England shirts old and new. They’re an interesting medium for fans to come together to watch their nation’s finest compete in European and World stages. Although this 1984-’85 shirt isn’t as synonymous with your boozy fan parks and quiet hope like the tournament tributes of the sixties, nineties and noughties – this edition is still one to be respected.
This crisp white Umbro specimen is wonderful, and was released with two other shirts – a red away and a light blue third shirt. The home shirt is our personal favourite. Although the white primary colour gives the essence of just a basic classic England strip, everything comes together beautifully to graduate it to the next level of style. The badge is iconic and a real throwback to the era. The trimmed navy collar with red and white inner line is a subtle mark of class. The very neck itself, is also a testament to the sporting time for the country, and the sleek ‘V’ shape is oddly reminiscent of cricket attire.
Those glowing words being said, the same sort of praise cannot be heaped on the football that was played in this garment as England failed to qualify for the European Championships of ’84. The team included the likes of Trevor Francis, Terry Butcher, Brian Robson and was headed up by the great Bobby Robson yet were pipped to the post of qualification by a supreme Danish outfit that had Michael Laudrup and Preben Elkjær in their ranks.
Still, one consolation is the fact that those pesky Danes would win the tournament in 1992.
