It's a relatively new concept to put them on general sale, been going in in the far east and the USA for a few years (for both local and European clubs). In the past when they 'became' available it almost always was the season after the clubs stopped using them, and rarely, if ever, were player...
If only. Here is a list of the most recent one year wonders;
88-89
93-94
95-96
09-10
12-13
13-14 (the first Nike one)
But then you had:
74-80 (6 years)
80-83 (3 years)
84-87 (3 years)
The others have all been for 2 years.
The discounts have already started! The players spec one is still £90 though, not that there is much point having a players spec shirt, if it hasn't been worn by a player.
Do bear in mind the fans replica version is £60, those buying the £90 version will be more of a collector type of person as visually there will be very little to distinguish it from the replica.
Still too much though.
The "Stadium" shirt concept is what we have all called replica shirts for many years. In the past 10 years or so, generally, for the top teams, the players use a slightly more technical specification shirt, which up until recently were never available on general sale. The differences include...