Twentyman Talks Back: 22 Jan 2009

By Geoff Twentyman
BBC Bristol

Dele Adebola turned the game around for Bristol City against Wolves

Standing on the side of a football pitch trying to keep your head while most around you are losing or have lost theirs and thinking logically is not as easy as it sounds.

Deciding when the time is right to make a substitution is far from easy.

Fans are never backward in coming forward with their advice on this vexed subject. As there is a lull in the stadium noise a wag can often be heard offering a pearl of wisdom.

In the Premier League the subs bench is normally occupied by a cast of stars who can genuinely affect a game. The Championship, and more so Leagues One and Two, select squad players to occupy the overflow car park.

The lower down the football pyramid you go, the managers start with their strongest 11. There is often a marked difference between the team that starts and the substitutes.

A question or two from the former pro and assistant manager. Is it logical to take off a player and replace him with someone you did not pick from the start in the first place? Should the manager wait another 10 minutes and see if his first choice 11 can justify the faith he showed in them at three o'clock? It is a far from precise science.

At half-time Johnson opted to take off Peter Styvar and introduce Dele Adebola. This was a big call. The 'big fella' played like a man possessed and tore Wolves apart

Geoff Twentyman

Callers to my football phone-in on BBC Radio Bristol often criticise the managers regarding substitutions. "He left it too late...what did he bring him off for...surely he should have taken him off and brought on..."

As well as pointing out the difficult nature of making changes it is good to buck the trend and give some credit where credit is due. Last weekend Gary Johnson at Bristol City and Bristol Rovers' Paul Trollope made brave decisions that reaped genuine reward.

At half-time Johnson opted to take off Peter Styvar and introduce Dele Adebola. This was a big call. The 'big fella' played like a man possessed and tore Wolves apart. Dele made one and scored one. In essence it was the main reason why City came from 2-0 down to draw 2-2.

Rovers trailed 1-0 at Leyton Orient when Trollope brought on Darryl Duffy during the second half. The striker scored the winner in the 2-1 victory at Brisbane Road.

I concede it's not every week that substitutions have such a dramatic and defining effect. Managers do not always get it right. It's worth remembering that the next time you watch your team and are contemplating shouting out some advice to the man in the technical area, give him the benefit of the doubt.

It's not as easy as you think it is.

Geoff presents the 'Twentyman Talks Back' sports phone-in at 7pm on Fridays on BBC Radio Bristol and BBC Radio Somerset. If you missed the latest programme, listen to it now.

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