sportbible logo

To make sure you never miss out on your favourite NEW stories, we're happy to send you some reminders

Click 'OK' then 'Allow' to enable notifications

Alex Ferguson’s Craziest Substitution: When He Made Manchester United Swap Kits At Half-Time

Alex Ferguson’s Craziest Substitution: When He Made Manchester United Swap Kits At Half-Time

Man United boss 'hated' this away shirt so much he binned it mid-match - but was it to blame for a famous defeat?

Alex Reid

Alex Reid

"Get that kit off! You're getting changed," were the first words a furious Alex Ferguson said to his Manchester United team at half-time, 24 years ago.

As David Beckham Ryan Giggs, Roy Keane & co. were 3-0 down to struggling Southampton, they were ready for the hairdryer treatment. What they didn't expect was Fergie tearing strips off their grey kit instead.

He sent his team back out in their blue-and-white away strip, confusing commentators and probably any fans who'd bought the - admittedly ugly - grey shirt.

"He hated that kit," said Gary Neville, speaking on the Quickly Kevin, Will He Score? podcast. "But there is a science behind it."

Ferguson explained himself after the game: "The players don't like the grey strip," he said.

"The players couldn't pick each other out. They said it was difficult to see their teammates at distance when they lifted their heads. It was nothing to do with superstition."

Lee Sharpe, playing for United that day, had a different view. "I'm not sure if any of the players mentioned the kit," he told the Guardian. "Personally I felt that we were playing really poorly."

The science Neville refers to is a vision specialist at the club who believed the grey kits would be harder to quickly pick out, compared to brighter colours the eye instantly registered.

What that logic fails to explain is why United's clownish defending was so bad that they conceded three goals in 45 minutes, despite Peter Schmeichel's best efforts.

The end result was a 3-1 victory for Southampton - which at least meant United had 'won' the second half 1-0, thanks to Giggs's late goal.

Not that Matt Le Tissier was having any of it. "It was probably one of the worst excuses I've heard," said the scorer of Southampton's third. "We just battered them in the first half. We were unbelievable. I remember they got a consolation in stoppage-time but it was nothing to do with their kit."

But did Fergie have a point? This was the fifth time United had started in the grey kit in the 1995/96 season - and the fifth time they'd failed to win (four defeats, one draw).

It was enough for the manager to bin the away shirt, never to be seen again. It had lasted less than a season - and Umbro reduced the price of the new away shirt to £10 to ease the blow to angry fans who'd purchased it.

Even Neville - a staunch Fergie loyalist - admits there may have been a secondary motive for Fergie's demanding they change shirts at half-time.

The king of mind games, Ferguson knew such a bizarre excuse would shift attention away from the players and on to the hideous shirt and/or manager losing the plot.

"When some of us made mistakes, it was ideal for him," Neville said. "He was a master of distraction and taking the headline away from the players."

The surprise defeat briefly opened up the Premier League title race between United and Newcastle, but Ferguson's side quickly got back on track and won their final three games to lift the trophy.

Ferguson would call the £10k fine he got for the illegal kit change: "The best £10,000 I ever spent."

Whether or not he believed destroying the grey kit was a turning point, Southampton vs Man United in 1996 will always be remembered for a jaw-dropping half-time change - and we don't mean Nicky Butt being hauled off for Paul Scholes.

All imagery: PA Images

Featured Image Credit:

Topics: Football News, Football, Manchester United, Sir Alex Ferguson, Premier League