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From gilets to puffer jackets: a guide to sideline chic

With Tim Sherwood a long-time advocate of the sleeveless jacket, who are the other managerial trend-setters?

Tim Sherwood’s time in charge of Tottenham may have been brief and generally ridiculed but he did make one important statement: the gilet.

Soccer - Barclays Premier League - Swansea City v Tottenham Hotspur - Liberty Stadium Nick Potts / PA Wire/Press Association Images Nick Potts / PA Wire/Press Association Images / PA Wire/Press Association Images

With the garment now set to take a few months off, we should be grateful that Tim was brave enough to follow in the footsteps of some other trail-blazing, fashion-conscious managers. It’s an exclusive club.

1. Jose Mourinho and that magnificent overcoat. 

BRITAIN SOCCER ADAM BUTLER / AP/Press Association Images ADAM BUTLER / AP/Press Association Images / AP/Press Association Images

In many ways, Jose redefined how a top-flight football manager looked. Here was a man, with his olive skin and salt ‘n’ pepper hair, who captured the era perfectly. By 2004, the Premier League wasn’t just a place for for hard-nosed, square-jawed locals but, instead, was embracing its cosmopolitan side.

Mourinho, with his sharp suits, chains and rings, looked more like a love interest from a daytime soap opera than an autocratic football coach. And that’s why we loved him.

Oh, and that coat of course.

BUT…

Recently, particularly since he’s reached the half century, Jose has let his standards slip. He began to enjoy the comforts of baggy tracksuits during his stint at Real Madrid and, rather unforgivably, has continued that trend since returning to England. His recent sartorial offering at Anfield will live long in the memory – for all the wrong reasons.

Jose has moved to the dark side…chav chic. We might never get him back.

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2. Arsene Wenger and the puffer jacket

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We’ve all been there. That one item of the wardrobe that never gets old. The reliable friend. Put it on and you instantly feel so much better. Loyalty.

Arsene Wenger is loyal to his puffer jacket. There’s an affection there, built up over many years together. And even when it misbehaves, Wenger offers it nothing but support.

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And when it misbehaves again, Wenger, instead of caving in and changing his ways, sticks to his age-old way. Sound familiar?

Michael Haro / YouTube

3. Pep Guardiola and his sweater/blazer combination

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With the shaved head, grizzly beard and appreciation for well-tailored clothing, Guardiola is the poster-boy for the successful, middle-aged, modern man. He also, on occasion, looks like a model for Marks and Spencer’s Autograph range.

This season alone, he’s upped the stakes. Yes, the sweater (in a variety of shades and colours) partnered with the finely-fitted blazer has become his trademark but he’s bravely ventured down the road of polo-necks, with mixed results. It’s such a fine line between successful, middle-aged, modern man and…a Bond villain.

Germany Soccer Champions League Matthias Schrader / AP/Press Association Images Matthias Schrader / AP/Press Association Images / AP/Press Association Images

4. Manuel Pellegrini and the hoodie

Pellegrini is a distinguished, older gentleman. We know him best for his cool, calm demeanor that’s deftly complemented by his clothing choices. But there was something incredibly impressive in the way that he embraced his ‘Northern Soul’, investigated his new-found appreciation for urban life and defiantly wore a hoodie during Manchester City’s FA Cup Sixth Round clash against Wigan.

Soccer - FA Cup - Sixth Round - Manchester City v Wigan Athletic - Etihad Stadium PA WIRE PA WIRE

For a sixty-year old to remain open to new influences is always laudable. Sadly, the hoodie hasn’t been given an airing since. And that’s a travesty.

5. Paul Tisdale and…everything

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Though Tisdale manages in League Two, his style is nothing less than Premier League (see what we did there?) and he’s deserving of much more attention than the 3700 fans that normally attend an Exeter City home game.

In the past he’s embraced cravats and flat caps but, what’s to be celebrated is the dedication. On every game-day, Tisdale is impeccably put-together with his whole ensemble meticulously assembled.

Now, if only the same could be said for his football team..

6. And there’s a special place for those that accessorise

(a) Roberto Mancini and his scarf

Soccer - Barclays Premier League - Everton v Manchester City - Goodison Park Peter Byrne / PA Archive/Press Association Images Peter Byrne / PA Archive/Press Association Images / PA Archive/Press Association Images

(b) Tony Pulis and his baseball cap

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(c) And finally…Steve McClaren and that umbrella

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Tim Sherwood and his gilet have been shown the door at Tottenham

John Terry will be back playing for Chelsea next season at the Bridge

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