Arsenal Away Shirt 1995/96 - Kit Vault
Its the third edition of our SoccerBible Kit Vault and the first of the new year! This time on show we've got our hands on the 1995-96 Arsenal away shirt. A team rich in history and tradition, Arsenal are one of the true greats of English football...
There are some football shirts that divide football fans and cause a little bit of controversy amongst the club faithful. This away Arsenal kit from the 1995-96 Premier League season is certainly one of them. Fans associated the clubs sponsor JVC, with the idea of the shirt looking like a badly tuned television! Even so, the kit became a cult classic for some Arsenal fans and embedded itself into Arsenal history.
The unconventional design that featured lightning bolts on one half of the shirt took inspiration from Arsenal's previous 94/95 away shirt which first introduced the lightning bolt theme. The lightning bolts couldn't have come from any era other than the 90s.
Arsenal's away shirts have had a strong tradition of being yellow. Nike decided to ignore fans desires of a yellow shirt to follow the 94/95 blue kit with the release of this follow up which didn't feature many design changes from the previous year. The same two light and dark colours of blue were used along with the lightning bolts that still baffled some Arsenal supporters.
This Arsenal kit was significant in marking the arrival of Dutch striker Dennis Bergkamp to the club from Inter Milan. Bergkamp was signed by Arsenal boss Bruce Rioch in June 1995 for £7.5m and was one of the first world-class foreign players to join an English club since the lifting of the Heysel ban in 1990.
Bergkamp played in an Arsenal side that featured club legends such as Ian Wright, Patrick Viera, Thierry Henry and Tony Adams who all played an integral part in Arsenal's three Premier League titles. Bergkamp went on to become an Arsenal legend and was a major contributor to the club's return to success after periods of mediocrity in the mid 1990s. In 2008, Bergkamp was named the 2nd greatest player in the Gunner's history just behind his former strike partner Thierry Henry.
The 95/96 season saw Arsenal finish in 5th place in the FA Premiership with 63 points, 19 points behind the season champions Manchester United. It was the final season before Arsene Wenger was handed the managerial job at the club after his 18-moth stint with the Japanese J. League team Nagoya Grampus Eight. Since then, Wenger has transformed the clubs style of play and philosophy and has now entered his 15th year as Arsenal manager.
Stay tuned to the SoccerBible as we reveal even more retro soccer shirts from the Kit Vault, showcasing the best retro amd classic kits and bringing them back to life!
