Premier League: A Look at the Top 10 EPL Kits of All Time
Football kits are the one tangible artifact of a club that any fan on the planet can access.
Club colors are a symbol of allegiance, of pedigree and their recognition factor ranks alongside the players themselves in the eyes of burgeoning young fans.
In compiling this ranking, I looked at two things; the aesthetics of the kit itself and, perhaps more importantly, the historical significance associated.
I understand that kits are a subjective issue for fans, given that every fan has a different experience and different memory of seeing and remembering football.
Feel free to post your comments on the kits that you think rank among the greatest in English football history.
10. Arsenal 2003-04
1 of 10
We had to acknowledge the kit associated with the greatest achievement in English league football history.
That is, of course, the unbeaten "Invincibles."
9. Chelsea 2004-05
2 of 10
While with the red-based Liverpool, Manchester United or even Arsenal kits, you’d have to be fairly close up to differentiate the team, you can usually tell a Chelsea fan from a mile away—especially since they have increased in number in the Abramovich era.
The 2004-05 kit makes the cut because it's associated with the most dominant season in top flight history. Chelsea won the title that year with a record 95 points and 29 wins, while suffering only one loss.
Plus, you have to admit, the all-blue looks pretty good as well.
8. West Ham 1966-67
3 of 10
This kit makes the cut simply because it was the club kit donned in the immediate aftermath of England’s 1966 World Cup win by tournament heroes Bobby Moore, Geoff Hurst and Martin Peters.
7. Blackpool 1950s
4 of 10
The tangerine strip will forever be associated with the great Stanley Matthews, who won the inaugural European Footballer of the Year in 1956 and also had the 1953 FA Cup final named after him.
6. Manchester United 1998-99
5 of 10
The famous strip of United’s 1999 team—the first English team to win the treble of League, FA Cup and Champions League, in what will surely be the most dramatic manner that a treble will ever be won.
5. Arsenal 2005-06
6 of 10
In hindsight, a great gesture by the Arsenal board to commemorate their last season at Highbury by reviving the burgundy shirts worn by the inaugural Highbury team of 1913.
Aside from that historical nod, the kit looked fantastic as well.
4. Aston Villa 1890s
7 of 10
The original claret and blue strip—a scheme adorned by so many clubs today.
What’s more, this kit was donned by the Villa side of the late 19th century, which won five league titles and three FA Cups—the original dominant side in English football.
Their club director, William McGregor, also founded the Football League itself in 1888. That is, the first organized football league in the world.
3. Newcastle 1926-27
8 of 10
The black and white stripes of Newcastle are one of the most deceptively simple, yet spectacular kits ever designed in football.
Over the years, they have concealed Geordie love handles, pot bellies and beer stains.
The 1927 version gets the nod, since it was the first league title that Newcastle won after switching to black shorts to match the striped tops.
2. Leeds United 1960s
9 of 10
Manager Don Revie switched to a whole white strip at the beginning of the decade, hoping to inspire Leeds to emulate the original all-whites, Real Madrid.
Though in the latter years of Revie’s tenure, Leeds eventually managed to add an aesthetic element to their play, their overall image was far from the regal elegance associated with Real Madrid.
They used to call them "Dirty Leeds" in the 60s, because of the borderline recklessness of the likes of Norman Hunter and Billy Bremner.
The name probably also came about since the kit never finished a match in its original, clean, all-white state, due to the turf-sliding nature of the team.
Whatever your opinion on the 1960s Leeds squad’s commitment to fair play, you can’t argue with the success associated with the kit.
From 1961-1974, Leeds won two league titles, one FA Cup and one League Cup. They also finished second in the league five times and three times in the FA Cup.
1. Liverpool 1960s
10 of 10
Less is always more when it comes to football kits.
Bill Shankly decided to ditch the white shorts worn by Liverpool since the 1890s, choosing to go for a matching all-red strip.
As evidenced by No. 2 on this list, the single-color strip was the gimmick of the 60s. However, Liverpool's all-red stands out because it later became the most iconic strip in England, as Liverpool became the most successful English side domestically and in Europe in the 70s and 80s.
However, I had to give credit to the 60s strip first, since that was where it all started.
