NEW EVERTON F.C. AWAY KIT TO BE BLACK, AND THIRD STRIP TO BE RHYS JONES DEDICATED PURPLE?

I'd say the design below is a safe bet for our away kit, as it cropped-up alongside a similarly leaked manufacturer's sketch of what went on to become the home top.

It's also typical Le Coq Sportif away far, if you compare it to Manchester City's hideous away top last season.

I'm not overly enamoured with the black and hot pink stripes, but it makes good sense commercially.

The ladies-only pink shirts last season were a massive sales hit, and I can see these selling loads to blues of the fairer sex.

It could have been worse especially if you keep in mid that appalling City effort.

This season's third kit is a far more interesting prospect. Rumours have surfaced on both the Bluekipper.com and Nil Satis Nisi Optimum forums that the shirt will be purple and silver.

The suggestion is that the top will be somehow tied into the Rhys Jones/Liverpool Unites charity, which has a purple logo to symbolise the civic unity of blue and red united against gangs.

I've even heard a whisper that Rhys's name could be included in the top like the 84/85 team is incorporated in the new home shirt.

This could all be the product of someone's over-active imagination but I really hope not.

It's an excellent idea, and would be a fitting and worthy gesture to a great Evertonian and Corinthian taken from us in the most tragic of circumstances.

On a more trivial note I love purple kits. Fiorentina's strip has always been my favourite Serie A design, and I had to admire the way they played against us in the Uefa cup last season.

My Sunday League team St Domingo's play in purple too.

Let's hope there's more than just gossip to the third kit design because it really is a great idea.