What is the meaning of inserting a player 1 or 2 minutes before the game over? ( i don't think he will contribute in any way in a minute or two ) i watched a game where a player came in just barely 1 minute prior to the wistle, i didn't think that he touched the ball at all. Will it be counted to the statistic of that player ? ..... some time i feel so bad for that player ..
It used to be to waste a bit of time. Supposedly refs now add on 30 seconds for every sub, but even if they do, bringing on a sub can break the flow of the game a bit, frustrate the team trying to equalise a bit, and make it that little bit harder for them to do so. Don't feel bad for the player. We had a player (just been given away on a free transfer) called Bas Savage, who made his debut in injury time of the match that clinched promotion for Reading. I'm not sure if he even touched the ball, but he still celebrated 90 seconds later as if he'd been in the team all season.
It's usually done to waste time. The team that is holding on to the lead makes a substitution to run the clock down a little. It can have other uses to. Teams get a maximum of three substitutes. If a team has already made it's three substitutes and a player goes out injured - they cannot bring in another player. They have to play a man down so managers don't like to use their final substitutions until the last 10 mins or so. As the match is approaching the end - the players are understandably becoming quite tired so it can be useful or the manager to throw on a fresh player who has that extra bit of energy to win balls his teamates might not.
Furthermore, some players got bonus for being on the field. I do not think players from the bvig clubs gave a damn about those bonus, but if you are a lower divison player, it is extra money for standing around for 30 seconds.
