Spot the difference.In the top photo, you can see an example of a £7.50 training T-Shirt from the existing Puma “Spirit” range side by side with the new Newcastle United change shirt with an almost identical design.
Now before I proceed, please don’t get me wrong. I’m not going to try and suggest that the two are actually the same items with just very minor changes in detailing as I haven’t examined them side by side. Nor am I trying to make the general point that replica team football shirts are a rip-off either, Freddy Shepherd and many others have made that point already.
However, writing as a designer myself, it is but one example among many of Puma’s lazy, poor and rehashed designs. The standard of the design is the same as you would expect to find from one of Mike Ashley’s sweatshop brands, and the same is true of the quality too, especially so if you remember the shirts of Newcastle United’s previous supplier, Adidas. For a supposedly premium product, they are an insult to Newcastle United’s fans, not to mention those of other clubs they supply. Then again, I am not a big replica shirt buyer personally, so I would very much like to hear the views of those of you who are.(more…)
Vampires.“And how the poverty of these unfortunates, among whom even thieves find nothing to steal, is exploited by the property-holding class in lawful ways.” – Frederick Engels, The Condition of the Working Class in England.
It is no longer news that Internet loan shark “Wonga” will be the club’s sponsors from next season for a period of four years.
I was going to write this piece a few days ago, but on reflection, I decided to leave it for a short while to see what emerged in terms of further details about the deal itself, and also the level of opprobrium which was inevitably going to follow the announcement. The exact amount is still shrouded in secrecy, though a figure of £24 million for the four years (£6 million per year) was bandied around in the media after the announcement was made, then the Telegraph claimed that the figure is more like £8 million per year (£32 million over four years). When this was put to the Managing Director, Derek Llambias, he suggested that the £8 million figure was “not far off.” As it’s Llambias though, this may not be true, but it is all we have to go on. As well as this, it is also been claimed that Wonga will be investing a further £1.5 million in the club’s Academy.
Llambias had the following to say on the new deal: (more…)
New NUFC home and goalkeeper shirts finally released into the wild!At last! A definitive picture of Newcastle United’s new home kit on display at the friendly against German lower league side, Chemnitzer, earlier today.
The Magpies lost 1-0 incidentally with Chemnitzer’s Anton Fink striking what was to be the deciding goal for the home side after only ten minutes.
As you can see, both the outfield players’ shirts and the goalkeeper’s shirt are no different from the shirts we revealed in this story way back in January of this year, as well as this one back in June, the only difference being the new sponsor’s design on the front.
As to whether Mike Ashley’s Sports Direct will be undercutting the club’s official outlet once again when the kit is released at the beginning of next month remains to be seen. (more…)
Congratulations to DarthBroon!Many thanks to all of you who took part in our competition for next season’s away shirt.
The winner has now selected at random by the time honoured method of writing all the names of the competitors who got the answers correct on a piece of paper, folding them up, putting them into a bucket, mixing them up up, then picking one out with my eyes closed.
And the winner is:
DarthBroon!
So, congratulations, DarthBroon. If you could send in your username, delivery name, delivery address and shirt size using the same e.mail address you used for the answers, I will get a new shirt sent out to you.
For those of you who are curious, here are the answers!(more…)
2012/13 NUFC away shirt: Yours to win!Here’s the second and final part of our competition to win a new Newcastle United away shirt as illustrated in our picture above.
This shirt has been donated courtesy of price comparison website, Idealo.co.uk, so many thanks to them! (more…)