Top 5...

The very first in the series of Top 5. First up, it's the top 5 worst football shirts of all time...

5. In fifth place it's this horrorshow from Newcastle United. Surely few clubs have such a checkered history with kits? The current away strip with it's two-shades-of-yellow stripes might just be the worst of the lot. (That said, the barcode design from the promotion season in the early 1990s runs it close.


4. Next up is surely one of the most infamous kits in recent times. In October 1996, Southampton were 3-1 up at half time at home to Manchester United, who were kitted out in this monstrosity. Having changed to a more conventional blue away shirt at half time having claimed that United players couldn't see each other due to blending in with advertising hoardings, the crowd and suchlike, United proceeded to ship 3 further goals after the break, going down 6-3 after 90 minutes, with the grey design never to be seen again. Except on the backs of loyal 9 year old fans such as myself, who never lost a game of hide and seek for the entire 1996-7 season.


3. In the 1970s, a Spanish brand called Kelme emerged making high quality sports shoes. However, an ill-fated decision to go into football shirt manufacturing in the mid-1990s yielded terrible results, notably Real Madrid's away kit in the 1996-7 season. Real Madrid have stuck loyal with the 'you never look bad in all white' mantra since 1902, but unfortunately there is no such mantra for away shirts. Awful.


2. This Manchester City away shirt is the worst of an appalling recent trend of the luminous shirt. Luminaries such as Barcelona, Chelsea and of course Wigan Athletic have recently flirted with the day-glo look with disasterous effects, with only Borussia Dortmund's classic 1990s home efforts looking even vaguely smart.


1. Well, well, last but not least it's by no means the most memorable kit for several reasons, the most notably being Chelsea's status in 1994. This, however, is truly grotesque. Enough said.


Dan.