Neil Warnock calls for rule change that would impact Sunderland, Burnley and Middlesbrough
Neil Warnock has called for football to introduce temporary concussion substitutes.
Warnock called for the changes after seeing seen how dementia has impacted Rotherham United and Sunderland legend Dave Watson. However, the International Football Association Board recently rejected a Premier League request to trial allowing substitutes on for 15 minutes to assess head injuries.
Medics are currently expected to decide in around five on-field minutes if a player should be permanently removed. Dennis Cirkin was concussed playing for Sunderland against Millwall and has yet to return to first-team action.
"You've got to be conscious of it because everybody knows the results and managers do try and rush players back at times," he said. "Managers should just leave it to the medical people.
"I think in the next couple of years you'll see concussion subs allowed, it's just common sense. I don't understand why it's not come in already."
On Watson, who won the FA Cup with Sunderland in 1973 and played 65 times for England, Warnock added: "He was the first pick in five-a-side [at Rotherham] because he was like three men and he headed the ball 40 yards," recalled Warnock. "I'm just glad I was a winger.
"We don't really know the damage and I don't think we're getting closer to finding out. The balls we played with and even the Mitre balls which were a lot lighter were still nothing like today’s. I don't think anyone knows the damage heading a ball like that 40 times in a game did."