Fans tear a strip off Black Cats

Just when Sunderland fans thought it couldn’t get any worse ... a new kit launch lands a heft kick in the couture!

While the internet is not always the best place to seek reasoned argument or sober appraisal, the reaction to Sunderland’s new kit suggests it hasn’t gone down too well with the Black Cats faithful online.

Such is the volatile reaction on social media, you’d think the club had unveiled a Sunderland strip in black and white stripes!

A Sunderland Echo poll as we went to press showed seven out of 10 really didn’t like it, with only 14% telling us they’d go out and buy it.

To be fair to the design team at Adidas tasked with coming up with the new strip, there really isn’t much to work with.

A post-it note with the words “red and white stripes” pretty much sums up the design brief.

Yet, the thin red and white stripes unveiled yesterday have been met with howls of protest.

Which is a pity. The strip, we’re told, harks back to the team of the 1880s and, in a nice community touch, the club gave Dawdon Welfare Park FC the honour of being the first to wear as part of their publicity drive.

As a recognition of grassroots football in our community, it was a fantastic gesture. The history of the club is important to the fans, but the new strip appears out of step with the demands of the supporters.

Fans likened the strip to a deckchair, a butcher’s apron and, our particular favourite, the shirt worn by the dart playing cow on Eighties’ TV gameshow Bullseye.

After a miserable year, it’s at least heartening to know that the fans haven’t lost their sense of humour.

They may need it in the season ahead.