Rosenior unhappy with referee after bizarre huddle incident in Chelsea loss

Liam Rosenior expressed criticism towards Paul Tierney following the referees unusual interruption of Chelseas pre-match huddle prior to their 1-0 loss to Newcastle on Saturday.

Newcastle secured a victory at Stamford Bridge for the first time in 14 years thanks to Anthony Gordons goal in the 18th minute which capitalised on poor defending by Chelsea.

However the post-match discussion centred on the odd occurrence before the game started when Tierney positioned himself in the middle of the Chelsea players circle while captain Reece James addressed his squad.

Rosenior mentioned he plans to reach out to PGMOL the organisation overseeing referees to obtain an explanation for the disruption of Chelseas traditional pre-game gathering.

Newcastle was set to begin the match and Tierney remained beside the ball close to the centre spot appearing unwilling to shift as the home side assembled around him.

I aim to safeguard my players Rosenior stated after the fifth-placed teams push for a top four position took a significant hit.

I hold respect for the sport. My players chose to form a circle near the ball to honour it and demonstrate team unity and leadership.

That choice belongs to the leadership group and the players not me. Their huddle shows no disrespect towards the opponents.

This has evolved into a standard practice under Rosenior with Chelsea players coming together in the centre circle just before kick-off.

Rosenior has noted in the past that the players initiated this and it has stirred debate before with Aston Villa supporters jeering his team ahead of their recent 4-1 triumph at Villa Park.

Rosenior has further claimed that Arsenals coaching team showed a lack of respect by entering Chelseas half during warm-ups at the Emirates in January.

Do you realise what is remarkable? Rosenior remarked. Prior to the match we held a discussion with the referee. My assistant attended. The initial topic was our huddle.

He referenced my earlier complaint about Arsenal in our half. It was not the Arsenal goalkeeping coach in our area and those present at that Arsenal fixture understand the context of my comments.

Rosenior also criticised Tierney again by asserting Chelsea deserved a penalty after Cole Palmer fell following a challenge from Nick Woltemade in the second half.

If Paul had concentrated on his primary duty of making correct calls we would have received a penalty today he commented.

Everyone would agree that Woltemade brought down Cole Palmer inside the penalty area.

I chose not to approach Paul after the game as it did not seem appropriate. However I will contact PGMOL and the referees. I simply seek to comprehend what occurred.