CITY’S LITTLE BLACK NUMBER MAKES THEM JUST LIKE ALL THE REST
As Manchester City rewrote the record books on sunday, there was only one problem: they didn’t look like Manchester City. For some reason they did not wear their instantly recognisable sky blue, even though there was no reason to change so much as the socks. The wore a generic all-black Everykit. The away colours of the modern Everyclub. Everyone looks like Everyclub these days. Everyone has a little black number in the wardrobe. Black or darkest navy or a variation on that theme. Chelsea’s third kit is probably camouflage grey or some nonsense — but, basically, it’s black. Huddersfield’s third is navy with pink trim — but it’s trying to be black. In all, 12 of the 20 Premier League clubs this season wore an Everykit in some matches. For Crystal Palace, Leicester, Manchester United and West Ham it was their second choice; for Arsenal, Bournemouth, Brighton, Chelsea, Huddersfield, Manchester City, Newcastle and swansea, their third. so they all look the same. And why would anyone want their team dressed like all the others? Distinction is what clubs are about. What makes Bristol Rovers stand out, apart from those blue and white quarters? Why do so many cities divide into red and blue halves? Of course, nobody has exclusivity on colour. Brighton, Huddersfield and West Brom all wear blue and white stripes. But Huddersfield are a lighter blue, West Brom darker, while Brighton also wear blue shorts. Manchester City play in roughly the same colour as Coventry. Yet when we see City’s shirts in the Premier League, we don’t think Coventry. They’re miles away now. City are distinctive. City stand out — except on sunday when, at first look, they could have been anyone. Who buys this stuff? Who buys a Manchester City shirt that is barely distinguishable from versions at swansea, Brighton or West Ham? Who buys Everykit? Last week, when Fulham played at Derby in the playoffs, they wore black — but it was black with a purpose. Fulham’s colours are whiteblack-white. They changed into black-white-black. see what they did? No matter how they mix and match shirts, shorts and socks, they are always Fulham. They are always white or black, or a combination of the two. They have identity. That is what City were missing on sunday. Their identity. Until they start playing, of course. Then we all know who they are.