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.
