Tradition is one of the most important pillars that links football clubs and their fans, so when things change, people can get a little worried …
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Clubs have thought in the past that the best way to avoid drama is to first consult fans and post emotions before doing something too different.
Changing club arms is one of the traits that one should approach with extreme caution. Here are the worst changes of club top in recent years – ranked.
IM FC Internazionale Milano. Which IM comes from what I’ve always been. I’m open to the whole world and rooted in a city. #IMInter pic.twitter.com/iQVzmyrE3u
– Inter (@Inter_en) March 30, 2021
Inter announced the end of an era when it was revealed that their long-term shirt sponsorship agreement with Pirelli would end after 26 years.
They followed it up with a top change as well, and although the brand development is certainly not the worst on the list, the reaction to it has not been great in Italy’s fashion capital …
Chelsea redesigned their weapon shortly after Roman Abramovich took over the club Visionhaus / Getty Images
When Roman Abramovich took over the club in 2003, he began to change Chelsea from top to bottom. He not only injected trucks with money into the team but he also ordered that the club be transformed.
He kept the roaring lion and the traditional blue and yellow colors, but the top was completely modernized.
Although now widely accepted, at the time it was met with disagreement from fans with concerns that Abramovich was wiping out the club’s history. Not sure many would complain now but …
The old brand was replaced without consulting fans Ben Radford / Getty Images
The Gunners replaced their club weapons, which had adorned shirts in some form since the 1940s, with the modern iteration of 2002, before moving to the new Emirates Stadium.
While the new design was a bit boring compared to the much livelier original (and the cannon is turned the other way), the fact that the change was made without any fan consultation really annoyed the fans.
The hammers changed it in 2016 | Catherine Ivill / Getty Images
When Hammers moved to London Stadium back in 2016, West Ham fans voted to change the club’s top to something more modern.
More modern ultimately meant “minimal”.
The sledgehammers remained but it was about it from the old design, with the name of the club and ‘London’ written below.
So boring.
Manchester City coat of arms unveiled in 2015 | Visionhaus / Getty Images
Man City’s Abu Dhabi owner went for a new brand in 2015, but tried to avoid Arsenal’s mistakes by recruiting fans for their views.
The new circular design killed the Latin motto and the bird emblem, which frankly were just cool stuff.
But rather than some specific design elements, it was the omission of the words “Football Club” that worried fans, who saw the new weapon as a symbol of an inevitable slippage into a kind of corporate franchise hell.
New logo, details of the change? pic.twitter.com/UdhdD2rfiT
– FC Nantes (@FCNantes) 23 May 2019
There is minimalism and then there is the new Nantes crown.
The old version had a star for each league title the club had won, its start date, a ship representing the port and five Breton hermines.
The new version had some diagonal lines to form an ‘N’ for Nantes, just a Breton hermine and the club colors.
Who needs tradition anyway?
Is Everton trying to change club tops? What do you think? pic.twitter.com/SnYKqNPtYe
– Webby-p (@Webby_p) April 20, 2013
After years of fighting to join the elite of the English football team, Everton made a decision to change brands in 2013 and changed their weapon.
The club mantra “Nil Satis Nisi Optimum” disappeared along with a new shade of blue and the fans absolutely hated it.
Due to the reaction of the fans, the new look lasted only a year before it was redesigned again to include the missing elements.
The bullet escaped.
Cardiff City chairman thinks red is lucky and puts in red spots and sticks a red Welsh dragon as a weapon for ‘The Bluebirds’. pic.twitter.com/LvG4cTJV7u
– Craig Jones (stuck @?)? (@ Craig_J_85) January 24, 2018
One of the most notorious crimes in the history of football branding.
Back in his early teens, Cardiff City were taken over by Vincent Tan who had a whole new vision for the club.
Not only did he change the club’s colors from blue to red, but he completely changed the weapon, with the blue bird replaced by a red Welsh dragon. Fans rioted, the media was disgusting and Tan was forced to regret his changes … at least he did after three years of staying steadfastly stubborn.
At the time of writing, they are known as “Bluebirds” once again and wear a blue home kit with a new comb that has “united the club”, but Tan is still the owner so anything is possible …
? | Our new weapon #MOT #LUFC
6 months of research 10,000 people consulted Redo for the next 100 years
Watch video ➡️ https://t.co/rIIdL2Yz9F pic.twitter.com/pMrd3zTjCl
– Leeds United (@LUFC) January 24, 2018
Do you remember when you were little and you played “Master League” on Pro Evolution Soccer and got to create your own club? That’s basically what Leeds United’s designers did in 2018.
To celebrate the club’s centenary, they presented a new weapon that featured a video game as a character that pounded his chest with the words ‘Leeds United’ embossed above. No tradition at all.
Fans became (understandably) mental, memes were created and the design was scrapped within a few days after it was presented before the club chose to go with something much more familiar.
What are people’s thoughts about the new Juventus weapon? pic.twitter.com/KhqbiUC81f
– Kickabout (@kickabout_app) January 19, 2017
Juventus is one of the biggest and best football clubs in the world. They are often praised for their traditional values while their old top was one of the most famous and beloved.
So when they announced a new brand in 2017, there was shock and laughter at what this fantastic club had managed to come up with … The word ‘Juventus’ above a ‘J’ was spooned by a larger ‘J’.
That was it. It was the whole peak.
Despite the backlash it received, Juve stuck to their marketing and the new top remains to this day.
