The9

I'll examine the facts, that's 99% correct unless the club are planning a massive swerve.

Front bit of the collar is definitely red.

Nope, but they have obviously actually thought about it for once : "we have a unique separate shirt printing unit on the ground floor of the shopping centre (outside Marks & Spencer)". That should sort it out though why they haven't put on in the West Quay store permanently who knows ?

Erm, I don't know what your point is. Are you saying they could delay the launch, or not sell shirts until Monday (basically the same thing), or what ? The point is that people are going to want the numbers from the West Quay store, may not be able to get them there, so can instead give someone else £10 to do it that the club won't be getting (both cheaper and more convenient than waiting, and just as authentic). There's not a lot of logic in not opening the stadium shop on the day of a kit launch either, for that matter.

That's not the collar.

I just don't see the logic of relaunching to a worldwide audience with a kit that isn't representative of the vast majority of the club's history. Then again, there is still a small chance that what we've seen is just a prototype... though that model seems to back up that the red with pinstripes is the actual kit.

Actually if you look closely that's on there, you just can't see it (except on the very far right) because the background is also white. mulletsaints actually mentioned his faux pas in using the white background when he posted it up. You couldn't really see it on the other sleeve on the original in the first place. Long sleeve version is entirely red sleeve and cuffs - pretty sure it's still got the weird inset panels up the wrist from the cuff that the current kit has, but they're red so not as visible as the red panels on the current white sleeve. I wonder if they're the same cuff and panel pieces from the 2011/12 kit ?

Why on earth would someone who went to town to buy a kid a Saints shirt with their name on wait until the following day and have to make another journey when they could just get it done in a different shop, cheaper, at the same time and as part of the same shopping trip ? It's not even about not wanting to wait, it's about not needing to. Again, if the club can't provide the convenience, someone else can.

I don't think it's particularly reasonable to expect all parents to be as up on this kind of stuff as "we" (ok just me) are. It's all about managing expectations, and it's not their fault if they've told the kid they can have their name and number, and then can't do that because the club is p155ing away opportunities to make money with crap decisions again... then again, they ARE having a refit... If there's no change, they can go to Sportsdirect.com or JJB, both within 100 yards and ready to print (presumably) white Prem name and numbers in West Quay / West Quay Retail Park anyway. The issue is really about the club providing a service people want, not about someone else deciding that's not a service they should want.

Yeah, home kit was red socks, away kit had white socks and blue alternate socks which they presumably cobbled together after the daft episode away at Burnley where both sides wore white socks which must have been a right pain for the officials. I'd have liked to see us in yellow, blue, red just for one match. Have to say I wasn't keen on the white socks with the home kit version though, mostly as we only wore it at Fratton. The fact we don't know anything about the away kit or home shorts and socks is about the only thing getting me interested in this launch. Where will the grey fit in ?

Last I checked the shirts went on sale at 1pm on Sunday. I know the reveal has been brought forward but didn't see anything about the on-sale date changing ? EDIT : That's because it's still Sunday : "launch of the new home kit on Sunday 1st July at 11am". http://www.saintsfc.co.uk/page/NewsDetail/0,,10280~2819693,00.html and "will be available to buy from 1st July in the WestQuay store, and from 2nd July at 9am in the Megastore" (Stadium). http://www.saintsfc.co.uk/page/NewsDetail/0,,10280~2821278,00.html So they don't go on sale on Saturday, they go on sale in West Quay on Sunday at 11am, and at the Stadium the following day. Last year's "launch day" was incredibly quiet, for the record, I didn't even have to queue and I pitched up at lunchtime in West Quay.

Not really the point, people will want to do it all at once or probably just won't bother to get the numbers done. You're not covered for mistakes which ruin the shirt if you get the numbers printed somewhere else either - though unlike in our Football League years, if Saints don't have the facilities to print numbers in West Quay there's always JJB or SportsDirect.com who'll do it, and £2 cheaper than the Stadium shop too.

That's not the collar on the Saints shirt, that's a mock up based on the Sweden shirt. And Sweden's players don't seem to have had much problem with it anyway.

I think it looks utterly awful, my least favourite shirt since the Pony tick one I think. Will be interested to see if the light grey is to pull together any other elements of the home kit or if it's to tie in with details on the away kit. We never did wear our home socks with the yellow and blue last season for that Colombia effect...

It's my opinion, and we shall see. Whether he's "behind" them or not, I think he'll play more matches. Adkins hasn't signed any of them to sit on the bench all the time.

I think Lambert will get a fair few games and score a few goals, but he won't be the bolted-on first name on the teamsheet, especially now we've signed Rodriguez. As I said about a month ago, I think Billy Sharp will play more matches than him in the Prem next season. Just a hunch based on when they were signed. Oh, and against Italy Carroll was excellent in the air (not his fault people didn't read his flicks) and in bringing balls down - and utterly terrible on the floor for England. He looked about as suited to that environment as Ali Dia, I've never seen a player worse with his feet in an international quarter-final, that one time he was Bambi-ing his way down the left side I thought he was going to crap himself on the pitch he looked so awkward/scared/out of his depth. They could have stood off him for 5 minutes and he'd have just poked the ball ahead of himself until he ran off the pitch.

And you would be correct. It's definitely not like Lille's away shirt.

Well now you're just ruining the launch for me with your negativity.

I wish. Looks like it will be pretty cheap to me, which is disappointing as the other Umbro kits have been reasonably nice and decent quality. Hopefully the material will be the cotton feel, because generally I hate shirts which have colour "printed" on them rather than the material actually being that colour and I'd need something to offset it. On the bright side I'm going on holiday so can't afford to buy one yet anyway!

Will stick my neck out and say there's a bit of the one on the left as well

I think this is the closest !

Something I noticed which I hadn't spotted before. Pinstripes mind, not "proper" ones. Also about 95% sure half of the pinstripes are light grey.

When did you start working for the marketing dept. Because all anyone else sees is a hugely overpriced kickabout against a team of reserves and a team that'll be lucky not to be in the Scottish 3rd Division by kick off. As for "a chance to see the new kit", I can do that... well, any time.

One of my favourites was Rochdale away. It got rained off, so we went to see Stoke v Brighton in the FA Cup. I hated Brighton quite a lot at that point so I got to see them looking terrible against a Prem team who completely outclassed them without really trying. Bit worried about that now... Also enjoyed Huddersfield on the opening day due to 10% real ale, random singing and getting a busker to play "OWTSGMI", and Hartlepool away in 2009/10 because I felt like a superdooperfan just for going, and the 6 hours of stair-rod torrential rain all the way back with me driving in the middle lane just to be able to see the motorway is the stuff of legends. I suppose non-mathematical promotion at Plymouth was the best though. Marginally better than "arsing it up at Boro" a year later.

FWIW I'm with you. Umbro are by far the most "classic" and stylish of the manufacturers at the moment, their Bilbao away, Rangers away and Lille shirts from last season are instant classics. Compare them to the utterly forgettable Nike efforts, or their hideous use of blending, or gingham(!) this season, or adidas' "we have 3 templates, hundreds of teams and no variety" approach and I think we've been lucky. Until now. By the way, unlike the Sweden shirt this one definitely has the stripes on the back too.