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By Phil Hecken
I’m back again today with Anthony Emerson, who has previewed/graded all of the EPL kits for 2015-16. This is part II — if you missed Part I, click here. Let’s get straight to it (for all images, click to enlarge):
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Grading Premier League Kits 2015-16, Pt. II
By Anthony Emerson
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Newcastle United
Kit supplier: Puma (6th season)
Kit sponsor: Wonga (3rd season)
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Newcastle United’s colors are black and white. Period. Overall: F
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I feel like we’ve seen this before. I mean, Puma could at least try to come up with a unique design for each club they supply. But apparently that would be too much work. As a kit in and of itself it’s decent enough. Overall: D+
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The best of the bunch, but that’s not really saying much. I think the pink is nice enough when not being shoved down your throat (looking at you, Bournemouth), and I am a sucker for sashes. Overall: B
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Norwich City
Kit supplier: Erreà (5th season)
Kit sponsor: Aviva (8th season)
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I’ve thought for a long time that Norwich City have the largest sponsor logo in the league, despite rules ostensibly being in place to limit the size. This season’s kits have done nothing to dispel that belief. Regardless, Erreà, as usual does a good job working around the eyesore, this year going with a classy halved kit at home. Some may decry the loss of the Canaries’ all yellow, but halved shirts are becoming fewer and farther between in the modern game, and I for one am saddened by that. Keep the flame alive, Norwich. Overall: A
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Pinstripes are one of my favorite design elements and nowhere near enough soccer teams use them. Erreà and Norwich are the bastions of classic, simple design. I dig the sleeve cuffs too. The only downside is breaking the pinstripes for the Aviva logo. Overall: A-
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Norwich completed their trifecta of awesome, unique and utterly gorgeous kits with a wild hooped design. Completely distinctive, completely Norwich. Again, the only downside is breaking the hoops for the Aviva logo…why do they insist on it having its own panel? Overall: A+
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Southampton
Kit supplier: Adidas (1st season)
Kit sponsor: Veho (2nd season)
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It’s not really Adidas’ first season supplying Soton, but the club and fans were so incensed at Adidas’ previous offering (all-red instead of the traditional red and white stripes) that Southampton opted to produce last season’s kits internally. Adidas seems to have taken last season’s kit, added the three stripes, removed the hoop motif and slightly changed the neck line. Last season’s kits were better, still. Overall: B
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As I’ve said before, I’m partial to sashes on kits, so this has that going for it. But I’m not a fan of the shade of green at all. Overall: C
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Stoke City
Kit supplier: New Balance (1st season)
Kit sponsor: Bet365 (4th season)
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Stoke’s home kit is nothing to write home about. It’s the right color and has the right stripes. The dreaded faux-v-neck makes an appearance, however. Overall: C+
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Stoke and Southampton often have the misfortune of looking like each other. Stoke’s change kit this season evokes that, as it features a sash (like Southampton) and contains a green (like Southampton). The shade of green is more pleasant here, however, and I am a fan of all black kits. Overall: B
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Sunderland
Kit supplier: Adidas (4th season)
Kit sponsor: Dafabet (1st season)
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Believe it or not, I adore the Dafabet logo on this kit. It adds a pleasant touch of color without being dominant, like a certain Chevrolet-sponsored team. I like the collar and the sleeve cuffs, but I don’t like that the stripes end prematurely on the shoulders and get thinner under by the arms. Overall: B-
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Sunderland’s away kit is nothing to write home about, but it is a pleasant green and yellow number. I don’t like the two different shades of green, however. It seems like Adidas just added the sublimated hoops gradually turning into a large lime splotch just for fun. Overall: B-
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Swansea City
Kit supplier: Adidas (5th season)
Kit sponsor: GWFX (3rd season)
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I love white and gold (though Adidas marketing insists it’s ‘copper’), so I adore this kit. It helps that GWFX’s logo is always shown in gold, even when that isn’t Swansea’s accent color of choice, but still. This kit is gorgeous, and one of the best the Premier League has to offer this season. Overall: A+
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More green and blue change kits? Ugh. The faux hoops aren’t really my cup of tea, and the GWFX logo looks worse than usual on it. Also, the greens don’t match. Overall: C-
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Tottenham Hotspur
Kit supplier: Under Armour (4th season)
Kit sponsor: AIA (2nd season)
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The worst part of Tottenham’s recent kits is the large red AIA. If it wasn’t for that, Spurs’ home kit might be one of my favorites. But I can’t get past that eyesore. Anyway, Under Armour’s tradition of creating unique kits for North London’s other club continues this season, with Tottenham wearing a sash for the first time in their history. And, overall, this kit is an upgrade over last season’s, with no yellow accents and bad navy shoulder piping. Overall: B-
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I adore this kit. Really. I love the sky blue, and I feel it compliments the navy quite nicely. I like the chevron turning into smaller and smaller hoops. I like the sleeves. I like that the AIA is in white. I don’t like the faux v-neck, but I can live with it with the rest of this kit. Overall: A
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While I’m not as purple-averse as Paul, Spurs’ 3rd kit seems unnecessary and is easily the worst of the bunch this year. I do kind of like the cuffs and collar, however. Overall: C
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Watford
Kit supplier: Puma (4th season)
Kit sponsor: 138.com (3rd season)
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Watford may be known as “The Hornets” but that doesn’t make irregularly sized hoops a good idea. It’s also the first time in Watford’s history that they’ve ever worn any hoops. Perhaps if the hoops were all the same size it’d look better. Kudos for trying something different, though. Watford insistence of including red on their crest but nowhere on their kits (except for their sponsor’s logo, natch) drives me up a wall. Overall: D+
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Puma goes with a play-it-safe change kit for the Hornets. Again, red only appears on the sponsor’s logo and crest. That’s not much to complain about here, but also not much to praise. Overall: D+
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West Bromwich Albion
Kit supplier: Adidas (5th season)
Kit sponsor: TLCBET (1st season)
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The cynic in me says that West Brom added red accents merely to match TLCBET’s logo (and dear god, that logo). But to me, it adds a splash of color to an otherwise drab team. Anyway, full stripes return after Adidas went with pinstripes last year (why Adidas wants to piss off all the striped teams is beyond me) and traditional white shorts also make a return, for the first time since 2012/2013. Overall: B+
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Dear god, I love this kit. A gorgeous shade of red with striking black, plus a classic crest. While the TLCBET logo will diminish this kit, it won’t diminish it enough to remove it from my pantheon of 2015/16 kits. Overall: A+
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West Ham
Kit sponsor: Umbro (1st season)
Kit sponsor: Betway (2nd season)
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West Ham go with two classic kits to commemorate their final year at the Boleyn Ground, as they move to the 2012 Olympic Stadium after this season. A traditional scoop neck along with no frills apart from a gilded Umbro logo and team crest (plus two commemorative inscriptions beneath the crest and over the name), the Hammers will look fantastic in their final season at the only home they’ve known. Overall: A
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West Ham’s change kit evokes the first time they took the pitch in their now trademark claret and blue, harkening back to 1901. The large claret hoop extending onto the sleeves is a style not often seen on kits anymore, and I wish it continued all the way around instead of ending under the arms. My only complaint about this kit is that small diagonal striping makes the top of the kit look like mesh from a distance, and hurts the no-frills, classic approach Umbro and West Ham were trying to go with. Overall: B+
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OK — that will do it for Part II — big thanks to Anthony for his preview & grading. What say you, Uni Watchers — do you agree, disagree, or are you somewhere in between? Let him know below.
New Unis for EMU
Last evening Eastern Michigan University unveiled a new set of road uniforms, plus a special “Patriotic” uni via twitter:
Check out the brand new 2015 away uniforms for Eastern Michigan Football! #ETough #TakeAStand #EMUfb pic.twitter.com/wxvDyyj9Qt
— EMU Football (@EMUFB) August 13, 2015
The shoulders of the new whites showcase eagle wings and the diamond plate numbers represent #TheFactory #emufb pic.twitter.com/79FMJvKWUg
— EMU Football (@EMUFB) August 13, 2015
We will wear these patriotic jerseys on 9/26 against Army in our Washtenaw 100 Game. #TakeAStand #EMUfb #ETough pic.twitter.com/0vViQGFSn5
— EMU Football (@EMUFB) August 13, 2015
You’ll immediately notice the numbers have a diamondplate pattern on the white uni (something I thought football got rid of after the Oregon Ducks ditched this set a few years back). Of course when the Duckies dumped the diamondplate, they put wings on the shoulders. Looks like EMU has joined the party a few years late.
They’re actually not bad looking uniforms (I’m talking about the road whites here), but enough with the theme unis. But I’m guessing the diamondplate and the sledgehammer must have something to do with the program’s ethic or something. And the players designed the unis.
The special unis feature a flag motif on the shoulders. Stop. It’s been done. To death. Not to mention it completely clashes with the green and gray of the uniform itself. No one will think you love America any less if you don’t have flags on your pads.
Here’s a look at the squad modeling the new unis:
Our seniors posing together after unveiling the uniforms to the team. Together these 11 designed the white jersey. pic.twitter.com/jWTuoZ3MaQ
— EMU Football (@EMUFB) August 13, 2015
Readers? Your thoughts?
Mike’s Question of the Week
By Mike Chamernik
This week, after Johnny Cueto threw a shutout in his first home start as a member of the Royals, his teammates showered him with Gatorade.
The resulting photo was pretty cool. I’m assuming that many Royals fans changed their Twitter and Facebook avatars to the pic. And if Kansas City wins the World Series, I’m sure we’ll see the photo even more.
What’s your favorite photo of your favorite team(s)? Leave your answer in the comments — either describe it or link to it. What about the photo makes it special? And, have you done anything with the photo, like turn it into a poster or phone wallpaper? Print it and hang it up at home or at work?
As a Brewers fan, I’ve always liked this photo of Ryan Braun and Carlos Gomez. I guess Gatorade showers are photogenic.
Uni Watch News Ticker
Compiled by Mike Chamernik
Baseball News: Oriental Trading, a novelty products company, makes MLB jersey napkins. … Here’s a look at the uniforms for the Under Armour All-America Game this Saturday (from Jon Rowland). … A kid at Tuesday night’s Orioles-Mariners game wore an Orioles jersey, Mariners cap and Brooklyn Dodgers undershirt. “I guess he’s just a fan of baseball in general,” says Bryan Duklewski. … In case no one noticed, the Red Sox have two “Jr.”s on the team: Jackie Bradley Jr. and Robbie Ross Jr (from Andy, who didn’t give his last name).
NFL News: Before each game, the Browns will post their uniform set on Instagram. I don’t know about you guys, but I think the Browns’ white-jerseys-over-white-pants is worlds better than their white-over-brown (from Chris Spisak). … The NFL’s equipment, unis and player appearance policy takes up five pages in the rule book, and Redskins S Duke Ihenacho had some thoughts on the uniform policy (from Phil).
College Football News: Here are some good looks at North Carolina’s new uniforms (from James Gilbert). … New field for UNLV (from @DaveDoop). … Fairfield (Indiana) High School has some slick helmets (from Terry Mark). … To get around the law, schools, like Auburn, sell jerseys with generic numbers on them. … Troy players gave their thoughts on the team’s new unis. For those that prefer the old unis, this song is appropriate (from Phil). … Virginia Tech put sensors in its helmets to monitor head accelerations (from Andrew Cosentino). … New unis for West Alabama.
Soccer News: ESPN broke down the elements the Premier League’s kits. … New USL team FC Cincinnati unveiled its jerseys (from Phil). … “Diego Chavez Collins scored his first career Liga MX goal yesterday night versus Tijuana,” says Saurel Jean, Jr.. “What’s notable is that he wore the number 293, due to the fact that he just called up from the reserve team. Three weeks ago, I saw another Mexican player (Alex Diaz) wear 186 for Club America during the Campeon de Campeones match, which was his reserve number. (I couldn’t find a picture or proper video footage of Diaz’s jersey).” Collins also wore the number on his shorts. … New unis for Army. … Here’s what the MASL’s Hartford City FC will wear in its first season this year (from Tim Cross). … KickTV ranked the five worst kits in European soccer this year (from Saurel Jean, Jr.).
Basketball News: NBA announced the Christmas Day games for this year. Here are the uni matchups for the first four games and the fifth one between the Clippers and Lakers. … Chandler Gini has never seen team-branded leggings, and neither have I.
Grab Bag: Nike and the University of Arizona have agreed to an extension through 2025 (from Kenny Abbey). … One of Deadspin’s top commenters ranked the state license plates (from John Gogarty). … Life University has some extremely loud rugby kits.
That’ll do it for today. Thanks (again) to Anthony for undertaking the EPL preview/grading, and of course Mike for the QOTW and the ticker. Thanks also to everyone who submitted for the ticker, and for those of you who commented on yesterday’s post on the The Greatest Uni Year in Baseball — I really appreciated all the comments. I thought this might be a bit of a “throwaway” column, but clearly it struck a chord. I’ll try to do another one (either for football or to identify the ‘worst’ uni year in baseball). You guys rock!
Only one more day in the work week, people — I’ll catch you tomorrow. Till then,
Follow me on Twitter @PhilHecken
Peace.
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“The Seattle Pilots may have the greatest set of uniforms ever for uniform-watchers. Perhaps it helps that they never had the opportunity to screw it up.”
— Jon
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