Chelsea huddle: Why was referee Paul Tierney in the middle of Blues’ pre-match huddle?

Chelsea Head coach Liam Rosenior recently praised the unity of his players after they began gathering in a circle before each half – but there was an unlikely addition to the Blues’ pre-match huddle. newcastle.

Referee Paul Tierney found himself right in the middle of the home side’s pre-match crowd on Saturday evening; This situation surprised some of Chelsea’s players.

Cole Palmer playfully wrapped his arms around Tierney before glancing sarcastically at the referee, who only smiled at the England international as Trevoh Chalobah and Enzo Fernandez watched in amusement.

“Tierney was standing right in the middle,” former England midfielder Fara Williams told Final Score. “He probably heard everything that was said. Cole Palmer looks at him and winks at him.”

Former Premier League assistant referee Darren Cann told BBC Sport he had never seen anything this strange “in my 50 years of watching football”.

However, Cann managed to shed light on the incident with the following words: “Since it was Newcastle’s kick-off, the referee [took] He maintained control of the ball at the midfield line and was there to prevent any potential problems.

“There are no particular problems during the kick-off. But there is the potential for conflict when opponents have to kick-off.”