He changed it around against Stoke and we won. He made three attacking substitutions against Sheffield united, we won. Two attacking subs v Barnsley, we won.
He was lucky at Stoke. Seems to be some confusion as to whether Drawett was forced to bring Smith on because Saville went off injured, or whether he was going to bring Smith on anyway, though God knows who he’d have taken off if Saville hadn’t been injured! Personally, I think it
was because of Saville’s injury, but I guess only Drawett really knows for sure!
Both United and Barnsley were poor, but I will concede to your points! However, Stoke were a different kettle of fish entirely! They were much much better than the other two Yorkshire clubs, and they battered us in that 1st half, deservedly going 1 nil up!
Ojo and Billy got a good kick up the arse at half time, because both grew into the game as the 2nd half progressed. Ojo was clearly worrying the Stoke midfielders and defenders but then, after we had gone 2 - 1 up, Drawett took him off! Why? Ojo was playing well, but Drawett’s bizarre decision changed the game, and suddenly we’re on the back foot, giving them now a chance to equalise! Then, to make matters worse, he later took off Jed! Explain that one to me, if you can!
At 2 - 1 up, and with Ojo flying and Bradshaw buzzing, we should have gone for a third goal and put a bit of daylight between us! No, Drawett doesn’t think like that! His motto seems to be, ‘Why make it easier for yourself, when you can make it harder.’ You know as well as I do, that had Stoke equalised after either Ojo was taken off, or later, when Jed went off, the supporters in the ground would have gone for Drawett’s jugular! All the hard work in winning the United and Barnsley games would have been, as they say in Yorkshire, ‘for nowt!’ He would have been slaughtered for taking Ojo and Jed off, and rightly so!
Thankfully for him, we held out, but that day he was a very, very, lucky man!