If RH is not bloody minded, then why doesn't he EVER try to protect a lead by making substitutions, like every other manager in every other league in the world, in vital games in the midst of a relegation scrap?

Bringing someone like Riedewald into the fray towards the end of the Man U and Bournemouth games, to name just 2 games, would seem to be pretty obvious? Our midfield 2 were totally shot at the end of the Man U game, but still we didnt do anything.

How about not taking Zaha off towards the end vs Huddersfield? Thats not the very definition of bloody minded?

I am generally a fan of RH but his use of substitutions to close out games is horrendously poor.

When asked the other day by a journo why he didnt make a substitution towards the end of Bournemouth, he said it was because he didnt have enough attacking options on the bench.

Only problem was we needed to make a defensive substitution at that time, not bring on a forward....

Trump lost. Badly. Hahahahahahaha.

I don't see how any of that qualifies him for a highly negative epithet that connotes stupid, arrogant and uncompromising. If Hodgson is bloody-minded then WTF was Frank de Boer?

There might be any number of reasons. Perhaps what happened when he (had to) bring Delaney on has something to do with it. And don't bother expecting him to disclose tactical secrets to journalists; he has more sense.

Nobody knows what would have happened if he had made those substitutions and it is as much supposition to state that fresh legs would have helped close the game out as it is to suggest that a cold player coming on might make a mistake (which is what happened against Spurs).

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The Ferret
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Agree completely... It's as if Parish wouldn't step up with what Hodgson wanted and Rakip was a last minute thing that Hodgson didn't want and he's not playing him as some kind of protest.

Either way our January window was nothing short of pathetic.

Don't waste your time with jealousy. Sometimes your ahead, sometimes your behind, the race is long. But in the end it's only with yourself!!

This post has been merged from a topic called 'What’s the point in signing Rakip and Jach?' by Midlands Eagle

What is the point of signing Erdal Rakip on loan and Jaroslaw Jach if they aren’t even going to be playing or even in the match day squad each week?

This post has been merged from a topic called 'What’s the point in signing Rakip and Jach?' by Midlands Eagle

Jach is the future and plan b if relegated, as is Solorth. Rakip, no idea.

People still argue that january was a successful window... if we had no injuries, i would say fair enough, but we should have had at least a prem standard striker with experience.

This was once a quality forum....

It could only be classed as successful in terms of not losing key players ie Zaha and Luca, which will be more difficult to hold on to them in the summer window.