Away Strips Today: Blue v Blue OK. Gold v White Not OK. What's the deal?

marlowe · Feb 28, 2016

Watching tonights Championship matches I was struck by the totally illogical employment of the away strip:
Huddersfield v Ipswich
Huddersfield home strip is Blue & White stripes. Ipswich home strip is Blue. Sufficient enough reason for Ipswich to change to away strip. But Ipswich played in their home strip regardless.
Wolves v Derby
Wolves in their unique Gold are unlikely to clash with many team colours so most teams could safely turn up with their traditional home strip. Why did Derby, home strip White shirts, deem it necessary to wear light blue shirts?
I noticed the referee in that match was actually wearing Derby's home colours of White shirt and Black shorts. Was he doing it just to be awkward to force Derby to make the switch because referees rarely play in white.
Am I alone in liking both teams to play in their traditional colours unless there is a colour clash, especially as a lot of away strips these days are pretty garish and not exactly easy on the eye.

severnside gull · Feb 28, 2016

We play in away strip regardless of any possible clash. Keeps the manufacturer happy & sells more shirts :shrug:

Cowfold Seagull · Feb 28, 2016

For what it's worth, this is my take on it . . .

Huddersfield play in thin stripes of quite a light colour blue, and white, The rest of their strip is white. Ipswich play in shirts of a darker colour of blue, with white shorts and blue socks. Presumably the referee felt that there was enough of a difference in colour, to avoid a clash.

In the Wolves case, yes perhaps Derby could have played in their traditional white shirts, black shorts, but in many cases nowadays away teams seem to quite like playing in an alternative colour strip, presumably either because they feel it will sell more replica strips in that colour, or because they have a written agreement with the supplier to do so on a set amount of occasions per season.

el punal · Feb 28, 2016

Cowfold Seagull said:
For what it's worth, this is my take on it . . .

Huddersfield play in thin stripes of quite a light colour blue, and white, The rest of their strip is white. Ipswich play in shirts of a darker colour of blue, with white shorts and blue socks. Presumably the referee felt that there was enough of a difference in colour, to avoid a clash.

In the Wolves case, yes perhaps Derby could have played in their traditional white shirts, black shorts, but in many cases nowadays away teams seem to quite like playing in an alternative colour strip, presumably either because they feel it will sell more replica strips in that colour, or because they have a written agreement with the supplier to do so on a set amount of occasions per season.

We've done pretty well away in our "volt yellow" kit. Unbeaten, apart from Rotherham (did we play in yellow?), the Cardiff game we played in that horrible reddish outfit.

Blue Valkyrie · Feb 28, 2016

el punal said:
We've done pretty well away in our "volt yellow" kit. Unbeaten, apart from Rotherham (did we play in yellow?), the Cardiff game we played in that horrible reddish outfit.

The volt is designed to easily be picked out by players to give that 'fine margin' advantage.

The red has only been used at Blackburn and Cardiff, not sure we'll use it again - 3 of the 6 aways left are against teams who play in red themselves anyway.

Eeyore · Feb 28, 2016

severnside gull said:
We play in away strip regardless of any possible clash. Keeps the manufacturer happy & sells more shirts

There have been a handful of games where we used our home strip.

BensGrandad · Feb 28, 2016

The old idea of changing because of colour clash is a thing of the past and now teams have an official home and away kit and rarely deviate from that.

studio150 · Feb 28, 2016

It always used to be no change unless a colour clash. The only alteration to this was for tv where the away team changed strips if it would be difficult for tv viewers watching in black and white to tell the teams apart.

I would prefer if this tradition was maintained and wss part of the league rules. However this seems to have been lost in the drive for more revenue.

Lord Bracknell · Feb 28, 2016

When I was a kid, I followed my home-town club, Newport County. Like Wolves, they played in black and gold (although it was called amber in Newport). The only other English team to play in those colours was Hull City.

Neither Wolves nor Hull were in the same division as Newport County. This meant that Newport had no need for an away kit. The only occasion I recall when this was an issue was when they drew Hull City in the cup. The solution? County borrowed Cardiff City's away kit.

marlowe · Feb 28, 2016

Lord Bracknell said:
When I was a kid, I followed my home-town club, Newport County. Like Wolves, they played in black and gold (although it was called amber in Newport). The only other English team to play in those colours was Hull City.

Neither Wolves nor Hull were in the same division as Newport County. This meant that Newport had no need for an away kit. The only occasion I recall when this was an issue was when they drew Hull City in the cup. The solution? County borrowed Cardiff City's away kit.

I wonder if Hull and Wolves make frequent use of their away strips apart from the one day this season for each where it would be deemed necessary. I think the colours of your team are highly symbolic and personal to their supporters especially as some colours, in the cases of some teams, are highly synonymous with a rival and therefore it would be considered an affront to their fans to support a team wearing those colours. Would Everton or Man City ever wear an away strip of red for instance? I think it is important that your team wears its traditional colours whenever possible as that is the one constant indentifier of your team. Players come and go, your team colours remain the same, unless of course you're Cardiff.

dejavuatbtn · Feb 28, 2016

I am a traditionalist and like to see all teams in their home kits whenever possible. When I see famous clubs playing at the Amex it isn't the same if, for example, Wolves are playing in red, Spurs in light blue or Blackpool in green. However, like the current thoughts that the FA Cup is irrelevant, the non consideration of away supporters and the stupid amount of money generated by the game that is flying out the window, we will just have to put up with it until things take their course.

pasty · Feb 28, 2016

studio150 said:
I would prefer if this tradition was maintained and wss part of the league rules. However this seems to have been lost in the drive for more revenue.

Sad, but true. Summed up for me a few weeks ago when Norwich were playing away on Sky tv (can't remember who against) and changed from their traditional yellow shirt, to a second shirt which, quite apart from being hideous, was predominantly yellow :facepalm:

GT49er · Feb 28, 2016

studio150 said:
It always used to be no change unless a colour clash. The only alteration to this was for tv where the away team changed strips if it would be difficult for tv viewers watching in black and white to tell the teams apart.

This worked a treat when Bolton (white shirts, black shorts) were made to play in all white, while Albion had to give up their stripes for an all yellow kit. Worked fantastically on black and white TV ........ not!

Personally, I hate away strips unless there's a genuine colour clash, but I realise that my opinion counts for nothing compared to revenue streams. But then again I liked it when the PL was the First Division, and we could just ramp up on the day, pay at the turnstile and stand on the terraces..................................

World of Sport · Feb 28, 2016

It wasn't that long ago that Hibs and Celtic both used to play each other in their green and white kits.

studio150 · Feb 28, 2016

pasty said:
Sad, but true. Summed up for me a few weeks ago when Norwich were playing away on Sky tv (can't remember who against) and changed from their traditional yellow shirt, to a second shirt which, quite apart from being hideous, was predominantly yellow

View attachment 72700

Thats just ghastly almost as bad as that famous Coventry City chocolate 2nd strip

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Away Strips Today: Blue v Blue OK. Gold v White Not OK. What's the deal?

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