Newcastle United boss Joe Kinnear foul-mouthed rant at the media was all a tactical ploy, says former Wimbledon midfielder Robbie Earle.
Earle, Kinnear's field marshal in the Crazy Gang era, said: "Joe is a clever man. He has been in the game a long time and played at the highest level.
"If he thinks he is taking pressure off the players with all of this fuss he will be happy.
"He will be willing to be a sacrifice. When I saw what happened I wondered if he had considered it in advance.
"It's the type of thing Joe would do - it creates a siege mentality, a 'them and us' thing that can work for a team."