Gary Neville sounds off on Chelsea’s huddle “nonsense”
For a second straight Premier League match Chelsea huddled up around the center circle, but this time it wasn’t enough to lead them to a win over Newcastle.
In one of the most bizarre snapshots of the Premier League weekend, Chelsea was seen conducting their newest pre-kickoff ritual in which they huddle up in the center circle, but this time they circled around referee Paul Tierney. The Blues ended up losing to Newcastle and pundit Gary Neville ripped Chelsea’s huddle, branding it “nonsense.”
Neville’s never been a fan
The new ritual started a couple weeks ago at Villa Park when Liam Rosenior’s squad came out of the halftime break huddling around the ball at the center circle and impeding Aston Villa to restart the match before the end of their pep talk. That match ended in a 4-1 away win, but the huddle at Stamford Bridge didn’t produce the same result against Newcastle on Saturday.
The former Manchester United captain says he never organized huddles in his time as a Red Devil, and has never seen the purpose. “I’ve never been a fan of huddles. If you’ve prepared for seven months of a season, four days before the game and then you need a huddle 10 seconds before kick-off to talk and motivate each other, you’ve done something wrong in your preparation,” claimed the podcast star.
Referee Paul Tierney ended up trapped in the middle of Chelsea’s pre-match huddle on the kick-off spot 😅 pic.twitter.com/54yRa2I0nF
— Football on TNT Sports (@footballontnt) March 14, 2026
The Blues manager admitted after the Villa match that the huddle was the players idea, “That is not my decision. That is a decision between the leadership group and the team. There is nothing that they’re doing with that huddle that is disrespectful to the opposition,” said Rosenior. He had a much different tone after the Newcastle match, saying he was disappointed in the referee claiming “There’s more focus and emphasis on the things that don’t matter,” after Tierney found himself in the middle of the Chelsea chat.
Fans not fooled says Neville
After the match, Neville was more focused on Chelsea’s insistence to huddle at the center circle to show the cohesion of the group, “It won’t intimidate a good team. It didn’t intimidate Newcastle. It’s weird to do it in the centre of the pitch. It’s like ‘what’s the most gimmicky thing we can do to make people believe we have team spirit?’”
After the loss against Newcastle Chelsea sit sixth in the Premier League with 48 points. It looks like it will be a three team race for the fourth and final guaranteed spot in the Champions League. Liverpool are fifth with 49 points and Aston Villa are fourth with 51 points. United could be thrown in the mix with 54 points but Michael Carrick has the Red Devils rolling since taking over in January.
Whether or not Chelsea will continue their huddles before the kickoff remains to be seen, but Neville sees it quiet clearly. “The fans won’t be conned by that. They will judge you on your performance,” said the Manchester United legend before concluding, “I think it’s a nonsense. The whole thing is a nonsense. Stop doing it.”
Related stories
Get closer to the game! Whether you like your soccer of the European variety or that on this side of the pond, our AS USA app has it all. Dive into live coverage, expert insights, breaking news, exclusive videos, and more. Plus, stay updated on NFL, NBA and all other big sports stories as well as the latest in current affairs and entertainment. Download now for all-access coverage, right at your fingertips – anytime, anywhere.
And there’s more: check out our TikTok and Instagram reels for bite-sized visual takes on all the biggest soccer news and insights.
Complete your personal details to comment