Sam Allardyce rattled the cages of the Premier League’s big boys on multiple occasions with his own interpretation of ‘dark arts’.
The former Bolton, Newcastle and West Ham boss was not afraid to mix it with the elite, often riling up opposing managers.
The term ‘dark arts’ is often used to describe particular on-field antics or as some might prefer to call it, tactical proficiency including gamesmanship or utilising opportunities to wind down the clock.
It has been brought to light in recent days after Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal ground out a 2-2 draw at Manchester City despite playing the entire second half with ten men following Leandro Trossard’s sending off.
The Gunners were just seconds away from victory at the Etihad Stadium but John Stones’ 98th-minute leveller ensured Pep Guardiola’s side maintained top spot.
Arsenal defended resolutely in what appeared to be an unenviable task however, Arteta’s men have since come under fire for persistent time wasting which led to a sizeable amount of added time being awarded.
In the wake of Sunday’s clash, Opta Analyst has calculated the average time every Premier League club takes from being awarded corners, goal-kicks, free-kicks, penalties, throw-ins and kick-off, to the time it takes to get the ball in play again.
And the Gunners came out on top as the biggest time wasters this season with 31.8 seconds between dead ball situations.
Discussing Arsenal’s approach on talkSPORT Breakfast, Allardyce says all club’s impose dark arts when needed and praised Arteta’s side for their disciplined second-half showing against City.
Asked if he was the master of dark arts during his managerial stints, Allardyce replied: “Aren’t we all when we need to be? Depending on what the situation is, I think when you’re playing with ten men you’re entitled to do what you feel is necessary to get a result against the best team in Europe, if not the world.
“What a sterling job they [Arsenal] did of it.There’s always going to be time wasting.”
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The former England manager recalled an instance of dark arts during a game between Liverpool and Bolton at Anfield which left him in stitches during the journey home.
“I remember Rafa Benitez putting a massive report in on Bolton for time wasting at Liverpool,” he said. “I laughed all the way home because we got a result.
Allardyce continued: “All the best time waste when it suits them. They [Arsenal] time waste a lot more because they’ve got 45 minutes with ten men to try and get through.
“Normally, when it happens and there’s only one goal in it, the time wasting starts with maybe five minutes [remaining] or injury time where people will run the ball into the corner and keep it there or get a knock and go down and waste a bit of time.
“You’ll always notice the goalkeeper will catch the ball with nobody on him and then he falls on the floor. Then he gets up and that’s another few seconds wasted.
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“I think the referee [for Man City v Arsenal] could have done more from the start, not just with the time wasting but with the physicality of the game.”
