Chelsea surrounded the referee during their pre-match huddle prior to kick-off on Saturday in an extraordinary scene at Stamford Bridge.
Before their Premier League clash against Newcastle kicked off, the Chelsea XI gathered around the centre-circle for their final words before the start of the game.
It is a practice that Liam Rosenior’s Chelsea side have used before games in recent weeks.
But this time referee Paul Tierney was standing on the centre-circle and was subsequently caught in the middle of Chelsea’s huddle, holding the match ball.
It made for a rather amusing but unprecedented scene before kick-off as Chelsea’s players were forced to talk to each other in the huddle across Tierney.
The quirky new pre-match huddle has become a feature of Chelsea games but boss Rosenior has said that his players took it upon themselves to take to the centre-circle.
“No, it wasn’t [from me]. The idea came from the players, and I really like it because they’re showing unity and togetherness and spirit, and I think you need that,” Rosenior said after his players did the same prior to a win against Aston Villa.
“Before anything, you start talking about tactics or systems, you need a group of players willing to run and fight for each other.”
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