SoccerBible opens our Kit Vault to a time when hair was big and football shorts were short! Conjuring up memories of being a young football fan, and re-living some of the players who used to play the game, is this 1983-86 Arsenal Away shirt.
From a time when teams retained their football kits for more than one season, this classic and simple design from Umbro oozes retro cool. There's nothing quite like an old-school football shirt to bring back memories of footballs staggeringly different past, and this Arsenal shirt is a great example!
The yellow colour, looking very 'eighties- silk', was the main colour adopted by Arsenal for their away strips and has been so for the last 40 years. This 1983-1986 design was one of the last to feature the simple cannon as the club badge, which had adorned the shirts since the 1960's, before Arsenal replaced this with a crest.
There were some memorable names to appear in this vintage Arsenal away shirt, and our pictures here feature Charlie Nicholas and Tommy Caton in action in what was then the Canon League Division One! Other names to wear this 83-86 kit include Tony Woodcock (who scored 5 in one game against Villa), David O'Leary, Viv Anderson and Graham Rix.
The Arsenal No.11 shirt we have here was made famous by Graham Rix, who went on to make 464 appearances for Arsenal, played along side club legends such as Liam Brady, Pat Rice and Alan Sunderland.
The 1983-86 Arsenal shirt saw the end of Arsenal's partnership with Umbro as kit manufacturer, with whom they had been with since 1978. Whilst as you see here, Arsenal were mid-way throught their long association with 'JVC', which ran from 1981 before eventually being replace by 'Dreamcast' in 2000.
It's always refreshingly different to dust off the cobwebs from some old football gear, just to remind ourselves how the game has changed, and to bring back some good old memories!
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! Join the conversation online, on Twitter and on Facebook.