- Newcastle United kit launch flop
- Why it is not only the awful kit which caused lack of interest
- How next season will shape the future of the football club
When Newcastle United launched their new Adidas home shirt last summer, there was a palpable buzz in and around the city. The shirt was not only beautiful, but the Magpies were also coming off a UEFA Champions League qualifying season.
The queue for the club shop snaked all around St James’ Park and the surrounding streets. The Geordie faithful had come out in force to get their hands on one of the most historic shirts in the club’s history. It was a scene that epitomised both the strength of the fanbase and the soaring trajectory of the on-pitch project.
But fast forward to this season’s launch, and after a dreary season of Premier League football and an unveiled kit that would be more suited to the back of a crisp packet, the contrast could not be more stark.
The kit launch flop
As the club shop prepared for opening on what is one of the biggest days of the year for any football club, a queue did start to form. Not a bustling, packed one like that of the year before, but a much more modest and, quite frankly, measly line waited patiently outside of St James’ Park.
Whether the lack of interest will have come as a shock to the club or not largely depends on how much attention they pay to social media.
Had they taken a look at the influx of criticism and unrest that plagues the comments of every post mentioning the new kit, they would have seen that nobody was happy.
It wasn’t just that the kit played perfectly into the hands of those who refer to Newcastle United as ‘the Barcodes’. It was the fans’ simmering frustrations with the dismal underperformance of the previous campaign reaching a boiling point too.
Why next season is so important
Football fans are impatient, especially those who have been promised a project that will take them to the top of the game by 2030 and are yet to see any progress toward that goal.
The last year has been an absolute nightmare for Newcastle United. Last summer was a disaster; last season was nothing short of unacceptable on the pitch, despite some positive moments.
If nothing else, the flop of the Magpies’ kit launch is a reminder of just how important this summer and the upcoming Premier League season are.
Once the fans begin to feel disillusioned with the ongoings, it becomes very difficult to get them back on side. Some grace will, of course, be given, which is a testament to the current regime providing some of the greatest football-supporting moments of many of the fans’ lives.
But the lack of interest in purchasing the new kit shouldn’t only be a reminder of the diabolical design job done on the shirt. It should be a warning sign that getting back on track is a non-negotiable.
A full summer to get all of the transfer targets on board, a solid budget to utilise, and a stable hierarchy in place to take the club forward. And, most importantly, just one game a week to worry about.
European qualification is imperative, or next season’s kit launch could be even more underwhelming than this one.
