Rob Roy boss Stewart Maxwell says increase to five subs is a no-brainer

New regulations increasing the number of changes a manager can make from three to five have been drafted in for league and cup competitions throughout Europe, including the Scottish Premiership, with clubs able to name nine possible substitutes.

The measure has yet to be approved for lower leagues - and there has bee some concern that clubs might not be able to fill their benches.

But Maxwell thinks the move could have massive benefits for clubs such as Rob Roy.

As well as giving managers more options to make tactical tweaks, he says it would also allow him to give more players game time, helping to keep them involved or aiding their efforts to regain fitness after injury.

He said; “I think it’s a great idea to have more on the bench. There’s nothing worse in part-time professional football than having to leave guys out on a Saturday.

“They work and train all week and when you leave somebody out it’s difficult.

“It’s hard to keep players. They will maybe accept that a couple of times because of the way things are and then they’ll want to move on, so it helps to keep your squad together.

“If you’re not stripped it’s difficult but if you’re in the squad you know you’ve always got a chance of getting on. Psychologicaly it’s a great thing.”

“I think it helps at our level as well. Some boys might not have trained all week, because of work or injuries, it helps if you’ve got fresh legs.

“It’s still to be rubber stamped by from my point of view it’s a no-brainer.”