Referees have gone colour blind over the last 15 years - it’s official.
The Football League has stuck to its policy of insisting the side who finished lower in the regular season changes kit tomorrow.
As that was QPR, they will wear the Dennis the Menace red-and-black hoops made famous by the Beano boy, and will also wear alien red shorts.
The reason? Derby’s white and Rangers blue-and-white hoops is a colour clash.
It wasn’t in 1999 between Rs and Fulham at Craven Cottage (see above pic). The neighbours were in the same strip as Derby will be tomorrow, and only 15 years separate then and now.
It wasn't back in the 50s and 60s either - and it wasn’t in the 1970 meeting between the two at Loftus Road, please note the video with Rodney Marsh and co.
QPR historian Gordon Macey’s fine tomes depict a host of clubs from the past wearing white playing Rangers in traditional hoops, and I can find no record of anyone passing to the wrong player because shirts etc were too similar.
However, the League insists both sides playing in their first-choice kit could flummox Wembley referee Lee Mason.
A league spokesman explained the rule.
“It’s a point of clarity,” he said. “There’s no point in running the risk that referees decide there is a kit clash when the two teams get to Wembley. It’s not just the sort of risk that needs to be taken.”
It appears Rangers were willing to compromise and play in white shorts to Derby’s black as well as blue socks to the Rams’ white - but it was no-go because these were not part of the registered QPR strip at the beginning of a season.
Does it matter? Derby were unwilling to give up their home strip, and I’m willing to bet there will be more in blue-and-white wending down Wembley Way than in Dennis shirts.
By the way, the protocol of finishing lower in the league means Rangers are in the ‘away’ dressing room i.e. the one used by foreign teams playing England at Wembley.
Richard Dunne’s not bothered. The central defender’s twice landed the home dressing room and returned there as a loser on both occasions. Come on you red-and-blacks.
