"Those who don't like me, any sentence will be too lenient. They would like to put me in jail somewhere without anything in the middle of winter - and that will still be lenient."
In the end a four game ban was all Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger received, although as he acknowledged, his most fervent critics would have a much more severe fate in mind for him if they had the choice.
During Arsenal's 5-0 hammering of Southampton in the FA Cup on Saturday, the Gunners boss was up in the stands in St Mary's celebrating with his signature low double fist pump whenever Theo Walcott or Danny Welbeck found the net.
But generally, does the absence of a manager from the sideline have an adverse effect on results?
Well, if anyone would know, Jose Mourinho would as he has incurred his fair share of banishments from the sideline.
Back in 2005, the now Manchester United boss got on UEFA's nerves after one remark too many. But in a way that has become urban legend rather than verifiable fact, the then Chelsea manager who was meant to be absent for a Champions League tie against Bayern Munich, was reported to have staged a James Bond-esque arrival into the Stamford Bridge stadium by way of a laundry basket according to the Daily Mail's Matt Lawton. Chelsea won their first leg 4-2. And while they lost the second match away when Mourinho was serving the second match of his ban, Chelsea still went through on aggregate.
Manchester United's manager Alex Ferguson, center, is seen watching from the stand ahead of their English Premier League soccer match against Newcastle United at St James' Park, Newcastle, England, Tuesday, April 19, 2011. Ferguson is currently banned from the touchline. (AP Photo/Scott Heppell)
Mourinho has also been hit with touchline bans this season. He was in the stands as Man United beat a struggling Swansea side 3-1 away in November and also had to serve a ban during an EFL Cup match against West Ham at the end of the same month. Again his United side were victorious, triumphing 4-1 at Old Trafford.
Speaking of Old Trafford, Manchester United's legendary former manager Alex Ferguson did not appeal a five game ban he was hit with back in 2011.
United won the first game of that ban 1-0 against Bolton Wanderers at home and then saw off West Ham 4-2 away.
Match 3 of the ban saw off Fulham 2-0, before a disappointing 0-0 draw with Newcastle (pictured above).
That Newcastle draw was the fifth match of his ban because match four was a few days earlier against Manchester City in the FA Cup when the red half of the city lost 1-0.
Newcastle United's manager Alan Pardew, center rear, looks on from the stand during their English Premier League soccer match against Swansea City at St James' Park, Newcastle, England, Saturday, April 19, 2014. (AP Photo/Scott Heppell)
So from those top managers, the effect of a touchline ban seems to be quite benign overall but one must acknowledge that much of a team's work is done on the training ground in the lead up to matches and the backroom team on the touchline have their instructions while the manager is away in the stands.
But another example is Alan Pardew when he was given a touchline ban of seven games in 2014 for headbutting Ireland and Hull midfielder David Meyler. That was a record length reflecting the gravity of the transgression.
The Magpies had won three, lost three and drawn one of their seven previous games before he started his ban.
What followed was terrible in terms of results. From his first match away from the sideline against Fulham at Craven Cottage, Newcastle lost six times and won just once. Five defeats in a row formed part of that awful run which saw the Magpies' good start to the season completely eroded in a 10th place finish in the Premier League.
They lost 3-0 to Arsenal away in their first game with Pardew back on the sideline, although the fans were not happy with him or the team.
In fairness Pardew had been self-critical before the game, saying "We are a team and it is important to have that connection on the sidelines."
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