With Brentford travelling to Watford tonight, it’s time for a return of the semi-regular series : ‘What were they thinking’ – a look at the best (and worst) of our opponent’s shirts. You can find the regular pre-match column here but for those with an interest in all things ‘shirt related’ then read on.
As ever, the selections have been made by no more a scientific method than personal opinion. The four categories remain: The best; The unfortunate design; The worst; The away kit.
So without further ado, let’s crack on.
The best : 1982 – 85 Made by Umbro ; sponsored by Iveco (Industrial Vehicles Corporation – I’ve checked ). This ditches the collars, only a good thing in a shirt, and is probably best associated with the 1984 FA Cup final. Combining the yellow, red and black used since the mid-70s it is a simple classic.
A classic shirt – the shorts, perhaps, best forgotten
The unfortunate design : 1985-88 Made by Umbro ; sponsored by Solvite. Nothing much wrong with this, in theory. However , a decent yellow shirt is let down with the supplementary red / black emblazoned across the front of the chest in a gauche stripe that looks like two Inter City 125 trains crossing at high speed.
Sponsor free version – complete with High Speed Trains
From Euston to vicarage Road
The worst : 2013-14 Made by Puma ; sponsored by 138.com . Bang up to date for this Puma (who else?) effort that not only ditches the red (save for the sponsor’s logo) but then paints a wave-like black yoke across the shoulders. However, the unforgiveable offence is turning the club crest into a monochromatic neon yellow affair. I am not a-moosed.
Where’s the red? What have they done to the badge?
The away shirt : 1994-95 Made by Hummel; sponsored by Blaupunkt. Hummel made some classics for Brentford and they’ve done it again here. I don’t know whether to recoil in horror or embrace their audacity. So bad it’s fantastic. Best described as a kind of soft-focus fuzzy bar code effect.
A Hummel away shirt to rival our own 92-93 version
Tags: 2013/14, 3-0, Adidas, Alan Judge, Alex Pritchard, Asics, away, BBC, Bees, Beesotted, Beppe Sannino, bet, Betinho, Billy McKinlay, Blaupunkt, blog, blue, book, Brentford, Brentford blog, Brentford FC, celebrated, Celebrating like they'd won the FA Cup, Chad, Championship, classic shirts, comments, david button, diary, FA Cup, football, fourth, Fulham, Griffin Park, Harlee Dean, Hobot, Home, hornets, HST, Hummel, Inter City 125, Iveco, James Tarkowski, John Ruddy, Jon Toral, Jonathan Douglas, José Ignacio Peleteiro Ramallo, Jota, just don’t mention that penalty, kindle, kit, kits, Leeds United, manager, Marcello Trotta, Marcos Tébar Ramiro, Mark Warburton, Matthew Benham, Metroplitan, Moses Odubajo, Natalie Sawyer, Nick Bruzon, Nick Proschwitz, Norwich City, odds, Osca, Oscar Garcia, penalty, Puma, red, resigned, Ribero, Russell Slade, Sam Saunders, Scoreline, Shirt, Sky bet Championship, skyex, Solvite, sponsor, squad, stripes, Stuart Dallas, table, Toumani, train, Trotta, tube, Vicarage Road, Warbs, Watford, white
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Watford – what were they thinking?
30 SepWith Brentford travelling to Watford tonight, it’s time for a return of the semi-regular series : ‘What were they thinking’ – a look at the best (and worst) of our opponent’s shirts. You can find the regular pre-match column here but for those with an interest in all things ‘shirt related’ then read on.
As ever, the selections have been made by no more a scientific method than personal opinion. The four categories remain: The best; The unfortunate design; The worst; The away kit.
So without further ado, let’s crack on.
The best : 1982 – 85 Made by Umbro ; sponsored by Iveco (Industrial Vehicles Corporation – I’ve checked ). This ditches the collars, only a good thing in a shirt, and is probably best associated with the 1984 FA Cup final. Combining the yellow, red and black used since the mid-70s it is a simple classic.
A classic shirt – the shorts, perhaps, best forgotten
The unfortunate design : 1985-88 Made by Umbro ; sponsored by Solvite. Nothing much wrong with this, in theory. However , a decent yellow shirt is let down with the supplementary red / black emblazoned across the front of the chest in a gauche stripe that looks like two Inter City 125 trains crossing at high speed.
Sponsor free version – complete with High Speed Trains
From Euston to vicarage Road
The worst : 2013-14 Made by Puma ; sponsored by 138.com . Bang up to date for this Puma (who else?) effort that not only ditches the red (save for the sponsor’s logo) but then paints a wave-like black yoke across the shoulders. However, the unforgiveable offence is turning the club crest into a monochromatic neon yellow affair. I am not a-moosed.
Where’s the red? What have they done to the badge?
The away shirt : 1994-95 Made by Hummel; sponsored by Blaupunkt. Hummel made some classics for Brentford and they’ve done it again here. I don’t know whether to recoil in horror or embrace their audacity. So bad it’s fantastic. Best described as a kind of soft-focus fuzzy bar code effect.
A Hummel away shirt to rival our own 92-93 version
Tags: 2013/14, 3-0, Adidas, Alan Judge, Alex Pritchard, Asics, away, BBC, Bees, Beesotted, Beppe Sannino, bet, Betinho, Billy McKinlay, Blaupunkt, blog, blue, book, Brentford, Brentford blog, Brentford FC, celebrated, Celebrating like they'd won the FA Cup, Chad, Championship, classic shirts, comments, david button, diary, FA Cup, football, fourth, Fulham, Griffin Park, Harlee Dean, Hobot, Home, hornets, HST, Hummel, Inter City 125, Iveco, James Tarkowski, John Ruddy, Jon Toral, Jonathan Douglas, José Ignacio Peleteiro Ramallo, Jota, just don’t mention that penalty, kindle, kit, kits, Leeds United, manager, Marcello Trotta, Marcos Tébar Ramiro, Mark Warburton, Matthew Benham, Metroplitan, Moses Odubajo, Natalie Sawyer, Nick Bruzon, Nick Proschwitz, Norwich City, odds, Osca, Oscar Garcia, penalty, Puma, red, resigned, Ribero, Russell Slade, Sam Saunders, Scoreline, Shirt, Sky bet Championship, skyex, Solvite, sponsor, squad, stripes, Stuart Dallas, table, Toumani, train, Trotta, tube, Vicarage Road, Warbs, Watford, white