Liam Rosenior must put an end to arrogant Chelsea's childish pre-match huddle

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If Liam Rosenior wants to be taken seriously, he has a weird way of showing it. Because that's what Chelsea's pre-match huddle around referee Paul Tierney was. Downright weird.

And Rosenior stood on the touchline and allowed it to happen. Before defending it after his side's home defeat to Newcastle, insisting his players had wanted to "respect the ball".

Does Rosenior not have the wit to work out a team is a reflection of it's manager? Cannot he not fathom that thinking his players surrounding a referee before kick off is the right thing to do, is plain and simply wrong?

Nobody at Chelsea has taken responsibility for the 'huddle'. Which means no-one wants to own it. And there's a good reason for this.

Because the huddle farce achieved nothing but make Chelsea look like self-indulging buffoons.

Like a bunch of kids gathering round a fight in school playground. How are we supposed to have respect for Rosenior now?

If he thinks his players were locked in and staring at a ball of leather in a bid to respect it, he needs to give his head a serious wobble.

Rosenior is insulting our intelligence. While showing none of his own at the same time.

Cole Palmer had his arm around the referee. Enzo Fernandez was chuckling to himself. Marc Cucurella looked bemused. These are grown men, behaving like a load of girls stood in a field performing 'Ring a Ring O' Roses'.

What's next lads, blowing the head off a dandelion? Or a game of conkers at training, perhaps?

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Some people tend to think Rosenior is a bit of a nerd. He wears sharp clothes, glasses, thinks outside the box and speaks eloquently. But if he still thinks this huddle before games is a good idea, then he's well off base.

He insists it has nothing to do with intimidating the opposition. It is designed to show their unity as a group. Do me a favour, mate.

All Chelsea were was united in defeat to Newcastle. How much respect did Chelsea have for the ball when picking it out of their own net following Antony Gordon's winner?

Coaches like Rosenior are forever looking for marginal gains. But a childish gimmick like this is unforgivable - and has to stop.

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Football continues to eat itself - and Rosenior's madcap methods are feeding the beast. Because no-one has the stomach for watching Tierney turned into a Chelsea sandwich.

Rosenior is perpetuating the notion that Chelsea are arrogant. Despite having nothing to be arrogant about.

His team got pummelled in Paris last week, and sit sixth in the Premier League table. Below Liverpool, for goodness sake. A team said to be in crisis, which could have a new manager before the start of next season.

It's new ideas what Rosenior needs, not ridiculous pre-match antics.

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