"I really like the chevron feature. I like to think of it as 'V' for victory," mused Manchester United's South Korean winger Ji-sung Park. "Hopefully we can win every game we play in the new kits." That may be a stretch, even for the Premier League champions, but not as much as a stretch as the club's fans are finding it to fall in love with their new kit. The chevron feature is a celebration of the kit United wore 100 years ago, when they won their first FA Cup final in 1909, and it is certainly the biggest departure from the traditional all-red home shirt in recent memory.
After that FA Cup win the club moved to Old Trafford, so the forthcoming season will be a double-celebration for United, at least in terms of history. "This club has always taken pride in its history, it acts as a great inspiration to all of us", said centre-back Rio Ferdinand. "History is important at United and it's a great idea to base the kits on that," added full-back Patrice Evra. While Wayne Rooney kept things simple.
"I think the kits are really nice," he said. The supporters, though, are less sure. "The designers like to justify the frequent changes of kit designs by harking back to bygone eras. It's true that United wore chevrons a century ago, but it's also true that the new kit makes us look like St Helens rugby League team," a writer for the United We Stand fanzine said.