Top-flight clubs will now be allowed to pick any player in their 25-man matchday squad without fear of sanction from the Premier League. I for one thought that this was great news to start with; As Ian Holloway said "Who are they [The Premier League] to tell me my players are not good enough?" I think this sums it up really, as a lot of Managers were questioning the point of the 25-Man-Squad. Although this did not affect Fulham as much as other teams, I can remember Roy Hodgson putting out a 'weaker' side against Arsenal on the last day of the 2009/10 season as he was preparing for the Europa Final. (When both Arsenal and Spurs were pushing for the same spot I beleive) On the down-side however, I have been looking from another angle (similar to the Wolves fans when they lost 3-0 to Man Utd) and as a travelling fan would you be happy to se the 'reserve' team play a game when you have spend a fortune on tickets and travel to the other side of the country? Your thoughts please.
Must admit I thought that should have been the rule when they decided the 25 man squad rule. ie that you can pick anyone in the 25 man squad, there are no weak teams. Changing the Premier team to the 2nd choice players has gone on in cup games for a long time, the league cup suffers a lot from this. I think fans have got use to this happening, its now creeping into the Premier League, but I guess when a smaller team does it, the quality of player does leave them open to a loss. It's up to the manager, it's his job on the line. The fans will always be disappointed at not playing your strongest team, as there is more of a chance of winning against a better team, and more of a chance of a lower team beating you.
