‘Laser Blue’ - What did you think then & now?

[HelloCity]

When Kappa came in for the start of the 97/98 season they brought in one of the most iconic City home shirts in history. The football at the time might not have been the best but that home shirt stood out as something new & different and was instantly recognisable to football fans across the country.

One of the biggest changes from previous shirts was a new darker shade of blue which was given the name ‘laser blue’. This was brought in because the classic City blue under Umbro had become so pale - almost representing how ill & pale the club had gotten over the years.

The laser blue continued for a few years after, including during our switch to Le Coq during our 99/00 promotion season back to the PL & would ultimately be worn during for the last time in our final game at Maine Road in 2003.

There didn’t seem to be many dissenting voices at the time but in the modern day I could see a change like this leading to fans being up in arms - so what did you actually think of it back then & what do you think of it now?

 

[mexico1970]

I didn't like the one made of material it was shockingly bad, and the others left me cold too.

But iconic? Probably for a certain generation I will give them that.

 

[Johnny Mars Bar]

Fun for a one off bit of retro nostalgia but I wouldn’t want us to use that colour on a semi permanent basis.

It’s a colour I associate with city when I was a kid though, so it has its place in our history but sky blue is so much better.

 

[Innsbruckblue]

That laser-blue Kappa is one of my favourite City shirts of all time. Beautiful

 

[wolfie1988]

The Kappa effort is an all time classic. However, the eagle badge was shit and City should play in Sky Blue.

Simple.

 

[supercity88]

When Kappa came in for the start of the 97/98 season they brought in one of the most iconic City home shirts in history. The football at the time might not have been the best but that home shirt stood out as something new & different and was instantly recognisable to football fans across the country.

One of the biggest changes from previous shirts was a new darker shade of blue which was given the name ‘laser blue’. This was brought in because the classic City blue under Umbro had become so pale - almost representing how ill & pale the club had gotten over the years.

The laser blue continued for a few years after, including during our switch to Le Coq during our 99/00 promotion season back to the PL & would ultimately be worn during for the last time in our final game at Maine Road in 2003.

There didn’t seem to be many dissenting voices at the time but in the modern day I could see a change like this leading to fans being up in arms - so what did you actually think of it back then & what do you think of it now?

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I think the fact you could get them for a tenner, no one cared too much about what they looked like. It was the new City shirt and you bought it. These days they're so extortionate it would be nice to actually like the shirt when asked to throw £100 at it.

 

[jamielowndes]

The EIDOS kit with the white arm stripe from 1999-2001 is one of my favourites.

However the material pulls worse than any shirt I can remember.

But I liked the laser blue look in general.

 

[flook]

loved it, the shirts prior to that were almost colourless, sky blue indeed if sampled from a typical manchester sky, but dull meh would be a better description. The blue of our shirts now is probably just about right, but if the choice was laser blue or manchester sky blue, then laser every time

 

[mattcity5]

Was all for the changes at the time - the colour had become too pale and our 'team' was soft and a pushover. Anything that might even switch the psychology by 0.1% felt worth a go.

Now? I know the colour still changes slightly with each kit, but we don't need to go back to this. Leave it all behind.

 

[Jwoody19]

The Kappa shirt will always be special to me as it is the first shirt I can remember seeing City play in. I actually think all 3 "laser blue" shirts are very underrated and Umbro/Nike/Puma have missed a trick by not trying to reintroduce it over the last few years.

 

[youngbob]

They were the shirts City wore as I started to support them so I guess they'll always have a special place in my heart for that reason. I recently bought one of City's EIDOS knock-offs.

However, I feel like I should tell City that they're selling the wrong shirt.

The 2001 EIDOS shirt the club are currently selling (https://shop.mancity.com/gb/en/manchester-city-2001-home-shirt/701237608-blue.html) has the MAINE ROAD 1923-2003 badge on it. That's the wrong badge.

The MAINE ROAD 1923-2003 badge was the shirt with First Advice as the sponsor, during our first season back in the Premier League in 02-03. The EIDOS shirt City are selling is from the 01-02 promotion season which still had the Superbia In Proelia phrase on the badge.

The club have mixed up two shirts. Probably because they can't use First Advice as a sponsor anymore. This is what the 01-02 shirt looked like, with the correct club crest: https://secretshirt.co/products/manchester-city-01-02-home-shirt

 

[Kippax Street 1880]

I love the laser blue and would be delighted if it made a comeback. It's probably because I was a youngster when we had those kits and they were my first football shirts.

 

[Dazzle84]

I've still got the Kappa one. Fucking loved it.

Very of its time though - a 90s kit all day long. The colour was alright but the badge was shite.

I'm glad out identity has solidified back to sky blue

 

[LangleyBlue1970]

Given how shit we were, I was amazed we managed to get Kappa on board. They were suppliers to some big, successful clubs at the time. It was also a thing of beauty, as was the away.

Loads of Blues about with it on that summer in the places I went on holiday to.

I bought the tracksuit, too. A then mid-20s Blue. I fucking loved that tracksuit!

 

[Bollo]

I've got two of the 98/99 brother shirts, mine and my dad's, both in decent condition as I don't wear it often. Objectively they're fucking horrible but I love them anyway for what they represent personally and for the club. Can't believe how much they're going for now.

 

[Gaz (FMwkdsoul)]

Always liked it, they should do tribute keepers away kit in it.

 

[Gareth Barry Conlon]

Given how shit we were, I was amazed we managed to get Kappa on board. They were suppliers to some big, successful clubs at the time. It was also a thing of beauty, as was the away.

Loads of Blues about with it on that summer in the places I went on holiday to.

I bought the tracksuit, too. A then mid-20s Blue. I fucking loved that tracksuit!

It's hard go comprehend how shit we were at the time. We were shit on and off the field. Nothing good was happening.

The new colour and badge were described as a radical change for a club that needed a radical change. You couldn't argue with that.

It didn't really change the shitness on the field. We got relegated in that kit. City's lowest point the year after, but then we did turn it around in that kit. The 99 play off final was memorably in the away colours but hat was essentially the era. When kits lasted 2 seasons we got relegated and promoted in that kit.

 

[Yankunian]

loved the kappa shirts and loved the laser blue and also loved the badge

 

[BrianW]

I hated it and still do.

 

[jimharri]

I actually didn't mind the lazer blue, though I know a lot hated it. I have the Kappa kit from 1998, and it's not that bad. I know that Sky blue is our colour and will (hopefully) always be so. Unless the sheikh pulls a Cardiff on us, and we end up playing in red!