Initially greeted with derision by Newcastle fans and outright ridicule by the rest of the footballing world, it was widely speculated that the calypso kit was a parting shot from want-away chairman Mike Ashley. Allegedly ordering Adidas, themselves in the last year of their deal with the club, to knock up something ridiculous for the fans. Whilst those rumours were never verified, and indeed Ashley never went anywhere, the kit became the defining image of a side who were able to ignore what everyone else was saying and do their talking on the pitch. Many an opposition crowd having their giggles quickly silenced by Newcastle turning them over on their own ground. The two-tone yellow stripes, which were as popular with kids going on holiday as the ice lollies they were likely modelled on, oversaw Newcastle's greatest ever away points haul. Occasionally offset with black shorts instead of yellow (which looked so much nicer) the kit begrudgingly earned a place in the heart of the club's fans as the team refused to implode after relegation and instead swept away the Championship.
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