Kit launches spark Twitter-joust in ongoing LFC & MUFC saga

Words: Ronan Shields

^{Source: Liverpool Football Club}

Before a ball was kicked in anger on the last day of the domestic season, Liverpool’s kit-launch marked the UK entrance of Warrior Sports while Manchester United’s seemed to rub salt in the wounds. 

Friday saw the unveiling of next season’s replica kits of England’s two-most successful clubs with Nike unveiling its latest offering for the Manchester side and Warrior Sports with its debut Liverpool designs.

The Boston-based sports manufacturer has reverted to the Anfield side’s red with yellow-trimmed colour scheme and has dispensed with its Shankly Gate crest in favour of its original Liver Bird one, see video below. 

Source: YouTube

The move has won favour with traditionalists reminiscing for the days when King Kenny and the Koppites truly did reign supreme over Europe.

^{Source: Liverpool Football Club}

But Liverpool, a team and City traumatised by the Hillsborough tragedy of 1989, has also experienced criticism from some unhappy with the symbols commemorating the 96 that died that day being moved to the back of the jersey.    

Emotions aside, the partnership between Liverpool and Warrior Sports could presage the emergence of a major new sports brand in the football industry given that Liverpool is the fourth-biggest selling replica shirt in the world.

This is behind Spain's Real Madrid, Catalan giants FC Barcelona and of course Manchester United. 

Plus, if the hype purported by Warrior Sports on its website anything to go by, then we’re surely set for a swarm of high-impact marketing activity from next season onwards, see below.

^{Source: Warrior Sports}

How many more clubs it has in its sights is anyone’s guess but with this Liverpool deal you’d have to say it really is laying down a marker. 

Almost simultaneously, Manchester United and Nike revealed the kit Wayne Rooney, etc, will be lining up in at Old Trafford from next season, see left and below. 

Also interesting, was the fact that Manchester and Nike are highlighting the club's roots at the centre of its marketing activity 

The new kit, features “gingham check” which was supposedly synonymous with Manchester’s cotton mills which helped fuel the industrial revolution, as well as the rivalry with their Merseyside neighbours dating back two centuries. 

Have a closer look at the ‘gingham check' both below and left courtesy of Nike. A design Liverpool fans are likening to ‘table clothes’. 

Of course, the simultaneous nature of the launches has sparked with it a war of words between the respective teams’ fans and following their respective hash-tags on Twitter, the Koppites seems to be happier with their offering that those of the Stretford Enders. 

Famed for their wit and fondness of banter, Liverpool fabs also appear to have the upper hand on Twitter when it comes to  the gentle-ribbing of the other side although the Mancunians were able to retort although in sometimes more controversial terms, see further below to read more.

The joke made below (dated May 12 before the last day of the season) is arguably one of the more poignant given United relinquishing their Premiership crown to Manchester City, in the most dramatic last day of the season for many years. 

And of course those blessed with more IT skills really started to make things personal:

^{Source: Twitter}

^{Source: Twitter}

However, not taking things lying down, some Manchester United fans took aim at their rivals in a more controversially manner by speculating that Liverpool’s away kit might look like below, as mentioned above.

This of course references the horrible race-relations incident between Luis Suarez and Patrice Evra, one of the darker episodes of the last season, and an unwelcome phenomena that worryingly appears to be creeping back into the game, especially via online social networks.

Hopefully the game's governing bodies will take appropriate measures to assign such ugly incidents to the past by the time we kick-off for next season.  

However, on a much more positive note, the mixed reaction to the gingham kit and power of social networking has prompted similarly-creative Manchester United fans to share their ‘fantasy kits’. 

One even speculates what a Manchester United kit manufactured by Adidas might look like, all images were sourced via Twitter.