{"id":3692,"date":"2026-03-16T08:09:49","date_gmt":"2026-03-16T08:09:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/news678.top\/?p=3692"},"modified":"2026-03-16T08:09:49","modified_gmt":"2026-03-16T08:09:49","slug":"just-stop-it-gary-neville-orders-chelsea-to-scrap-ridiculous-tactic-football","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/news678.top\/?p=3692","title":{"rendered":"‘Just stop it!’ – Gary Neville orders Chelsea to scrap ‘ridiculous’ tactic | Football"},"content":{"rendered":"

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\n\t\t\"BRITAIN-POLITICS-LABOUR-CONFERENCE\"\t<\/div>
Man Utd and England legend Gary Neville (Picture: Getty)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Gary Neville has urged Liam Rosenior to instruct his Chelsea players to abandon their \u2018ridiculous\u2019 pre-match huddles.<\/p>\n

The sight of the Chelsea team huddling over the ball before kick-off and the start of the second-half has become a regular occurrence since Rosenior\u2019s arrival in January.<\/p>\n

But Saturday\u2019s pre-match huddle led to ludicrous scenes as the Chelsea players surrounded referee Paul Tierney, who was standing over the ball waiting for kick-off.<\/p>\n

Rosenior criticised Tierney for intervening in Chelsea\u2019s pre-match routine but both the Blues boss and his team have been widely mocked for the tactic.<\/p>\n

Manchester United and England legend Neville believes Chelsea\u2019s \u2018ridiculous gimmick\u2019 is an attempt to \u2018con\u2019 fans and says Rosenior should \u2018nip it in the bud\u2019 going forward.<\/p>\n

\u2018I thought it was extremely odd, really weird,\u2019 Neville said on his Sky Sports podcast. \u2018I\u2019ve never been a fan of huddles.<\/p>\n

\u2018If\u00a0you\u2019ve\u00a0prepared 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,\u00a0you\u2019ve\u00a0done something wrong in your preparation.<\/p>\n

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\n\t\t\"Chelsea\t<\/div>
Chelsea\u2019s huddles have been widely criticised (Picture: Getty)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u2018No words can help you, in my opinion. I never did a huddle here [at Manchester United] in 20 years. No words should be able to help you a few seconds before a football match.<\/p>\n

\u2018You\u2019ve\u00a0done all your preparations.\u00a0You\u2019ve\u00a0analysed the player you are playing against. You know how to create opportunities if\u00a0you\u2019re\u00a0an attacking player.<\/p>\n

\u2018You\u2019re in the changing room 10 minutes before you go out and you\u2019ve said everything. What more can be said in a huddle out on the pitch?<\/p>\n

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\u2018It\u2019s\u00a0just for show.\u00a0Absolutely\u00a0it\u2019s\u00a0just for show.\u00a0It\u2019s\u00a0almost cultish.\u00a0It\u2019s\u00a0to show fans\u00a0we\u2019re\u00a0together but the fans\u00a0won\u2019t\u00a0be conned by that. They will judge you on your performance.<\/p>\n

\u2018It won\u2019t intimidate a good team. It\u00a0didn\u2019t\u00a0intimidate Newcastle.\u00a0It\u2019s\u00a0weird to do it in the centre of the pitch.<\/p>\n

\u2018It\u2019s\u00a0like\u00a0\u201cwhat\u2019s the\u00a0most gimmicky\u00a0thing we can do to make people believe we have team spirit?\u201d\u00a0It\u2019s\u00a0not conning anybody.<\/p>\n

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\n\t\t\"Chelsea\t<\/div>
Newcastle United beat Chelsea at Stamford Bridge (Picture: Getty)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u2018I think\u00a0it\u2019s\u00a0a nonsense. The whole thing is a nonsense.\u00a0Stop\u00a0doing it.\u00a0I\u00a0don\u2019t\u00a0get it at\u00a0all,\u00a0it really frustrates me.<\/p>\n

\u2018I\u00a0can\u2019t\u00a0think of anything more\u00a0ridiculous, I would\u00a0stop\u00a0it straightaway, nip it in the bud. I\u00a0don\u2019t\u00a0get\u00a0it,\u00a0I\u00a0don\u2019t\u00a0get it at all.\u2019<\/p>\n

Chelsea enjoyed a promising start to Rosenior\u2019s reign but results have started to drop off over the past month.<\/p>\n

The Blues were knocked out of the Carabao Cup by Arsenal and have won just one of their last five league games, slipping to sixth in the Premier League table.<\/p>\n

Chelsea also have a mountain to climb in the Champions League after suffering a 5-2 defeat to PSG in the first leg of their last-16 tie.<\/p>\n

Champions League holders PSG travel to Stamford Bridge on Tuesday night hoping to book their place in the quarter-finals.<\/p>\n

The winner of that tie will face reigning Premier League champions Liverpool or Turkish leaders Galatasaray in the next round of the Champions League.<\/p>\n

For more stories like this,\u00a0check our sport page<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

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