Sheffield United are told why it would be a mistake to get superstitious about their new pink and green kits

Managers, footballers and coaches can be superstitious beings - particularly when things are going spectacularly well or worryingly wrong.
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Supporters too, if they begin to associate one individual, formation or tactical plan with disappointing results like the ones Sheffield United have experienced ahead of tomorrow’s match at Liverpool.

Kits are not immune to this phenomena either, with many of the game’s leading names preferring to blame anything, including their team’s choice of colours, whenever they explain a set-back. It is a diversionary measure, designed to deflect the spotlight. But the mud always tends to stick, as happened when Sir Alex Ferguson attributed Manchester United’s below par display against Southampton 24 years ago to the greyness of their shirts.

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The pink or green jerseys Chris Wilder’s side are wearing on their travels this season have yet to be cited as factors behind their slow start to the new Premier League season, which sees them travel to Anfield hoping to end a run of five matches without a win.

But if United’s troubles continue, and people do start pointing an accusing finger at their away apparel, a leading academic has suggested they would be better served by actually examining themselves.

“Sometimes, things like this may turn into a self-fulfilling prophecy that is now, however, substantiated by any research evidence,” Dr Lambros Lazuras of Sheffield Hallam University, told The Star. “If players or coaches and managers believe one colour has a negative effect on performance, then this might possibly influence the way athletes feel, and failures and lost games could be attributed to the kit instead of more influential factors.”

United’s pink second strip divided opinion among fans when it was unveiled earlier this year. Despite being worn by the likes of Juventus, Palermo, Evian and Boca Juniors, many felt the colour was inappropriate but Lazuras added: “The antipathy to pink is empirically unfounded, but it may have a collateral, unintended effect on the attribution of failure or success. Usually, people tend to attribute failure to external factors, such as kit colour, but then take the personal credit for successes when they occur.”

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