ToffeeWeb - Season 2009-10

The Mail Bag

Blue or What?

I've been an Everton fan for nigh on 60 years and in all that time — well until this season — we've always played in Royal Blue, or so I thought. Am I the only one who thinks that this season the team are wearing shirts which resemble a Chelsea blue rather than Rroyal Blue?

So far this season I've only seen the Blues play on TV so that could be a contributing factor to my "colour blindness" but I'd like to know what other fans think.
Tony Waring, Frogmore, Devon Posted 18/10/2009 at 07:42:36

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Karl Masters
1 Posted 18/10/2009 at 19:53:41

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It’s a re-creation of the 1983-85 kit, Tony. Look at the old pictures and that kit was a lighter shade of blue too.

Umbro’s version of Royal Blue has varied somewaht over the years too. The 1997-99 one with the yellow Rugby League chest band was a very light blue as was the shirt we wore in 2004-05 when we came 4th. The early 90s one which coincided with the Beardsley years was almost Navy Blue.

Thankfully though we have the white socks and the kit looks a lot better for that. White socks are more important to me than the shade of blue, for what it’s worth. Anyway, don’t worry, Tony: Next season it will be another kit, another shade of blue... a Lineker bib perhaps?! :)

Ron Joynson
2 Posted 18/10/2009 at 20:29:10

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Tony

I live near you at Modbury in Devon and go up to all the home games by coach from Taunton as a member of The West Country Blues - an established and authorised EFC fanclub. You’ll find most of us wearing our blue Everton shirts each time even if they are not the real Royal Blue any more.

Garry Corgan
3 Posted 18/10/2009 at 23:21:01

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Just to echo Karl’s post - the kit we wore in 1997/98, with the yellow, white and blue "One to One" sponsor sash was a much lighter shade of blue compared to the ones we’ve worn before and since.

This picture doesn’t do it justice but you get the idea.

The darkest kit we’ve worn, that I can remember, might be the Keijan sponsored kit from a couple of years ago.

Personally I don’t mind if the shades of blue change and change back over time, but I do wish they’d revert to the old style of crest, with the white inside and blue outline; rather than the current one.

Greg Murphy
4 Posted 19/10/2009 at 10:52:43

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I hear what you’re saying Tony and I agree that the shade is definitely lighter than in recent years. Just that I actually think we’re nearer to the shade that we ought to be.... vis:

http://www.efchistory.co.uk/everton_1969-70.jpg

I think the darker shade we’ve adopted since 2003 or so was the departure from Royal Blue.

But as you’ll see, unlike any other colour, the designated history of the colour "royal blue" is a messy one and the subject of much dispute.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Royal_blue

Makes you wonder if we’ve ever worn "royal blue". Maybe we thought we did in the 60s and 70s but we actually weren’t. And maybe the darker shade of 2003 onwards has been correct. Or maybe it’s all the other way around.

Only Everton hey...

Oh, and don’t even start me on amber!

Matthew Tait
5 Posted 19/10/2009 at 14:16:13

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The slightly paler colour of the current kit is by far and away the least of the issues with the current kit. This year’s home strip is in probably the top three worst kits I’ve seen on any team, ever.

I’m still struggling to come to terms with how bad it is, it’s one of those that people are going to look back on and laugh at for many years to come. I’m half inclined to put the bad start to the season down to the players being so embarrassed at wearing the thing they couldn’t play properly!

And Garry, I totally agree with you about the crest, I really wish they’d get rid of that nasty yellow highlighting. Awful. No doubt some marketing committee’s idea of ’updating’ the crest, probably aimed at ’capturing the youth market’ or some such drivel.

John Brennan
6 Posted 19/10/2009 at 19:16:30

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Tony
Note your age and address, congrats for being a Toffee for so long!!! I started in Oct 72 so you have beaten me by a good few years. Last saw our boys against Sunderland at the Stadium of Light in March 08 and we looked ok then (we won 1-0 Andy Johnson) but was proud to see the toffee blue standing out. Congrats to our travelling fans who were terrific on the day. P.S. they seem louder away than at Goodison!!??

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