Archive for category: Kit Tracking

Kit supplier adidas released a statement yesterday, apologising for delays in the production and delivery of City’s 2013/14 training kit. The Tigers had been wearing neon yellow and navy training kit in pre season while their own blue or black apparel was being produced, evidently wearing gear made for Sunderland (their away kit is neon yellow and navy) badged with City crests as an interim measure. Consequently the launch date for new training gear on sale in Tiger Leisure has been and gone, hence the apology from the German sportswear giant. We rather like the neon yellow apparel, and would love to get our hands on some, whether part of City’s current palette or not.

Of more concern than the training kit is the home kit shorts, which have also been delayed. City wore the new home shirt and fetching hooped socks in friendlies at North Ferriby and Winterton last month, using shorts from last season’s kit range. At Ferriby, the black 2012/13 home shorts were worn, with the ‘home’ amber alternate shorts from the last campaign being used against Winterton Rangers.

Wanting to take a complete new kit to Portugal, kit man John Eyre elected to use the royal blue, white and red away kit in two friendlies played in Albufeira. The full away kit with red socks was used in the 0-0 draw against Sheffield Wednesday, in which the Owls wore their new away kit (a black and yellow affair made by Puma). Against SC Braga however, City debuted alternate blue socks against the Portuguese League Cup holders, who use red socks with their primary kit.

Goalkeeper kits from 2012/13 were used in all friendlies until City ventured to eastern Germany to face Dynamo Dresden. Alan McGregor wore the light green 2013/14 ‘keeper kit for the first time in the 1-0 win at the glücksgas stadion, while the outfield players wore the full away kit as Dresden play in yellow and black. The Dynamo game proved educational, teaching us the German word for kitman; John Eyre was listed in the matchday programme as City’s ‘Zeugwart’.

Despite wearing amber socks for the visit of pink clad Bradford in pre-season, City have maintained a uniform look at home throughout the 2011/12 campaign, as you’d expect. Away from home though, The Tigers have worn three combinations of kit to distinguish themselves from the home side.

The Argentina blue adidas away shirt has, so far, been used four times in Championship competition, but only once with the white shorts designed to match. That once was at Doncaster’s Keepmoat Stadium in late September for the 1-1 draw with Rovers.

The other three instances of away shirt use have seen them worn with navy blue shorts, as the home side favours white home shorts in each case. This occured at Bristol City in September (this was the first regular season outing for the light blue away top), at Nottingham Forest in late October and at Barnsley in early November.

Of course the home kit could have been used in all three of these games as red and white doesn’t clash with our amber and black, but then the only time we’d need to not wear our regular colours is for Watford away, which isn’t until April next year, and it is far too lovely a shirt to only wear once.

Ordinarily City would need to wear the away kit against a home side that wears black shorts (as we did at Donny), but as shown at Derby a set of amber shorts can be used with the home shirt instead, and whereas all-amber can looked washed out, the black stripes of the current primary shirt provide enough contrast to make the amber ‘pop’. We like this look, and wouldn’t mind seeing it again, and since Southampton wear black shorts with their red and white striped shirts, we could see it again later this month when The Tigers travel to St. Mary’s on the 29th.

As for ‘keeper kits, the ‘macaw’ green outfit has been worn the most, our netmen have worn it in 13 games this season. The blue version was used at home to Cardiff and Watford, whereas an all white set was worn at Bristol City and Nottingham Forest, taking our minds back to the white kit sometimes used by ‘Bransholme’s number 1’  Steve Wilson during the 1997/98 campaign.

A full break down of the kits worn so far in 2011/12 can be seen on our outrageously anal Kit Tracker page.