STEVE CUMBER takes a look at how the role of substitutions has grown over the last half a century

THE excellent but lyrically slightly wacky The Who song “Substitute” was a big UK hit in 1966. Co-incidentally, the 1965/66 season was the first one in which substitutes were allowed in English football.
In that first season (and indeed the subsequent one) substitutes were only allowed to replace injured players. It wasn’t until 1967/68 that they could be brought on for tactical reasons. That small change opened up a veritable party bucket of worms.
In those far off days,...