George Byers’ substitution anger: Better the Sheffield Wednesday player shows he cares than not at all - Stuart Rayner

Perhaps over conversation was a generational thing. Most of us journalists grew up in an era before “rotation” had entered football’s lexicon, and being “rested” was as embarrassing as going down holding your face when it got brushed by a stray arm.

Back when I started watching Division One football (cue Hovis advert music), teams made do with one substitute and when a defender passed the ball back to a goalkeeper he was expected to pick it up, not chip a pass to a full-back who has tucked into midfield. Watching games with 10 substitutions really can make you feel old.

As Sheffield United’s Paul Heckingbottom pointed out in his press conference this week, attacking players have long had to get used to the idea they may have to make way for someone able to inject a bit more energy or something a little different in the second half of matches, now it will happen more to defensive players too.

It is important to remember, though, that the current generation of players have grown up in this environment.

“I think we’re all thriving over it,” said Tyreeq Bakinson when I asked him about it after he scored Saturday’s winner for the Owls. “He (Moore) likes to change it but we’re all going to be needed at some point.”

Maybe he really thinks that, maybe he does not. There are certain ways you have to conduct yourself at work.

His team-mate George Byers got it wrong with his angry reaction towards assistant manager Jamie Smith as he was sacrificed following Reece James’s first-half red card at Peterborough United on Tuesday.

He has no doubt been told as much in the manager’s office since. He certainly should have been.

It was unedifying and went too far but better he go that way than give the impression he is not bothered. That is one of the worst crimes a footballer can commit on his own supporters.

As wages have rocketed upwards, so we fans have been quicker to reach for the accusation that players do not care – they get paid regardless and if the team gets relegated they will just move somewhere else. Sometimes it just misinterprets the body language of a player low on confidence but at others the criticism is on the button and if you make the sacrifices some supporters do to follow their team through thick and thin, that is deeply offensive.

A Barry Bannan strop when he is substituted can be a thing of beauty. His sulky half-lap of Hillsborough after coming off on the far side against Accrington Stanley last season was another reason why Owls fans love him and something Moore – certainly publicly, almost surely privately too – had no problem with.

As with most things in life, it is all about balance.

Byers needs to understand that particularly when a team is reduced to 10 men, being substituted is not necessarily a public attack, just a fact of footballing life.

But no one should be too harsh on him. Better if he gets it wrong by caring too much than not enough.