Blue shirts, dark shorts

[Kevin S]

So this came up in the Italy - Switzerland match as the Azzurri paired their shirt with navy shorts. And I think the reaction from people to the aesthetics of it was generally very positive.

It's a combination I'm quite fond of as, several years ago now I suppose, when I was playing Xpert Eleven I switched my 'blue with yellow trim' team to having black shorts. Thought it looked the business thanks largely to Various Artist's Photoshop skills in designing the shirts.



But I don't think we see it often. Black shorts are generally good things (as any cyclist knows) but the teams who wear them tend to do so with striped shirts, or as part of a block-colour black kit. Oh yes, teams with amber shirts do this a lot, because most other shorts colours would look really quite wrong.

So... any good examples of a blue (or other?) coloured shirt with black shorts?

[Kevin S]

(P.S. For anyone who likes Xpert Eleven folklore, the story went that the team were taken over in the middle of season 31 and rebranded as the 'Wagtails' with different coloured shirts. The new owners eventually left or relented and the traditional colours were restored.)

[ursus arctos]

Do you mean dark colored and non- striped?

Because there are lots of those.

[Kevin S]

So I mean not "all-black" kits and not striped kits with black shorts.

[Kevin S]

I think I probably really mean blue shirts with dark shorts. But I could be sold a green one or a maroon one if it's good.

[Kevin S]

Not white shirts and black shorts though. Like amber, there's a lot of them.

And who actually has red shirt, black shorts as the first kit?

[ursus arctos]

Plymouth have done green

[ursus arctos]

Italy in 1934

[Fussbudget]

But I don't think we see it often. Black shorts are generally good things (as any cyclist knows) but the teams who wear them tend to do so with striped shirts, or as part of a block-colour black kit. Oh yes, teams with amber shirts do this a lot, because most other shorts colours would look really quite wrong.

So... any good examples of a blue (or other?) coloured shirt with black shorts?

I'd say what made the Italy kit so nice the other day is that the shorts weren't black, they were a lovely dark blue - black would have been ok but nowhere near as subtle

[3 Colours Red]

And who actually has red shirt, black shorts as the first kit?

Man Utd did it a couple of seasons ago, didn't they?

We had black shorts in 1989/90 but the white candystripes on the shirt that season diluted the effect:


(Going off on a tangent, our change strip that season was a beauty - a Hummel-inspired yellow and green number that I would have bought off Vintage Football Shirts recently if it hadn't been £80!)

[Stumpy Pepys]

Bolton had one in the late 90s.

[Sporting]

Black shorts are generally good things (as any cyclist knows)

Why is this?

[Kevin S]

Why is this?

Ha, well it's really to do with the particularly snug fit of cycling shorts. Anything not dark will show certain ... contours.

[Capybara]

And who actually has red shirt, black shorts as the first kit?

The only representative game I ever played we wore red shirts with black shorts. That's plain red with no trimmings or anything, plain black shorts and plain red socks. It was ace. I was 11 at the time.

[Kevin S]

I'd say what made the Italy kit so nice the other day is that the shorts weren't black, they were a lovely dark blue - black would have been ok but nowhere near as subtle

Yes, that was a really pleasing thing too. Didn't notice the subtlety on the wide shots but looked great on the close ups.

Do like that Bolton change too.

As for teams for whom this is the 'classic' look, I've got Uruguay here but haven't got much further. Uruguay's kit is ace though.

[Vicarious Thrillseeker]

Osasuna do red shirts and navy shorts, don't they?

[Uros Predic]

York City have been red shirts and navy shorts for quite a few years...

[Sits]

Black shorts are a good thing.

[Fussbudget]

What a great photo Uros

[jwdd27]

The first that came to mind, may count as "striped" though. Edit: and how many times have england worn white and sky blue?

[jwdd27]

A deeper, solid blue in the quarter v Yugoslavia 4 years later

[EIM]

[Ray de Galles]

The only examples of dark shirt/darker shorts/light socks I like are when it apes the country's flag, as Estonia's kit does ;

[Hot Orange]

And who actually has red shirt, black shorts as the first kit?

Rennes.

[longeared]

Aston Villa v Manchester City, 1990