It is there in black and white what needs to be done | OneFootball

Consider what would be the response of anyone in England if you were to ask them which football team plays in black and white.

With apologies to any Fulham, Grimsby or Notts County fans that may have strayed onto The Mag, I think I can safely say that most football fans and even those with little interest in the game, will instantly name Newcastle United.

I think this is something we ought to treasure a bit more highly.

It’s an accident, but a happy one. I don’t suppose our founding fathers would have agonised over the design of the shirts to a great extent, but they have bequeathed us something very special.

There are not many clubs whose colours inspire what you might call, the same brand recognition. Who plays in red and white? Take your pick from five or six premier league teams before you even get started on the lower leagues.

It gladdened the heart to see the magnificent display of black and white filling half of Wembley stadium. However, it did require a bit of help from the club sponsors and their free scarves.

Fast forward to the next home game, Newcastle v Brentford on Wednesday night, and I wouldn’t be surprised if most of those scarves will have been left at home. I know that before kick-off there will be a lot of Wor Flags activity, but once the action starts. I don’t expect to see a mass of black and white in St James’ Park. Much of the crowd will dress no differently than they would for a Saturday afternoon perusing the bathroom tiles at B&Q.

I think that’s a shame.

Still, there’s the guys in the replica shirts to turn the place into a black white heaven, isn’t there?

Well, sort of.

Apart from those in the red and blue second shirt, of course. Or the third choice top. Or those who wear their favourite away shirt from God knows how many years ago.

When it comes to replica tops, the home shirt certainly gets a look-in, but the black and whiteness I’m hoping to see is diluted by colours that have a minimal connection with the club and its history.

I know the current second shirt harks back to the Keegan era, but that doesn’t compete as a tradition with an unbroken record of black and white stripes going back to the nineteenth century.

I’m sorry to all you lot that have shelled out good money to get the latest second or third choice top, but why do you do it?

There is very little that remains constant about a football club over the years. Your favourite players leave, the managers get sacked, the owners change and even the ground is now likely to move.

The most tangible thing that connects the here and now with those flickering images of Hughie Gallacher, Jackie Milburn and the like are those black and white vertical stripes. They instantly mark us out to ourselves and the world as Newcastle United. Why jettison that tradition to pay homage to the fleeting creations of the marketing department of Adidas or Castore?