Hypnosis, Al Pacino and lies - how I tried to motivate my players

Breaking news from the world of sport: Hypnosis, Al Pacino and lies - how I tried to motivate my players Published 12 minutes ago Mikel Arteta is well known for his innovative ideas of man-management with his Arsenal squad, but managers trying something off the wall to motivate their players is nothing new. Over the many years I spent in management, I always tried to influence situations in and out of the dressing room for the benefit of the team's performance and I was not afraid to surprise my team with the way I did it. As I've mentioned in previous columns, inviting people in to talk to the team before certain games was always a positive angle I tried.

It was something I believed could be used right through the season, as long as it was the right character who was talking, and I didn't use the same person on too regular a basis. They didn't have to be involved in football either - I once brought in boxing legend Sugar Ray Leonard when I was at Stoke - or even have any sporting connections at all. A disappearing team Image source, Getty Images Image caption, Al Pacino plays Tony D'Amato, head coach of the Miami Sharks, in 1999 film Any Given Sunday.

Match Details

D'Amato is known for his traditional methods and clashes with team owner and general manager Christina Pagniacci, played by Cameron Diaz In my second season of management, 1993-94, my Bournemouth side of what is now League One, were drawn against Premier League side Blackburn Rovers in a second-round League cup tie. We travelled up to Blackburn for the first leg on a Tuesday and, after a sleep in the afternoon, we all attended a pre-match meeting. I had a special surprise guest for the lads - a hypnotist.

During his session he asked the team to sit in a circle on chairs, while he sat at the top of the room feeling - he believed - the vibes from the lads. He switched all the lights off and gave them two minutes in silence in a pitch-black room but then, when he went and turned the lights back on, all their chairs were empty. I was amazed - he had made them all disappear!

It turned out the room had a side-door exit and while the lights were out, our lads had decided to sneak out and leave our man all by himself. He was great about it though, and took it all in good form. Although the team did not play their part in the exercise in the way I'd intended, it was still fantastic for our preparation because they were all still talking about the hypnotist on the bus to the match, with no pre-match tension at all.

Reactions and Expectations

Blackburn had a brilliant side under Kenny Dalglish at that time and they were formidable opponents who were fighting for the Premier League title. We lost the game, with Alan Shearer getting the winner for Rovers, but only went out 1-0 on aggregate. The lads put in such a great performance and showed no inhibitions whatsoever - I thank the hypnotist for that.

Sometimes though, thinking outside the box just doesn't work.

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