Sporting Substitutions
The interesting thing about substitutions is that at times they can be a brilliant move or they can be a disastrous move at other times. Team coaches have a strategy mapped out in their heads and the way the game is going calls on them to make decisions in substituting players. Sometimes a well made substitution leads to a goal or a run of baskets but at other times they don't have the desired effect or have no effect at all.
Coaches use substitutions as tactical moves at various times in football games, in basketball games and in many other sports around the world. Substitutions can be done because an injury has struck a player, to take off a player not performing well, to introduce a new player into the team to give it new life or even to rest a player for another game.
When a coach lays out his or her plan for the strategy of a game, there are always unforeseen things that come into play and throw their plans off balance. Every coach goes into a game to win and they lay out their tactical plans and strategies to win the game. if something is not going their way or the other team is in the lead then they need to alter their plans and mix things up to give the game a fresh outlook and maybe breathe new life into the attack.
Sometimes in a game a team is winning and all they need to do is wind down the clock to hold onto their win, so an extra defender might be sent into the team in place of an attacking player to focus more of the team's performance on defending their lead. If the team is losing then maybe adding an attacker in place of a defender or a midfielder can change the team's fortunes around.
Dealing with substitutes is a tricky matter because they have to be told why they are on the bench and what is expected of them. A website on coaching tips tells coaches to communicate with their subs. "They might be on the bench because of a poor disciplinary record. Maybe as a reward for a consistent improvement or good performances in training. You may say to the player that they need to improve a specific part of their game, and so although they are not in the immediate team, they remain an integral part of the squad".
Subs in football are used for a variety of different reasons as they are in rugby and basketball as well. In the recent World Cup match between France and Uruguay, one of France's star players, Thierry Henry was on the bench for most of the game. He was only substituted into the game towards the end and he didn't produce anything too great. The match ended nil-nil. One would think that maybe if Henry had started the game's result could have gone differently, but it is always up to the coaches and they do what they think is best.
Some strange substitutions include the quickest substitution ever. It turns out that once during the Norwegian Division a team was hit by a serious bout of injuries to its senior defenders. Since they could rely on their junior defenders but because they weren't allowed to start in the league, the coach substituted a player in the first minute of the game.
Most of the time a coach will make a decision regarding a substitute that most of the fans or even the players on the team don't understand. But it is always best to leave it to the pros and let them make the hard decisions regarding substituting players. That is the thing about being a coach and making substitutions, if they work then the coach is regarded as a genius, if they fail then he is hated and abused by fans and players alike.
People need to realise that in the heat of the match the coach is the only one trying to keep a cool head and playing the different scenarios of the game in his head. The substituting decisions they make are a result of these plans for how the game is going. We should accept their decisions and be happy with them no matter the outcome. They are after all trying their hardest to win the game.
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