That United Kit from 12/13
Right, let’s talk about that Manchester United kit from the 2012-2013 season. The home one. You know the one I mean, the Gingham check design. Looked a bit like a tablecloth, didn’t it? I remember when it first came out, people were properly divided. You either thought it was bold, something different, or you thought it was just plain ridiculous.
I was in the ‘hmm, not sure’ camp at first, leaning towards ridiculous if I’m honest. But then, well, the season started. And you know how it goes. Football happens.
Getting My Hands On It
I remember deciding I had to get one. It wasn’t even about loving the design yet. It just felt like a season you needed the kit for. Maybe it was the RVP signing buzz, maybe something else. I actually went to the effort of going to a sports shop, one of those big ones. Didn’t order online back then as much. Stood there, looked at it on the rack. Felt the material. It was that Nike Dri-Fit stuff, felt decent quality, weighty.
- Picked out my size.
- Thought about getting a name on the back. Van Persie, obviously. Everyone was getting Van Persie.
- Paid up. Walked out with it in the bag, feeling like I’d done something important. Daft, isn’t it?
Wearing the Thing
First time wearing it out felt a bit strange. Self-conscious, maybe. Waiting for someone to make a crack about picnics. But honestly, once the games started coming thick and fast, and we were actually winning… a lot… the kit started to grow on you. It became associated with those moments. RVP scoring that volley against Villa to seal the league. Fergie’s last title.
Suddenly, it wasn’t just a weird chequered shirt. It was the shirt from that season. The Gingham pattern became iconic almost overnight because of the success we had wearing it. Funny how that works. If we’d had a stinker of a season, everyone would probably still think it was rubbish.
Looking Back Now
Saw one pop up online the other day when I was looking for something else entirely. Someone selling an original one. The price they were asking was mad! Shows how time changes perception, I guess. It’s not just a kit anymore; it’s a piece of history, Fergie’s last stand and all that.
I think I’ve still got mine somewhere. Probably tucked away in a box in the loft with other old shirts. Haven’t worn it in years. But seeing it again brought back that whole season. The buzz, the goals, winning the league comfortably. Proper end of an era stuff.
So yeah, the 12/13 Gingham kit. Started weird, ended up legendary. That was my little journey with it, anyway. From thinking ‘what on earth is that?’ to needing it, wearing it through a historic season, and now seeing it as a proper classic. Football shirts are weird like that, aren’t they? Tied up in memories.
