We’ve ranked the home kits of all 24 Championship home teams. So who comes out on top?
24th - Reading
If you are going to have blue and white hoops, at least do them properly. The blue on these Reading kits looks as if Puma have run out of colour while applying it to the strip. And, to be blunt, anything Carabao has been involved in this season has not really turned out all too well.
23rd – Sunderland
First things first, the stripes are too close together and go in different directions on the sleeves. That’s a no-no in my book. All of that has the effect of making these Sunderland shirts look like deckchairs.
22nd – Bolton
Since relegation from the Premier League and their parting with Reebok, both in terms of stadium sponsorship and kit design, there has been a drop in standards. This version isn’t offensive but it’s cluttered and has too many different colours distracting from their classic white shirts.
21st – Sheffield Wednesday
I don’t really know where to start with this one. The Owls have gone for the classic look and in general I like that... but I don’t like this. As the Owls celebrate their 150th anniversary they give a nod to the strip worn by the club from 1965 to 1972, which is fine, but I just don’t like the kit. It’s too ‘square’. It’s been made by Elev8, a minor player in the kit manufacturing game, and that brings brownie points in the age of template shirts.
20th – Millwall
A solid enough effort from the Lions, who have teamed their usual blue shirts with a few flashes of gold. I’m not sure about the collar but teaming up with a local business as a sponsor, rather than an online gambling site, is a plus.
19th – Norwich City
Yellow and green is never going to be a winning combination, but the Canaries have certainly done better in the past. The green looks a little too light, it’s got an odd collar similar to Millwall and the sponsor does it no favours.
18th – Middlesbrough
This offering from the Teessiders is struggling because the big white band across the middle of the shirts looks like an afterthought, possibly due to the fact the sponsorship writing turned out to be the same colour as the shirts.
17th – Barnsley
My one criticism of this is that the sponsor’s logo is too high. Other than that it’s a solid shirt earning a solid-enough place in the rankings.
16th - Hull City
The body of the shirt is deserving of a top-half place. The sleeves are really not. They are confused, unnecessary and do not help this shirt’s cause at all.
15th – Cardiff City
Another Adidas effort but this one does nothing to help it leap off the peg. Very basic and a little boring.
14th – Burton Albion
Very simple but yellow and black shirts always look good, especially when worn under floodlights. The shirts are made by Tag, which is one I’ve not heard of before.
13th – Preston
I love white kits. They really rev my engine. But this one is a little too simple, even for my tastes. It’s a white Nike t-shirt with a badge on it and not worth the money.
12th – Birmingham
Another Adidas number which loses marks for being so similar to others up and down the leagues. That said, this one is far superior to Cardiff.
11th - Ipswich
I want to put this Ipswich shirt higher, I really do. For me it’s the best they’ve had since the return to Adidas, the colours are bold and there is an appropriate amount of white. Much better than last season. It’s above its Birmingham twin because of the added three stars but I can’t put it any higher than this.
10th – QPR
I love hoops nearly as much as I like white football kits. This effort from QPR is a classic. Very clean, solid sleeve work and the red numbers on the back mean they can actually be read.
9th – Bristol City
I really like this effort from Bristol City, it’s just so simple. Pinstripes done right are always good and the good people at Bristol Sport have got these spot on. Their bright purple away kit would be a sure-fire winner if I was ranking those… which I might.
8th – Nottingham Forest
More pinstripes done right. I like that there are no stripes on the sleeves, either pin or Adidas, and that the German kit-maker has resisted putting their mark all the way down the sides of the shirt as they have on Ipswich and Birmingham’s.
7th – Wolves
Wolves are a club who are onto a winner every time they design a kit, given their ‘Old Gold’ and black colours. They have done well again, with the odd Puma dots which ruined Reading’s effort being restricted simply to the shoulders this time.
6th – Derby
The Rams always have good kits and, while I think their standards have dropped slightly, this one is still a solid contender. Nice to see Umbro still finding a home on football shirts, too.
5th – Leeds
I’m not sure why I like this plain-ish white kit so much more than Preston’s effort, but I really do. Maybe it’s the fact it’s made by Kappa who, while not always being particularly favoured by supporters, always look ok on footballers. The gold is very nice on the Leeds badge.
4th – Brentford
Close, but this effort from the Bees has just missed out on a medal. They have done well to make three colours work so well on a kit. The red stripes stand out well with the black finishing it all off superbly.
3rd - Aston Villa
Those involved with kit design at Aston Villa have no excuse for messing up, given the classic colour combination they are dealing with. They have hit the mark this year having kept things very simple. Excellent stuff.
2nd – Sheffield United
A much better effort than city rivals Wednesday, with the Blades sticking true to their stripes. They’ve pulled it off superbly, with the black sleeves ensuring no stripe controversy there.
1st – Fulham
Congratulations Fulham on reaching the top of the pile. The white kit with classic black Adidas stripes sings to me. It sings simplicity and cleanness as well as class. Their team should really be higher in the Championship table than they currently sit but as least they are winning the battle of the kits.
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