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Luke Ayling of Leeds United during the Pre-season Friendly match between Nottingham Forest and Leeds United

Ranking every Championship home kit of the 2023-24 season

Mitchell Wilks β€’

The 2023-24 Championship season is upon us, meaning 46 gameweeks of unrelenting carnage across the next nine months or so.

As always, England’s second tier will no doubt provide some of the best entertainment value one can find in football, with close scraps throughout the 24-team strong league table and a play-offs battle for the promised land at the end of the season.

But crucially, how good will each side look in doing so? We’ve take every single home kit and ranked them from worst to best. Feel free to tell us how wrong we are after reading through.

24. Blackburn

A terribly cheap and nasty vape sponsor, strange text in the background of the shirt, and that collar.

That collar. Lord help us. What on earth were they even trying to achieve with that? Looks like a fake you’d see on holiday.

23. Middlesbrough

Looks like a rugby shirt. And not a good one. A really bad one.

Wrong sport, poor effort.

22. Birmingham

Not Black Flag fans, apparently.

If a team in real life used the ‘create a kit’ function in FIFA Career Mode, it would look something like this.

Not a good thing. Also, that ‘Undefeated’ sponsor is bound to bite them on the backside several times.

21. Swansea

Why is everything down the middle? Are we queueing up for something?

Shocker. And that’s before we’ve even considered the sleeves.

20. Cardiff

For years, the ‘Visit Malaysia’ sponsor slapped in the middle of Cardiff’s kits has ruined them season after season. Shameless.

Add to that a rather cheap-looking collar and some strange white piping near the sleeves, and it’s a recipe for disaster. Sorry, Bluebirds.

19. Watford

The Hornets were about to get bonus points for trying something different and being creative with their shirt, bumping them up the table, but then the sponsor happened.

Becoming a bit of a recurring theme, this, but this is one of the worst examples. ‘MrQ.com’ couldn’t look any more out of place if it tried.

18. West Brom

No shirt with a boiler company front and centre can ever be considered good. Average at best.

West Brom’s is probably that, if we’re being kind. Very forgettable.

17. Coventry

The most blatant case of a sponsor ruining a shirt. Being honest, this is probably harsh, but for the sake of getting a message across it has to be done.

Coventry would’ve easily been inside the top 10 – and probably higher – before ‘King of Shaves’ took up a spot on the front of the shirt.

Seriously, what on earth is that logo about? Puts us off wanting to use their products, if anything.

16. Sunderland

Nike’s recent shirt templates have proven immensely polarising and for good reason. For some shirts, it plays a part in producing absolute worldies.

For others, it completely misses the mark. Sunderland are unfortunately the latter. Those white shoulders aren’t it.

15. Sheffield Wednesday

The Owls are back in the second tier, but the jury is very much out on their kit.

At a base level, it’s a solid effort, if not a touch too busy. We like it, though. Again, however, the sponsor is throwing us off.

It just doesn’t quite fit in with the stripes and the colours. Looks a little bit thrown together and messes up the entire vibe.

14. Rotherham

Finally a decent sponsor, with Rotherham using their home shirt to support a good cause.

However, it just lacks that extra sparkle that makes it feel memorable. PUMA has tried with the 90s-looking stadium imprint in the background, and it looks fine, but feels like it’s missing something.

Not bad, though.

13. Ipswich

Splits opinion, this one.

Some love the sponsor, some hate it. Could be much, much worse though, as we’ve seen in earlier examples.

The shirt itself walks a very tightrope between a classic-looking football shirt and an uninspiring rugby kit. Just about falls on the side of the former, however, and for that sits around mid-table.

12. Hull City

A black and orange colour combination is always a solid start for an impressive kit, with The Tigers standing out from the pack as a result.

It’s probably not the most memorable or inspiring strip they’ve had, with heavy portions of black around the sides, but it’s hard to say that Kappa haven’t delivered for the most part.

White sponsor adds an extra pop, too. It’s fine.

11. QPR

Similarly to Hull, it’s difficult for QPR to go too far wrong with their base concept of horizontal blue and white hoops.

The subtle hits of red add an extra dimension to their shirt, though, particularly on the edge of each blue hoop. Subtle but very effective.

Quietly a very smart kit.

10. Leicester

Still feels a tad strange seeing The Foxes back in the Championship, but if the general online consensus and the bookies are to be believed, then they won’t be there for long.

While Leicester are in the second tier, though, they’re returning in style with a pretty decent kit thanks to adidas. The v-neck is a little strange, but with King Power back on the shirt and a subtle, intricate pattern worked through that royal blue base, they’re onto a winner.

Nothing crazy, but definitely a positive.

9. Norwich

Controversial and one that is bound to split opinion all season, Norwich’s latest home shirt feels like one that fans will love in 20 years’ time when it earns retro status.

That Lotus sponsor is superb, and the proportions of the shirt with the horizontal stripes feel spot on. Yellow and green is a difficult colour to get right and very easy to get wrong, but in terms of making it loud yet subtle, Joma deserve credit.

Like it now or forever be a hypocrite when you warm to it as it becomes vintage.

8. Millwall

Have never ever tried Huski Chocolate, but Millwall’s home shirt might be the thing to change that.

Sponsor blends in perfectly to break up the navy base, whilst the lighter blue stripes emerging from the bottom of the shirt provide extra relief and pop.

Can’t be angry at that one.

7. Preston North End

Nothing too crazy from Preston, but a good home kit doesn’t need to be that. In fact, the best home shirts are the ones that play by the rules and Preston have done exactly that.

White base, navy accents, very subtle two-tone stripes and a brilliant collar and cuffs combination. Excellent stuff. Castore continue to impress.

6. Huddersfield

The Terriers have seen the good, the bad and the ugly when it comes to shirts in recent years, but this anniversary strip is fantastic.

A combination of doing the basics right and celebrating tradition with a golden twist. The gold accents commemorate the first of a treble of First Division title wins in the 1920s. Bit of trivia for you, there. Don’t say we don’t treat you.

Classy and a brilliant use of the accent. We’d imagine this will go down as a fan favourite.

5. Bristol City

It’s not actually new, considering Bristol City have been playing in it since February after their deal with Hummel came to an abrupt end, but that doesn’t make it any less beautiful.

Irish manufacturers O’Neills don’t have much pedigree in football and are more known for their rugby kits, but after delivering this absolute scorcher, they ought to dip their toe into our sport more often. Perfect use of colours and design. Those pinstripes are immaculate and so are the cuffs.

So, so clean and classy.

4. Southampton

Hummel have cheated a bit here, kitting out Southampton in one of the most iconic shirt templates in football history. But, there is at least context behind it.

We’re also not complaining because it’s a stunner. Easy win.

Slightly too easy, though, which stops them getting a podium finish.

3. Stoke

Proper Stoke kit, this. Classy, something the fans can get behind and will look brilliant on the field on a team that is being tipped for a play-offs push.

We’re a sucker for a collar, but it’s the extra details that really bring it to life. Thinner stripes and those subtle hits on the sleeve cuffs and the fold where the collar meets. Outstanding.

Perhaps the only drawback is the monochrome badge, but you can at least understand why it’s there, and it works well.

2. Leeds United

After a horror show of a season in a kit that probably matched the mood around Elland Road, Leeds have gone back to basics and it’s paid dividends.

The new ‘BOXT’ sponsor is much, much cleaner and fits onto the white base seamlessly, while Adidas have crucially moved away from that unusual volt green colour and instead returned to yellow.

Combine those with a funky collar and some seriously cool stripes which combine blue and yellow, and it’s a strip that looks timeless.

1. Plymouth Argyle

The Pilgrims have returned to the Championship with a bang. Winner winner, chicken dinner.

Plymouth Argyle reveal their 2023-24 home shirt as they prepare for their first Championship season in 13 years.

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