Thetownend.com

Town could field 13-man squad at Colchester
           
           


  SWINDON Town could travel to Colchester tomorrow with as few as 13 fit players, manager Paolo Di Canio has revealed.

           

http://www.thisisswindontownfc.co.uk/news/headlines/10205079.Town_could_field_13_man_squad_at_Colchester/?ref=rss
           
           
           

I can't feel sympathy if he's ruling out taking U18's for political reasons...

How odd. Our squad was perfectly big enough before we sold Ritchie. Now we have a load of gaps on the bench? Pull the other one Paolo.

Sounds like David O'Leary this.

Look what happened to Leeds.

“Now we are going to travel with 14, with some problems with a player who will go on the bench. That is our situation and we know who we have to thank."

Getting bitchy Paolo!

sold Ritchie..., couldn't retain Hollands, Bostock and Martin, paid up Risser, loaned out Benson and (effectively) Rooney, froze out Cox, lost Oakley to Wales U21s and TAH, Louis, Devera and Storey to injury.

Does that help convince you he's not making it up?

he doesn't rate them so why take them? Just shows he's a man of his words. Fair enough I say.

Totally disagree, the reason he isn't taking the youth is two fold, he doesn't like PB and he wants to prove a point. He doesn't have to travel with 14 so why do it? Connor Waldron is a good youngster who would benefit from the exposure to the first team as is Alex Ferguson.

Martin I accept. Hollands and Devera are first teamers too, granted. The rest have barely featured for months and we've got by. I think my frustration is the fact that we could fill the bench, but won't, rather than saying it could be full of capable first-team players.

he doesn't rate them. What you think of individuals is irrelivant.

Earlier in the season Franchise were only putting 4 on the bench and Pompey did it on New Years day at the CG, I’m sure both teams also could have stuck the youths on the bench but chose not to. Shows that you have to deserve the right to even sit on the first team bench, not sit there just to make up the numbers.

Maybe he doesn't. This isn't down to whether he rates them though, it grabs headlines to go with 14 and not 18 made up with U18's. Taking 3 subs because you don't rate any youth players isn't good enough for me, if doesn't like their attitude what better way of changing it than having them at close quarters for 24hrs? In his environment under his rules?

On another note why not take Cox? It can't just be in case of injury... Putting him in the shop window could improve our chances of moving him on.

Not sure there are enough names left for him to fill the bench, though I agree it would be better to take a couple of the youth team than risk having to play with 10 or bring on Bedwell outfield. You probably need a minimum of goalie plus three to cover emergencies, so if he currently has 14, that would mean at least one youth.

has Chris Smith of Samsung competition fame gone now? I know he was at Northampton but thought he had come back. Admittedly he aint gonna make it but surely better than having to play Bedwell as outfield player if the worst happens. At least Lee Cox has played in the last month or so surely he has to be considered. - he has actually played more recently than Navarro after all

This is the part of harry redknaps management he has learnt.When he wants to make a point to the board this is what he does.

Might be naive but why cant we recall Benson?-clubs always used to recall loanees if they were short

Recall clauses aren't in every loan deal. And we worked pretty hard to get Benson off the wage bill, recalling him to be a sub would not be in anyone's interests really.

As others have said, this is what we have a youth team for, stop playing politics and bring them.

I'm sure there are plenty of us around who can remember the days of ONE substitute.

Whether this latest 'crisis' is genuine or a further installment of the ongoing soap opera that is STFC, we'll manage somehow.

Some of us remember when the only substitute we had to think about was this one

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eswQl-hcvU0

Coincidentally, subs were introduced the same season as The Who classic.  Only allowed for injuries, the first Town sub was Owen Dawson on for Ken Skeen away at Sarfend.  Danny Williams didn't hold much truck with new fangled ideas, only using 3 subs the rest of the season.

We'll win the league with no subs.

We may have too......

I was half expecting Paolo to start with 10 men against Crawley, and no right winger.

He's trying to prove a point and fucking fair play to him.  ;D

Of course subs could only be used if a player was injured in those days, and seemed to take a while for gamesmanship to make that rule unenforceable.

Paolo Di Canio and no right winger ?

There's a joke there somewhere