'Maybe they should have done it from the start' - Doncaster Rovers boss on switch to five substitutions being permitted

The EFL this week changed regulations to allow for up to five substitutions to be made in matches from this weekend onwards, after concerns over the number of injuries being sustained during this congested season.

But Moore believes it would have been more prudent to give managers more flexibility from the start of the campaign and potentially re-tighten restrictions as the season wore on.

“It shouldn’t have taken a multitude of injuries from clubs right across the board for this to come in,” he said. “I would say more or less every club has suffered with it.

“I don’t think there’s a great deal you can do about it because it’s just the volume of games and where we’re asking the players to perform.

“These are high level athletes that play the game with such pace and intensity week after week and when you’re asking them to do that in so many games, fatigue creeps into it and when players get fatigued, they’re susceptible to get soft tissue injuries which is what has happened.

“I think they’ve looked at it and seen the multiple cases of injury, and they’ve brought it in.

“If they were going to do it, then maybe they should have just done it from the start.

“You’re far better looking at it from the start and easing off than adding. If it had been the other way around, starting at five and reducing it down to three when the season is off and running, it would have been better.

“It is what it is and we’ll get on with it.”

Moore believes it could lead to an imbalance within League One, with those clubs with large squads reaping greater benefits than those with more limited resources.

But he feels all clubs will feel some benefit from the change as they have a greater chance of avoiding injuries to players.

“Theres’s teams with far bigger resources and squads that can benefit from it moreso,” he said.

“There’s squads with smaller resources that can benefit slightly from it with resting players.

“You’ve just got to go with it.

“The ones that can make wholesale changes can see the benefit from it.”

“I’m mixed with it,” Moore added.

“The biggest thing for me is just the wellbeing of the players

“We all knew it was always going to be chasing our tail in terms of the games and they were going to come thick and fast.

“We’ve been loaded in with the games and we still don’t know how the winter months are going to treat us.

“It is what it is and we’re dealing with it. We’re trying to manage with it the best we can.

“Probably having the five substitutions will allow us to cope with that better in terms of not getting sheer burnout from the players which has led to a lot of soft tissue injuries, not just for us but for most clubs along the way.

“Having the five subs, I see that as an overall deciding factor with the players’ well-being my main concern.”

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In these confusing and worrying times, local journalism is more vital than ever. Thanks to everyone who helps us ask the questions that matter by taking out a subscription or buying a paper. We stand together. Nancy Fielder, editor.