1969-1970 home kit

[Goldstone Villa]

Bit of an anorak's question (sorry!), but can anyone shed any light on why Villa changed home kits halfway through the 1969-1970 season (assuming that this website is correct of course! http://www.historicalkits.co.uk/Aston_Villa/Aston_Villa.htm)

[cdbearsfan]

Don't know but it was a good move, the second half of the season one was much better. Not that it helped much!

Maybe the answer would be in "Children of the Revolution" which covers that period extensively I think. I don't have a copy though.

[cdbearsfan]

Anyway it's nowhere near as bad as the kit we wore against Rotherham in 1953! Yikes!

[Goldstone Villa]

Blimey, you're not wrong mate!! The kit we wore in the first half of the 69-70 season does look a bit untraditional. Perhaps that was the reason why it was changed.

[Flamingo Lane]

I think its touched upon in Peter Morris' wonderful book The First 100 Hundred Years, at page 82 - "some supporters seemed not too worried at this stage [the awful start to the season] . They spent their time airing controversial views on the club's new strip - the sky blue sleeves had been dispensed with and the team now played in all claret shirt with blue inset collars and blue shorts."

Guess the mid-season change was as a result of the controversy and the awful results?

[The Laughing Policeman]

Ian, from memory I think that's about right. But for the life of me I can't remember how the fans let the club know that they didn't like the claret shirt.
Don't forget there were no replica shirts being sold, no internet etc. the only way to express your thoughts to the club was either through a letter to The Argus or The Mail.
On a different note I'd love to see a retro version of either of the two black shirts with the red lion on the chest.

[DesBremner]

Jesus
I'd forgotten how bad that purple effort of 2001/02 was
GOD never again please

[Billy Walker]

I'd also like to know why we wore the striped kit for the '57 Cup Final?  (I actually think it would be a great little tradition to wear the claret and blue stripes in all future FA Cup final appearances.)

[Flamingo Lane]

Both teams were required to change their usual kits for the 1957 final in accordance with FA rules.  Apparently it was the first time since 1887 that we had played a final in anything but our usual kit.  1887 was our first FA Cup win, when we also wore striped shirts.

[mattjpa]

Ian, from memory I think that's about right. But for the life of me I can't remember how the fans let the club know that they didn't like the claret shirt.
Don't forget there were no replica shirts being sold, no internet etc. the only way to express your thoughts to the club was either through a letter to The Argus or The Mail.
On a different note I'd love to see a retro version of either of the two black shirts with the red lion on the chest.

http://shop.historicalkits.co.uk/products/aston-villa-1879-football-shirt

done. two wishes left

[Goldstone Villa]

I'd also like to know why we wore the striped kit for the '57 Cup Final?  (I actually think it would be a great little tradition to wear the claret and blue stripes in all future FA Cup final appearances.)

Taken from the historical kits website: This was the first season that the club badge was worn on the shirts and culminated in an FA Cup win in 1957 when the team wore a dramatic pin striped shirt - apparently to provide sufficient contrast for TV coverage.

[Pete3206]

Anyway it's nowhere near as bad as the kit we wore against Rotherham in 1953! Yikes!

What the hell is that all about?

[The Laughing Policeman]

Anyway it's nowhere near as bad as the kit we wore against Rotherham in 1953! Yikes!

What the hell is that all about?

The laundry got the kits mixed up, SHA played in Claret And Blue that day.

[TopDeck113]

I think its touched upon in Peter Morris' wonderful book The First 100 Hundred Years, at page 82 - "some supporters seemed not too worried at this stage [the awful start to the season] . They spent their time airing controversial views on the club's new strip - the sky blue sleeves had been dispensed with and the team now played in all claret shirt with blue inset collars and blue shorts."

Guess the mid-season change was as a result of the controversy and the awful results?

That's what I was always told and is what Richard Whitehead writes in Children of the Revolution.  The new kit was all part of the new broom trying to modernise the club and drag in out of the 1930s, but when the expected Docherty-led promotion charge failed to materialise, the kit was binned as being unlucky.

I started school at the beginning of 1970 and I remember lots of the junior boys wearing that kit for PE.  If we think today's new-kit-a-season pisses parents off, I wonder how the parents of four decades ago felt having only just forked out their 41 shillings!

My first Villa kit was the 1970 - 71 kit. A thing of beauty from which I would imagine that I got about four year's wear.  Certainly it was badly faded and the cuffs were frayed and halfway up forearms before it was cut up and consigned to mum's cleaning rags bag.

[Goldstone Villa]

That was my first kit too. I wore the whole kit down to VP once and I remember an old boy asking my Dad if I was the substitute. I was only about 6 years old I hasten to add.