Back to 7 Subs maybe

[Mileoakman]

Browsing the Portsmouth Evening News I noticed a story that several clubs are taking a proposal to the Football League AGM to return to 7 subs next year as against the current 5.

Apparently Derby, Birmingham, Portsmouth and others, (presumably us), are unhappy with the current situation.

Should please Tony & Gus if it goes through.

 

[strings]

I was a cost thing that was championed by several League One and League Two clubs, as I seem to remember. Perhaps they should allow 7 subs on the bench in the Championship, but only 5 subs in league one and two. That would seem fair to me.

 

[Oscar]

I was a cost thing that was championed by several League One and League Two clubs, as I seem to remember. Perhaps they should allow 7 subs on the bench in the Championship, but only 5 subs in league one and two. That would seem fair to me.

Absolutely. With size of the clubs in the Championship compared to league 1/2 now it does seem crazy to cut the number of subs in the second tier of the league. Palarse should be allowed just five of course - to ease their transition to the lower leagues.

 

[Gritt23]

I was a cost thing that was championed by several League One and League Two clubs, as I seem to remember. Perhaps they should allow 7 subs on the bench in the Championship, but only 5 subs in league one and two. That would seem fair to me.

That would seem, both fair, and funny, seeing as Portsmouth are one of the clubs petitioning for the change.

 

[leigull]

Hopefully it returns to 7. Be good to get some of the younger or fringe players featuring a bit more often in the match day squads.

 

[deletebeepbeepbeep]

Yes PLEASE.

 

[JJ McClure]

Seemed a crazy decision in the first place. Surely every team can find 7 subs even if they are youth teamers. The experience of that has got to be a key part of any young players development.

 

[sten_super]

That would seem, both fair, and funny, seeing as Portsmouth are one of the clubs petitioning for the change.

I find it absolutely hilarious that Pompey are petitioning for the rules to be changed, when I seem to remember that at times this season they didn't even have 5 players on the bench (didn't they refuse to put youth teamers on there?), not to mention the fact that one of the reasons that they got into such a mess was an overly large squad on horrendous wages. They really don't get it, do they?

I don't really understand why clubs have such an issue with 7 - surely if you don't have enough players (and, in a normal injury-free situation, who doesn't have 18 professionals on their books?) then you can fill it up with young players who may get on to the pitch and gather some valuable first team experience?

 

[Bwian]

The decision to reduce the number of subs to 5 managed to set back so many promising young players' careers. Clubs in promotion/playoff and relegation battles couldn't afford the luxury of 1 or 2 unproven players taking a place on the bench. The people running the game sometimes get things so wrong-the 5 subs rule is a perfect example. Let's hope they see sense.

 

[WhingForPresident]

Being restricted to 5 subs is absolutely ridiculous- why can't the League One and Two sides just put youth players on the bench if they're that short of cash? It's not exactly going to harm them is it? If they don't have enough players and don't want to put youth players on the bench, just put 5 players on the bench.
This needs to be changed for the coming season.

 

[Silent Bob]

Also if you have a small squad you don't HAVE to have all the sub spots filled!!

But that clearly gives the bigger clubs an(other) advantage over you.

I'd like to see it brought back but as it was quite heavily voted out last year I wouldn't count on it. Just having it for the Championship might work but I don't know if the Football League would go down that road. The idea of having to put two players from your youth team, or at least under a certain age, is good, giving an opportunity for youth players to come through and preventing clubs with more money and therefore bigger squads hvaing more of an advantage in games and less of an incentive to go and buy everyone in sight.

 

[Turkey]

I believe Bristol Citys match programme last day of the season said it would be 7 next season.

 

[drew]

But that clearly gives the bigger clubs an(other) advantage over you.

As opposed to the financial advantage they have of being able to buy better players in the first place?

 

[Kinky Gerbil]

I quite like the idea of 5 players of the clubs choice but two have to be under 21 youth players.

 

[seagullsovergrimsby]

The proposal should be carried if the 7 subs option relates only to clubs in the Championship and L1 & L2 can stay with 5 subs. An alternative could be 7 in the Championship , 6 in L1 and 5 in L2.

 

[fataddick]

If travel costs is the issue (and I can't see what else possibly could be) why not 7 subs for the home team and 5 for the away team. Yeah that's unfair but it's equally unfair to every club so why not?

 

[Ninja Elephant]

If travel costs is the issue (and I can't see what else possibly could be) why not 7 subs for the home team and 5 for the away team. Yeah that's unfair but it's equally unfair to every club so why not?

No, it would have to be the same for everyone. There really is no reason for the change back to 5 in the first place, it does nothing but hinder the careers of younger players trying to break through. How many games this season would Forster-Caskey, Hall and who knows who else been given if we'd been allowed to have 7 subs? You have the option then of putting the youth teamers on the bench and bringing them on for experience if the game is comfortably won against crap opposition who were never in the game anyway. Like Southampton, for example.

 

[fataddick]

I agree that the switch back to 5 was rubbish, but apparently even the majority of the Championship sides voted for that change (Charlton one of only three L1 sides that voted against, and I doubt anyone in L2 did). It was overwhelming carried. Argument being that youth players were better off loaned to lower div teams rather than gathering splinters as never used subs. I agree with that logic, but ironically the change meant weaker rather than stronger benches as clubs found space on the bench for one or two utility players, good at covering several positions in case of injury/poor form/tactics but not great anywhere in particular. If I had a vote I'd vote for back to seven subs.

 

[Ninja Elephant]

Could you imagine the path this thread would have followed in the 70s/80s? The NSC of those decades would have been so very different.

"7 subs? Give over, we're lucky to have 1!"

 

[rcf0712]

I doubt anyone will like that rule change more than Gus and JFC if it goes through, sounds like a no brainer to me.