When Premier League kits look strange with the wrong shorts

Last Sunday Arsenal overcame a tricky encounter with relegation strugglers Watford. But while the 3-2 score was vital in the Gunners' Champions League qualification tilt, importantly it showed that the Arsenal home shirt does not go with their away shorts.

This isn't the first time a Premier League club has tried to mix and match its kits. Mainly in a bid not to confuse that tiny handful of people who might be watching on a black and white telly.

Arsenal

The classic red shirt with the white sleeves, and white shorts. Arsenal are instantly recognisable across the globe for this classic look.

They've been wearing white shorts since 1886 when they were the Woolwich Arsenal, and apart from a very brief period in the 1890s when they wore blue shorts. It's been white all the way.

Aston Villa

The Villans are a team who historically can't make up their mind when it comes to kits.

Yes, the classic claret n' blue has been a mainstay home kit since the 1880s. Although they did play around with black, green, red, black and white stripes and an awful brown and sky blue concoction in their early days.

Then drunk on power from their famous European Cup win in 1982, Villa went full claret shorts for the 1983/84 season and then again in 88/89 and 99/00. The sky blue shorts crept back in for the 2000/21, but that's about it for shorts tinkering.

Brentford

In the wild times of the mid '90s, a red pair of shorts popped up for two seasons and looked wrong from the start.

The Bees did make it to the second division play-offs in red shorts in the 94/95 season, but then finished 15th the season after. Cheerio red shorts.

Brentford mascot Buzzette didn't get the memo though, she still wears a red skirt!

Brighton

When you think of the Seagulls you think white shorts don't you? Or do you think blue? Well both are sort of correct.

Brighton were solidly a white first team kit short until 1972 when the blue shorts muscled their way in and stayed until 1983.

The two colours went tit-for-tat for the next 40 years. This season it's blue, last season was white. You sense this will run and run.

Burnley

From 1910, when they switched from a green first team kit (I know), they've gone majority white apart from 98/99 and 06/07 when they went for claret shorts. Sky blue shorts only snuck in during the last decade (12/13, 15/16 and 17/18) and it's a colour they've chosen this season too.

Chelsea

Crystal Palace

Palace have always gone with the blue and red stripes, just to make sure that the majority of teams that visit their ground have to fish out their second or third kit.

Then to really throw a cat amongst the pigeons they occasionally go to their all-white kit to hark back to that glorious 'team of the 80s' that didn't actually do much.

When it comes to shorts their first team kit has been blue since the 2011/12 season.

Fortunately they've not had to pair up their home kit with their away yellow shorts this season. That would be an arrestable fashion offence.

Everton

They went a bit crazy in the 1985/86 season when the top half of the blue shirt went white, but other than that there's been few surprises.

You know where you are with Everton…oh, apart from when they played Manchester United and Leeds this season and wore blue shorts.

Leeds United

White shorts, with minimal changes to the trim is all they have ever served up. So any variations to their home kit during this season should be pounced on straight away.

Have they obliged? Of course they haven't, the dullards.

Leicester City

So if they mix and match their first team top and shorts, supporters can rarely tell the difference.

Liverpool

The world will spin off its axis before Liverpool start mucking about with their first team kit. It's been red shirts and shorts since 1965 and that's how they like it thank you very much.

Manchester City

Manchester City are not afraid to mix it up. When I say mix it up, I mean wear blue or white shorts, so hardly a massive sideways leap.

Manchester United

In your head you probably think that Manchester United regularly switch between white or black first team shorts. But you'd be wrong.

They've only had black shorts once, since 1902, as their first choice kit and that was as recently as the 2018/19 season.

All the other times you've seen them wearing black they've been mixing and matching kits.

Newcastle United

Packing for a holiday is easy for a Newcastle fan, just a black and white top and a pair of black shorts. Then close the suitcase. It's been like that since 1920. Before that the shorts were…er blue!

Norwich City

Southampton

The Saints usually stick with a black short, to go with their multiple variations of the red and white stripe. However, they have been known to select a white, and maybe even a bit of red to see if anyone is actually paying attention.

Tottenham Hotspur

What is it with teams in blue and white, and their lack of decision over which colour shorts they should have.

Spurs should be blue shorts shouldn't they, oh but no every few years or so they throw in some white ones.

Their last all white kit came in the 2012/13 season, and they regularly leap back to that kit through a season.

Then again I wouldn't want to wear that purple and grey away thing either.

Watford

They are called the Hornets, which are black and yellow, so switching to red shorts in the late seventies appeared to be a strange move.

But it did herald a period of success and many Watford fans still believe the club has more success wearing red shorts.

The last time the first team kit had red shorts was the 2011/12 season and finished 11th in the Championship. Is that success?

Watford rarely get the red shorts out now, too busy creating weird and wonderful designs for the home kit.

West Ham United

The Irons have always been a white short team, but will happily switch to claret shorts if the other team is wearing white. It has happened quite a bit this season.

Wolves