Pointless Early 2013/14 Kit Speculation Thread

[100%Red&White]

I didn't suggest "karma", I suggested if you pay £47 for that shirt, you'll get that shirt, for £47.

 

Well, you say "£47" but over on the UI they're saying they've run out of time to put aap on the shirts and so are going to sell them complete with aap 'iron-on' logo and knocking £1.50 off the price for doing so. Don't know how true that is but I'm sure most who are likely to buy it will be far happier buying a 'sponsorless' one (ditch the logo) and £1.50 back in the pocket!

[Colinjb]

Well, you say "£47" but over on the UI they're saying they've run out of time to put aap on the shirts and so are going to sell them complete with aap 'iron-on' logo and knocking £1.50 off the price for doing so. Don't know how true that is but I'm sure most who are likely to buy it will be far happier buying a 'sponsorless' one (ditch the logo) and £1.50 back in the pocket!

 

Would be funny!

 

Astonishingly unprofessional (therefore I cannot see Nicola letting it happen).... yet funny.

[The9]

Well, you say "£47" but over on the UI they're saying they've run out of time to put aap on the shirts and so are going to sell them complete with aap 'iron-on' logo and knocking £1.50 off the price for doing so. Don't know how true that is but I'm sure most who are likely to buy it will be far happier buying a 'sponsorless' one (ditch the logo) and £1.50 back in the pocket!

 

Speculating on the price based on some clubs' adidas prices last season, could be anywhere between £40 and £55 for an adult tbh. As I didn't buy last season's from the club either I only have vague recollection of the price being somewhere £42-£45 ish.

Edited 25 June, 2013 by The9

[The9]

would interpret that as having a bit of a go at those who are buying the shirt, because of your own opinion of it. If you think that is 'respecting their choice' then so be it.

 

You mean it says "I think you are spending £47 on a heap of sh1t" ? That is a reasonable assumption, but I don't have a problem with people having a different opinion to me and I'm just as entitled to mine, though I do also think that not buying it is the only way to get the club to even consider changing their apparent current policy. To that end, buying the away kit in huge numbers and not the home might actually work even better.

[100%Red&White]

Would be funny!

 

Astonishingly unprofessional (therefore I cannot see Nicola letting it happen).... yet funny.

 

Potentially another Ali Dia moment.

 

IF true and if you want one get in quick as this would obviously only apply to the first batch of the kit launch rumoured to be this weekend. NC may certainly get his "queues around the stadium"

[The9]

Well, you say "£47" but over on the UI they're saying they've run out of time to put aap on the shirts and so are going to sell them complete with aap 'iron-on' logo and knocking £1.50 off the price for doing so. Don't know how true that is but I'm sure most who are likely to buy it will be far happier buying a 'sponsorless' one (ditch the logo) and £1.50 back in the pocket!

 

That is quite funny in many ways. A lot of fans prefer shirts sponsorless anyway - certainly the case for "controversial" sponsors, and often with striped kits.

 

As someone who's done a fair bit of ironing onto teamwear kits in the last few years to save a few quid for a club I can only say that selling a DIY patch for £1.50 and letting fans DIY it is a very good way of ruining a shirt. Would be surprised if they didn't just offer a free "iron on sponsor" service, probably in practical terms best done only for people who fork out for name/number/Prem badge printing.

 

Then again, last year they artificially created long queues, so this would suit the photo-op "queue = demand, sheeple" propaganda perfectly.

[Minty]

... I do also think that not buying it is the only way to get the club to even consider changing their apparent current policy. To that end, buying the away kit in huge numbers and not the home might actually work even better.

 

Possibly - I do wonder just how important the club think replica sales are nowadays. In the same way that Season ticket income is becoming a smaller and smaller part of the overall revenue, replica shirt sales is presumably even less. Whilst it's obviously not just financial benefit that replica sales bring, it's marketing and 'building the brand' etc as well (in theory), I'm just not sure how much the club actually care about replica sales, or how much attention they'll pay to fans' opinions/sales.

[Saint J 77]

You mean it says "I think you are spending £47 on a heap of sh1t" ? That is a reasonable assumption, but I don't have a problem with people having a different opinion to me and I'm just as entitled to mine, though I do also think that not buying it is the only way to get the club to even consider changing their apparent current policy. To that end, buying the away kit in huge numbers and not the home might actually work even better.

 

Or if everybody just bought a retro top of a certain design to show Cortese what it is the fans actually want the shirt to look like!

[The9]

Possibly - I do wonder just how important the club think replica sales are nowadays. In the same way that Season ticket income is becoming a smaller and smaller part of the overall revenue, replica shirt sales is presumably even less. Whilst it's obviously not just financial benefit that replica sales bring, it's marketing and 'building the brand' etc as well (in theory), I'm just not sure how much the club actually care about replica sales, or how much attention they'll pay to fans' opinions/sales.

 

I don't think they care about what the fans think about anything - this was fairly evident with various policies long before the Prem money was a factor and convenient excuse. I still find it amazing that people defend Cortese as "running a business", when basically what seems to happen is one person makes a decision and a bunch of people run around trying to excuse it and make it work, in some cases to the tangible detriment to the organisation as a whole.

 

Look at last season's launch - we sussed the marketing of the red shirt / white shirt months before there was even any confirmation those were the kits, and I'd worked out we'd wear the full white kit for precisely ONE fixture before it got to the shops. Totally predictable once "it's all red" was known, and not fooling anyone by trying to pretend it was somehow striped. The white kit being underused was obvious (I didn't buy one for that reason alone, despite preferring it to the home) then (presumably) because everyone realised we'd never wear it, and (presumably) as they still had loads left after Christmas, they shoehorned it into the FA Cup game to try and shift them, and all season we regularly wore the yellow away kit, which the club had sold off at discount as a defunct product only a couple of months earlier ! Not reducing the cost of shirts towards the end of the season is also counter-profit, as it's just dead stock from that point.

 

All of that could have been avoided - if you want to do "red shirt/white shirt" as they did for the marketing, do it for shirts only, have black shorts and white socks on the home kit, and alternate red shorts/black and/or white socks for the away. You get more products to launch, you keep the "theme", you wear the away kit more often because it's clearly designed to work with other combinations of existing kit - we could have worn white/black/black at Arsenal for a start.

 

Knowing that we were allowed a third kit and working out in advance that it may be a good idea to keep selling the yellow kit at full price and maybe get some more would also be an idea given the long-known existence of Stoke and Sunderland who would clash with both shirts.

 

Forward thinking and successful modern businesses (and I know you know this !) are the ones canvassing their customers to build upon their loyalty with feelings of being valued and included in the brand and decision-making, and the really savvy ones are exploiting less obvious income streams by having the customers/fans identify them in the first place.

 

If I'm in charge of the kit process (yeah, I wish) and I look at the Echo and Saintsweb polls saying "60%+ of fans prefer stripes", and then look at the sales figures (presumably) declining year on year for stripes I'm looking at a way to have stripes presented in a new way, not hoping that a chunk of the "stripe preferrers" will join the 9% who prefer a plain colour, because your potential target audience is already being hugely shrunk by the product itself.

 

The elephant in the room here, of course, is that Saints fans LOVE the Xerox kit, adidas currently have something that looks very like it, and yet even if they wanted something that sold which wasn't striped, we still don't get that. That, and the lack of a USP for "red" in a second season, and the risible notion of marketing to Asia only leads to the conclusion that we're in red "because someone said so", not for any marketing reason.

[The9]

Or if everybody just bought a retro top of a certain design to show Cortese what it is the fans actually want the shirt to look like!

 

I think the continued existence of striped shirts in the crowd will achieve something near that - but the away kit massively outselling the home kit might make someone look at the figures again.

 

Of course, it could also lead to Saints wearing black and gold as a home shirt for a few seasons... but in some ways at least THAT would be a unique rebranding, as opposed to a lazy "don't like stripes, not having them" kinda decision, which is what this looks like.

[Matthew Le God]

Simon Byrne ‏@Saintdougsfc 9m

@aap3saints I hear aap3 have dropped out of our sponsorship? I remeber a 3 yr deal being penned but only 2 so far... is it true ? #saintsfc

 

aap³ Saints ‏@aap3saints 8m

@Saintdougsfc Hi Simon, we are going in to year 3 of a 3 year sponsorship deal with #saintsfc as planned

 

FM Saints Researcher ‏@MatthewLeGod 6m

@aap3saints With your logo on the front of the shirt?

 

aap³ Saints ‏@aap3saints 5m

@MatthewLeGod Cant confirm any details re the shirt - wait until its release - keep checking http://www.saintsfc.co.uk for info #comingsoon

 

Its answers like that which start rumours. For example Watford moved Football Manager sponsorship from front to back of shirt to make way for a bigger deal. Perhaps aap3 with move to the back of the shirt, on the away kit or just be a general club sponsor like Eterna and Sunseeker.

 

Probably nothing in it and they will be the shirt sponsors as normal. But they could put the rumours to bed if they wanted.

[Saint J 77]

I think the continued existence of striped shirts in the crowd will achieve something near that - but the away kit massively outselling the home kit might make someone look at the figures again.

 

Of course, it could also lead to Saints wearing black and gold as a home shirt for a few seasons... but in some ways at least THAT would be a unique rebranding, as opposed to a lazy "don't like stripes, not having them" kinda decision, which is what this looks like.

 

Haha, yeah I can see it now, next year we will do the full Cardiff thing but we will go from red to black. I really don't understand why Cortese seemingly isn't keen on stripes? For a man with a lot of money he doesn't seem to have much fashion sense or a least have of a clue about what a good design for a football shirt is.

Edited 25 June, 2013 by Saint J 77

[trousers]

Simon Byrne ‏@Saintdougsfc 9m

@aap3saints I hear aap3 have dropped out of our sponsorship? I remeber a 3 yr deal being penned but only 2 so far... is it true ? #saintsfc

 

aap³ Saints ‏@aap3saints 8m

@Saintdougsfc Hi Simon, we are going in to year 3 of a 3 year sponsorship deal with #saintsfc as planned

 

FM Saints Researcher ‏@MatthewLeGod 6m

@aap3saints With your logo on the front of the shirt?

 

aap³ Saints ‏@aap3saints 5m

@MatthewLeGod Cant confirm any details re the shirt - wait until its release - keep checking http://www.saintsfc.co.uk for info #comingsoon

 

Its answers like that which start rumours. For example Watford moved Football Manager sponsorship from front to back of shirt to make way for a bigger deal. Perhaps aap3 with move to the back of the shirt, on the away kit or just be a general club sponsor like Eterna and Sunseeker.

 

Probably nothing in it and they will be the shirt sponsors as normal. But they could put the rumours to bed if they wanted.

 

Seems somewhat inconsistent that aap were happy to confirm one part of the sponsorship situation in that Twitter exchange (i.e. the continuation of the sponsorship) but duck a seemingly less significant question about the logo appearing on the shirts. Backs up the theory that the shirts may be sponsor free again this year (well, the replica ones at least). IMO of course.

[holepuncture]

I think the continued existence of striped shirts in the crowd will achieve something near that - but the away kit massively outselling the home kit might make someone look at the figures again.

 

Of course, it could also lead to Saints wearing black and gold as a home shirt for a few seasons... but in some ways at least THAT would be a unique rebranding, as opposed to a lazy "don't like stripes, not having them" kinda decision, which is what this looks like.

 

Last season was the first in at least a decade where I didnt buy a replica shirt, whether to wear out, wear for sport or just to gift the club money.. I do own three copies of the sash kit though, two still sealed.

 

I walked into the club shop once before a game last season, it was jam packed full of people, queues stretching round the shop. I left straight away, im not going to entertain that and I can buy online if I wish.

 

I actually dont really care if we have stripes or not, its not that important to me, though I think we should always stay true to our red, white and black.

 

I might by a polo shirt with an opaque club crest on it for match days this year, so that I still feel a little involved amoungst the shirters.

 

I dont really have a point in all this, other than:

 

• I am growing up and replica kits dont suit the agenda

• The club is creaming it in with merchandising sales, instore and online

• Stripes are not life or death for me.

 

Sorry The9, footy shirt nutjob supremo, but im with Turkish on this one, you lot are monging too hard on this!

[holepuncture]

Seems somewhat inconsistent that aap were happy to confirm one part of the sponsorship situation in that Twitter exchange (i.e. the continuation of the sponsorship) but duck a seemingly less significant question about the logo appearing on the shirts. Backs up the theory that the shirts may be sponsor free again this year (well, the replica ones at least). IMO of course.

 

 

If there is no sponsor, I retract my original post above, I would by three of them.

[The9]

Simon Byrne ‏@Saintdougsfc 9m

@aap3saints I hear aap3 have dropped out of our sponsorship? I remeber a 3 yr deal being penned but only 2 so far... is it true ? #saintsfc

 

aap³ Saints ‏@aap3saints 8m

@Saintdougsfc Hi Simon, we are going in to year 3 of a 3 year sponsorship deal with #saintsfc as planned

 

FM Saints Researcher ‏@MatthewLeGod 6m

@aap3saints With your logo on the front of the shirt?

 

aap³ Saints ‏@aap3saints 5m

@MatthewLeGod Cant confirm any details re the shirt - wait until its release - keep checking http://www.saintsfc.co.uk for info #comingsoon

 

Its answers like that which start rumours. For example Watford moved Football Manager sponsorship from front to back of shirt to make way for a bigger deal. Perhaps aap3 with move to the back of the shirt, on the away kit or just be a general club sponsor like Eterna and Sunseeker.

 

Probably nothing in it and they will be the shirt sponsors as normal. But they could put the rumours to bed if they wanted.

 

It's ill-informed posts like this which start rumours. MLG I am SHOCKED at you, SHOCKED at not knowing that you're not allowed more than one sponsor on Prem shirts (though they can be different on home and away shirts as shown by Norwich in 2005).

[The9]

Last season was the first in at least a decade where I didnt buy a replica shirt, whether to wear out, wear for sport or just to gift the club money.. I do own three copies of the sash kit though, two still sealed.

 

I walked into the club shop once before a game last season, it was jam packed full of people, queues stretching round the shop. I left straight away, im not going to entertain that and I can buy online if I wish.

 

I actually dont really care if we have stripes or not, its not that important to me, though I think we should always stay true to our red, white and black.

 

I might by a polo shirt with an opaque club crest on it for match days this year, so that I still feel a little involved amoungst the shirters.

 

I dont really have a point in all this, other than:

 

• I am growing up and replica kits dont suit the agenda

• The club is creaming it in with merchandising sales, instore and online

• Stripes are not life or death for me.

 

Sorry The9, footy shirt nutjob supremo, but im with Turkish on this one, you lot are monging too hard on this!

 

Turkish is a well-known lover of the Xerox style, I've seen him wear it on probably 15-20 occasions. I've also not seen him actually say that about nutjobs (I think I coined it for this thread, nicked from the real hnutjob thread) or m-boarders in relation to this thread, though I'm sure he's thinking it.

 

FWIW I've been in the Megastore 3 times this season and the only time there was even a queue was during the Liebherr Cup which was in the first week of shirt sales and the first event after the kit launch - that queue lasted until kick off (at which point I went off to see the Olympic flame somewhere in Chapel), and IIRC by the time the first 45 minute game had ended, the store had closed. It does make you wonder.

 

I wouldn't say they're doing particularly well on the merchandising front at all, either - anyway, isn't the question more "how well would they be doing if they actually sold something most people wanted?".

[Reib80]

My brother just sent me a picture of a 'new Saints shirt' but he isnt sure if it's legit leaked or just a fan paint shop image (might even have been posted here previously). Only problem is, I don't have access to upload the pic as my work blocks it. Can someone pm me their email address who could host/post it and I'll forward it on.

 

Cheers

[Big Bad Bob]

My brother just sent me a picture of a 'new Saints shirt' but he isnt sure if it's legit leaked or just a fan paint shop image (might even have been posted here previously). Only problem is, I don't have access to upload the pic as my work blocks it. Can someone pm me their email address who could host/post it and I'll forward it on.

 

Cheers

 

Was it this one?

 

[Reib80]

Was it this one?

 

 

Nope it wasnt mate. I just managed to upload it to imageshack, so will post here in a couple of mins. I'm pretty sceptical to be honest but thought I would post it here

[Reib80]

Here you go:

 

[Pilchards]

Here you go:

 

 

Wow, let's hope it's going to be that one.

[Matthew Le God]

My brother just sent me a picture of a 'new Saints shirt' but he isnt sure if it's legit leaked or just a fan paint shop image (might even have been posted here previously). Only problem is, I don't have access to upload the pic as my work blocks it. Can someone pm me their email address who could host/post it and I'll forward it on.

 

Cheers

 

I just managed to upload it to imageshack, so will post here in a couple of mins. I'm pretty sceptical to be honest but thought I would post it here

 

Here you go:

 

 

That is a mock up kit created by someone on this forum many months ago.

[The9]

It's ill-informed posts like this which start rumours. MLG I am SHOCKED at you, SHOCKED at not knowing that you're not allowed more than one sponsor on Prem shirts (though they can be different on home and away shirts as shown by Norwich in 2005).

 

http://www.premierleague.com/content/dam/premierleague/site-content/News/publications/handbooks/premier-league-handbook-2012-2013.pdf

 

A.1.30. “Club Shirt Sponsor Contract” means any contract between any Club and any

Person (not being the manufacturer, producer or distributor of that Club’s Strip)

providing for the exhibition upon that Club’s Strip of the agreed prime brand of

that Person in accordance with Rule M.28;

 

Strip Advertising

M.28. Provided that:

M.28.1. the content, design and area of the advertisement is approved by the

Board; and

M.28.2. it complies with the Football Association Rules for the time being in force;

advertising on Strip shall be permitted.

 

And from here : http://www.thefa.com/~/media/Files/TheFAPortal/governance-docs/rules-of-the-association/fa-handbook-2012-13.ashx

 

ADVERTISING ON PLAYER’S CLOTHING

2 Advertising on Player’s wearing apparel is permitted providing such advertising complies

with relevant regulations as determined by The Association from time to time in force.

 

And here's the FA's convenient guide, which shows you where you can put your logos (inc in the lower leagues) : http://www.thefa.com/~/media/Files/PDF/TheFA/fa_kit_regs_2012_13.ashx

 

Interestingly (to me), the ONLY thing in the Premier League rules which basically says "only one sponsor logo" is the use of " exhibition upon that Club’s Strip of the agreed prime brand of that Person " in the "Club Shirt Sponsor Contract" definition. There's no actual rule which explicitly states "you can only have one sponsor", only a set of implications from only being allowed to have a "prime brand" on the Club Shirt Sponsor Contract.

[Big Bad Bob]

Here you go:

 

 

Wow, let's hope it's going to be that one.

 

Stupid bloody image shack, try this :-

 

 

Although this has already made numerous appearances on here and been pooh pooed

[The9]

My brother just sent me a picture of a 'new Saints shirt' but he isnt sure if it's legit leaked or just a fan paint shop image (might even have been posted here previously). Only problem is, I don't have access to upload the pic as my work blocks it. Can someone pm me their email address who could host/post it and I'll forward it on.

 

Cheers

 

It's that white thing with the red sleeves again. It originated on Football Shirt Culture...

Edited 25 June, 2013 by The9
Didn't originate here, but was linked on 15 April 2013

[Joensuu]

Here you go:

 

 

I'd buy that (and I don't own a single replica - only have retro kit)

[The9]

I still think it's weird that so many people seem to like that shirt though. It needs a lot more red around the side to meet my criteria of a Xerox-lite for a start. This is ignoring the whole "old template" thing.

[Big Bad Bob]

http://www.premierleague.com/content/dam/premierleague/site-content/News/publications/handbooks/premier-league-handbook-2012-2013.pdf

 

A.1.30. “Club Shirt Sponsor Contract” means any contract between any Club and any

Person (not being the manufacturer, producer or distributor of that Club’s Strip)

providing for the exhibition upon that Club’s Strip of the agreed prime brand of

that Person in accordance with Rule M.28;

 

Strip Advertising

M.28. Provided that:

M.28.1. the content, design and area of the advertisement is approved by the

Board; and

M.28.2. it complies with the Football Association Rules for the time being in force;

advertising on Strip shall be permitted.

 

And from here : http://www.thefa.com/~/media/Files/TheFAPortal/governance-docs/rules-of-the-association/fa-handbook-2012-13.ashx

 

ADVERTISING ON PLAYER’S CLOTHING

2 Advertising on Player’s wearing apparel is permitted providing such advertising complies

with relevant regulations as determined by The Association from time to time in force.

 

And here's the FA's convenient guide, which shows you where you can put your logos (inc in the lower leagues) : http://www.thefa.com/~/media/Files/PDF/TheFA/fa_kit_regs_2012_13.ashx

 

Interestingly (to me), the ONLY thing in the Premier League rules which basically says "only one sponsor logo" is the use of " exhibition upon that Club’s Strip of the agreed prime brand of that Person " in the "Club Shirt Sponsor Contract" definition. There's no actual rule which explicitly states "you can only have one sponsor", only a set of implications from only being allowed to have a "prime brand" on the Club Shirt Sponsor Contract.

 

From http://www.footyheadlines.com/2013/06/watford-13-14-2013-14-home-kit-released.html

 

[The9]

That white with the red sleeves/sides was first posted in post 189, 15th April, actually originated on the Football Shirt Culture fantasy kits forum :

 

http://www.footballshirtculture.com/components/com_joomgallery/img_originals/fantasy_kit_design_1/saints_adidas_20130413_1619591245.jpg

[The9]

From http://www.footyheadlines.com/2013/06/watford-13-14-2013-14-home-kit-released.html

 

 

Watford do not play in the Premier League. The Football League's rules are the same as those presented by the FA in the document I linked above, you are allowed more than one sponsor. You are not in the Premier League. I am fully aware that lots of FL teams have shirts with sponsors front and back, and on the shorts too. But it is not permitted in the Prem.

[The9]

Although this has already made numerous appearances on here and been pooh pooed

 

Because it's a "Fantasy Kit" in that section of a kit website.

[Big Bad Bob]

Because it's a "Fantasy Kit" in that section of a kit website.

 

I don't mean pooh pooed as in it won't happen I mean pooh pooed as in not liked!!

[The9]

I do own three copies of the sash kit though, two still sealed.

 

Forgot to mention, sash shirts are going for about £70 on eBay. Sealed and bagged with tags should get on for £80+ (which also happens to be the most I've ever paid for my 1987 Saints hummel Denmark home in medium).

[Hatch]

maybe the delay is because of Sir Alan, so in next weeks Apprentice

 

 

'This weeks task is to design and produce a football shirt for a premier league team. The Football shirt industry is a billion pound industry.

New kits are released each year to the millions that attend games every week. Team A , you have to design for Liverpool. Team B you have to design for Southampton'

[bender]

Anyone else think that whoever uploaded that link did so buy buying that top, taking a blurred picture of it then edited the digital image.

[Scummer]

Anyone else think that whoever uploaded that link did so buy buying that top, taking a blurred picture of it then edited the digital image.

 

The placement of the badge and adidas logo do look a bit odd, but perhaps that's just because it's a childs size.

[Frank's cousin]

I don't think they care about what the fans think about anything - this was fairly evident with various policies long before the Prem money was a factor and convenient excuse. I still find it amazing that people defend Cortese as "running a business", when basically what seems to happen is one person makes a decision and a bunch of people run around trying to excuse it and make it work, in some cases to the tangible detriment to the organisation as a whole.

 

Look at last season's launch - we sussed the marketing of the red shirt / white shirt months before there was even any confirmation those were the kits, and I'd worked out we'd wear the full white kit for precisely ONE fixture before it got to the shops. Totally predictable once "it's all red" was known, and not fooling anyone by trying to pretend it was somehow striped. The white kit being underused was obvious (I didn't buy one for that reason alone, despite preferring it to the home) then (presumably) because everyone realised we'd never wear it, and (presumably) as they still had loads left after Christmas, they shoehorned it into the FA Cup game to try and shift them, and all season we regularly wore the yellow away kit, which the club had sold off at discount as a defunct product only a couple of months earlier ! Not reducing the cost of shirts towards the end of the season is also counter-profit, as it's just dead stock from that point.

 

All of that could have been avoided - if you want to do "red shirt/white shirt" as they did for the marketing, do it for shirts only, have black shorts and white socks on the home kit, and alternate red shorts/black and/or white socks for the away. You get more products to launch, you keep the "theme", you wear the away kit more often because it's clearly designed to work with other combinations of existing kit - we could have worn white/black/black at Arsenal for a start.

 

Knowing that we were allowed a third kit and working out in advance that it may be a good idea to keep selling the yellow kit at full price and maybe get some more would also be an idea given the long-known existence of Stoke and Sunderland who would clash with both shirts.

 

Forward thinking and successful modern businesses (and I know you know this !) are the ones canvassing their customers to build upon their loyalty with feelings of being valued and included in the brand and decision-making, and the really savvy ones are exploiting less obvious income streams by having the customers/fans identify them in the first place.

 

If I'm in charge of the kit process (yeah, I wish) and I look at the Echo and Saintsweb polls saying "60%+ of fans prefer stripes", and then look at the sales figures (presumably) declining year on year for stripes I'm looking at a way to have stripes presented in a new way, not hoping that a chunk of the "stripe preferrers" will join the 9% who prefer a plain colour, because your potential target audience is already being hugely shrunk by the product itself.

 

The elephant in the room here, of course, is that Saints fans LOVE the Xerox kit, adidas currently have something that looks very like it, and yet even if they wanted something that sold which wasn't striped, we still don't get that. That, and the lack of a USP for "red" in a second season, and the risible notion of marketing to Asia only leads to the conclusion that we're in red "because someone said so", not for any marketing reason.

 

 

Sorry but this a classic example of the delusion that posters think this board is representative of the fan base... It is not. Whatever you believe Cortese thinks is irrelevant. Like all businesses he will respond to what the MAJORITY of customers want - and given the sales and levels of spend on all things commercial, he would argue he IS responding to the customers ... Or at least the majority of them. It just so happens this board is dominated by the minority that don't don't like this anticipated shirt, and as with all business decisions, Cortese will be right if 20k are sold , even if not one is sold to a SWF member ....

 

'Saints fans love the xerox kit' - sweeping generalisation and symptomatic of the delusion on here that aposters believe they either represent the majority view, or more usually that their opinion counts for more than the 20k who will buy it....

[hypochondriac]

You do realise that there are a large group of people who will buy the shirt whatever it looks like right? And therefore how 'popular' a shirt is in terms of sales does not equate to how liked the shirt is?

[Frank's cousin]

I would add that I don't get this need to like every kit every year and the need to buy it. If you like it and want it great, if not don't. If enough folk like it and buy it the club have done good. I don't like that leaked design if that's it, I won't buy it... But ain't going to lose sleep over it, or criticise those that do for whatever reason.

 

All this concern about 'history' ... Personally, IMHO, I am more concerned about how we perform and how we progress than the details of the kit... Future is always more important than the past in my opinion.

[Baldbarbarian]

Forgot to mention, sash shirts are going for about £70 on eBay. Sealed and bagged with tags should get on for £80+ (which also happens to be the most I've ever paid for my 1987 Saints hummel Denmark home in medium).

 

I would like to get my hands on the sash shirt as my Mrs destroyed my original in the wash!

[Frank's cousin]

You do realise that there are a large group of people who will buy the shirt whatever it looks like right? And therefore how 'popular' a shirt is in terms of sales does not equate to how liked the shirt is?

 

Yep... And if they chose to even if they don't like it, we'll that is still their choice and yet you seem to feel its your place to criticise them ... Read you sentence back and think about it properly. In effect you are calling the 20 odd k fans who buy it idiots for buying something they don't like? Get over yourself. It's a fricken shirt and just one way some fans chose to illustrate their affinity for the club... Let them. It's a free country FFS. Popularity is irrelevant to business success - the only measure is number that part with cash. You may not like that, but until sales plummet, you can't argue against a design from a business perspective.

 

Dont like it, don't buy it simple. Seems some on here think that their personal taste should trump the majority held view

[Saints boy in Leeds]

The home kit is very close to Itchen Dans versions and the away kit is black.

[The9]

I don't mean pooh pooed as in it won't happen I mean pooh pooed as in not liked!!

 

I just had a quick revisit of the start of the thread and I think it's actually the most popular shirt with the most comments - but I think that's partially because it looks the most like the Xerox shirt without having to be shoehorned into an existing template like I did with the mock up based on this :

 

[The9]

Sorry but this a classic example of the delusion that posters think this board is representative of the fan base... It is not. Whatever you believe Cortese thinks is irrelevant. Like all businesses he will respond to what the MAJORITY of customers want - and given the sales and levels of spend on all things commercial, he would argue he IS responding to the customers ... Or at least the majority of them. It just so happens this board is dominated by the minority that don't don't like this anticipated shirt, and as with all business decisions, Cortese will be right if 20k are sold , even if not one is sold to a SWF member ....

 

'Saints fans love the xerox kit' - sweeping generalisation and symptomatic of the delusion on here that aposters believe they either represent the majority view, or more usually that their opinion counts for more than the 20k who will buy it....

 

There are polls on this site and on the Echo website which indicate from a combined sample of 5400 (admittedly not necessarily unique) voters that 60%+ of fans prefer stripes, and that under 10% want Saints to play in a plain colour. If you want to assume that people will buy it "no matter what" when a bunch of people who have previously bought it "no matter what" are on here saying "I'm not buying it", that's your lookout, but I would say a combination of the Echo and Saints sites are pretty representative of the potential market and very accurately reflect the views of the fanbase.

 

That is of course unless you think there "20,000" (love to know where that comes from) fans who buy shirts "no matter what" are also the kind of people who aren't interested in responding to a poll on the same subject...

 

I also seriously doubt that Cortese would argue that he's responding to the majority of customers, I'd be surprised if he even acknowledged their existence.

[The9]

The home kit is very close to Itchen Dans versions and the away kit is black.

 

As there's now a leak of the home shirt, would you go so far as to say that is it ?

[Colinjb]

Sorry but this a classic example of the delusion that posters think this board is representative of the fan base... It is not.

 

Nonetheless the sample rate taken for the kit design poll which showed in excess of 2/3rd supporting stripes was not small, over 450 people. This is an environment where more 'extremes' of opinion exist in comparison to the general Saints supporting public but it is still a sizeable poll and the biggest snapshot available as to fan opinion.

 

It would be interesting to see what response a more public poll, say one held by the echo would reveal. Equally though, it would be just as delusional to ignore the results of that poll out of hand simply because it may not fit your ideal.

 

As for sales figures reflecting the popularity and approval for the shirt. I'll still be buying it... even if (the design still isn't official...) I hate it. I have a collection to maintain and I like wearing the replicas to games. I shall still be hoping for a return to stripes sooner rather then later though.

[The9]

I would like to get my hands on the sash shirt as my Mrs destroyed my original in the wash!

 

My missus got one as a wedding present with her new name on the back.

[saint lard]

Well,I leaked the kit on twitter....as far as I'm aware it genuine. Otherwise someone went to a lot of trouble.

It would have looked so much better with the preferred sponsor.

 

 

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[Dr Who?]

It is going to be stripy!