The SPFL might just be about to do something right, in terms of genuinely reforming the game here, and Ange has been asking for it since the season started.
He wants the five substitutes rule brought back in, in order to give him a greater chance to rotate the squad.
This makes good sense.
It was a smart idea when it was introduced last season because of the virus.
I cannot understand why it was not retained then, or why it would not be re-introduced and kept. The BBC says a number of clubs without the resources of Celtic are opposed; that is small-minded parochial nonsense. In the long run, it will help them too.
Things like this are the sort of changes clubs should welcome at every level in the game. It gives them a chance to blood more youth players, to give more game-time to their benched stars, to see what more of their squad can do.
It gives players a rest during long campaigns, something every club moans about. So the downsides are difficult to see except that, yes, in a tight game we might be able to bring on more fresh players.
But when you consider some of the anti-football we have to face from certain teams as far as I’m concerned that’s just rebalancing the odds a bit.
It was a good suggestion when it was first brought in.
Teams liked it. Managers loved it.
I actually can’t believe that something that was so obviously working was taken away from coaches after just one campaign. Its reintroduction is a no-brainer and I am glad that Celtic pushed for it, and we, as fans, should be giving it our wholehearted support.
Well done to Ange for driving this up the agenda. It’s a step in the right direction.
I thought it was a great idea, and I don’t know what other teams could complain about, unless they have every player on appearance bonuses? Even then, you just ensure that contracts don’t include such things going forward. Simple, but still too complex for the hard of thinking at the SFA.
Ten times 1 minute stops = 10 minutes. Teams hanging on to draw can end the game by making five substitutions after 85 minutes. Teams with thinner squads will be at a disadvantage.
Can only make the 5 substitutions in the usual 3 times … with the added half time change … so you can make a change at half time and keep 3 more for the second half. It has been retained here in Portugal and apart from an absolute ball ache to film with more than one or two players coming on/leaving at a time .. on the whole it has been fine .. and I hear that down in the Las Vegas league they are also considering re implementing the rule … I believe only in the UK did they stop …