Rugby-isms are never particularly welcome in football. The two sports share mass appeal across the nation but very much exist independently, with different cultures, values, habits, ideals and sense of identity that are too numerous to mention.
From Bristol City’s perspective, the relationship between oval and spherical ball is a contentious one given the constant accusations of Steve Lansdown’s apparent preference for the Bears over the Robins - something which incidentally, and thankfully, has noticeably quietened following their struggles in the Premiership last season (funny, that).
There are a significant number of fans who follow both, of course, but also a significant amount who don’t, nailing their colours to one particular mast and way of thinking.
Nigel Pearson makes a point of being publicly baffled by many things, in a dry and typically dour way, but his wish at the start of last season to adopt a rugby-style position in the stands during a game, and the subsequent public opposition as results nosedived, left him genuinely perplexed.
However, a warning: a very modern rugby term could well slip in football’s vernacular this campaign and the Premier League, EFL and, to a lesser extent, Covid-19 is to blame.
It was the end of the 2019/20 pandemic-impacted season whereby the concept of five substitutions became de rigour throughout the professional pyramid, before swiftly returning to three for 2021/22.
That previous rule has now returned for 2022/23 and it’s likely to have a major impact on how clubs build their squads and how managers select their starting XIs and make crucial in-game decisions to hopefully impact the overall contest.
It was England rugby union head coach Eddie Jones who popularised the term “finishers”, while Bears chief Pat Lam refers to them as “system players”, whereby the players not in the starting XV have appeared to be afforded a more complimentary name than “replacements”, but it was chiefly coined through logic, more so than morale.
In rugby union, players’ minutes, metres and power outputs relative to their individual capabilities are monitored in the stands to such a degree that it determines whether they stay on the field and the sight of 22 players used in the professional area is not unusual. It’s as much a squad game as a team game.
Consequently those taking to the field for the final 20 minutes have as much, if not more, an impact on the overall complexion of a match than the ones who started the game, given the small margins at the very top of the sport.
You can cringe all you want in anticipation but there’s a very good chance of a football manager using the term, or a variation of, over the next nine months because the five substitutes role very much brings in similar concepts to the game.
There is a small caveat in the sense that, under the new rules, with the five changes only permitted over three occasions, but Bristol Rovers manager Joey Barton evidenced its impact this week, when he commented on the transfer market at League One level.
"You see Eddie Jones talk about it with the rugby with starters,” Barton said. “Now we’ve got five subs, people have got to accept there is going to be a finishing role, people who come on to finish a game. Everybody seems to be looking for forward-thinking players, everyone seems to be looking for strikers.”
The new reality is that teams could very deliberately have 4-5 frontline strikers in a matchday squad, knowing that all will be used over the course of the 90 minutes. This isn’t a massive surprise for City fans with, several last season, Chris Martin, Antoine Semenyo, Andi Weimann and Nahki Wells all getting minutes, with Tommy Conway or Sam Bell on the bench.
However, that process becomes pronounced with the increased number of players you can introduce into a game and the fact that, in an ideal situation, your changes are made further up the pitch than in defence where you need that familiarity and consistency.
City still have one more pre-season game to go this summer, against Bournemouth on Saturday so circumstances could well dictate different to what we’re about to say, with the unfortunate prospect of injuries or an individual delivering a truly outstanding performance.
However, based on what we witnessed on Tuesday against Forest Green Rovers and Exeter City and before that over the course of last season and into the summer, we’re confident enough to make this forecast.
The starting line-ups against City’s League One West Country neighbours were slightly split in terms of the concept of “best XIs” but, with Hull City in mind, it was weighted slightly more towards the Forest Green game, with the concept of partnerships being key.
Pearson wants to build team chemistry between Kal Naismith and Rob Atkinson, hopes the Joe Williams and Matty James central midfield axis can become as symbiotic as possible before July 30 and wants, or at least wants to see, Mark Sykes develop an understanding alongside the now-established combination of Martin and Weimann.
As mentioned, events at the Vitality Stadium could change that but, right here, right now, if you were making a call on it, how City played for much of the 90 minutes against Forest Green, particularly in the final third, that trio will be on the teamsheet at the MKM Stadium.
However, what transpired a few hours earlier, and was also witnessed at Plymouth Argyle last Saturday, helps formulate things for Pearson and even though it’s not as obvious, it’s a massive positive for the Robins manager.
Against Argyle, in a tightly-contested game which, in truth, the hosts were better for at least an hour of the game, City nicked a 1-0 win as a high-press up the field saw Sykes intercept a pass, play the ball across to Sam Bell who fed Wells to score from close range. It was a goal fashioned out of a forced error, something which as much as he won't like to admit, brought a wide (we’re slightly reluctant to say it but…) grin to Nigel Pearson’s face.
In the game with Exeter City, the Robins were behind on the scoreboard in what had been a largely disjointed performance with an experimental line-up, but two moments brought them level.
The first was as Wells stepped on the afterburners to blaze into the right channel past a slightly flat-footed Exeter defence and pull the ball back for a waiting Conway. The second saw the Bermudian pounce on a slip at the back, move forward and then flick a back-hell into the path of his strike partner.
On each occasion it involved Wells’ pace, anticipation and workrate to feed Conway.
You can hopefully see where we’re going with this by now but apply these patterns of play to a Championship fixture and it’s very clear to see what is likely to happen.
City have the prospect of starting the game with the power and smarts of Martin leading the line and creating a platform, with the absolute relentless energy of Sykes and Weimann buzzing around him, and then around the 60-70 mark, the high press and wily goalscoring instincts of Wells and Conway; two players who may be 13 years apart in age but have shown a degree of chemistry between them and have minutes together as a partnership at Under-23 level. This is also not forgetting Sam Bell who is in a similar position to Conway, albeit not appearing quite as polished as his academy colleague.
The term finishers becomes apt in a number of ways with this process, as the two men emerging in the second half have that ability to graft a goal out of nothing against, one would presume, a tiring defence.
It may not seem a radical departure from last season, where Wells made 25 substitute appearances in what became a familiar and frustrating sight for him, but the opportunity of introducing a ready-made partner alongside him into the game opens up completely different possibilities in terms of the impact that can be had.
For defenders, you're having to combat multiple forward players with differing attributes and two clear partnerships over a game. The levels of concentration, problem solving and fitness required are of a high and challenging level.
It probably emphasises why Pearson is so reticent to lose Wells, even in light of his contract situation, given his attributes and capabilities at this level - it may just be a financial hit worth taking - and why Conway will stick around in BS3 as opposed to being loaned out.
Because until Semenyo comes back (and, boy, does that change things even more for the better), he needs a broader scope of options, to make pre-game and in-game selection decisions and finish games off.
SIGN UP: For our daily Robins newsletter, bringing you the latest from Ashton Gate
READ NEXT
