EFL clubs to vote on rule change that managers claims ‘favours bigger clubs’

EFL clubs are getting ready to vote on a much talked about rule change that various managers claims ‘favours the bigger clubs’.

Championship, League One and League Two are expected to have a say on whether or not to re-introduce the five substitutes rule in the summer.

This comes after the Premier League announced that enough clubs voted in favour doing the same after the rule had originally been used during the Project Restart return to football for the final rounds of the 2019/2020 season, which was heavily delayed due to the pandemic.

🔁 The five subs rule is back in the Premier League from next season.

Are you in favour of the changes or happy with three subs per game? 🤔 pic.twitter.com/TinTFNTuTN

— Football on BT Sport (@btsportfootball) March 31, 2022

It was got rid of in the two campaigns after that, with top-flight teams reverting to three permitted changes per match.

Now it appears as if the Football League could follow suit as the rule will be looked at and be subject to a formal vote by clubs this summer ahead of the 2022/23 campaign, the EFL confirm to the Mirror.

A statement on Thursday said: “Premier League Shareholders met today and discussed a range of matters. Clubs agreed to change the rules relating to substitute players. From next season, clubs will be permitted to use five substitutions, to be made on three occasions during a match, with an additional opportunity at half-time. A total of nine substitutes can be named on the team sheet.”

Five substitutes are currently allowed in cup competitions such as the FA Cup and Carabao Cup, whilst the Champions League also allows five changes to be made.

Sky Blues boss Mark Robins previously hit out at the rule change, telling CoventryLive a few years back: “The rule benefits the bigger squads and bigger clubs without a shadow of a doubt. It helps them more.”

Robins’ attitude towards the rule change softened by the end of the season, even if he still thought it favours the bigger, richer clubs out there. “I am quite happy with five from nine,” he said last April.

“I think it’s been a really good introduction, and I would like to see that stay. I think it gives everyone more incentive, and you have more scope for more players to be involved in a 20 man squad.”

He added: “When you are travelling away you take three goalkeepers just in case as well as an extra outfield player in case, so there’s more people involved and gives players more motivation to be involved because there’s more opportunity to do that.”

The reintroduction to the top flight has divided opinion between those who feel it is beneficial to player welfare and those who feel it favours the clubs with deeper squads to pick from.

Pep Guardiola rejected the idea that the introduction of five subs will provide a bigger advantage to leading clubs.

Asked if he could understand why some would view this as a change to benefit the big teams, he said: “Why? We don’t play 12 against 10!. “It’s healthy for the players when they play this amount of games in all competitions. And it is the same opportunity as other managers will have.

“When you can make more substitutions, the players can avoid more injuries than usual and everybody can be involved. You can rotate more the team, you can change it tactically or because of a bad performance by the players.

“It is the normal thing, all around the world is doing it and finally we are doing it in the Premier League.”

Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp has long called for this rule to be re-introduced.

Speaking on Friday, he said of the change: “Five subs is a must-have for the future. It should be now already but at least for the future because we have to make sure we give the players opportunity to save energy. Top news for football and for players.

“We all know the situation is nobody will step aside in any competition or country. So the players play more and with all we know, we try to help with recovery. No other sport has this for such a long period. I’m happy.”

Blackpool head coach Neil Critchley wants the five substitutes rule to return to the EFL.

“I’ve said before I’ll say it again that I’m in favour of it. I think with the schedule you face nowadays, the amount of games, the intensity of the games, the game is much faster and more physically demanding than it was ten years ago, I’m in favour of it,” Neil Critchley told Lancs Live.

“I know there’s a cost implication for Football League clubs in terms of even when you’re traveling away it might be extra rooms and there’s a cost you have to think about. It’s not just straightforward, it’s not just what happens on a Saturday but for me in terms of when we had five subs last year we found that beneficial to us and I’m favour of it yes.”

“Five subs is ESSENTIAL” 🤷 pic.twitter.com/MlPaJKCciH

— Liverpool FC News (@LivEchoLFC) March 31, 2022

Newcastle manager Eddie Howe on being allowed five subs from next season: “When you’re managing a big squad, if you’re allowed more options that’s a very good thing. I really love the squad I have so the ability to bring more players onto the pitch and change things tactically – I’m all for it.”

Norwich City boss Dean Smith said: “For me, it doesn’t matter whether I’m for or against it, the fact is we’ve voted four or five times for this. So how many times do you keep voting until somebody gets what they want. During Covid we changed to five subs and I was certainly for that with the amount of games that we were playing. Since then it seems to have been on the Premier League agenda every time they have a meeting. I think everybody knew it was going to get changed sooner or later.”

Burnley have one of the smallest squads in the top flight, and though Dyche understands the argument for from the leading clubs, he does feel it is an advantage to the bigger sides and another example of change coming from the top.

“I think there’s more first-team players in groups who need first-team football, so the way the game has developed, I think it was likely,” said the Clarets boss. “I don’t think it’s just about the big clubs, I think it was likely – and the vote would have been not just about the big clubs, of course, there’s 20 clubs who get a chance to say their point, and if it comes in, then they obviously wanted it.

“The big clubs are in lots of tournaments, I understand why they’d want five subs. I would if I was at one of those clubs and you’re in many tournaments, you’ve got many international players.

“My point has always been for the smaller clubs like ourselves, it’s a bigger challenge, because teams can rotate so easily – there’s a clutch (where) we all know you can change five players and the team wouldn’t look much weaker, if at all. So it just gives them a little bit more leeway. It often gets misrepresented, but I’ve said all along, if I was at a big club with 20-odd international players, then I’d want the chance to use as many as I can.”

Some managers of National League clubs are also in favour of reverting back to five subs.

Torquay United manager Gary Johnson backs the idea, though does not want to increase the number of subs available: “It’s ridiculous having, say, ten, because that’s even more people sitting around not playing.

“But I am in favour of being allowed to use five subs.

“It doesn’t mean you have to make five changes, but in this day and age, I think it’s right – and only humane.”

In other news, EFL and non league clubs are urging the Government to BAN all gambling advertising in football to ‘challenge the notion that it is dependent on it’.

This would include betting companies being removed as front-of-shirt sponsors. Read more on this by clicking HERE.

As EFL clubs prepare to vote on rule change that various managers claims ‘favours bigger clubs’, what do you make of this? Is the change needed? Let us know via our socials!