Have things now changed in football?
I thought that if you play well and are effective, you remain on the pitch. If you're ineffective and don't play well, you get subbed off. So with Hodgon having three good strikers on the bench, why did he persist with Kane who wasn't having a great game?
There is no explanation that Hodgson can give which will convince me that his decision was right. Anyone with half a brain would have realised it wasn't working out for Kane. He hardly had any runs behind the Russian defenders, was denied space and didn't make any juicy connection wth Sterling or Lallana.
It. Was. Not. Working.
The only reason I can think of that Hodgson did not take him off is a dumb one. Purely because he is the Premiership's top scorer, and is the poster boy for England, he kept him on. So it's a pretty stupid reason but that was Hodgson's rationale. Don't try thinking of a football explanation because there isn't one. Kane playing up there by himself with no strike partner made him feel lonely and when he got the ball, he wasn't able to make anything happen for himself.
Sturridge or Vardy should have come on at halftime and droven into the heart of a very weak Russian side who were there for the taking. So Hodgson has to take the fall for this. Kane can't sub himself off, unless he's injured.
It's up to the manager to assess the game and employ the right subsititutions to win the game. That is why you have to shake your head. People who aren't even paid to know such basic things about football can give you the deal but the actual manager who is paid handsomely can't see it?
If it was me, I think England are better with two stikers and my suggestion would be either Vardy and Sturridge or Rashford and Kane. To mix up the qualities and keep things interesting. Bottom line though is Hodgson has to do better as a manager.
If a player is not cutting it and not actually bringing anything towards the game, they need to get cut. This isn't league football where a player can go through a few games to get his bad form out of his system. There are not enough games, and each one matters.
Imagine if you're Vardy, Sturridge or Rashford and what you'd be thinking sitting on the bench and watching Kane in that game? HH
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