The thinking of someone wanting to feel like a part of something they love and show they support it, in whatever stupid way available? Not something I'd necessarily do but it's easy for me to see that viewpoint. There's also the many, many children that would buy one/have one bought for them, especially those perking up interest on entry to the Premier League. Don't think there were too many incidences of "Daddy can I have the new Saints shirt for my birthday I really like it and I want one soooo bad." "No Son it's ****ing ugly and disgraceful and you're a stupid sheep for wanting one. Go to your room and write out 'I will only wear equal red and white striped replica kits' two thousand times in your punishment diary you dumb ****." Maybe a few. The other side of the coin is of course the ones that buy it just to show off to their mates and fit in with them and crow about how great they are for supporting their team and buying the shirt every year as well as their many 'super fan' bumper stickers, branded jewellery and 'SFC4Life' tattoos. But I think there are plenty of the first.
I think that you are overstating your case. Do you imagine there would have been record sales if the shirt had been blue? Is it just possible that the majority who have purchased the shirt quite liked the design and do not share your forthright view that it's a betrayal? It is also just possible that far from being a "nail in the coffin of modern football", it's just an over-priced acrylic shirt, which you can either buy or not as you wish? And for the record I would say that the new shirt wearers are outnumbered at SMS by at least 3-1, so who are the sheep?
I'm convinced they don't share my view and probably never will. Shame really, because if they did, then they'd be in the right.
Sadly modern day wealthy football club owners dont give a **** about the tradition or history of any football club or its fans and no one should fool themselves that they do ,its about pound shillings and pence and the appeal on the egotistical side of their nature to make a success of the 'project'.But in footballs real world we as loyal supporters have to rely on the likes Nicola to keep our club alive and moving forward so if he says white shirts with red spots so be it but i wont be buying one.I applaud the way we have been taken forward in many ways i just wish it could sometimes be done in a less cynical way.
From an outsiders point of view, I prefer the home kit to be more 'traditional', but don't care if the away kit is a bit more radical.
Cortese took Saints over as an opportunity to put his dream into action, so he wouldn't necessarily care deeply about our history. However, I don't feel that making white stripes narrower indicates a hatred for all our past. I don't pretend to know what Nicola thinks, but, if I worked hard and got a team from administration and in league 1 to the Premier League in three years, I might just be a tad annoyed that I was heavily criticised about details. It's not as if it is an irreversible change.
At the risk of repeating myself, it is obvious that this year was a departure in that the home kit was the mirror image of the away. A clever idea, if not universally popular. Obviously not a permanent change, unless you are a conspiracy theorist with half a brain. Oh, wait.....
Well we all know it's down to marketing really. I am a red and white stripe man myself, proper stripes that is and any subtle change on that means i don't really have to shell out on a new one.So the best way to sell more shirts strangely enough is to adopt the kit of another club completely then revert back to stripes and sell a shedload of them it really is easy to sway the masses .I am of the opinion that the football world in general historically link us with red and white stripes I cant imagine the great clubs with huge tradition going away from the colours that associate them with ie both Milan clubs, Real Madrid,Barca,Celtic ,Liverpool ,Utd. As a small kid first getting into football part of the fascination of the game was the colour and the strips of various teams as well as the players who wore them and when i got my first early seventies red and white striped shirt i wore it with a pride you cant imagine as i was recognised as a saint but maybe i am old fashioned and that in itself is not fashionable in the world today.
I think everyone will think we are Sunderland if we wear red and white stripes. I know I always think Sunderland are Southampton in football clips. The red shirts always alert me that it us....never confuse us with Liverpool as there is a subtle colour difference on the TV screen.
The best way to notice the difference between us and Sunderland on the tv is that we would be the team playing slick, attacking and flowing football .
