Sam Allardyce has confirmed to talkSPORT he once used clips from 300 and Gladiator to inspire his players at Blackburn Rovers.
However, it failed to stimulate his troops as they slumped to a crushing 7-1 defeat to Manchester United.
The former Blackburn boss was trying to inspire his players before visiting the Red Devils at Old Trafford in November 2010, the same season United won the Premier League title.
Ex-Rovers defender Gael Givet revealed Allardyce tried to motivate his players before taking on the champions-elect away from home. However, their defence was breached five times by Dimitar Berbatov, before Nani and Park Ji-Sung also got on the scoresheet.
In an interview with French publication L’Equipe, Givet recalled: “We had warmed up and we went back to the dressing room.
“While we were putting on our shin guards, he [Allardyce] said: ‘Guys, wait!’ He put down a projector and showed us a montage of the films ‘Gladiator’ and ‘300’. In short; warriors with swords.
“We were all in the dressing room going: ‘Arrrrr!’ (he said mimicking a soldier with a sword).
“After 30 minutes, we were 3-0 down. We lost 7-1.
“After the match, we were all laughing. The warriors had completely passed us by.”
And speaking with the Alan Brazil on Monday, the former England boss revealed why he made such a bold call.
“I would always sit the analysis boys down and say ‘you’ve got to be creative’,” he said on the Sports Breakfast.
“Because they keep coming to you and saying ‘what do you want gaffer?’
“And I would say ‘well you’re in the job, what are you going to create? Come and bring me something that I can have a look at and say no or yes to’.
“They brought us a couple of these clips they had put together, so it is true! I used a lot of that over many, many years at different clubs.”
“We didn’t do it often,” he added. “We just felt sometimes that, at the right time, it was a big boost for the players.
“You plan your season out and plan your times out as a manager and you use some of the tools – you don’t talk about too much publicly, but it’s always interesting to see a player that remembers it!
“When the player remembers it, you know you had an effect on him.
“There’s many tricks and many things that I try and I put to the staff and sometimes they frown and look at me and go ‘what are you doing?’
“Because they are off the wall and I like off the wall stuff, just to take them in a different direction and make them think ‘is he good or is he mad?’
