Football managers vs. conductors

The analogy between football managers and conductors is hardly new, but there is a mildy amusing article on the subject from Andrew Mellor in today's Guardian. As a North Londoner (and that's the Arsenal bit of North London) I am a great admirer of international maestros. But hang on a moment, what is the sporting equivalent of bands such as Britten Sinfonia which use conductors ever more rarely?