My Top 5 Sheffield Wednesday Home Kits

My Top 5 Sheffield Wednesday Home Kits

 

During a week of talk of embargos, trademarks and non signings it would be easy to write a blog full of hearsay (not the band) and rumour speculating on all that. Instead lets lighten the mood slightly with a look back at some of the kits we've had over the years. This is my top five kits we've had during my time supporting the club.

Number 5 2011/12

Now I have to be honest, when this kit was first revealed in that odd joint sponsorship deal with Sheffield United I can't say I was much of a fan. It was a diversion away from what we'd had with a collar and a smaller stripe either side of the usual thicker stripe. However after purchasing the shirt it became a favourite. Of course it helped that the season was so memorable as Wednesday secured promotion to the Championship from League One with 93 points finishing 2^nd just ahead of...oh yeah Sheffield United. It was a memorable season with so many key points but who could forget the 1-0 over the blades at Hillsborough. This kit will be synonymous with that Chris O'Grady goal and fan favourite Jose Semedo's iconic celebration. The 2^nd of four Puma kits we had between 2009/10 and 2013/14 it also gave a nod to the previous shirt's partnership with the Sheffield Children's hospital with the bear logo on the back of the shirt. A nice touch. It was also interesting as it was the first kit we'd had since 1997 so have blue shorts which made a change from the usual black.

Number 4 2015/16

Ah yes, the Wembley kit. This one also wasn't one I was massively keen on when it first emerged. Again no real strong reason why. Once bought however I liked it. It had the look and feel of a proper Wednesday shirt. It was also the last shirt with that particular badge which I know wasn't popular with a section of the fans but I liked it. Again this shirt went with a collar and it suited it. A classy looking kit that accompanied a great season. Games like Arsenal in the league cup, Cardiff to secure the play offs and the first leg at Hillsborough against Brighton means this kit holds special memories among the fans.

Number 3 2003/04-2004/05

 

Again a kit that accompanies a great season in 2004/05 but this kit also accompanies our worst season since relegation from the Premier League. 2003/04 was a disaster lets face it. Several players who needed shifting on and a manager out of his depth but the kit was nice and it was retained for the 2004/05 season in which Wednesday secured promotion to the Championship via the play offs at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff. A thicker striped kit that the previous version it was Diadora's 2^nd of three kits made for Wednesday. Mostly blue but with the only white being the stripes, name and number on the back. As time goes on for me it becomes ever more an iconic kit, that image of Lee Bullen lifting the trophy is as iconic as they come and so is the one later on in the dressing room with the cans.

Number 2 1999/00

We'll get the negative bit out of the way first. Yeah we go relegated, we had a dreadful season. It was a pretty bad time to be a Wednesday fan. We looked good doing though. Although you could argue it's basically the 2005 kit with a different badge and sponsor that isn't necessarily a bad thing in my opinion. Again lots of blue and black shorts with a blue trim. I quite like socks that have the badge on and this has that which I think looks good. It's a shame the team didn't perform to the levels the kit set.

Number 1 2018/19

 

So we come to the number one kit, it happens to be the one we've just spent the last 10 months or so watching. I accept that there is an element of it being fresh in the mind so it stands out and that is true but there are a couple of things that really make it stand out to me. First of all, we had two years away from the traditional stripes and I don't really want to open up the stripes argument but to me a Sheffield Wednesday shirt without stripes isn't right. So it was nice to see them return. Also it combined the only standout positive of the last two kits for me which was the solid back. Again I know a lot of people don't like the solid blue back but I think it looks better. The name and numbers of the players stand out and it looks classy. The black accompanying it looks good as does the gold lettering of the sponsor. The shorts and socks look nice adding to a smashing kit overall.

So there we have it, my top five kits of what I suppose you could call the modern era. What are your favourites? Were there any I missed out or are there any in here that you think are shockers?

All the pictures are from http://www.historicalkits.co.uk, check them out. You can spend hours browsing the different kits of all teams across England and Scotland.

Copyright Historical Football Kits and reproduced by kind permission.

Thanks for reading

Tom

WAWAW (We're still doing that right?)