West Ham chief Karen Brady against switch to five subs, helps bigger clubs
West Ham chief Karren Brady has spoken out against the potential switch to five substitutes, claiming it benefits the bigger clubs more.
The Premier League has so far voted against the permanent switch to five substitutions, brought in during the COVID pandemic to help deal with the hectic schedules.
But the change is set to be made permanent this summer by the Premier League, despite clubs voting against it three times already and Brady told The Sun in her column that she’s against the plans.
“We have voted on increasing to five subs three times,” she said.
“Each time it was rejected, mainly because the rule change was proposed after the season had started and a radical change halfway through a season is never a good idea.
“For some clubs, there are other reasons to vote against it.
“You can only guess what some clubs feel about the prospect of five classy subs stripping off, ready to pull back a one-goal deficit. No, we can all guess.
“But two extra steps into the unknown are all but inevitable soon and the side-effects unpredictable except, simply, the bigger the club the wider the advantage.”
Player welfare
Obviously big clubs are at an advantage with their big squads and added player quality when it comes to more substitutions, but there is a bigger picture here.
Firstly the change will allow more opportunities for youth to get into the first-team picture, with more space in a match-day squad available.
It will also allow for more options for managers to change games tactically, something most managers will surely be in favour of with so many games changing late on.
Big clubs already have an advantage because of their money and squad depth, so this doesn’t change much other than giving them opportunity to make more changes.
But with the schedule staying hectic for the next several years with a winter World Cup to come, more substitutions is a sensible solution and one that England just need to catch up with.
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