It would only work when the two fleets were exactly parallel at the moment of bearing down--as was made apparent at the battle of Malaga, where the French from leeward almost succeeded in dividing Rooke's fleet as it bore down.

Still the idea was sound enough.

The trouble was that it did not make sufficient allowance for the unhandiness of ships of the line in those days, and their difficulty in taking up or preserving exact formations.
As to the authorship of the articles, it must be remembered that the mere fact that they were issued by Russell is not enough to attribute them to him.

He had had practically no previous experience as a flag officer, and in all probability they followed more or less closely those used by Lord Torrington in the previous year.

Torrington was first lord of the admiralty in 1689, and commander-in-chief of the main fleet in 1690.