Little clubs should say nein to five

ASTON VILLA took Sunday’s defeat at Anfield with good grace when they must have been kicking themselves that they didn’t take something from a lacklustre Liverpool.

Manager Dean Smith (above) wasn’t offering an excuse when he talked about how the new fivesubstitute rule is affecting them, but pointing out a reality. When the champions can introduce three international first-teamers on the hour to change the game, with others kept in reserve, it’s clearly unfair on clubs with smaller squads.

The same happened to Smith’s side against Chelsea when Ross Barkley and Christian Pulisic came on 10 minutes after half-time and turned a Villa lead into a defeat.

You can see it in the results of the bottom four who, since the restart, are struggling even to pick up draws when not playing each other.

Considering this was a big-club proposal which the Premier League approved, maybe the teams towards the bottom cocked up.

Instead of lobbying to scrap relegation, the issue they should have banded together and tried much harder to block was this rule.

TEN years ago, Gary Speed was awarded an MBE and given his first managerial job at Sheffield United. Within 18 months, he had killed himself.

But the impact Gary (below) made on others is undiminished.

And last week Keith Gillespie paid tribute to his former Newcastle team-mate by saying the shock of his suicide – which no one foresaw because he appeared such a happy person – made many male footballers realise they needed to talk about mental-health issues.

Gary’s family are still devastated by their loss, but the reminders keep coming that his death helped to break down a macho culture and encouraged men to discuss their problems.

Which offers a small consolation that something positive did come from such a tragedy.