Dress to Impress

I was always told growing up that, regardless of my position in life, I should try to dress for success. Some may see it as a cocky way to express false wealth, but I always agreed that dressing up is a great way to gain respect amongst your peers. Even if you have no idea what you are talking about, you’ll not only be noticed, but people will know that you take what you do seriously.

When I look at the sidelines during soccer games, I can’t help but notice what the managers are wearing. There’s basically two types of managers: those that wear suits, and those that wear their training kit. To be honest, I think managers that wear their training kits on matchday are tacky and tasteless. The managers with the most success in recent times all seem to dress well, separating themselves from their team and commanding authority. For example, I’ve never seen Jose Mourinho rock Chelsea’s or Inter’s training kit on the sideline since he has been in charge. The same goes for Fabio Capello and even newboy Pep Guardiola at Barcelona. The success between those three managers alone in recent times has been incredible.

Then you’ve got guys like Steve Bruce at Sunderland and the current US Men’s National Team manager Bob Bradley. You can argue that they have been somewhat successful in their time as managers as well, but by no means can they be mentioned in the same breath of success as the aforementioned. I don’t understand. It’s not really that hard to throw a suit on for ninety minutes and look the part. I tend to look at the people that are successful in whatever it is I want to be successful in and try to emulate them. Dressing to impress may not get you to the finals, but at least you’ll look good while you try.

Current FC Barcelona Manager – Champions League Winner 2009

Current Chelsea Manager – Champions League Champion with AC Milan 2003,2007

Current Inter Milan Manager – Champions League Champion 2004 with Porto – Premier League Champion with Chelsea FC 2005,2006

Current Sunderland Manager – Has bounced around high Championship/low Premier League sides

Current US Men’s National Team Manager – Experienced some success in the MLS as well as this year’s Confederations Cup – World Cup 2010 will be a test.

Former Burnley Manager from 2004-2007. Currently without a job.

Current England Manager – Won the Champions League with Milan, La Liga with Real Madrid, and the Serie A with several Italian Clubs. Obviously dresses for success with strapped sandals and a speedo.

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