As post-match revelations go, this one was extraordinary.
"The boss screamed," said Arsenal captain Cesc Fabregas of his manager Arsene Wenger in the wake of the team's win over Liverpool last weekend.
"I've never seen him like that before. He said we didn't deserve to wear the Arsenal shirt," added Fabregas as he explained how his side had turned a 1-0 half-time deficit into a 2-1 victory.
Given that Frenchman Wenger is famously one of football's more sophisticated, cerebral bosses, this revelation conjured up delightful images of terrified Arsenal players running for cover, as plates of hors d'oeuvres and demi-tasses of espresso flew about the changing room.
Wenger himself was self-effacing about it all, saying, "I don't like to talk about that. I'll keep that in the dressing-room." But he couldn't help showing his satisfaction at a plot that had obviously worked: "It is good because after 13 years I can still surprise the players."
Two things to note from Wenger's comments: First, that shock tactics still have their place in management, and second that football managers prefer to keep what happens behind closed dressing-room doors confidential.
That became apparent recently after two alleged dressing-room bust-ups between managers and players. First, Stoke manager Tony Pulis and striker James Beattie were reported to have traded blows in a row over the squad's Christmas party plans. Then QPR manager Jim Magilton was suspended by the club following an alleged head butt on midfielder Akos Buzsaky.
Both clubs said they would handle the matters internally, but British newspapers were suddenly awash with lurid tales of "When managers attack".
Squeaky-clean former England striker Gary Lineker revealed in his newspaper column that his own playing career had got off to a scary start.
"My first manager at Leicester City, Jock Wallace, was old school," he wrote.
"At half-time on my reserve team debut, he picked me up by the scruff of the neck and threw me against the dressing-room wall."
Meanwhile, Scottish midfield hard man and former Liverpool manager Graeme Souness admitted to BBC radio he had used intimidation and confrontation to get his job done.
"I've not thrown a punch," he said. I've actually got hold of someone, but that's 100 miles away from punching someone. There's always been confrontation, but generally it's been kept in the dressing room, whereas today everything seems to get out of the dressing room."
Yes, confrontation is out in public and the press loves it. Suddenly, every manager is being revealed to have a hitherto hidden dark side, and it is even more fun if the manager is a foreigner.
It all began with Wenger dropping an F-bomb last month when he reacted angrily to a question about Theo Walcott's World Cup chances. Over in Italy, Inter Milan coach Jose Mourinho is being investigated by football authorities after admitting to a profanity-laden tirade against a journalist last weekend.
Earlier this week, Chelsea boss Carlo Ancelotti, was detailing his plans to take on Portsmouth at Stamford Bridge when a journalist asked if he had mastered the necessary English vocabulary to give his players a right good Wengering.
"I can speak in English now," said Ancelotti with a smile. "I have learned words and sentences, but I don't want to say them. After the game against Apoel *Nicosia* I think I surprised them. Sometimes it is necessary for a manager to give an electric shock."
But not, he stressed, anything more physical. In saying that, he was echoing the sentiments of legendary Italian coach Giovanni Trapattoni.
"This can never work any more," said the Ireland manager. "If you go back to 30 years ago, maybe people like Alex Ferguson and myself could rule by fear, but players don't care for this any more. You are looking for respect, and that brings discipline, but this does not come by making players scared of you. It is all about knowing how to pull the right strings in a player."
Of course, this ploy of expecting senior professionals to set the tone has long worked for Sir Alex at United, where Gary Neville, Ryan Giggs and Paul Scholes call the shots. And Liverpool's Jamie Carragher revealed last year that his manager, Rafa Benitez, had pulled him aside one day and told him about his days in charge at Valencia.
"When members of the squad didn't show the right attitude in the match," reported Carragher, "*Rafa said* the Argentinean players would start a fight in the showers with the teammates who weren't doing their jobs."
"I looked at the manager to make sure it wasn't a joke and I could see a glint in his eye dropping me a hint here. I thought."
Catch John Dykes on ESPN's Football Focus every Tuesday (8p.m.) and First Edition on Friday (9p.m.)
