Liam Rosenior confirms meeting scheduled with PGMOL after bizarre huddle moment with referee ahead of Newcastle game

The London club have found themselves at the centre of an unusual officiating storm following their frustrating 1-0 defeat at St James' Park. Before a ball was even kicked, the squad gathered for a pre-match huddle that surprisingly appeared to involve the match official Paul Tierney. The bizarre scenes quickly went viral, prompting widespread speculation and intense media scrutiny regarding the team's intentions. The incident overshadowed a disappointing Premier League weekend for the Blues, leading to mounting questions ahead of their crucial Champions League tie against Paris Saint-Germain.

The head coach has now taken proactive steps to address the fallout from the weekend, confirming he will seek clarity directly from the refereeing body. When asked if he had already spoken to them, he clarified his intentions to the press. "No, I didn't. I have a meeting scheduled this week with them in person which I think would be better. The point of what I was saying after the game, it wasn't about the huddle. It was about my perspective on certain decisions made in the game. It would be great to meet them and have an in-depth conversation with them."

Despite the immense noise surrounding the pre-match gathering, the manager was quick to play down the gesture, insisting it was simply a display of team solidarity. He firmly rejected any suggestion of malicious intent towards the referees. 

"I think in terms of the huddle, I think it's been blown out of proportion to be honest," he added. "It's a small, small thing amongst many, many serious things that we need to address, such as a massive game against PSG tomorrow. In terms of the huddle, the lads have always wanted to show unity and togetherness. I think they'll continue to do that. What we don't want to do is antagonise or bring the noise on ourselves. And we'll make the decision on where we do that on the pitch tomorrow."

The team faces a monumental challenge as they attempt to overturn a 5-2 deficit against reigning European champions Paris Saint-Germain on Tuesday. The manager firmly defended his tactical approach when questioned if he had implemented it too rapidly over his short tenure. "No, I think if you look at the game against PSG, the goals had nothing to do with our press. Especially the most important goal for me was the third goal. Then it goes from there. I think the press that we had against PSG and in other games has given us the platform of our performances. The longer you get to work at it, the better you'll be. It was said before, I think it's 17 games in 10 weeks. There's a lot of games to play with not much training time."