As with his footballing philosophy, Liam Rosenior had a firm and unshakeable view on kit use and touchline apparel. He preferred City to wear club colours so didn’t want the 2024/25 blue third kit used unless it was really necessary, and when in the technical area his look was all ‘sports academia’: form-fitting polo jumpers in gun metal grey, soft-shouldered casual silhouette suit jackets in black (with a chunky oversized scarf and sharp wool overcoat added in the winter months).

What he was not up for, was helping Tiger Leisure market upcoming items and ranges. He was having none of wearing the Tiger Cola tee and sweatshirt in a press conference.

Tim Walter though, is a different kind of head coach, playing what journalist Henrik Jacobs from the Hamburger Abendblatt newspaper described as “heart attack football with high risk”, and theatrically passionate in a Leonid Slutsky with added dugout Perspex punching way. His dress sense is much more ‘Jurgen Klopp on Red Bull’ tracksuit manager: ballcap, hoodies, shorts, dressed the same on the touchline as on the training ground.

He showed at Hamburg that he’s happy to wear what his club issues him, sporting items from the ‘Rothosen-Kollektion’ (literally, red pants collection, in reference to HSV’s home kit shorts) and Tiger Leisure seem ready to exploit that sartorial pliability.

While Saturday’s 0-0 draw with Millwall did little to excite, as Walter’s rebuilt Tigers find their feet (and each others with the ball), there was some sartorial intrigue at least, as the Head Coach sported a new entry to the Kappa Retro range.

The quarter-zip sweatshirt has a black upper body front and back, with the lower body a smoky dark grey made up of panels that curve at the sides. Bands of grey across the shoulders, separated by white piping, are split by amber-piping edged white bands containing repeating black ‘Omini’ logos. A chunky light amber band on each arm is ended at elbow level by a thin white band. The lower forearms are grey with self-coloured cuffs.

The full-zip Kappa track jackets of last year had heat applied ‘Omini’ logos on the chest, but here there’s a fully embroidered ‘Omini’ in amber, lending the garment a premium feel.

One suspects these will be as sought after as last years retro range track jackets and hoodies, but we’ve no idea when these will go on sale.

PS. This isn’t the only soft launch of the season, as Lewie Coyle has been wearing caps with HC initials stylised much as you’d see on an MLB/NBA/NFL cap.

One wonders when the trigger will be pulled on those because they’ve not appeared in Tiger Leisure yet.