The Worst Football Kits of All Time

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Alas, the same could not be said about the alternative strips of the same period, with a number of dreary blue-and-white away kits falling by the wayside in terms of cultural cachet. The nadir definitely came in 1996-97 (the year Boro were relegated from the Premier League despite reaching both domestic cup finals) when Errea went all out with a boxy white shirt besmirched by an equally oversized "crisscross" graphic.

As well as being an undisputed era-defining masterpiece, the 1992-94 jersey was also the first in a golden run of classic home shirts for the club that was continued into 1994-96 by a similarly attractive sequel -- the "Theatre of Dreams" kit that featured a large watermark image of United's stadium sublimated into the fabric, which served as both an homage to their erstwhile home ground and a clever measure to ward off counterfeiters. WORST 10. Tottenham: third, 2021-22 (Nike) (Photo by Tottenham Hotspur FC/Tottenham Hotspur FC via Getty Images) Ever heard the phrase "if you want something done well, you have to do it yourself"? That's what German gambling company Faber Lotto-Service did with local team Bochum in 1997. Not satisfied with Reebok's and Reusch's timid designs, and with zero experience of making kits, Faber posed as a sports manufacturer and created their own colourful shirts for Bochum's first foray into the UEFA Cup. The fans absolutely hated Faber's rainbow logo, and the collective anger when the shirt was unveiled in front of them was audible. We're still not sure what Birmingham were thinking. For their 3rd kit in the 72/73 and 73/74 seasons, they wore a jersey which can only be described as a German flag. Were there lots of German players in their team at the time and they wanted to make them feel at home? No, there weren't. Just bizarre. While 13 per cent feel so passionate about replica shirts they have even designed their own concept kits. You know a team's outfit is bad when fans dub it the "bird poo" kit. That's how Norwich fans still refer to this Ribero-manufactured jersey, even though the Canaries wore it during a successful spell. They finished third in the inaugural season of the Premier League, enjoyed a first foray into the UEFA Cup and even notched a victory over German giants Bayern Munich. Norwich actually released a white version shirt in 2016-17 as a third alternate, produced by Errea, which was an homage to the original. Norwich wore it twice.The colour of this kit, described as "lightning pink" by manufacturer Le Coq Sportif, was meant to make the players more visible to each other. It was also inspired by the club's kit from the 1890-91 season, when the Toffees won their first of nine league titles. Midfielder Leon Osman admitted it "caused a bit of a stir in the dressing room" and was a "brave" design, while the club's chief executive Robert Elstone said at the time: "We want this new kit to help take Everton to the next level." They won four away games that season. However not every shirt is quite so well regarded as these – there are countless strips which are remembered for all the wrong reasons. Barcelona may now be a byword for class and style, but it wasn't always the case. This design has no logic to it whatsoever. And the colours just look strange. It's like an unwell fish or something. And what are the flaps all about? Quite what those budding young artists did to deserve such a glaring public snub is beyond us. 9. Norwich City: home, 1992-94 (Ribero/Mitre) Paul Marriott/EMPICS via Getty Images

A spokesman for FootballJunkie added: " Leicester ’s Admiral pioneered the replica shirt market in the 1970s, and ever since then millions and millions of football tops have been sold across the world. The kit was sported by Newcastle's revered "great entertainers" side of Alan Shearer, David Ginola, Faustino Asprilla et al who came close to winning the Premier League title but fell just short to Manchester United both times. Just to top it all off, the accompanying goalkeeper kit, complete with a sunset silhouette of the Newcastle skyline, and the maroon-and-blue hooped away kit of 1995-96 are also both all-time top-flight classics in their own right. 2. Liverpool: home, 1993-95 (Adidas) Gary M. Prior/Allsport UK/Getty Images Rather than evoke the world of avant-garde art, it looks more like a close-up of some coral. The kit was worn during preseason in 2004 but was not seen again as Bilbao reverted to their traditional red-and-white stripes. What is going on here. Top half: some kind of 8-bit rhombus pattern; bottom half: a painting of a sundial. We have absolutely no idea.This kit is so glorious that there aren’t even any good images on Google of the original, so I’ve had to settle for the Score Draw replica with a missing Le Coq Sportif logo. It was worn firstly in the 1983/84 season, in which Everton won the FA Cup over Watford, ending their 14-year trophy drought and marking the beginning of the Club’s most successful era, in which they won 8 major honors in the next 4 years. The 1984/85 Everton team was unquestionably the greatest in our club’s history, winning the First Division over Liverpool by a monumental 13 point margin, along with winning the European Cup Winner’s Cup, and the Charity Shield, as well as reaching the FA Cup Final which we lost 1-0 to Manchester United in extra time. Worn by the likes of Sheedy, Sharp, and Gray, this kit was not only donned by the best of Everton Football Club but is also an absolutely worldie of a kit all on its own. I’m sure many of you are surprised that I haven’t put this #1, and understandably so. Legendary is an understatement. Maybe it’s just something about yellow & green which means you’ll always find a Norwich or Australian kit in a ‘worst football kit’ list, but this one from Down Under in 1990 really takes the proverbial crap biscuit. Just no.