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Unai Emery used a member of support staff to give a rabble-rousing “team huddle” before a key game.

Ameesh Manek, who is primarily in charge of organising first team travel, did the pre-match ritual before the shock defeat to Crystal Palace which put them on a run of three consecutive defeats which could cost them a place in the top four.

Manek is understood to have stood in the middle of a circle of players and shouted: “We are Arsenal” and “No-one comes to our home” with the players shouting in a football version of the All Blacks’ pre-match haka.

Arsenal boss Emery has rotated the “team huddle” among various members of backroom and support staff during the season which may surprise fans that the last message multi-million pound players get before going out onto the pitch is from the travel manager or kitman.

(Image: Action Images via Reuters)

It is designed to try and make everyone at the club feel included but has backfired badly on Arsenal’s Head of First Team Operations who has since found himself in hot water with the Football Association.

Manek got involved in a tunnel row at half time after being accused of swearing at referee Stuart Attwell and arguing with members of the Palace backroom staff. The FA have charged him with misconduct and he faces a statutory £8,000 fine if found guilty.

Arsenal have tried to play down the row but there is a theory that the referee may have been willing to take some “industrial language” from a player, manager or coach but not from a member of backroom staff.

(Image: Getty Images)

It has also caused raised eyebrows among other members of coaching staff who believe Manek has overstepped the mark, should not have been in the tunnel and needs to be put back in his place amid some amusement that he should have been doing the huddle.

Emery’s management mantra is making everyone feel involved but the bizarre “team huddle” ritual has not worked in back-to-back defeats to Palace, Wolves and Leicester .

Mirror Sport can reveal that the idea of using different members of staff for the “team huddle” comes from David Priestley who works at Arsenal as a psychologist and has managed to get Emery’s ear.

Priestley, who used to work at Saracens, has a mantra of “we’re all one” which is designed to make every single member of staff feel included, even allowing a travel expert to be involved in a pre-match routine.

(Image: Getty Images)

But Manek may have felt because he was involved pre-match that entitled him to have a say at half time despite having no role in the coaching set-up.

One source told Mirror Sport: “There have been some almighty rows, boxing matches and bust-ups in the tunnel and this was definitely not one of those.

“But there might be a code of honour that the referee will take it off a manager but not off someone who shouldn’t be anywhere near there in the first place."

Manek has until tomorrow to respond to the Football Association charge.