What does Russell Slade have in common with Martin O’Neill, Tony Pulis, Steve Bruce and Paul Hart?

He is among a declining number of managers whose preferred dress code for work is a tracksuit rather than Armani, Boss or some other designer label.

There is something refreshingly down-to-earth about the Albion chief and his Premier League counterparts listed above in an era when, for some, style and celebrity matters more than substance.

How else do you account for the misguided arrogance of Newcastle United? Alan Shearer seems to have plenty of sharp suits but not much idea of what management at the coal-face is all about, judging by the disorganised and listless displays of his team.

Slade would not win any catwalk contests but then Albion are not competing in a fashion parade.

The only thing that should matter is how he performs and, in that respect, the likes of Slade, O'Neil, Pulis and company put the former England skipper to shame.

While others appear aloof, the tracksuited manager conveys a sense of being in the trenches alongside his players and on the same wavelength as supporters.

Chairman Dick Knight said: “He (Slade) is very modern in his thinking but retains the absolute fundamental qualities of management, which is the ability to motivate and get more out of a player than the individual perhaps even realises.

“The fans have embraced him and love him because he is human. He is touched the way they are. When we score he leaps up, when we miss he lives it as we do.”

My message to Slade is do not be swayed by the trend towards trendyness in the dugout.

Keep that suit you wore for your first match at Leyton Orient in the wardrobe and stick with the cap and training top or coat.

You only have to look at the greatest English manager never to manage England for evidence that sartorial elegance counts for nowt.

Nobody ever looked scruffier on the touchline than Brian Clough