Football league clubs vote to reduce No. of subs..

[Ollie the Legend!]

......from 7 to 5!!!! I think it should have stayed at 7, simply to give teams more options. Thought??

[RedJ]

I think it should be 7 still, but 5 subs will force managers to think harder tactically. Agree that it gives managers more options with 7 though (obviously..).

[VikingJames]

Prefer 7. Not sure why they pointlessly tinker with stuff like this, and don't address really stupid rules, like bookings for goal celebrations etc..

[idler]

Surely having seven subs on the bench favours the bigger/richer clubs that have big quality squads.
I think this is good news for us personally.

[Lewis Guys Dentist]

I dont really mind to be honest.
7; gives the manager more options obviously. But some would argue saying you can only use 3.
5; sounds about right. gives you two more options.
We hardly fill our bench anyway (last season). Hopefully we wont have this problem next season :D

[Drover]

HMMMM?Interesting one.Yes I agree its nice to see more options for your manager in a game,but having less subs might make it a bit less advantageous for clubs like Cardiff and Leicester who try and buy and loan every player available going.More loaned players will think twice before signing for a big squad club when they know they not only might be bench warming but sitting in the stands.Might make the advantage of a bigger squad a bit less too.

[Lewis Guys Dentist]

HMMMM?Interesting one.Yes I agree its nice to see more options for your manager in a game,but having less subs might make it a bit less advantageous for clubs like Cardiff and Leicester who try and buy and loan every player available going.More loaned players will think twice before signing for a big squad club when they know they not only might be bench warming but sitting in the stands.Might make the advantage of a bigger squad a bit less too.

Agreed!

[silent majority]

This is a money thing for sure! Players receive extra for being sat on the bench, as they do for playing night matches etc, so if the clubs have changed the rules it will be about money and nothing else.

[VikingJames]

Multiball has also been banned. Not really sure whether that's a good or bad thing either. Although it'll encourage players to boot it into the stand to waste time, at least the system won't play into the hands of the home team as much now, where they could abuse the system and return the ball slower if their team was winning.

[Ollie the Legend!]

HMMMM?Interesting one.Yes I agree its nice to see more options for your manager in a game,but having less subs might make it a bit less advantageous for clubs like Cardiff and Leicester who try and buy and loan every player available going.More loaned players will think twice before signing for a big squad club when they know they not only might be bench warming but sitting in the stands.Might make the advantage of a bigger squad a bit less too.

.                                                                                                                                                                                                           Good point, never thought about it that way

[Spankster]

Not really sure whether that's a good or bad thing either. Although it'll encourage players to boot it into the stand to waste time.

Works both ways to be fair

[scuzzer]

Not really sure whether that's a good or bad thing either. Although it'll encourage players to boot it into the stand to waste time.

Works both ways to be fair

It's not like we ever tried to gain advantage from that sort of thing is it!!!!

[DonnyBazR0ver]

I'm surprised with this, especially with the 25 man squads as the 7 would allow more players to be involved on a match day and as said provide more tactical options.

On the multiball, this could be to our disadvantage as at our best, we like to keep the ball in play as much as possible and keep things moving. The less the ball is in play favours the more rigid, set play type teams.

Be interesting to hear SOD's views.

[Spankster]

SOD has never liked the multi-ball even though we did adopt it over the past couple of seasons

[Standanista]

Surely having seven subs on the bench favours the bigger/richer clubs that have big quality squads.
I think this is good news for us personally.

Agreed.  A good thing for us, I think.

[BillyStubbsTears]

Surely having seven subs on the bench favours the bigger/richer clubs that have big quality squads.
I think this is good news for us personally.

Agreed.  A good thing for us, I think.

Personally, I'd go back to one sub. It focusses the minds of the opposition if they look at the bench and see a single person there.

Picture the scene:

Alan Little has been dropped and is on the bench at an away match at some airy-fairy place like Cambridge.

Manager tells him to go and warm up.

He does so by running up and down the touchline buggering a lamb while eating the entrails of a ballboy.

As a Cambridge player, you think, \"f**k! If we go in front, they'll chuck HIM on. If I break a Donny player's leg in a tackle, they'll chuck HIM on.\"

So you fanny about, playing mis-guided passes and arriving just too late to put a tackle in.

Now: Picture the scene if yon Little is sharing the bench with Garry Kimble, James Meara, Micky Nesbitt, Tracey Austin, Lewis Guy and Billy Stubbs....

Eh? Eh?

Different odds now.

[Standanista]

In fact let's have no subs, like the olden days:

1. Animal's happy because he gets to start the game. I'm not saying he'll get 90 minutes mind, but will hopefully make half time before he sees red.

2. The German on-loan goalie who breaks his neck after tripping over the ball boy's lower intestine can be shoved up front to cause nuisance, and with Tracy Austin taking over between the sticks, the ball's going nowhere near goal.

3. Lambs across the Eastern Counties sleep a little more soundly.

Q.E.D. \"Do you agree?\"

[Viking Don]

Haha, agree 100% - makes sure you've got a 'proper footballer' (in DP's words) on the bench who can play anywhere.

OK, maybe make it two so they can have a reserve goalkeeper? Naaaaar.

EDIT: That was at BST btw.

Olden days Stan? Weren't they before the olden days? They were in B&W weren't they?

[Standanista]

Olden days Stan? Weren't they before the olden days? They were in B&W weren't they?

I think you're right Don.  As far as I remember, from watching Match Of The Day as a kid, all teams played in black & white kits until some time in the 1970s.  On grey grass.