Ask Onix
Unorthodox methods to motivate football teams
From hypnotists to Hollywood speeches, managers have long used creative strategies to spark performance-with mixed results. Former Premier League boss Tony Pulis shares his most memorable experiments in team motivation, revealing how surprise tactics sometimes backfire but often leave a lasting impact.
The hypnotist who vanished
During the 1993-94 League Cup campaign, Pulis-then managing Bournemouth in what is now League One-orchestrated an unusual pre-match session ahead of a second-round tie against Premier League leaders Blackburn Rovers. The opponent's squad, led by Kenny Dalglish, included stars like Alan Shearer and posed a formidable challenge.
A hypnotist was invited to address the Bournemouth players during a pre-match meeting. With the lights dimmed, the hypnotist instructed the squad to sit in silence in a pitch-black room. When the lights returned, the chairs were empty-players had slipped out through a side door, leaving the hypnotist alone. Though the stunt didn't go as planned, it broke pre-match tension, and the team nearly upset Blackburn, losing 1-0 on aggregate after a spirited performance.
Hollywood inspiration falls flat
Years later, during Stoke City's 2007-08 promotion push, Pulis turned to cinema for motivation. Ahead of a critical away match against Coventry City, the squad watched a highlight reel of their season's goals, capped by Al Pacino's iconic "inch by inch" speech from Any Given Sunday. The rousing monologue about teamwork and resilience was meant to fire up the players.
Instead, Stoke trailed 1-0 at halftime. Pulis' assistant, Dave Kemp, quipped, "Put those toys away and get back to being you." Stoke rallied in the second half, winning 2-1 to secure top spot. The lesson? Even the most powerful speeches have their time and place.
Manufacturing adversity
Pulis often invented challenges to stoke his players' competitive fire. One tactic involved fabricating criticism of the team or individual players. For example, he might claim an opposing manager had dismissed Stoke's forwards as ineffective-a story designed to fuel a response.
In one instance, a young defender had stifled Stoke's attack in a 1-0 loss. The opposing manager praised his player and subtly mocked Stoke's performance. Weeks later, facing the same team, Pulis ensured his striker heard every word of the criticism. Stoke won 4-0, with the striker dominating the defender who had previously shut him down. Pulis avoided public criticism of players, knowing it could backfire-his teams thrived as underdogs.
Superstition and routine
Football's superstitious rituals are legendary, and Pulis was no exception. He adhered to strict pre-match routines, from wearing the same cap during winning streaks to counting magpies on matchdays. An odd number of birds was considered bad luck, forcing him to search for another to "even the odds."
As a player, he once refused to repair his boots during Bournemouth's 1987 Division Three title-winning season, convinced their worn state brought luck. Science also played a role: he maintained rigid dietary and training routines, a habit that persisted into his retirement.
Lessons in pre-match meals
Pulis learned the hard way about the perils of heavy pre-game meals. At 16, during his first away match with Bristol Rovers reserves at Chelsea's Stamford Bridge, he indulged in a three-course lunch-soup, steak, and rice pudding-before kickoff. The unfamiliar meal left him sluggish, and Chelsea won comfortably. The experience taught him discipline: "If I wanted to succeed, I couldn't be blindsided by anything-including nice food."
Later, he embraced Martina Navratilova's Eat to Win book, which reshaped his views on nutrition, hydration, and recovery. Yet he remained skeptical of one-size-fits-all solutions, as illustrated by a humorous exchange with the late Jim Smith, a fellow manager. During an FA coaching seminar, Smith mocked the idea that pasta alone explained Italy's Serie A dominance, asking, "Do the teams at the bottom of the Italian league know about pasta?"
The art of leadership
For Pulis, motivation is a manager's most potent tool. Leadership isn't about avoiding adversity but navigating it-ensuring players remain loyal even in tough times. In a sport awash with money, inventing challenges becomes essential to maintain hunger. Whether through Hollywood speeches, fabricated slights, or superstitious rituals, the goal remains the same: to inspire players to perform at their peak.
"A leader is only great if they can deal with adversity. If your players still follow you in the most difficult of times, you can really be called a leader."
Tony Pulis
