Arsene Wenger was so incensed by some of Stoke's tactics when they came up against Arsenal that he wrote to the FA to try and get them to intervene.
That's according to the former Potters boss Tony Pulis, who says that Wenger wanted the FA to make sure Stoke cut the grass on their Britannia Stadium pitch and also not use Rory Delap's famed long throw-ins, which the Frenchman wanted banned.
Pulis says that he used to use Wenger's words as fuel for his players, who would often get good results at home to the Gunners.
"I always want angles to get players motivated, to put fire into their bellies and something for the supporters to feed off," said Pulis on the latest episode of That Peter Crouch Podcast on BBC Sounds.
"When Wenger first said it, called us a rugby team, it was the third time on the bounce we had beaten them at home.
"He was avoiding the question of how could a team with much less talent than Arsenal, who don't spend anywhere near as much as Arsenal, who haven't got the facilities and capabilities of Arsenal, keep beating Arsenal.
"[Former Arsenal captain] Patrick Vieira told me: 'We used to hate going to Stoke. You were the only club that Wenger actually talked about and worked on before. We just couldn't beat you.'
"Wenger came one year and complained about the grass being too long. He wrote a letter to the FA. The referees and the linesmen had to come and measure the grass.
"I know he talked about banning throw-ins and saying they shouldn't be allowed. That was all music to our ears."
Wenger has made his complaints about grass length public before.
In 2014 he told a press conference that the Premier League should ensure that all pitches in the division have grass which is the same length, saying: "It can look a ridiculous subject but it is a very important one because the speed of the game is linked with the length of the grass.
"People pay money to watch good football and behind that is always the respect for people who pay and buy their tickets. We are all there for that.
"I know perfectly and you know perfectly as well that some managers give orders to their groundsman sometimes to not cut the grass because they play against a team who passes the ball well.
"We have to be above that and it's quite sad that we have to regulate it. I think we all have to serve people who come and watch good football."
