Newcastle United Club Kits

• 2002/03 Away
• 2001/03 Home
• 2001/03 Home Keeper
• 2001/02 Away
• 2001/02 Away Keeper
• 2000/01 Home
• 2000/01 Away
• 1999/2000 Home 
• 1999/2000 Away 
• 1999/2000 Keeper 
• 1998/1999 Away 
• 1997/1999 Home
• 1997/1999 Keeper 

2002/03 Away
First worn: 
Last worn:  

Thanks to our connected friends, we were able to unveil the new away kit several months before anyone else, including the club (who issued an hilarious statement claiming nobody yet knew what the away kit would be but that our image was similar....work that one out.)

Apart from the lighter area being less white and more grey, the only obvious change we could spot from the publicity photos was that the NTL logo now extends across the whole of the blue area and reads NTL:Home.

2001/03 Home
First worn: 19th May 2001 vs. Aston Villa (H)
Last worn:  

The best thing that can be said about this fourth unique Adidas home creation is that it looks better when worn than the original publicity photos promised, appearing to show one wide central black stripe only.

Early opinion was divided between whether it was reminiscent of an old St.Mirren or Dunfermline effort. Unfortunately, the clarity of the number on the back appears no better than the previous effort - what is so wrong with having red numbers anyway?

Mutterings of discontent could also be heard amongst those who spotted that the Newcastle United badge appeared to have shrunk to a new midget size.

on the plus side, traditional socks and shorts were again employed, and the V neck design of the strip certainly looks neater that the floppy collar of the previous effort.

The goalkeeping kit is a rather virulent purple, of a shade that Jimmy Hendrix would probably have approved of...

Our photo shows Kevin Gallacher embracing Carl Cort after the latter had put Newcastle two up at home to Villa on 19th May. This was wee Kev's final appearance for the toon. 

2001/03 Home Keeper
First worn: 19th May 2001 vs. Aston Villa (H)
Last worn:  

Goalkeepers is as goalkeepers does, to misquote Forrest Gump.....Shay Given models the Adidas ripe banana look - no better or worse than many other custodian getups of the past.....

2001/02 Away
First worn:  13th October 2002 vs. Derby County (a)
Last worn:  11th May 2002 vs Southampton (a)

Initial sightings of this one prompted mass panic that we had in fact bought a job lot of old Rangers tops, and when alert TV viewers spotted a lad wearing the shirt in the England section at the Greece away game, Fenian sympathisers were on full alert.

Thankfully, the club's press launch calmed such fears, and the overall effect of the shirt with matching shorts & socks is quite smart. The top could almost leisure shirt (that dreaded marketing term), and no doubt was sold with some dreadful  "looks good with jeans" advertising tagline. Those of us in the real world will be happy that least the ntl advert isn't in their dreadful purple and green livery. 

However on the negative side, the club badge again shrinks and the last black ensemble was better at camouflaging beer stains....

Our image shows Carl Cort again modelling the kit, on the occasion of our 3-2 victory at Derby County in April 2002. This was actually the last time that the first team wore what was a lucky kit in many ways: victories at Bolton, Spurs and the mackems then a two month break until we donned it again for the trip to Pride Park.

We only actually lost twice in this kit, a depressing 3-1 reverse away to Fulham in November 2001 and the meaningless 2-1 defeat at Southampton on the final day of season 2001-02.  

2001/02 Away Keeper
First worn: 
Last worn:  

A delighted Shay Given shows his jubilation at beating Spurs on their own ground in January 2002, and just for a moment forgets that he dressed in what quite frankly looks like a jersey modelled on a ripe banana.

2000/01 Home
First worn: 22nd July 2000 vs. DC United (A) League: 20th August 2000 vs. Manchester Utd (A)
Last worn:  15th May 2001 v Arsenal (H)

Exactly the same garment as the previous one, except the unique Newcastle Brown Ale logo was consigned to the dustbin of history, and replaced by the NTL logo that also despoiled the Aston Villa, Celtic and Rangers kits in this season.

One small change this season was to incorporate squad numbers on the front of the shorts. However, the smallness of the numbers didn't noticeably improved recognition of players at all, especially from the new upper tiers of St. James' Park.

Kevin Gallacher is seen here after scoring our second goal away at Coventry City on Wednesday 6th September 2000.

2000/01 Away
First worn: 26th July 2000 vs. Columbus Crew (A) League: 16th Sept 2000 vs. Southampton (A) then at Derby and Spurs. We failed to win any of the games. 
Last worn: 8th May 2001 vs West Bromwich Albion (A) Friendly.

This is the design that our pals at Adidas came up with, not a million miles away from the then-current Lazio change strip. Shorts are black with a blue and white vertical side stripe and socks are black with white hoops on the turnover. The 'keepers getup is predominantly emerald green.

Unveiled to the press on May 10th 2000 and on sale in mid-July for that lucrative "Geordies on their holidays" market, it featured the advertising logo of new club sponsors / part owners NTL.  

Kieron Dyer is seen modelling a bastardised version of the away kit at Southampton on September 16th 2000, with white socks and shorts instead of the usual black ones.  

1999/00 Home
First worn: 11th May 1999 vs. Blackburn Rovers (H)
Last worn:  21st May 2000 vs Tobago XI (A) League: 14th May 2000 Arsenal (H) 

Modelled here by the toon's own Tartan Little & Large, Duncan Ferguson and Kevin Gallacher at Filbert Street in December 1999, after the former had just scored.

Another product of the Adidas factory (although rumours that Big Dunc's shirt and shorts are in fact constructed by sailmakers cannot be discounted), this one proved popular with the toon fan base, albeit selling in the reduced numbers all clubs have reported at this time, the market for replica shirts finally taking a downturn in 1999.

After taking into account "the needs and wishes of Newcastle fans" (i.e. having a panic when sales of the previous one dipped amidst general criticism and large numbers of garments being returned as sub-standard), Adidias tried to reprise their previous success in the mid 90's and ditched the unpopular round collar and "shield" on the back. However, this has again meant that shirt numbers are now a complete waste of time for identification purposes if standing say, more than nine yards away from play. A black and white number on a black and white background just isn't readable.

Fair enough when you're sitting in the East stand enjoying the South American tricks of Nobby, but a bloody nightmare for those of us daft enough to try and report on reserve and youth games. Before you dismiss this as nitpicking however, spare a thought for the unfortunate occupants of the new upper tiers at St.James' Park....in view of their lofty perch, numbers will be a waste of time, some sort of satellite tracking system perhaps being of more use... 

NB: The kit got first got an airing in the final league game of the season, to try and maximise sales in the week leading up to another Wembley debacle.

1999/00 Away
First worn: 17th July 1999 vs. Helmond Sport (A)
Last worn: 16th October 1999 vs. Coventry City (A)

(For the pedants among you, a Newcastle Junior side beat a 
Scottish Youth XI at Durham on 13th May 2000 wearing this kit.) 

In the great pantheon of away strip debacles, suffered not only by us but supporters all over the planet, this little number has to rate among the less controversial or epilepsy-inducing.

However, the limited number of first team appearances this one made since it was first seen on the pre-season tour of the Netherlands call into question the whole validity of marketing a second strip, or indeed a 3rd or 4th, Sir Alex. Our picture shows Domi making a rare foray forward at Highfield Road, where we stuttered badly, but the Frenchman grabbed a late consolation goal. This was the only senior outing for this kit.

Of little interest to normal people is the vague resemblance to our pre-war all white change strip with a black "V" from the shoulders across the front. 

1999/00 Keepers
First worn: tbc
Last worn:  tbc

On way....

1998/99 Away
First worn: 27th July 1998 vs. Bohemians (A)
Last worn: 3rd April 1999 vs. Derby (A)

A jaunty blue affair with yellow details and numbering, this one was worn a reasonable number of times, including the home friendly against Juventus in August 1998. Vaguely reminiscent of the previous all-blue kit that marked our return to top-flight football in the early 90's.

The kit is seen here modelled by another one of our short-term Scottish stars, who disappeared off to pastures new (in this case Norwich.) Paul Dalglish is pictured in pre-season action at Bray Wanderers in July 1998 when he netted two in a 6-0 victory for his Dad's team.

1997/99 Home
First worn: 15th July 1997 vs. PSV Eindhoven (A) in Dublin
Last worn:  8th May 1999 vs. Leicester City (A)

This strip for me will forever redolent of underachievement, despair and far too many pints of Guinness.

In years to come, scholars will wonder what gypsy curse befell the wearers and custodians of this shirt, as messrs Dalglish and Gullit presided over teams that included such wizards as Peter Beardsley and Tino Asprilla, as well as wastrels of the calibre of Ian Rush, Andreas Andersson and Jon Dahl Tomasson. Heartache followed triumph, as two Wembley qualifications (the second of which Alan Shearer is pictured at) were followed by televised humiliations, and the Champions League was memorably qualified for and flirted with, before being discarded in painful circumstances.

The Adidas design itself was never overly-popular with the uncommitted, being of decidedly average man-made material with an itchy crew neck and a large black splodge on the reverse, which looked daft unless a number was invested in (at extra cost of course.)

1997/99 Keeper
First worn: tbc
Last worn:  tbc

Lifford's favourite son forgets for a moment that he appears to be clad in a combination of lollipop lady and frogman to embark on a Pleat-esque dash across the Old Trafford turf. The reason for his celebration? An FA Cup semi final victory over Spurs.....

More strips to be added one day....

 
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