We’ve all heard the phrase ‘You can’t go back’. True of relationships, the passage of time, and in my case, the Wetherspoons on Kingsway.
However, no one has said this to kit designers, who love to fire up the Delorean and revisit shirts of the (relatively recent) past. The 90s seems to be their preferred destination when looking for inspiration, which is great for those of us in Generation Y who get all misty eyed over mid 90s nostalgia like Tamagotchis, Power Rangers and…oh I don’t know, the Macarena.
I firmly believe Liverpool’s kits peaked in 1995, when they had not one, not two, not three, but five amazing kits coming out that year. The home, with its distinctive cricket neck collar, the unique gold and black third, a pair of goalkeeper shirts that look like a Keith Haring art project, and the iconic green and white quartered away – which was the inspiration for the shirt we’re talking about today.
Well, sort of. While this shirt bears a passing resemblance to the ‘95, New Balance reckon this shirts actual roots can be traced back to Liverpool’s first ever kit 125 years previously. But that shirt was a half and half shirt in white and light blue, which means it’s got more in common with a Blackburn shirt than this kit.
And thinking about it, it’s not too close to Liverpool’s ‘95 shirt either. The green squares are on the opposite sides for a start and the pinstripes make them look pastel coloured rather than the deep, forest green of the original, plus there’s no white box around the sponsor.
And while we’re at it, the neck is different too, because New Balance have eschewed the originals grandad collar in favour of some kind of false v-neck affair.
But apart from that…
Let’s face it though, we’re not asking for a clone here. New Balance can’t just copy the 1995 design (Adidas would have something to say for a start) so they’ve taken the original and put their own spin on it. And if we judge it as a stand-alone piece, it’s not found wanting.
So how did the kit perform on pitch? Well, Mo Salah scored just 2 of his incredible 32 goal total that season while wearing it (vs Bournemouth and Crystal Palace, if you’re interested). In all competitions it had a 5 out of 7 win record, its only losses at the hands of Manchester United and Roma.
This kit did well on pitch, and was popular with the fans too. It was part of one of the clubs most popular trio of shirts and is still quite sought after today on the secondary market.
Overall, while a great design, I’m not sure this shirt is a guaranteed future hall of famer. That being said, this season saw the debut of Mo Salah and Virgil Van Dijk, as well as the first real proof that Liverpool were once again serious contenders on the world stage, so maybe it’s popularity will mature in years to come.
When we’ve moved on from the 90s that is.
Kit For Brains 
A good read mate, enjoyed that
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