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Bring back those hooped socks

Last updated : 08 March 2002 By Tony Scholes

Chief Executive Andrew Watson had himself asked for ideas and this prompted us to find out just what the fans would like to see the team wearing, take a look at Last Week's Article. The response has been incredible, I didn't think so many of you would be that bothered what the kit looked like.

The one thing that has come through loud and clear is the overwhelming desire to see us go back to a real tradition and restore our famous Claret and Blue hooped socks. For some strange reason these socks were dispensed with for the 1965/66 season and have not been used since. In fact for all but two seasons, 1979/80 and 1998/99, we have worn white socks.

Apparently it is not going to be that easy, a number of people told us they had already contacted the club on this to be told by Andrew Watson that Stan wants white socks. That's fine but if Stan chooses the kit then why are we being asked in the first place? We had lost these socks of course by the time Stan made the first team.

I think everyone said the shorts should be white and again apart from the two seasons above they have remained so in all my time as a Burnley fan.

As for the shirt there have been many ideas suggested, all traditional, with people saying that whatever is chosen please do not return to such hidious ideas as the blue V of the 1970s or the quartered strip of not too long ago. Many have agreed that having missed the boat with the 40th anniversary of the Championship we should now honour that side with a replica type kit with the famous Burnley V kneck and of course with the single coloured blue collar.

As for the away kit then there have been various ideas suggested ranging from white, through blue to, as one fan put it, anything but having the Clarets turning out in a halved shirt again as was the case in 1993/94. There was a lot of support for the idea of having a replica of the original Burnley shirt of amber and black stripes.

Some even suggested having a one off kit for one game with it carrying no sponsorship and the players wearing numbers 1 to 11. Sounds good but wasn't that done somewhere else not too long ago for a 125th anniversary?

Many of us have different ideas but one fan, Simon Strickland, even went to the trouble of producing a design and we are delighted to feature it above. The gold on the shirt just under the V would read ‘1882-2002 120 YEARS OF VINTAGE CLARET'.

But please Burnley FC and Stan – bring back those Claret and Blue hooped socks.

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