Liam Rosenior looks like a ‘low-rent lifestyle coach’ at ‘comic, incoherent’ Chelsea

The whole huddle shebang at Chelsea was just really odd and somehow embodies the state of the club today as a comic, pretentious, over-serious but incoherent mess.

What I don’t get is what Paul Tierney was doing in that circle of Chelsea players in the first place and why, on finding himself there, he didn’t just barge his way out.

The last thing you’d do is just stand there, pretending it wasn’t happening, too embarrassed to push your way through.

It was an illustration of the referee’s weakness or stupidity. Ooh, don’t want to upset the boys by telling them to feck off with their circle of mediocrity. Evidently, as Joe Hart said, “Paul Tierney’s got a point he wants to make about the opposition having the kick-off and he feels he should be there to protect the ball in case Chelsea do something about it.”

Like what? The game can’t start until he blows the whistle. Him being there is irrelevant to the game because it can’t start until he says so.

Also why did the Chelsea players allow it? Did they actually want the ref in their ‘leadership group’ huddle? Cole Palmer certainly seemed to find it all ridiculous. Apparently Reece James has initiated the entirely performative display, which could so very easily be done in the dressing-room.

Steve McMannaman had it right: “I think it’s ridiculous to be very honest. Nowadays with the psychological gains to be made, everyone’s coming up with a new silly idea and this is one of them.”

“My players made the decision that they wanted to be around the ball, to respect the ball and show unity and leadership. That is not my decision,” Rosenior said in another slurry of words. Yeah, respect the ball. That’s what makes champions. Don’t insult the inanimate inflated object, whatever you do. When you come out with such student councillor-style talk, don’t expect it to get you anything other than withering contempt. Respect the ball!

Rosenior said: “I’m disappointed there’s more focus and emphasis on the things that don’t matter. That was a decision between a leadership group and a team. There is nothing that they’re doing with that huddle that is disrespectful to the opposition.”

What are you saying man? Are you really surprised that people are talking about it? It was odd. It’s not like Chelsea played any football to talk about, is it? And who said it was disrespectful? Why are you even saying that? Just plain weird is what it was, son. If you can’t see that, you risk looking like a fool, especially after you lost when having 22 attempts but only three on target, so it’s not as if the circle of silliness achieved anything.

As usual, he sounded like a low-rent lifestyle coach at a Holiday Inn giving a lecture to 11 desperate divorcees and has the same level of gravitas. Anyone familiar with such speakers would recognise the tolerance for the language and encouragement of such fatuous exercises and thoughts.

What next? Staring into the mirror shouting ‘You’re a tiger!’? Do you think Cole Palmer is inspired by these new-age practices? If so, it doesn’t show.

“I’ll be speaking to PGMOL and the refs to get an understanding of why that happened today,” he added. “We were told that in the rulebook you can be where you want and it’s about timing.” Timing? How is it anything to do with timing? There are rules about when you can surround a referee are there? I doubt it.

The Rosenior guff doesn’t stop there: “I’m disappointed. I’m going to make it clear. I want to protect my players and I’m respectful to the game. Before the game we had a meeting with the referee. My assistant goes in and the first thing [Tierney] talks about is our huddle. We’re not being disrespectful to the opposition.”

Again, who said you were? How are you ‘protecting your players’ and what from? All this is so inward-looking and self-obsessed. Eddie Howe had it right, saying it had “absolutely zero relevance to me. I was totally non-fussed by it. I don’t pay any attention to things like that. It’s not going to help us win or lose the game.”

If people are booing your huddle it’s because they think it’s overly precious and self-indulgent and also because it makes your team look like soft clarts.

How do Chelsea fans put up with this garbage? It’s like a bunch of dopey students being managed by a social studies lecturer.