Sam Allardyce is a specialist in saving teams from relegation, thanks in great part to his ability to motivate and reinvigorate down-trodden teams.

But in the lead-up to Blackburn Rover's clash against Manchester United in 2010, former Rovers defender Gael Givet revealed Big Sam played snippets from Hollywood blockbusters Gladiator and 300 in a bid to inspire his troops.

“We had warmed up and we went back to the dressing room,” Givet told L’Equipe . “While we were putting on our shin guards, he 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: ‘Ahhhh!’ [he said mimicking a soldier with a sword]

“After 30 minutes, we were 3-0 down. We lost 7-1.

Dimitar Berbatov scored five goals for United in the demoralising defeat and as far as we know, that was the last time Big Sam hasn't rolled out the projector in the lead-up to a big game.