THE HISTORY OF FOOTBALL FASHION - 1971 - 1995

A Five Part Story

1.THE FAT SIDEBURN. 1971-1976.

A precursor of the perm. It made a brief comeback in the rave days of '89 but never in our lifetime @
will we see sideburns so expansive as those sported by players in the early seventies. When Charlie @
George collapsed after scoring the winner in the 1971 Cup Final it wasn't from sheer exhilaration, @
but from the weight of his momentous burns. It appeared at one stage in 1973 that half of the @
players in the English League were turning into werewolves so garguantarean were their burns. The @
F. A. put a stop to it all in 1976, when clubs were issued with 20 razors each and there was a facial @
hair amnesty.

2.THE  SHAGGY PERM 1977-1980.

Very big in the 1970's.  It's champion was Kevin Keegan, the then England captain. The perm was @
especially big on Merseyside, where if you weren't curly, you weren't playing.  McDermott, Souness @
and of course Keegan all wore the red of Liverpool and the lacquer of the hair dresser. It would @
be unfair to limit the perm's influence solely to Liverpool.  Players all over the country were frizzy @
from Bryan Robson to Alan Brazil.  Viva la perm !

3. BIG COLLARS 1978 -1980

The seventies was a terrible decade for all purveyors of good taste. In the mid to late seventies @
English football already rocking from failure to qualify for the 1978 World Cup Finals was in turmoil @
again. Itchy cotton shirts had been accepted as the norm for years, but no-one was expecting the @
addition of collars as wide as an Elephant's arse. The Civil Aviation Authority deemed that all those @
wearing collars of this type would have to apply for a pilot's license, in case they took off when @
chasing the ball. Luckily the collars disappeared as quickly as they came and gave way to the @
V Neck... but that's another story.

4. HIGHLIGHTS 1981-1984.

There was widespread dismay when Andy Townsend stepped out for Ireland's first match against @
Italy in  the 1994 World Cup Finals. Townsend's dark brown hair had been replaced by a mop of @
streaked highlighted blonde hair. Suddenly it was 1981 again, Spandau Ballet were in the charts and @
youths all over the country were sporting expensive designer leisurewear, wedge haircuts and @
highlighted hair. Townsend's singular action brought a flood of horrific memories back and indeed @
there was a strong  body of opinion that Townsend should have been prosecuted by the fashion @
police!

5. BAGGY TROUSERS 1993 -

Coming right back to modern times now. Something ugly and sinister has been creeping back in to @
game lately...  No it's not hooliganism but the return of long shorts. It's implications for the game @
are widespread. The game has been signicantly slowed down,with players finding it difficult to run @
because their shorts keep trailing along the ground.  When the Conservatives asked for a return @
to Victorian values, nobody thought that they were referring to footballers.  In the late 19th Century @
it was thought of obscene if a woman showed so much as an ankle, nowadays players can show no @
more than a knee cap.
