Substitutes killed reserve football - a rant

When I was a kid in the 60's my grandfather used to take me to the Dell for Southampton Reserve matches alternate Saturdays when the fist team were away, often against the same club the first were playing. With only one sub, even a squad as small as ours is now could put out 2 teams, maybe using a few "A" team players. There also seemed to be fewer injuries (that's another debate).

It was decent football, occasional sightings of the stars (Chivers, Davies, Paine) and competitive - the Football Combination and Combination Cup were seen as worth winning.

Multiple substitutes suited clubs with big squads, reduced the chances of smaller clubs winning (if you get selection wrong, you can bring on £100m "worth" of alternatives). They also became obsessed with European competition and the greed of the Premier League and killed off the old reserve competitions. I'm sure player attitudes changed as well, with little incentive to win reserve leagues.

My conclusion is that the current situation is caused by the big clubs and the rest of us should not have to have our league ruined and our clubs' prospects diminshed to suit them. If they want a competitive reserve league, then they should organise one.

Posted By: watfordcanary, Mar 21, 11:20:43