{"id":42037,"date":"2025-05-23T13:12:56","date_gmt":"2025-05-23T13:12:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/jusmedia.co.uk\/kitroomcollective\/?p=42037"},"modified":"2025-06-03T13:54:11","modified_gmt":"2025-06-03T13:54:11","slug":"touchline-fits-brian-mcdermott-on-dressing-for-dugout-success","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/jusmedia.co.uk\/kitroomcollective\/?p=42037","title":{"rendered":"Touchline Fits: Brian McDermott on Dressing for Dugout Success"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>The age old touchline debate, suit or tracksuit? Former Leeds and Reading manager Brian McDermott reveals how his matchday outfits shaped his mindset, projected authority, and even influenced his players\u2019 performances.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Back in November 2012, Reading were 11 games into the Premier League season but still hadn\u2019t won a game, so what needed to change, a new formation? A tactical switch? Maybe a change in personnel? But for Brian McDermott, the answer wasn&#8217;t found on the training ground or in the meeting rooms. Instead, he opted for a more unorthodox adjustment: his attire.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cI felt I needed to change it up and decided to put on a suit,\u201d McDermot recalls.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&nbsp;\u201cI knew that sometimes it&#8217;s not just about the tactics or the players, it\u2019s also about the energy you bring as a manager.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Reading went on to win that game 2-1 thanks to an Adam Le Fondre double, inflicting just the second defeat in 20 games on a strong Everton side.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cI carried on wearing a suit after that victory, but unfortunately, the suit didn\u2019t bring the same kind of luck as a tactical change or a top-class striker,\u201d McDermott jokes. \u201cStill, for that one game, it felt like a magic touch.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>McDermott enjoyed a successful managerial career in England&#8217;s top leagues, leading teams like Reading and Leeds United where he became known for his pragmatic managerial approach and his ability to foster strong team unity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>For him, even his choice of clothing reflected his coaching style.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cIn my early days of management, I always wore tracksuits. I was a very hands-on coach, always getting involved in drills and working closely with players so it just felt more appropriate than a suit.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cI didn\u2019t want to lose that kind of connection on matchdays, I wanted to still feel part of the team and ready to step in.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>However, McDermott wasn\u2019t opposed to wearing a suit when he felt it was the right moment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cI think the first time I wore a suit was for the Championship Play-off final in 2011 against Swansea with Reading.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cIt was a massive game, at Wembley, the biggest game of my managerial career at that point. The magnitude of the game is obvious. I didn\u2019t want to hide away from that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large is-resized\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"768\" data-src=\"https:\/\/jusmedia.co.uk\/kitroomcollective\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/45\/2025\/05\/habib-ayoade-PZ8lyg_c-pk-unsplash-1024x768.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-42266 lazyload\" style=\"--smush-placeholder-width: 1024px; --smush-placeholder-aspect-ratio: 1024\/768;width:762px;height:auto\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/jusmedia.co.uk\/kitroomcollective\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/45\/2025\/05\/habib-ayoade-PZ8lyg_c-pk-unsplash-980x735.jpg 980w, https:\/\/jusmedia.co.uk\/kitroomcollective\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/45\/2025\/05\/habib-ayoade-PZ8lyg_c-pk-unsplash-480x360.jpg 480w\" data-sizes=\"(min-width: 0px) and (max-width: 480px) 480px, (min-width: 481px) and (max-width: 980px) 980px, (min-width: 981px) 1024px, 100vw\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB3aWR0aD0iMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIxIiB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciPjwvc3ZnPg==\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Wembley Stadium<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cIt wasn&#8217;t just me wearing a suit, I saw it as a representation for the whole team.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The game didn\u2019t go to plan for McDermott however as Swansea ran out 4-2 winners thanks to a Scott Sinclair hat-trick.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>However, Reading bounced back the next season, winning the Championship and securing promotion to the Premier League.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cWhen the final whistle went, we all felt massive disappointment but I knew to use that feeling as fuel for the next season and it stood us in even better stead going forward.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cThat suit was part of the mindset shift, the confidence it showed was a reminder that the way we carry ourselves, both on and off the pitch, can have a significant impact on our performance.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Pep\u2019s Stone Island jumper, Simeone\u2019s all black mafia looking suit, Mihajlovic\u2019s Off-White trainers, the clothing of managers has certainly evolved in recent years, incorporating more streetwear and designer brands into their touchline fits while still maintaining an air of authority and professionalism.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s changed a lot but I like the casualness of it,\u201d McDermott asserts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cManagers seem a lot more confident to express themselves through their clothing these days.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cI\u2019m not sure I\u2019d be able to keep up with the latest trends like the current managers do and I don\u2019t think I could pull off some of their outfits but I\u2019d give it a go!\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Brian McDermott reveals how touchline fashion at Reading and Leeds shaped mindset, authority, and performance.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":181,"featured_media":42320,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[95],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-42037","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-otp-row-2"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.2 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Brian McDermott on Dugout Style<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Brian McDermott reveals how touchline fashion at Reading and Leeds shaped mindset, authority, and performance.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/jusmedia.co.uk\/kitroomcollective\/?p=42037\" \/>\n<meta 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