IT will be one of those question asked amongst sports fans of all ages; just what is the most famous Scottish sporting kit of all time?
What one did you want to wear as a kid or a fan, and what one made you close your eyes? Was there a shirt you wished your team wore, or another you just wanted to see disappear?
And what about those other items in sport, the colour schemes, race suits, helmets and clothing that meant so much to so many?
Every reader and aficionado will have their own ideas on this one, just like they will know the outfits that made them cringe.
Over coming days, we will be counting down to what is the Most Memorable Scottish Kit of all time, and what makes the most famous – and infamous – designs over the years.
If you’d like to vote or have a say on what colours make it on to the top 100, either contact us through Twitter, @hssport, or through the Herald Sport Facebook page - and let the debate commence.
Pictures: Herald Archive, SNS group, Getty Images
Graphics: David Moor (Historical Football Kits)
60. Celtic (Away) 2011 - 2012
MISS: You just know that time and no small measure of dedication would have been spent coming up with this Celtic away kit.
It just doesn’t look like it. In fact, you’d be forgiven for thinking that, at best, this was nothing more than an overly promoted training top, what with the sleeves darker than the body.
Indeed, there almost appears to be something missing – like another colour - where the Hoops should be.
Was this another kit rushed off the drawing board at the last minute?
Celtic fans, for the most part, didn’t like this one then, and it hasn’t grown on them through the years either.
It looked drab, and grey – and after a few times in the old Hotpoint twin-tub, even greyer. The only saving grace was that at least this wasn’t as bad as some. Who knows, we might see those later.
59. Rangers 1999 - 2001
HIT: Having just come off the back of a domestic treble in Dick Advocaat’s first season in charge at Ibrox, any offering in terms of
a new home kit was going to fly off the shelves. And this one did, and kept doing so right through into the next century.
There were two very good reasons for that; firstly, that other than for some white trim (and even the sponsorship from NTL added something to it), this was predominantly a traditional blue Rangers jersey. And secondly, 1999/2000 was another season the Ibrox club enjoyed real success, home and abroad.
They outpaced a Celtic side in turmoil to win the league title, then made it a double by thumping Aberdeen 4-0 in the Scottish Cup final. Add to that qualification for the Champions League, and you can see why this kit was so popular with supporters. Well, except the socks.
58. Partick Thistle 2004 -2006
HIT: The thinking was that Partick Thistle had probably tried everything they could with their shirt designs. Then in the mid-90s, they come up with this dazzler.
It was difficult to survey this offering and not think someone had been sitting late one night and spotted Turkish giants Galatasaray playing in the Champions League and thought to themselves ‘Thistle!’
Of course, any suggestion of such blatant theft was strenuously denied at the time, although I never felt they sounded convincing.
If anything, the detailed explanation that Galatasaray’s version of this outfit was yellow and red, while Partick’s panels were arranged red, then yellow, only cast suspicion on where the idea actually came from. Anyway, it never came from Istanbul.
Try Fir Park. Regardless, this was a great addition to the colour of the Scottish League at that time.
57. Motherwell 1996 - 1998
HIT: Having a colour scheme all of you own does make it easier to indulge in a bit of experimentation.
It would have been all too simple for Motherwell to stick with a claret band around an amber shirt.
This kit however was identified by a great many Motherwell supporters – and one or two non-followers – as being one of their favourites, just ahead of their claret kit that they wore against Borussia Dortmund in the UEFA Cup, and, a certain white outfit they played in at Ibrox on Bank Holiday Monday, 1997.
I wonder why that one was such a big hit?
There were other kits mentioned in dispatches, but you have to be of a certain age to remember those.
Me, I liked this one, but there was also a bit of me that thought they looked like court jesters. But that’s just me.
56. Hamilton Accies 1991 - 1993
HIT: This design and pattern was nothing unique in the Scottish game. around this period.
Morton (although they sported blue and white) wore an identical kit. However, as you can have too much of a good thing, we are focusing on Accies.
This was a well-liked and much celebrated shirt, mainly because it coincided with Accies having a decent run of success, especially in the old B&Q Cup.
On the pitch, Accies had assembled a bunch of players who were are real band of brothers, a ‘Dirty Dozen’ of old pros and some bright young things.
Off the pitch, and as a business, Accies appeared to be never too far from crisis, coming up with a new stadium being one such example.
Some players, when recalling this top, still mention it as ‘the one with the prisoner arrows.’ And, you can see what they getting at.
55. Scotland Rugby (Away) 2002
HIT: After the ‘tangerine dream’ (which was actually more of a nightmare) change kit, the Scottish Rugby Union and manufacturers Canterbury played this latest offering with a very straight bat (if that isn’t mixing too many metaphors) and returned once again to the more acceptable, and traditional, white away jerseys.
And compared to what had gone before, this one allowed Scotland fans to be identified as such, while looking different, as opposed to sporting ‘that’ orange top that just made you look, er, different.
The other great thing about this shirt (and anything away from the traditional dark navy) is that in terms of marketing and fan engagement, they are an absolute joy.
You don’t need any fancy gold, or silver, or white marker or laundry pens if you wanted these shirts autographed. Anything, even blood, would show up beautifully.
54. Dundee 1976 - 1980
HIT: As we mentioned the other day, Dundee have always been quite proactive in their designs and colour schemes around away kits. However, it has to be something a bit different to have a home kit remembered as fondly as this one.
Dundee’s offering for 1978 resembled many other clubs around that period; vertical stripes running vertically up either side on the front of the shirt.
There was though, something that set this Dundee kit apart from rest. What was it?
It wasn’t as if Dundee enjoyed unbridled success during this time, although there were a couple of legends wrapped up in this strip, as this picture proves.
Unfortunately, not even the most ardent Dees supporter can put their finger on what made this one memorable, other than saying ‘it just looked right.’
53. Rangers 2003 - 2004
MISS: Mixed reviews on this one amongst Rangers fans. Amongst opposition fans, there was almost unanimous agreement that this wasn’t one of the better change kits out of Ibrox. Indeed, some feedback was unprintable.
Yes, it was job done if you wanted to see a strip that included red, white and blue.
However, that was about all it did. It certainly didn’t do much to inspire Rangers on the pitch.
I always thought it looked like a circus marquee, a big top.
It certainly wasn’t tops with some Gers fans. The lasting recollections for a good few was how uncomplimentary it looked when some of the slightly larger members of the home support opted for it as their garment of choice on game day. And then Rangers brought it out again for 2010/11. Nice.
Remember ‘Bullseye’ and Jim Bowen? Hmm, I rest my case …
52. St Mirren 2012 - 2013
HIT: We’ve had the good, the bad and the ugly when it comes to
St Mirren strips featured in this series. This one though, is generally considered a winner – and was a winner for the Saints on the pitch
as well.
For this campaign, St Mirren go back to basics in terms of having a home kit that looked like black and white stripes, and not some wild and whacky interpretation of it.
Fitting then that the Saints got the chance to parade it on the biggest stage, at Hampden, in a League Cup final.
Having dispatched Celtic in a thrilling semi-final, the men from Paisley then beat Hearts by the same margin, 3-2, in the final.
Former Saints striker captain and Herald columnist Steven Thompson is in no doubt where this one ranks, calling it ‘a proper football strip that will look good forevermore.’
And who are we to argue?
51. Hearts (Away) 1985 - 1986
HIT: It’s amazing how a couple of results can change people’s perspective of a certain shirt.
At that start of the 1985/86 term, this was viewed as being a dull and rather uninspiring grey. By the May of that campaign, it was definitely more a shining, sterling silver as Hearts proved to be genuine contenders on two fronts, both in the league and the Scottish Cup.
Sadly, that was as good as it got for the Jambos.
On the last day of the league season, Hearts were beaten by Dundee at Dens Park. Coupled with Celtic’s 5-0 win over St Mirren, it meant the title headed for London Road not Gorgie Road.
It was no better for Hearts at Hampden, losing in the Scottish Cup final to Aberdeen.
Maybe these silver shirts meant Hearts were always destined to finish second.
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