'Why I used four subs' - Dave Jones

Mar 1 2008 by Mark Bloom, South Wales Echo

CARDIFF City manager Dave Jones has broken his silence on last week’s substitutes storm by saying: “I had no option.”

The Bluebirds had four players on the bench instead of five in the 1-0 Championship defeat at Sheffield Wednesday, a situation which angered and puzzled City fans.

Jones spent yesterday deciding the future of youngsters at the club, and explained he did not want to give them false hope six days before having to tell them they had no future at Ninian Park.

That was the reason City were short on numbers at Hillsborough.

He said: “I was certainly not going to put a youngster on for 10 minutes or ask him to run up and down the touchline with a squad number on his back, and then release him days later. What does that say about me?

“People have given me stick over the last few days, but I’d rather take that than build up a young man’s hopes by putting him on the bench just to make up the numbers.

“This is not a kindergarten, this is a professional football club.

“It would have been totally unprofessional of me to put a kid on the bench and then say ‘off you go, son’ a few days later,” explained Jones.

“The kids will get their chance at this club that’s for sure, but people are far too quick to have a go without knowing all the facts. Instead of finding out what’s going on, people are far too quick to have a pop.”

Attacking midfielder Jonathan Brown, from Bridgend, was the only youngster to be offered a professional contract yesterday, with Jones, himself, giving the bad news to those released.

“Most clubs leave this kind of day to the academy directors,” he said. “But I feel this is part of my job as manager, and not one I look forward to.”

mark.bloom@mediawales.co.uk

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