The introduction of names on the back of football shirts, like most ‘innovations’ in modern football, brought many troubles upon the average football supporter. Where once you would be happy with a white t-shirt, perhaps with a badge sewn on, you now not only had to choose between home, away and third shirts, you had to choose a favourite player and wear his name and number wherever you went; you wouldn’t even have the benefit of seeing it for yourself. You might even forget it was there, until some bemused soul taps you on the shoulder one day and says, ”Hodge?”

Pity, then, the poor creature that bought these two shirts, just made available to buy on eBay 1, 2.

First is a Yeboah 21 shirt, presumably bought in the warm afterglow of big Tony’s legendary season of absurd volleys; sadly this is from the 96/97 season when Yeboah graced us with six games and no goals, and is a faithful replica of the shirt he threw at George Graham on his way back to Germany.

Leeds soon found a new goalscoring hero, though, and our striker-loving friend here stumped up the not inconsiderable cash required to have ‘Hasselbaink 9′ attached to his or her smart new ‘Euro’ style pale blue away kit. Jimmy was predicted to cut quite a dash in this shirt as Leeds entered the UEFA Cup; but before he ever wore it in anger (and JFH was always quite easily angered), he’d gone to Atletico Madrid because Peter Ridsdale wouldn’t pay the wage he wanted. LUFC hastily bought Darren Huckerby, and even more hastily Photoshopped his head over Jimmy’s on the squad photo; I guess, after being first jilted by Yeboah and now by Hasselbaink, there was too much pain involved in taking the shirt back to the shop.

If you’re out there, oh striker-jinxing shirt-buying supporter of Leeds, and you’re considering treating yourself to a ‘Becchio 10′ shirt sometime soon – just don’t, alright? Just don’t.

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Originally on The Square Ball blog