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Why is the kit & badge so important?

Why is what the kit looks like so important? I can never understand it.

Mention a change of kit and its guaranteed to get you a huge thread, no matter where you start it and I can't for the life of me understand why so much importance is given to it.

For one no matter what fans want it will be changed repeatedly and modified to suit financial considerations and will always cost more than it should.

For two whatever happens to the kit fans will always go out and spend a fortune to buy the latest, I know I have 2 sons, 2 daughters, a wife and my daughters partner, to say nothing of the various foster kids I have who if the time is right get one as part of their Villa indoctrination.

For three, there are plenty more important matters pertaining to Villa that need addressing.

Already the PR has started pushing the 5 year plan into a 10 year plan, as reality bites. We are desperately short on image as a club, we are too introverted, thanks to Ellis' corner shop thinking, few fans really look to or appreciate the longer view and potential an owner like Lerner gives us.

The stadium is ok one of the best around yet with the population surrounding it, its never over 80% of capacity and offers little encouragement to fans living way off its doorstep.

Why does it matter what the badge looks like ? Why is it so important what colours we the team wear, and in what proportion. If winning in Europe in 2 seasons meant playing in all Blue, I'd go for it.

Its can't be identity, or if it is there are some really insecure fans out there. We are the Great Aston Villa, we are the best. Certainly the best Midlands club by far, ask any Blues, Albion, Wolves, Coventry fan, they know it.

It doesn't take a new badge to show it to the World, those with any perspective know it.

We are on the up like at no time in my lifetime and that's a long time, lets get on the bandwagon, lets take the chance and grasp it tight and make sure we aren't placated by the flim flam, put off by the promises, but remain focused on taking what advantage we can of Mr Lerner's generosity and pushing to make us great now.

Whatever the style, colour, design of the shirt, you'll buy it so will I, but the performance on the field, a full ground of expectant fans knowing we can win more than most is what's needed and for those my age, sooner rather than later.

By AVFC48

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Writer: J P Fear

Date:Thursday April 26 2007

Time: 5:50PM

Your Comments

Well said AVFC48 i agree with you 100%, as long as i've been a Villa fan i have never been worried about how our kit looked what design it was, mt only intrest was how we done on the pitch. When deadly was in charge all he cared about was keeping the books balanced at what ever cost to the team, but now we seem to have a man who cares about the club as a whole and this inculdes the fans, witch he knows is the life blood of the club. As you have said no matter what the strip looks like we'll all be getting one soon !!!

Mutt_Man

to a man of my immeasurable good looks, (sic) it matters greatly what I wear, think of me as a clotheshorse (or probably more like the back side of a horse!).

No, seriousy, I think details do matter, all a part of marketing the 'brand' as well as producing the right team on the pitch. Some of the sponsors/shirts etc have been so awful and that gives a bad impression of the club. I think the fact they have brought in Nike is a massive thing, a giant leap forward and Nike must rate our chances of going places as they won't put their name to just anyone.

The Fear

The badge is your identity. We fought Bates for years to get our badge back instead of his hideous creation and failed. It was only when Roman took over that we managed to get our rampant lion back, so don't knock it.

merlin

m not sure if you're allowed to say rampant on here merlin.

jonah

Many people know clubs just bye name or colour of its kit .... I'm not saying that its not important to the supporters of the club because it no doubt is, but it seems to me that the media make the most of badges and kit designs. There will always be fans that dislike what ever the badge/kit looks like and those who love it this will all ways be .... Fear i understand about the marketing side of it and know that the arrival of nike will help Villa in this. Merlin i see it as its your name not your badge thats your identity :) you can chant a name

Mutt_Man

a good sponsor always helps in the pub. I've had a few laughs over the hummel brand. My first Villa kit was hummel in 1988/89 Mita copiers and worn by rambo& platt!!! I never got ribbed in them days!!!

iomvilla

No way on God's good earth would I put up with Villa playing in the colour Blue. Just imagine it, or better still DON'T!

myleftfoot

Lots has been made of the issue around stars, I only noticed the other day that Man City's has 3 in it, and they don't look bad either, so what's the big hoopla?

Thegreatdando

Its tradition I suppose, its funnny how us football supporters always buy clothes with a hint of your team colours. I will never wear blue an white, or buy hummel, le coq, puma gear cause of spurs.

gunnerb

Malcom. Is that you?

Dannygav

I personally want a club badge that reflects the History of the club and also shows the club have an eye on the future whilst paying respect to the past. I know we wont get a single solitary point for what ever badge, shirt etc we have but getting the club back in-line with its Historic roots by wearing a badge that reflect is part in the History of football for me is Important. I dont like the current badge although as you said I buy the shirt no matter what badge is on it, but it will be nice to return to a shirt, badge that is quality as opposed to a shirt put together by a Doddery Old Fart.

col8

col8, you have said it all.

glensider

As I see it, the badge re-design has been a good way of getting the new management to be part of the goings on amongst the supporters. To me, that speaks volumes about their PR attitude and should mainly be taken as such.

the_lergy

Although you are right in some respects you have to understand we live in a culture dominated by image and brands. New fans don't want to hear about the history – they want the exciting player running round in a top shirt, then you can culture them. Look at it like love – you don't meet someone and find out all the history first, you look at them and instantly say: i'm liking the look of you!

spit-fire

PLAY IN BLUE??? Are you mad? Can you imagine Barcelona in all white playing Real Madrid in Red and Blue? The kit is the image which is presented to the world. The badge may not get you points but it a 'critical non essential' that must be right. The new owners have identified the need for big businesses to support the club, hence Nike coming aboard. They also know that the old badge means that memories of the Ellis years remain. As mentioned earlier by the Lergy, it is great PR to actually ask the fans what they want. It is understandable to ask why is the kit/badge so important, and the volume of response highlights that to most fans they are important. But in the grand scheme of things you are correct avfc48, there are other more pressing issues, and filling the ground is one of them. It is the fans responsibility to fill the ground. This should be happening before we are consistently challenging for trophies. Not the other way round. It is a disgrace for stay away fans to only return after we have started challenging for trophies. If we can fill the ground every week now, then start competiting for trophies, gloryhunters will have to wait until the ground is expanded before they can pretend that they supported the club through thick and thin. It is time for 'fans' to start asking themselves the question ...... 'are Villa just my favourite team, or do I actually support them'?

voiceoftheholte

if the kit is the face of the club then it should be high up there in peoples consideration. you wouldn't have plastic surgery without really having to think about it first. it seems a leap, but its the same thing, image is hugely important. liverpool started to play in red mainly because red makes you look bigger, its physcological. i agree, its how you play when the whistle blows thats important, but dont you think the players may be a little self concious if there given something to wear that looks stupid? years ago i got a part time job in homebase and was given the bright green polo shirt to wear, i felt like a nob!. i also heard a statistic that said david beckham paid off half of his transfer fees to real in 6 months on shirt sales alone, so its more than appearance!. with a nike kit sales will go up, the city centre will be a sea of claret and blue over the weekend and in turn this will remind people who haven't been to VP in years that theres a historic and gigantic football club just down the road.

bobbyfett

I think its more of an indicative signal to the rest of the footballing world, new kit, new badge, new manufacturer 'NIKE', new beggining generally. I cant wait to see it, and but it. Were all children of the 'Randylution' however you look at it, and I for one am going to enjoy every minute of it, its been a long time coming. As for cost and money, I wont feel begrudged whatsoever spending £40 on a new top cause the money that is alreay being spent on our club has to be topping the £35m mark by Randy on players, Holte Hotel, and Bodymoor. Its give and take for a change at Villa, a stark contrast to take take take from us under Ellis, more so in his last 7-8 years at the club anyway.

Stig

"It doesn't take a new badge to show it to the World, those with any perspective know it." We're football fans, what makes you think any of us have a sense of perspective?

hedley

not blue mate, don't get carried away!

leelindsay

A New start.Thats what it is all about.A change of direction, perception and attitude.Raising the bar and standards.I for one will be buying the new Nike(yep a proper fashionable sports company)shirt and every time I look at the new badge it will remind me of the new breath of life the club has got.So with all these new things happening lets hope we can set a new all seater VP, season ticket sales record and give something back to Mr Lerner.They have reduced the cost and with real money to spend and strengthen next season will be real belter!!..Up the Villa

OneloveVilla

Everything about this club for the past twenty years or so has been amateurish, cheap-jack, sub-standard, second rate, doing just enough to get by, and from here on in with professionals now positioned in strategic key positions throughout the club, we need to be professional, operate professionally, look professional, and prove that we are professional. That professionalism should spread to every aspect of the club, including kit, official club badge etc. etc. Lets do things properly. As for playing in blue, well the very least said about that the better.

glensider

Villa playing in blue........ heard it all now.

col8

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Writer: J P Fear

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