IT just had to happen. After all the excuses for a bad match result had been used, drab football kit was bound to be blamed at some time.

Along with low cloud, tummy upsets and "having a bad hair day" Alex Ferguson's explanation seemed to rank among the lamest.

But hang on.

Perhaps Manchester United have a point to make after all about swapping a grey kit that players claimed stopped them identifying each other, for a brasher blue and white.

According to Bolton colour consultant Judith Watson: "There is a huge visual difference between seeing each other in their usual red kit and looking at players in grey, which is not really a colour at all."

She added: "Red is the first colour the eye sees. It can raise blood pressure, and it keeps the fans alive!"

Red symbolises energy, vitality, aggression, strength and courage. "To the Hindu, red is associated with the warrior caste," said Judith, who works as an image consultant for House of Colour. And blue was probably a good choice at this point in the match because it represents "peace, coldness, sobriety and contemplation" in a tense situation.

Unfortunately, United still lost 3-1 but the thought was there.

Bolton Wanderers' usual white and navy kit is a good choice, believes Judith, because as well as being easy to see on the field "it represents the good guys". No arguments there.

Interestingly, Manchester United have now announced that their change kit for next season will be all-white.

Meanwhile, Bolton is introducing a new away kit this summer from two-tone blue to teal green top and shorts.

Green? Won't that mean the players can't distinguish each other from the grass then?

"I don't think that will be the case," laughed Wanderers' chief executive Des McBain. "It's actually a very smart kit from Reebok, which is sponsoring Bolton. The colour is similar to what the Premier League referees have been wearing, but I think they're going into all-black now," he stated.

"We'll just have to see how it looks under the floodlights, but from what we've seen already, it looks good and should be popular."

Leeds United, unfortunately, didn't have such a happy time with their green strip choice. They teamed it with a dark blue stripe, but changed it mid-season to all-yellow because players had difficulty spotting each other.

While kit colour might seem a trivial point alongside the importance of playing skills and team tactics, it's now a major marketing tool in any club's finances.

Just how well a football top goes with jeans, for example, these days plays a vital role in colour choice. Andrew Bradshaw, manager of Gibson's Sports in Bolton's Deansgate, said that United's grey kit had actually sold well. Now, town centre sports shops have slashed the prices to around a third just to get rid of stock.

But when the original asking price was £36.99 for the adult shirts and £27.99 for children's, it's not surprising that fans are unhappy when their team has an unexpected change of kit part-way through a season.

For the football purists, the whole business of kit choices could prove to be an unwelcome distraction. For the players, though, looking good on the field is probably just as vital as it is off-pitch. If Teddy Sherringham's headgear at this week's Spurs/Arsenal match is anything to go by, however, the next big worry is what colour to have your team bandana.

Although, judging by his activity around the goal-mouth, it's more important to stop it slipping down over your eyes at vital moments!

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.