New Kit thread 2019/20

[Lord Football]

You know I dont like the kit, but some of the abuse being aimed at Rhys is frankly embarrassing. He is after all one of us, is our liaison point to the club and didn't choose the kit himself. He has the right to earn a living like rest of us do and I suspect he's managed to negotiate our best sponsorship deal. And that's his job.

 

[Another Surrey Shrimper]

I very much approve of the no sponsors logo, a lot less for the design of the shirt.

 

[Trucking shrimper]

It’s not the no sponsor logo I have an issue with, it’s the fact they’ve chosen the most boring, plain, cheap looking top that you can get for £15 and are charging £45 for it. The club knew this was happening so they could have chosen a top with a bit more too it. As has been shown, Sunday league teams have much better looking shirts for a lot less money and they aren’t getting them in the bulk Southend are!

 

[Kenny]

Please can Paddy Power start another campaign to end dull Nike templates?

 

[ChicagoShrimper]

For all those people complaining about the £15 shirt sold for £45, just buy the £15 one. No one’s going to see the badge in the crowd but at least you’ll be supporting SUFC by wearing our colours.

 

[Jay_SUFC]

It’s not the no sponsor logo I have an issue with, it’s the fact they’ve chosen the most boring, plain, cheap looking top that you can get for £15 and are charging £45 for it. The club knew this was happening so they could have chosen a top with a bit more too it. As has been shown, Sunday league teams have much better looking shirts for a lot less money and they aren’t getting them in the bulk Southend are!

Yeah fancy the club trying to make a profit on selling shirts - it's not as if we need the money

 

[MilkeySUFC]

I can understand that they wanted to get the SUFC logo gates in the background but, surely, everyone knows that is the most unflattering camera angle for portrait photography??

 

[SeldomSeenShrimper]

After a good (very warm) nights sleep I've calmed down about the kit.

I actually liked it from the start ... it's got a retro feel and I'm a big fan of the #SaveOurShirt.

I'm still disappointed that they said we can add bespoke elements to the kit and then they didnt ... and dont go telling me "We dId tHeRe iS a 1906 EmBleM oN tHe bAcK" having worked with teams and kit designs over the last few years this is no different to putting a sponsor on the back.

I'm just praying the away kit does something ??

 

[ROB]

Buy it here

https://www.pro-amkits.co.uk/nike-l...JvzEnHDRiKf_rVnbrY9ukVRI8ITQc6yp_6d00E9O_VbTw

Add badge.

 

[WestStandBlue]

People moaning about the cost, is it not every year we could just go and buy the Nike template and add everything on much cheaper?

 

[fbm]

I’m most disappointed by the fact I loved last seasons kit and thought it looked top notch and was proud to say it belonged to the club I loved. It was also something not in their team wear. And now we have come out with this ‘training top’.

People have a right to be annoyed that the club are going to charge £45 for a £15 top with some ‘bespoke’ options and the badge on. You could probably buy the shirt and get it done yourself a lot cheaper. Shirts can be iconic and are a huge part of the club and it has to be attractive for the fans to buy it. That kit is not attractive and is a very poor effort and I think it will be one of our worst sellers.

So that's on option. But it's not helping the club, is it? That makes it all about the fan. The shirt is all about the club. See my earlier post about what football replica shirts are about. Kids don't want to wear a home made version of what the players wear. They want to wear an actual replica of exactly what the players wear. Grown ups, please get the cheap Nike option without the branding. No-one will care. It's navy blue. From the pitch it will look the real thing. You've saved £30 which helps your pocket. No-one is forcing anyone to buy it. But again, it puts no money into the club. It's that word "support" that's crucial and which means so much more that turning up at a game.

As I've said before, I quite like it and I think it will grow on people. But it probably will be one of our worst sellers to the public. However, with the sponsorship deal in place I doubt anyone in the club will be that concerned.

 

[OldBlueLady]

The criticism aimed at the commercial and media teams at the club is quite embarrassing.

You have a choice, buy the shirt or don't. That's it.

As it goes, I probably won't. The thought of being entangled with a gambling company with my personal experiences with my ex, makes it anathema to me.

 

[Ricey]

So that's on option. But it's not helping the club, is it? That makes it all about the fan. The shirt is all about the club. See my earlier post about what football replica shirts are about. Kids don't want to wear a home made version of what the players wear. They want to wear an actual replica of exactly what the players wear. Grown ups, please get the cheap Nike option without the branding. No-one will care. It's navy blue. From the pitch it will look the real thing. You've saved £30 which helps your pocket. No-one is forcing anyone to buy it. But again, it puts no money into the club. It's that word "support" that's crucial and which means so much more that turning up at a game.

As I've said before, I quite like it and I think it will grow on people. But it probably will be one of our worst sellers to the public. However, with the sponsorship deal in place I doubt anyone in the club will be that concerned.

I know it’s not helping the club but I’m just saying you could do that if you wish. I’m all for supporting the club we are not a rich club so need every penny. You’d like to think they would select a better looking kit to attract people to part with their £45. Not a training top with a few ‘bespoke’ parts. But it’s alright a betting company have footed the bill and no doubt the club will not see a loss due to the huge no sponsorship deal.

 

[GBJ]

Let’s be honest, people aren’t necessarily devastated by a kit, but more the fact that it is another disappointment coming out of the club.

The kit is a shambles, let’s get that right. One of the worst we’ve had in living memory, and I’m including that god awful grey thing we wore at the MilStad.

But those issues are superficial. The problems run far deeper than that.

Last season was a disaster, and we were all relieved to put it behind us. The thing is, we haven’t even kicked a ball competitively yet, and those thoughts & fears from last season are already beginning to reappear...

We have 8 long term injuries which include some talismanic figures, We’ve got a manager who whilst deserving of a chance, brings no confidence at all & We all feel that we’re lacking in player standards and abilities.

I’d say that on the whole, going into the new season, optimism is low. Possibly the lowest it’s been in the modern era. The new kit was a chance for the Club to reinvigorate the fan base, and give them some sense of pride & enthusiasm. They’ve simply failed to do that.

And we can argue ‘til we’re blue in the face regarding the importance of revenue coming into the club VS supporters’ approval, but the minute any business starts disregarding it’s customer base, then that business finds itself in trouble.

The season hasn’t even begun yet, and I’ve already had enough of it.

I’m off to brighten up someone else’s day now

 

[fbm]

I know it’s not helping the club but I’m just saying you could do that if you wish. I’m all for supporting the club we are not a rich club so need every penny. You’d like to think they would select a better looking kit to attract people to part with their £45. Not a training top with a few ‘bespoke’ parts. But it’s alright a betting company have footed the bill and no doubt the club will not see a loss due to the huge no sponsorship deal.

I'm not quite sure what the point you're making is Ricey.

"Better looking kit" is entirely a subjective viewpoint. There isn't a shirt that could be produced that would be to everyone's taste... someone somewhere will not like it. And of course the club will want the fans to buy one. I have no idea of the PP deal (finance wise) but with most sport sponsorship now dominated by gambling firms, I do applaud Paddy Power and their initiative. We are part of that. High profile, I think that's a good thing. But I accept, not everyone is comfortable with gambling companies. Would it make a difference if it wasn't a gambling company? If we had the same shirt with a small logo on the front of, say, a communications company, would that be better? If we had a truly dreadful shirt that looked like TV interference and no logo would that be any different?

All these things are subjective.

Can you see my point here? The shirt doesn't actually matter. The pounds going into the club do. At the end of the season, they may well be up on the deal if they sold no shirts. I don't know the ins and outs.

But ultimately we are mere supporters of a club we follow, for one reason or another. Kits change every year. If no-one buys this one, next year they will probably do something different. We don't make those decisions. The only thing we have control over is whether we part with our cash for the product. I will be, because a) I'm lucky enough to be able to afford it, b) I actually quite like it, and c) I want to help the club.

When we step out for the first home game, no-one will even notice the kit. It will be all about the performance.

 

[Ricey]

I'm not quite sure what the point you're making is Ricey.

"Better looking kit" is entirely a subjective viewpoint. There isn't a shirt that could be produced that would be to everyone's taste... someone somewhere will not like it. And of course the club will want the fans to buy one. I have no idea of the PP deal (finance wise) but with most sport sponsorship now dominated by gambling firms, I do applaud Paddy Power and their initiative. We are part of that. High profile, I think that's a good thing. But I accept, not everyone is comfortable with gambling companies. Would it make a difference if it wasn't a gambling company? If we had the same shirt with a small logo on the front of, say, a communications company, would that be better? If we had a truly dreadful shirt that looked like TV interference and no logo would that be any different?

All these things are subjective.

Can you see my point here? The shirt doesn't actually matter. The pounds going into the club do. At the end of the season, they may well be up on the deal if they sold no shirts. I don't know the ins and outs.

But ultimately we are mere supporters of a club we follow, for one reason or another. Kits change every year. If no-one buys this one, next year they will probably do something different. We don't make those decisions. The only thing we have control over is whether we part with our cash for the product. I will be, because a) I'm lucky enough to be able to afford it, b) I actually quite like it, and c) I want to help the club.

When we step out for the first home game, no-one will even notice the kit. It will be all about the performance.

It is a subjective point but when 95% of your fan base hate it, says a lot really doesn’t it.

 

[Mad Cyril]

The market is aimed at the kids I would of thought ,instead of getting that they will get a West Ham spurs or arsenal shirt instead

Or some drugs and a knife?

 

[dansmiffy93]

okay the kits crap... but for a club that can never pay the tax man on time can we really afford to turn down such a commercial opportunity? The kit wasn't designed by Paddy Power so I'm not sure why they're getting so much hate on twitter. The kit would still look awful with a logo slapped on the front.

 

[Mad Cyril]

It's just a ****ing football shirt. Chill the **** out.

To be fair some people have invested hours on this thread conflating tortured logic with wild speculation.

They deserve better than this.

 

[thenobster]

Being ‘sponsored’ by a gambling company, boo. But hang on, how many people who’ve complained like a ‘cheeky flutter’, do the lottery, the pools and so on? How many people who are complaining it’s gonna cost £45 and not buying the shirt won’t be putting money into the club and then moan we don’t gave money to do this or that or pay bills?
No, it isn’t trendy or snazzy, but neither are we. This shirt will go down in history along with the custard splat, divisive yet remembered.