers…….

Finance 1 Tradition 0

I accept the reasons why kits change as often as they do, I guess if idiots like me didn’t buy them – they wouldn’t have such a market. What I don’t accept is when a clubs big game is affected – City Vs Utd, Liverpool Vs Everton, Rangers Vs Celtic etc ….. these are just too huge and traditional events to be messed with?

‘We are Red And White, They are Black and White….. some games should be kept sacred in the respect of kit choice?

Quality control……

A consequence of getting older, is that you moan about how things used to be better than they are now. 

A lot of the time this is synonymous with being grumpy and doesn’t actually ring true – 30 years ago I’d have been wrestling with a typewriter and then posting this article off; as opposed to typing in on a tablet and emailing it…… but when it comes to football shirts, the quality is light years behind what it used to be?

It’s worth adding that I support a League 1 club without a pot to piss in, (New Balance Liverpool kit for example is decent quality, but I can’t imagine the office lackey at Anfield is given the remit of securing the cheapest shite he can?)

Charlton Vs Sunderland at Wembley May 1998….

Not my favourite kit….. but the quality is there to admire……

Charlton Vs Sunderland at Wembley May 2019……..21 years later we headed to Wembley to let Charlton break our hearts again. We again wore our away shirt, but in the week leading up to the game, the club released the home shirt for the following season…….

Sunderland's current home kit
‘Just £54.99…… a red and white t-shirt with a stick on badge…..”

Obviously a camera can only tell so much, but the disparity in quality in 21 years was alarming. For those reading who think the sponsor looks a bit stuck on….. it changed from BetDaq, (new laws incoming). No issue with the new sponsor….. but £54.99……..

Sunderlands home kit average quality
“New sponsor…….. no problem……. just stick the new one over the top…..”

“You had one job…“

Bizarrely one of my favourite Sunderland Away Kits, was only worn once and never marketed. A trip to watch Sunderland Away at Palace on a Monday night, (cheers SKY), affords plenty of time to chew the fat…. Monday 3rd November 2014 on the journey south, the following topic was raised. ‘They play in red and blue, our home kit is red and our away kit is blue….. they’ll have thought of that won’t they?”

Blue Sunderland away kit
“It’s blue, that could be a problem?”
White and Blue Sunderland away kit worn once
Worn once – one win – a thing of beauty

So….. inadvertently a beautiful away kit was born.

Losing our tradition?

The frequency of kit releases mean it’s inevitable….. there has been a little bit of a kick back in recent years though…

WBA and City
York City ….Kit – top tier…… sadly team – 6th tier

The Joy of 6……

Six is a magic number if you support Sunderland, with this in mind, I thought I’d go for a Top 6, rather than the more traditional Top 5….

SAFC Blog following Sunderland away from home
“Six a row…… lovely”

Best Sunderland Away Kits The Final Verdict…

Game of opinions as always, but the top Sunderland 6 away shirts for me are….

6th

5th

4th

3rd

2nd

1st – Best Sunderland Away Kit

Absolutely Beautiful

Next Season….. Sunderland Away Kit?

We don’t know when this will be….. We will all be due a lift……. We are changing from Adidas to Nike……

Whilst I’m expecting some generic shite, teamwear……

I don’t dislike this seasons away shirt, but the quality is desperate

So come on Nike, you know what to do to make us happy…..go on……. JUST DO IT

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2 thoughts on “Get Your Kits Out For The Lads….

  1. Great blog, first time I have read this blog but it won’t be the last.
    Totally agree, red and white stripes with black shorts, simple but effective.
    In my humble opinion the best away shirt is a toss up between numbers 4 & 5 with shirt 5 just swaying it for myself.
    Take care and Stay safe.

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