Newcastle Midfielder Matt Ritchie Baffles Viewers With the Most Bizarre Shin Pad Design Ever

Newcastle may have fallen to another defeat against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge on Saturday, but there was something quite bizarre preoccupying fans prior to the game.

One supporter on Twitter had spotted something very odd about midfielder Matt Ritchie's attire.

Not his kit - everything appeared normal in that regard - but his shin pads, which were emblazoned with sausage rolls.

The reasons for the design choice are not immediately clear - perhaps Ritchie is simply passionate and enthusiastic about the savoury pastries.

"Very stodgy performance today," one fan quipped on Twitter, but it was true of Ritchie's teammates too.

Newcastle's poor run of form continued with a 3-1 defeat at the hands of the Premier League champions, despite having taken the lead through Dwight Gayle early on.

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It means that Rafa Benitez's side have now gone six games without a victory, and fallen to 14th in the table.

Ritchie has come under criticism for his form in recent weeks, although Benitez has been quick to back the winger:

"I think with him we have a player that will give everything every game," the Spanish coach told the Shields Gazette before the loss at Chelsea.

"As I've said before, some players can play bad or well, but it's not the main thing. It's that they try and try to do well and try to improve if they make mistakes.

"Ritchie's someone that wants to improve, and I'm happy with that."