RLB and Subs


Would be interesting to see some stats on how often he has used his full quota, or even more than 3, compared to other teams in the league.

It's well and good resting players (Something he still hasn't really done), but sometimes it's worth throwing on some freshness when chasing a game to give the opposition a new problem.

Concerned that some of our players could be out on their feet come the end of the season. Rigg and Jobe lately in particular look tired and Hume was really off it last night.
 
Rigg had 3 games out injured the start of January and came back still looking flat.

I think it's more to do with a young player being out of form than anything.

There is a bit of both with Rigg but he was undoubtedly tiring which likely led to a drop off in form. We have seen it before with Doyle and Jobe in past seasons.

He just doesn't seem to want to freshen it up.
 
Would be interesting to see some stats on how often he has used his full quota, or even more than 3, compared to other teams in the league.

It's well and good resting players (Something he still hasn't really done), but sometimes it's worth throwing on some freshness when chasing a game to give the opposition a new problem.

Concerned that some of our players could be out on their feet come the end of the season. Rigg and Jobe lately in particular look tired and Hume was really off it last night.
Thought Hume did ok yesterday. Rigg looked much sharper when he came on and added to the game and Jobe has been playing within himself due to the 9 cards. Think we'll see a different performance from him on Sat.
 
There is a bit of both with Rigg but he was undoubtedly tiring which likely led to a drop off in form. We have seen it before with Doyle and Jobe in past seasons.

He just doesn't seem to want to freshen it up.
Rigg hasn't played anywhere the near the football Jobe did last season. He's not started half a dozen games and very rarely plays 90 minutes when he does start.

People at the club will monitor the players very closely during matches and in training. They know far more about injuries and fatigue than people on here or on Facebook.
 
Rigg hasn't played anywhere the near the football Jobe did last season. He's not started half a dozen games and very rarely plays 90 minutes when he does start.

People at the club will monitor the players very closely during matches and in training. They know far more about injuries and fatigue than people on here or on Facebook.

It's a more general problem though, he's not using the squad - no wonder we've dropped so many points late in games. Even using them as a disruption when defending a lead has it's uses. What if we were to get a couple of key injuries, a lot of the current bench have barely played any meaningful minutes lately.
 
It's a more general problem though, he's not using the squad - no wonder we've dropped so many points late in games. Even using them as a disruption when defending a lead has it's uses. What if we were to get a couple of key injuries, a lot of the current bench have barely played any meaningful minutes lately.
I agree about that.

Aleksic isn't used anywhere near enough. He nearly scored in 2 games when he came on, one on ones Millwall and a home game. That would have been a couple more points. He could easily come on for Jobe without any disruption.

There has been times when our bench has been light and I agree with him not making wholesale changes. That's not the case now.
 
We don't know how much choice he really has.

Tony Mowbray was clear on how it works:

“I think ultimately the end came probably because there was a difference of opinions on selection really I think and I found it difficult that there was influence really to pick a different team sometimes or to give other people opportunities and that's because of the model. They want young players to get the opportunity to play and to increase their value and that's fine. I'm almost from a school where it's about winning football matches for the people who pay their money to come and watch and try and get another three points and be proud to be at the top of the table like they are now."

Selecting Rigg or Jobe ahead of say Alan Browne increases the value of our assets and that's what our managers are 'influenced' to do by those above them.
 
I agree about that.

Aleksic isn't used anywhere near enough. He nearly scored in 2 games when he came on, one on ones Millwall and a home game. That would have been a couple more points. He could easily come on for Jobe without any disruption.

There has been times when our bench has been light and I agree with him not making wholesale changes. That's not the case now.

Aleksic is one who has looked comfortable when given minutes, but he's been used incredibly sparingly. Someone like Browne could have made a difference last night with his experience when it was clear some players were struggling. I can understand not wanting to change the defence too much, particularly with Anderson and Seelt really short on match practise, but even the likes of Poveda and Aouchiche could barely buy minutes earlier in the season.
We don't know how much choice he really has.

Tony Mowbray was clear on how it works:

“I think ultimately the end came probably because there was a difference of opinions on selection really I think and I found it difficult that there was influence really to pick a different team sometimes or to give other people opportunities and that's because of the model. They want young players to get the opportunity to play and to increase their value and that's fine. I'm almost from a school where it's about winning football matches for the people who pay their money to come and watch and try and get another three points and be proud to be at the top of the table like they are now."

Selecting Rigg or Jobe ahead of say Alan Browne increases the value of our assets and that's what our managers are 'influenced' to do by those above them.

I have thought about it from that point of view but surely in that case, getting minutes into the likes of Aleksic would be more beneficial?
 
There has to be an agreement/understanding that Jobe has, and nobody will convince me otherwise. It’s the only reason for him to have played every single minute. It’s about getting as much exposure and experience into him for his development through time on the pitch to increase his value. Same goes for Rigg, albeit he’s younger and they’ve backed off him slightly.
 
Back to the original point though - I’d be interested in those stats too. He seems very reluctant to bring on subs, and reluctant to do so earlier in a game. Maybe there’s been some improvement on this the last few weeks?

I had the same frustration with Southgate during the last Euros. Start out with a game plan that’s too conservative as we rarely get a decent shot on goal. Seventy plus minutes in and he still hadn’t changed things.

I stand by my perennial belief that there are very few actual coaches in the game. Most of them are just chancers, a few of whom get lucky by hitting on a winning formula. I’ll only be impressed when a coach sees his plan isn’t working and has a plan B and C already in hand with the players drilled in what to expect when the adjustment comes. Hanging on in hope or throwing on a late sub here and there with fingers crossed that they can change the game is not a consistently successful strategy.

I still remember when we won the rugby World Cup in 2003. There was a squeaky bum period when we had players sin binned. After the match the coach was asked if he was bricking it during that period. The coach just dead-panned it. “No cos we practiced with one, two, three even four players out at the same time so everyone knew what their role was”. And this was in a sport that had only turned professional nine years earlier.
 
I agree about that.

Aleksic isn't used anywhere near enough. He nearly scored in 2 games when he came on, one on ones Millwall and a home game. That would have been a couple more points. He could easily come on for Jobe without any disruption.

There has been times when our bench has been light and I agree with him not making wholesale changes. That's not the case now.
Totally agree. Those misses, the mayenda late chance recently (forget which game, before he suddenly started two) i think give them minutes, sharpen up maybe those don't go the way they did.

I think RLB is really guilty of not using some of what he had. Aleksic and Mayenda up until a few weeks ago really criminally underused, whilst some players get flogged
 
Rigg had 3 games out injured the start of January and came back still looking flat.

I think it's more to do with a young player being out of form than anything.

This.

People are stirring this up to be a bigger problem than it really is.

We came through a tough (pre-)Christmas period with a depleted squad and we're now at the business end.
There has to be an agreement/understanding that Jobe has, and nobody will convince me otherwise. It’s the only reason for him to have played every single minute. It’s about getting as much exposure and experience into him for his development through time on the pitch to increase his value. Same goes for Rigg, albeit he’s younger and they’ve backed off him slightly.
He's one of our best players. That's why he plays as much as he does.

This was even true last season.


Does Luke O'Nien have one of these imaginary agreements? Dan Neil? Trai Hume?
 
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Back to the original point though - I’d be interested in those stats too. He seems very reluctant to bring on subs, and reluctant to do so earlier in a game. Maybe there’s been some improvement on this the last few weeks?

I had the same frustration with Southgate during the last Euros. Start out with a game plan that’s too conservative as we rarely get a decent shot on goal. Seventy plus minutes in and he still hadn’t changed things.

I stand by my perennial belief that there are very few actual coaches in the game. Most of them are just chancers, a few of whom get lucky by hitting on a winning formula. I’ll only be impressed when a coach sees his plan isn’t working and has a plan B and C already in hand with the players drilled in what to expect when the adjustment comes. Hanging on in hope or throwing on a late sub here and there with fingers crossed that they can change the game is not a consistently successful strategy.

I still remember when we won the rugby World Cup in 2003. There was a squeaky bum period when we had players sin binned. After the match the coach was asked if he was bricking it during that period. The coach just dead-panned it. “No cos we practiced with one, two, three even four players out at the same time so everyone knew what their role was”. And this was in a sport that had only turned professional nine years earlier.

I think a lot of coaching/management now is almost by "textbook" and as a result they lack the ability to react to match situations. Some are just downright stubborn too and won't go against their "philosophy". Last night, it is like it was pre-planned to take Mayenda off after an hour but on the night he was our most dangerous player.
 
Aleksic is one who has looked comfortable when given minutes, but he's been used incredibly sparingly. Someone like Browne could have made a difference last night with his experience when it was clear some players were struggling. I can understand not wanting to change the defence too much, particularly with Anderson and Seelt really short on match practise, but even the likes of Poveda and Aouchiche could barely buy minutes earlier in the season.


I have thought about it from that point of view but surely in that case, getting minutes into the likes of Aleksic would be more beneficial?

I think that last season Jobe was seen as the next asset to develop, so they can rake in a higher bid this coming summer. I'd be amazed if he is still here (assuming we don't go up). Then I think that Rigg is probably seen as the one to cash in at some point in the future, maybe summer 2026? So until recent weeks we have been selecting him every week, regardless of form, and in my view to the detriment of our short term needs in the middle of a promotion challenge.

I've not seen enough of Aleksic to judge - he looks really raw (but talented) - maybe they think he is less likely to generate a large fee any time soon? Maybe he comes into the team more next season, a bit like Mayenda did this season, so they can boost his value then?
 
Can't knock him too much I suppose but can he never change the team at half-time? He waited ten minutes for fuck all last night. He only changes that early if injured.
 
I think that last season Jobe was seen as the next asset to develop, so they can rake in a higher bid this coming summer. I'd be amazed if he is still here (assuming we don't go up). Then I think that Rigg is probably seen as the one to cash in at some point in the future, maybe summer 2026? So until recent weeks we have been selecting him every week, regardless of form, and in my view to the detriment of our short term needs in the middle of a promotion challenge.

I've not seen enough of Aleksic to judge - he looks really raw (but talented) - maybe they think he is less likely to generate a large fee any time soon? Maybe he comes into the team more next season, a bit like Mayenda did this season, so they can boost his value then?

It will all be about exposure and potential value, but the manager has to still make decisions during the 90 minutes. Continuing to play out of form/tired players could also decrease their immediate value but we don't know what, if any, instructions he has from above.
 
I wouldn’t mind seeing some of the lesser used players start to get some meaningful game time. They may well be needed in the playoffs and it might help them get a feel for playing vs practice.
 
It will all be about exposure and potential value, but the manager has to still make decisions during the 90 minutes. Continuing to play out of form/tired players could also decrease their immediate value but we don't know what, if any, instructions he has from above.

Yes I agree. And I think his substitution decisions have been pretty poor overall, even at the beginning of the season, so I'm not saying he has done well in that respect. It's just muddied the waters - and is a big concern IMO - that there is influence on any manager of the club to make selection decisions based on increasing the value of players.
 

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