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Counting down the five worst West Brom shirts
West Brom were relegated from the Premier League in 2021 under Sam Allardyce and are hoping to get back to the top flight as soon as possible. The Baggies turned to Ryan Mason as their head coach over the summer in a bold move. The 34-year-old was picked as their replacement for Tony Mowbray and penned a three-year deal at The Hawthorns running until June 2028.
He left his role in the backroom staff team at Tottenham Hotspur in the Premier League to join them for a new challenge. They have taken a gamble by turning to someone with no experience of being a number one but he is a highly-rated young coach with a lot of a potential. Here is a look at the five worst West Brom kits...
5. 2016-17 Home Kit
West Brom’s home shirt during the 2016/17 season was made by Adidas and it was navy and white stripes with a light blue collar. The sponsor was way too big and disrupted the design. The logo cluttered the shirt and looked bust on the traditional stripes.
The collar size was also too large and didn’t look great. The Baggies performed well on the pitch that year though and finished in a solid 10th place in the Premier League. They signed the likes of Matt Phillips, Nacer Chadli and Jake Livermore, and also cut ties with players including Jonas Olsson, James Chester and Rickie Lambert, among others.
4. 2020-21 Away Kit
Puma’s 2020/21 kit was yellow-heavy and appeared lacklustre and uninspired. It was a lazy effort and resembled more of a generic Football Manager kit than a top flight strip. The yellow used was polarizing and didn’t look clean.
The team’s relegation to the Football League didn’t help its reputation either. It lacked creativity and the fact they went down has dragged it down as well. It won’t be fondly remembered by their supporters. The matches were played behind-closed-doors and it wasn’t the best time to support the club back then.
3. 2014-15 Home Kit
West Brom’s 201415 home shirt gave off a very ‘Fulham-y’ vibeplaceholder image
West Brom’s 201415 home shirt gave off a very ‘Fulham-y’ vibe | Getty Images
This shirt was white-heavy with blue pinstripes and saw a stark departure from West Brom’s iconic navy and white stripes. The near-abandonment of the traditional stripes for a predominantly white design felt unrepresentative of the club’s identity. This style was only used for a year before it was ditched which tell its own story.
The drastic change will have alienated fans. In addition, the fact it was later scrapped shows it didn’t go down too well. On the pitch, they ended up comfortably in 13th position in mid-table, with striker Saido Berahino their top scorer on 20 goals in all competitions, 14 of which came in the league.
2. 1992-93 Away Kit
https://x.com/WBA/status/1398912311633399812
The bar code design had thick and thin vertical stripes. It was part of the ‘Albion Collection’ and was later changed to yellow and green irregular stripes. The bar code aesthetic was unappealing.
It didn’t look like a football kit and although it was worn during a play-off final victory, it was a strange jersey to say the least. They won 3-0 at Wembley against Port Vale. Andy Hunt, Nicky Reid and Kevin Donovan got their goals as they secured promotion.
1. 2020-21 Third Kit
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Puma produced a bizarre orange and red shirt which looked like a fast food uniform. Its garish colours and cheap appearance drew heavy criticism. It looked more like a McDonald’s employee attire as opposed to a football top.
To make matters worse, the Baggies were relegated in 2021. The combination of a weird colour scheme, poor design execution and association with a disastrous season make it the worst kit of all-time. They haven’t been able to bounce back to the big time since then but Mason is out to change that now.
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