What is the ‘hairdryer treatment’? Meaning of the phrase & football managers who gave infamous dressing room rants

When a coach becomes so incensed with the performances of his players, it might be time to consider the 'hairdyer treatment'

One of the chief tasks for a football manager is to inspire and motivate their players to reach a certain standard. If they fall short of that, then they have to find a way to raise them up.

It can be quite a difficult task to find the right balance, especially when there are so many different personalities involved in a dressing room, each with their own particular quirks and sensitivities.

Some players need to be carefully cajoled over time, while others benefit more from a direct approach.

Occasionally, however, a manager will feel compelled to deliver what is known as 'the hairdryer treatment'.

So what exactly is it? GOAL takes a look at the 'hairdryer treatment' as well as some of its most famous practitioners.

The term 'hairdryer treatment' is used in football to describe an angry verbal reprimand, usually delivered by a manager to an individual player or group of players within a dressing room.

It is a simple metaphor which likens such a tirade to the loud and heated propulsion of air from a hairdryer.

Generally speaking, the 'hairdryer treatment' remains verbal in nature, but things can occasionally overheat and result in physical altercations between parties.

While it is normally associated with managers who become furious with their players during or after games, players can also administer such dressing downs and it does not have to be confined to a dressing room.

Certain managers and coaches are renowned for their use of the 'hairdryer treatment' to get their point across to their players.

It is particularly common among individuals from older generations who have grown up in a sporting