One projects an air of authority, of competence. . . a strong sense of purpose, coupled with a ruthless professionalism as rigid as your starched collar and cuffs.

The other – a sense that you’re not afraid to get your hands dirty. You’re a substance-over-style kind of guy, a man’s man – more comfortable in the dressing room than the boardroom . . . and the discipline you enforce on your squad can be as flexible as your 38 inch elastic waistband. . .

The suit or the tracksuit: which is best for today’s modern football manager? A recent study at the University of Portsmouth discovered that a manager of slim build, wearing a tracksuit on the training ground and a suit on match days, will command the most respect from his players (a fat manager wearing a suit was found to be the least influential, which does partly explain Big Sam’s recent lack of success).

However, having visited Portsmouth University in the past (my mate Dazza attended during brief moments of sobriety) I was immediately mistrusting of the findings of these geeky, Pot Noodle-guzzling layabouts (no offence meant), who appear to have overlooked a number of important factors such as:

• Managers who wear suits only at cup finals
• Roll neck jumpers
• Super tight Mick McCarthy-style shorts paired with football boots on match days
• Fashion combinations (the V-neck jumper worn with a suit and tie, pioneered by Gianluca Vialli, now championed by Pep Guardiola)
• Denim (applies to remote areas of Continental Europe only)

The concrete evidence I seek must surely be found in the past. Brian Clough famously wore a tracksuit for the 1980 European Cup final at the Santiago Bernabéu, but only 2 years previously led his team out at Wembley for the League Cup final in an immaculate 2 button navy blazer, impeccably paired with pressed grey slacks.

It appears the great man knew how to make even Frank Sinatra appear shabby in a two-piece, but on European football’s biggest night he shunned Saville Row and reached for his tried and trusted red polyester Adidas ensemble. The rest, as they say, is history.

Sir Bob Paisley was equally as at home in a suit as he was in a tracksuit  and, as we know, massively successful.

At the other end of the spectrum, Mick McCarthy has appeared in dugouts the length and breadth of the country in what can only be described as ‘loungewear’ whilst sporting a pair of muddied football boots that give the impression he could enter the action at any moment. A carefully selected outfit designed to portray an image of solidarity with his players? Pure laziness? Or just the devious work of an exhibitionist who likes to hang his testicles out in front of packed arenas?

Whatever the answer, and despite his choice of clothing, Mick has managed to deliver 2 Football League Championships with 2 different clubs. But despite binning the shorts in favour of ‘trakkie-bottoms’ these days he has failed to achieve any further success.

Over in Germany, however, Joachim Löw is pioneering matching-smart casual attire for he and his coaching staff. Trendy V-necks under a suit jacket are the order of the match day for Löw and his cronies, and this has seemed to go down well with his invigorated young Germany side.

I hesitate to think how grown men in matching  smart-casual wear would go down on rainy away day in the North-East of England, but in the land where David Hasselhoff is King it is paying dividends.

Back in the Premier League, a youthful Gianluca Vialli quickly became one of Chelsea’s most successful managers when he took the helm at Stamford Bridge, aided in no small part by the use of a V-neck jumper (designed by Paulo Di Canio if memory serves) worn between shirt and suit jacket.

Luca’s position at the forefront of managerial style obviously found favour in trendy West London, as his side delivered numerous trophies including the UEFA Cup Winners Cup and the FA Cup, but his tenure was not a prolonged one.

Sir Alex Ferguson uses a sublime blend of leisure wear at training sessions and office wear on match days, (although as the years progress he looks more and more like an alcoholic used car salesman, his ruddy, bulbous nose resplendent above a short-sleeved shirt and tie) and his success in European and domestic football cannot be brought into question (slurs about bought referees / ‘Fergie Time’, etc. aside, comforting as they are).

The highly successful Jose Mourinho also uses the same suit / tracksuit formula as SAF.

From Phil Brown’s fake tan, to Rafa Benitez’s jeans, to Tony Pulis’ unfeasibly small baseball cap, to Sven modelling his image on a professor of quantum theory - managers have tried almost every trick in the book to gain that slight advantage over their peers.

But whatever combination provides the greatest psychological edge, the past has surely proved that the measure of the man in the suit / tracksuit is far more significant than the cut of the cloth itself.

 @UxbridgeMiracle (Chelsea Fan)