Brown who went missing for almost a year never got dropped. (Brown did a lot of work that went unnoticed, and he was a key man for us (Trani's words, not mine))
Bertos spent a couple games on the pine.. hardly sent packing for two years of mediocrity. (played in an unfamiliar position and he was the only player we had who could play there, who else could Ricki have put at RB?)
Siggy last year was pants, Boxall only got a run when Siggy was away or suspended. (Boxall hardly helped his chances when he did get a run, was responsible in 4 of the goal in the 5-0 loss to CCM).
Hogg didn't get given a fair crack, so i don't take that arguement for a minute. (Agree with you on this one. Hogg impressed me in Auckland but didn't get much of a run after that)
Or better yet how after we lost game after game by huge score lines last season he kept faith in the same players to turn the ship around when everyone could see the players he had weren't up to it and couldn't carry out the change in tactics. How bad does a team have to play before you give the other squad players a chance.... unless he has favourites and they are merely there to make up the numbers. (Is there any point in dropping a large number of players when the players coming in to replace them are nowhere near as good as the current team, even if they were playing poorly. I'm sure we would have all loved it if Downey was thrust into the starting XI and expected to be our saviour).
My responses to some of your points in italics above.
Ricki should've had Muscat moved to RB when it became clear he wasn't his usual self in midfield, i.e. exactly what Greenacre did when Ricki departed. Bertos wasn't even that good at right back. He was a reasonable stop-gap but he shouldn't have been made THE solution because he is not a right-back and never will be.