Claret & blue: the history?

[paulcomben]

A colleague at work just asked me 'What are the origins of Villa, West Ham, Burnley and Scunthorpe all playing in claret and blue?'

Which of you has the answer, please?!

[nigel]

I know ours was origionally going to be Chocolate Brown and Sky Blue.

"The club colours are claret shirt with sky blue sleeves, white shorts with claret and blue trim, and sky blue socks with claret and white trim. They (Villa) were the original wearers of the claret and blue. Villa's colours at the outset generally comprised plain shirts (white, grey or a shade of blue), with either white or black shorts. For a few years after that (1877–79) the team wore several different kits from all white, blue and black, red and blue to plain green. By 1880, black jerseys with a red lion embroidered on the chest were introduced by William McGregor. This remained the first choice strip for six years. On Monday, 8 November 1886, an entry in the club's official minute book states:
 
(i) Proposed and seconded that the colours be chocolate and sky blue  shirts  and that we order two dozen.
(ii) Proposed and seconded that Mr McGregor be requested to supply them at the lowest quotation.
 
The chocolate colour later became claret. Nobody is quite sure why claret and blue became the club's adopted colours."

So, I wonder if it may have been a mistake at the factory?

[MadJohnnyC]

Nobody is quite sure why claret and blue became the club's adopted colours."

So, I wonder if it may have been a mistake at the factory?

If Carlsberg did mistakes at the factory eh !!

[garyshawsknee]

I know West Ham copied us when they were starting up,as we were the most successful team in the country at the time.

[beness]

I know West Ham copied us when they were starting up,as we were the most successful team in the country at the time.

 AHHH them days eh.

[woody4866]

So, I wonder if it may have been a mistake at the factory?

Thank Christ they did - just imagine CHOCOLATE (reminds me of that horrible Cov kit- urgh)

[Lambert and Payne]

Also when Arsenal started up, we gave them our old kit, which is why they had them colours at the start? That was almost chocolate wasn't it?

[VILLA MOLE]

So, I wonder if it may have been a mistake at the factory?

Thank Christ they did - just imagine CHOCOLATE (reminds me of that horrible Cov kit- urgh)

they should do it as an away kit one year
 

[Dave Cooper please]

The chocolate colour later became claret. Nobody is quite sure why claret and blue became the club's adopted colours."

So, I wonder if it may have been a mistake at the factory?

Someone (probably Mr Woodhall) had said that as McGregor owned a drapers it was probably because he had a couple of rolls of claret material he couldn't otherwise get rid of.

[Percy McCarthy]

Arsenal didn't have our old kit. In tribute to the greatest club they copied the style - different coloured body and sleeves - with their own colours.

[dave.woodhall]

The chocolate colour later became claret. Nobody is quite sure why claret and blue became the club's adopted colours."

So, I wonder if it may have been a mistake at the factory?

Someone (probably Mr Woodhall) had said that as McGregor owned a drapers it was probably because he had a couple of rolls of claret material he couldn't otherwise get rid of.

I wasn't being entirely serious with that one.

[Lambert and Payne]

Cheers Percy, thought I'd seen it mentioned somewhere in commentry or on net somewhere

[paul_e]

Isn't the west ham thing a myth?  I'm sure I read somewhere that it was actually due to a bet thatsomeone at villa had and lost with one of the founders of west ham.

[Legion]

Wikipedia

[PeterWithesShin]

Wasn't it Herbert Chapman who changed the Arsenal strip style to match ours? Although not many Arsenal fans will ever admit it.