So Scotland’s new away strip has raised a few eyebrows this week.

My initial thoughts?

Well I like it and it’s certainly a grower. That said I really need to see it in person before making my final decision on it.

I am a big fan of the Adidas kits that Scotland have been wearing as of late. The home strip is very basic and formal. That is what the home top should be.

The away kit, for me, has to have a bit of colour in it. It has to be a bit unique. The best away tops usually split opinions and cause debates. Football fans love debating and love strips. Luckily for us Scots we seem to do well on both fronts.

It was that way from the very start when Scotland wore strips made up of Primrose yellow and rose pink. They were the racing colours of the 5th Earl of Rosbery. The new incarnation is a nod to that strip. You can definitely see the resemblance.

For me, in my era, we have had plenty of entertaining and unique away tops.

 

 

Above is the first away kit I can remember. My brother, who is five years older than me, had this strip. Again you can see it resembles the new strip. It is very 80s. It also adds a nice combination with yellow and navy horizontal stripes.

We then had this effort in the early nineties. It reminds me of the Teenage Mutant Hero Turtles (I’m currently humming the theme tune… Turtle Power!), maybe because I was watching that show as well as the football at that time in my life. But I am sure Shredder would have worn this top well. Maybe just a bit too funky for me. But the teens of the time loved it.

In recent times we have actually flirted with pink a few times. The one above was during the mid-nineties. Looking back on it, it’s not that bad but I recall that I detested it at the time and didn’t buy it. Would I buy it now? Probably not.

The Salmon pink one in the late nineties caused a lot of debate in its day. It seemed like Marmite, you either loved it and bought it or you hated it and stayed away. I was one of those that stayed away. Maybe it was because I was a fifteen and didn’t like the idea of wearing pink in those days but I think I would buy it now.

Of the many yellow tops we have seen in the past thirty years the one from 1998 is my favourite. Maybe it is because we took it to a World Cup but I certainly liked it enough to buy it. Plus Brazil play in yellow too so that helped. Although I’m sure not many would look at Colin Hendry or Craig Burley and think they were Brazilian!

Wasn’t a great fan of the Diadora or Fila kits but my favourite away top has to be the one above (Model excellently by myself). It came out in 2008 and the reverse saltire just looked stunning. That wee bit of blue just made it more special. Obviously wearing that strip when we famously beat France in Paris, helps keep it in the memory of every member of the Tartan Army.

Should the national team manage a win over Germany in the new kit or qualify for the next Euros then we might just see images of this new pink and yellow strip for years to come!

But no matter what happens the debate over the new look will create a buzz in the market and Adidas will see I rise in sales.

Posted on February 28th, 2014 by scott
Filed under: Article, Product Review