The FA surely won’t be happy about this.

Joey Barton appears to have blown a surprise on Wednesday, as the QPR midfielder Tweeted a picture of the new England kit. Barton released the images along with the comment “Yes ok Stuart I will reconsider my international retirement only because you asked nicely.”

Aside from Barton’s faux pas though, most England fans will probably be shocked at how outrageously similar the new Three Lions strip is compared to the ‘old’ kit.

Without looking too closely at the detail, the only difference between the old and this new England kit appears to be the use of red thread instead of blue for the trimming. It feels like a major money-grab by the FA to try and steal another £40+ from England supporters’ pockets. Moreover, it is worth pointing out that the ‘old’ England jersey was worn just eight times by the national team.

The FA have been quick, however, to get out their excuses for the kit change, releasing a statement saying: “As a sportswear company with great history and expertise they (Umbro) are best placed to take decisions on kit cycle, and we support them in their long term strategy.”

Have you ever heard such a useless explanation in your life? It stinks of the FA passing the buck, and we expect that few fans will be satisfied by such flawed logic.

Tell us what you think about the new England kit in the comments below.