Nike to buy out Umbro for £285million. Maybe England will get a decent international kit at last

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23rd, October 2007

11 Comments

prd_maxzoom_735792-wht.jpgUmbro make shit kits. They look cheap and feel cheaper. They’ve been making England kits for ages now and they have failed to design a single strip that I like. Other nations get nice kits by Nike or adidas, but England has had to suffer Umbro for way too long. I put much of our pathetic performances on the world stage down to the fact that our kit is almost always worse than that of our opponents. And just look at the Prem clubs forced to wear Umbro kits: Birmingham, Blackburn, Everton, Sunderland, West Ham, Wigan. See what I mean? You can’t succeed dressed in Umbro.
But there is good news for all Umbro haters like me. US sportswear giants Nike, who do seem to know how to make a nice, classy-looking football shirt (see Fulham this season, for example), has agreed to buy Umbro in a deal worth £285m. Yes!!! Umbro said last month that sales of England tops had been ‘disappointing’ – make nicer kits then – and analysts are concerned that sales could suffer if England fail to qualify for Euro 2008.

Posted in Kits & fashion, Transfers & Rumours

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11 Comments

  1. Nikomus says:

    I think the main problem with England kits is the last few have looked pretty much the same. The current one is all white with a red line at the top. The one before? All white with a little red cross at the top. The one before was quite nice though.

  2. Joe says:

    Not ALL Umbro kits are that bad,the England (red) and Sweden ones at the World Cup looked fantastic.
    As for the Fulham kit, I’m a supporter but I think it looks a little generic and conference-y.

  3. Dom says:

    I’ve always hated Umbro, they wouldn’t design their way out of a paper bag. Check their clothing line out on their official website to see some of the most hideous looking garments you’ve ever seen.
    However, I actually like Blackburn’s kit this year, especially the away shirt. Even though I was extremely wary when it was announced we’d be switching to Umbro this season. Hideous memories of Man United strips from the past (any of the ones sponsored by Sharp Viewcam) came flooding back. I’ve been left pleasantly surprised. Hopefully this deal will only improve our subsequent kits.
    And we’re 6th.
    :P

  4. Chringle says:

    As a Forest fan, I too have had to suffer at the hands of Umbro for many years. Our home kits have been so conservative (with little difference in design from strip to strip) for years and it’s true about the quality as well, the stitching seems to unravel quicker than the team does trying to defend a one goal lead.

  5. miz says:

    umbro bring out similar kits to ones adidas and nike brung out about 3 years before

  6. Anonymous says:

    Nike and Adidas international kits are crap – far too generic when it comes to world cup time.

  7. Anonymous says:

    i’ve always quite liked the fact that england weren’t nike or adidas.
    it seems at the world cup every team’s kit is pretty much identical – in terms of cut and style, just a different colour scheme. it’s good to have something a bit different.
    i must say, i do like inter’s centernary away kit – that’d be a decent england kit :)

  8. oller says:

    i’ve always quite liked the fact that england weren’t nike or adidas.
    it seems at the world cup every team’s kit is pretty much identical – in terms of cut and style, just a different colour scheme. it’s good to have something a bit different.
    i must say, i do like inter’s centernary away kit – that’d be a decent england kit :)

  9. belozoglu says:

    i love umbro kits, they often have the best look
    don’t talk shit about them, the only shit on this page is your article

  10. tad says:

    Umbro has come up with some great and original kits. Some of the England kits have been very classy. Fulhams kit is very cheap. Look up close if you see someone wearing it and ask them. First it looks like a polo shirt, not a football shirt, second it fits strangely on your body and it’s sort of cheap.
    The other problem with Nike and Adidas kits is that they all look alike for National teams except the color changes. One of the few exceptions to that is the US kit which is pretty nice but nothing very fancy as to detailing.

  11. Stevo johnson says:

    I agree with article our kits are rubbish but it’s now 2010 and still with umbro?
    Get ur facts straight will ya

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