Image from footyheadlines.com

This 32Red Derby home shirt could’ve been a thing of beauty, and might still be if you can get past the sponsor. I can’t, and not just because I don’t like gambling promotion, but because it’s in ABSOLUTELY MASSIVE BLACK WRITING, on the front of a plain white shirt. It’s all I can see.

Given its prominence, this is a straight-up case of get the sponsor right – get the shirt right. All the supporting cast are lined-up nicely – crisp white everywhere, subtle striping in the background, all cut-up nicely with proportional black trim on the collar and cuffs and a majestic black Ram on the chest.

The trouble is that the supporting cast have been overshadowed by the main actor stealing the show with its billboard black writing, and it’s thrown in a stinker of a performance.

The junior version has a different sponsor courtesy of Utilita (they get around, don’t they), and whilst not exactly classic, it’s subtler, and the background stripes have got room to breathe even at first glance.

Umbro have done their part, Derby have not.

6/10

Author: Greg Sykes @SykesGreg