Spurs kits are remembered as much for the team’s exploits while wearing them as they are for the designs themselves. In other words, a particularly ugly design can live long in the memory if players are able to achieve a little success while sporting it.
But there are kits from the last 20 years that are indisputably recognised as fan favourites or better best forgotten. In this article, we will examine the evolution of Tottenham home shirt since the start of the new millennium, identifying the hits and misses.
2000 – 2010: a mixed bag!
Spurs welcomed in the new century while wearing a true classic of the modern era. Manufactured by Adidas and featuring the return of the iconic Holsten logo that had graced shirts in the 80s and 90s, the home kit worn between 1999 and 2001 was a classic.
So popular was the design that tweaks for 2001-02 were minimal, with the design retaining a blue collar, blue stripes on the shoulders, blue shorts and blue socks. But it was all change a year later, with Adidas being ditched in favour of Kappa and Thomson replacing Holsten as main sponsor.
The kit worn between 2002 and 2004 marked the introduction of a red sponsor logo that would prove controversial, due to the colour’s close associations with our nearest and dearest rivals. The Thomson logo would remain until 2006, when it was replaced by another predominantly red brand.
Spurs would close out the decade wearing kits manufactured by Puma, with the 2009-10 effort living long in the memory for the wrong reasons. For the first time in the cub’s history, splashes of yellow were added to the kit, making us look more like Leeds!
1987/88 Tottenham Hotspur Home Football Shirt (Y) – Holsten ? Spurs @hummel shirt from @c… https://t.co/muK4DhZJ7y pic.twitter.com/2ZRfDZpjbl
— Football Shirt Collective (@thefootballsc) November 2, 2016
2010 – 2020: Back in blue and white (and red)
Thankfully, the experiment with yellow didn’t last any longer than a single season, although the 2014-15 kit did feature a more subtle use of the colour. Augmented reality platform Aurasma, powered by Autonomy, featured on Spurs kits at the start of the decade, before being replaced by another retro sponsor.
Computer manufacturer Hewlett Packard came on board as the club’s main partner a full 14 years after its previous association, although the deal only last a single season. Replacing HP for the latter part of the decade were AIA, who have been a mainstay on the kits ever since.
Its during this recent era that Spurs have emerged as genuine title contenders, challenging the likes of Manchester City, Liverpool and Chelsea, and featuring prominently in the Premier League football betting markets published ahead of each season, so the shirts have proven a hit.
AIA have grown to become big backers of the club, although, frustratingly, they are another Spurs sponsor to insist on adding a splash of red to the shirt. Supporters have got used to this during the last few seasons, but it is difficult not to long for a different colour – indeed, any other colour!
The club’s latest effort again features a hint of yellow – when will they learn? – and a textured design that is far more elaborate than the previous season’s bland effort. Bearing more than a few similarities to the latest England shirt, it has proven to be reasonably popular with fans.
Nike have made Tottenham's new kit entirely from recycled plastic bottles. pic.twitter.com/xVsQsXQLgN
— ESPN UK (@ESPNUK) August 1, 2020
Like fans of any club, Spurs fans have endured a rollercoaster of highs and lows with every kit reveal. It’s clear that the latest designs will never please everyone, but is finally ditching the yellow and changing the colour of the sponsor logo really too much to ask?
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