Old England Kits..

The following pictures are of the last 10 England kit's, (1) what's your preference..? (2) There is a 2 connection with Bristol City FC in the pics, can you spot it..?

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England's new football kit was revealed by Jack Wilshere this week, and it drew criticism for looking remarkably like an old West Germany shirt.

There have been some classic - and not so classic - England shirts since international football started in the late 1800s, and some attempts to rekindle former glories.

So we've taken a look at the progression of England kits since Victorian times, where poshos brought their own gear and had the Three Lions stitched on, through the glory days of the 1960s, the fashion disasters of the 80s and 90s, right up to the present day.

We've given them each a rating out of 10 - so why don't you let us know which is your favourite, and which you would rather see consigned to the dustbin of history.

1. Three Lions on the chest (late 1800s until WWII)

Prior to 1880, gentlemen amateurs in long shorts supplied their own kit with the Three Lions badge added before matches. A more formal look was soon adopted, although players still provided shorts and socks. This 1895 vintage had navy shorts below the knee and a cricket-style cap. The FA soon provided the kits, which became standardised with shorter shorts but still retained these basic features.

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Rating: 9/10

2. The professional age (1946-54)

Eventually Umbro became the sole manufacturer and, after spells with Butka and Admiral, were until the new kit. There was a new badge with new-look lions and 10 Tudor roses. There were also change strips of blue and red as England rejoined FIFA and thus found themselves playing others in white.

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Rating: 8/10

3. The ‘continental’ (1954-60)

While attractive, the button-down shirt was not build for comfort and so late 1954 saw the ‘continental’ v-neck make its debut. These kits boasted shorter more practical shorts, and more breathable fabrics as the game became more professional. The all-white kit made a return too, as pictured here.

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Rating: 7/10

4. The crew-neck glory days (1960-74)

As England became one of the best teams in world football, winning the 1966 World Cup, the v-neck was phased out and the classic tight-fitting retro England kit emerged, which you still see fans wear today. Many will see this is the best ever version. Umbro were back in charge of designs, and with good reason.

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Rating: 9/10

5. The Admiral years (1974-83)

Things got a bit funky in the 70s and early 80s, but England’s success faltered somewhat. Still, these kits with their very, very short shorts still look hot on aspiring electro DJs, if that’s your thing. Very much of their time.

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Rating: 7/10

6. The return of Umbro (1984-87)

Football kits only really started to become fashionable in the mid-1980s, and the classic Mexico ’86 v-neck was one of the iconic looks. Note the slightly shiny stripes running vertically down the jersey. Classic pub wear.

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Rating: 6/10

7. The crew-neck ‘popper’ (1987-89)

A brief experiment with a modified crew-neck that boasted a ‘popper’ to allow conversion to a v-neck, plus the introduction of fancy ‘climatised’ fabrics that allegedly made them wearable in hot or cold but actually were designed to prevent fakes. A bit over-elaborate and tacky. England were poor then too.

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Rating: 5/10

8. The return of the collar (1990-99)

The collared jersey made a comeback and you have to say it has not aged well. The Euro 96 version will be well remembered for England’s fine performances, but that silver away kit worn in the semi-final defeat to Germany is best forgotten. The home version was decent though, and the addition of colour down the sides made the 1998 version fairly tasty.

Euro 96:

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Rating: 3/10

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Rating: 6/10

 

9. The retro kit (1999-2003)

With the Britpop revival all-but over, Umbro decided it would be a good time to look back at the old days, bringing this very classy old-school crew-neck home jersey. The red away kit retained the collar, but the next version saw the old-fashioned v-neck return, albeit with a twist in the red stripe. The away version was revolutionary though – turn it inside out and the red jersey is a blue casual t-shirt.

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Rating: 7/10

10. Cross of St George (2003-09)

Someone thought it would be a bright idea to tack a single gold star on to the shirt to signify England’s World Cup win in 1966. Looked a bit silly compared to Brazil’s handful. The return of the all-white kit looked good on pitch, while the use of the St George’s Cross as a recurrent motif was a nice touch. There were variants on the theme but it was very popular.

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Rating: 6/10

11. Fifties chic (2009-13)

Apparently the players were involved in this design, no doubt a nod to their increasing celebrity. Like an up-to-date version of the 1950s vintage, with a buttoned collar and longer shorts. Nice enough, but the real coup was the navy and sky blue third kit, which is very wearable.

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Rating: 7/10

12. Ze Germans are coming! (2013)

Jack Wilshere leaked the new Nike England kit on the internet and it has received mixed reviews. With the dark trim on the crew neck, it looks worryingly like a Germany shirt. If you can’t beat them, join them!

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Rating: 5/10

 

Yep, spot on, the great Big John, now what's the 2nd..?

 

Christ c/a I didn't know that one, there is a more direct connection...

 

No 2nd connection, I've got the wrong player....