The Freedman Out Thread

He's had 13 or 14 games now and we are as bad as ever.

I acknowledge that he was left with a shite squad, but it is a managers job to get the best out of what he has. He clearly can't do that.

I'm tired of people saying ".....don't judge him until he has his own players in place". Bullshit. I'm judging him now and so far he has been a disaster of Coyle proportions.

Just like Coyle he clearly has his favourites. How else can you explain the continued benching of Petrov & Sordell, and the regular appearance of Mears at right back?

I'd get rid of Dougie right now. Blackburn were brave and it's resulted in two wins and a hatful of goals. We need to do the same. Mark my words, if we don't end the Freedman reign we will be lucky not to be in League 1 next season.

I have nothing against Freedman, but I always doubted whether he'd be any better than Coyle.

Coyle's results were poor as were some of his signings, but I still feel we'd have been better off under him than bringing in an inexperienced chap like Freedman.

Il be honest, and I hate saying this...

But in fairness, we played really well today, if the ball would have fell better for us, we would have won by about 3 goals.

I belive we were really unlucky today.

Only gripe is that idiot mears...i hope he gets beaten, a lot. Its his fault we lost, not the other players or manager.

Dougie got it spot on today.

Freedman is guided by Lennie Lawrence - tons of experience. The players we let go are predominantly doing well and those brought in don't seem to be fulfilling the potential they were thought to have. No other club has lost as many points from winning positions this season as we have (21) and although we are far from brilliant in attack, I find it hard to look past our defence as the primary reason for our current dilemma. There are obviously questions around selection up front (the Sordell mystery for example) and we've had more than our fair share of bad luck with injuries (esp Muamba and Holden) but we'd not have too much to complain about if we had a solid defence that inspired confidence. For me, it's down to the players, especially the defence. Hopefully that will be put right.

wanderlust wrote:For me, it's down to the players, especially the defence. Hopefully that will be put right.

Freedman's way of putting things right seems to be to keep picking the same defenders in the same formation. We used to have another manager who did that.

Our defense is still our achilles heel. Dougie will hopefully, be bringing in 3 new defenders in this transfer window. I haven't written Dougie off yet.

We haven't won a game all bloody year! Freedman out!

Our form now looks like this: DWLLWL - Says it all really, not a lot has changed. Dougie has got until the end of the season before I form a firm opinion of him, however, it's not currently looking good.

We have a team of losers. I'm giving Dougie this transfer window and the summer to get some players in and fuck some of the losers off. I will judge him on January 1st 2014. That's if he's still got a job then and I'm not dead.

It's not just the defence itself that's letting us down.

We're so easy to break down in the final third. It's here that the opposition are too often picking up possession and applying pressure.

Dougie has taken us from one extreme to another in terms of approach - Coyle wanted the ball playing forward as quickly as possible, Dougie is all too happy to wait for a gap. Either way, we're a shambles defensively, and limp on the attack.

True Doffcocker, but we can't afford to buy a whole new team and it makes sense to solve the obvious weakness first as the defensive frailties undermine everything. There are attacking options which neither OC or DF have tried for whatever reason - but at least there are options there. That said I don't see why we shouldn't try 3 CBs, but in my heart of hearts I really believe we need better defenders.

He just doesn't know who to play, today he brought on N'Gog and Afobe but put Afobe on the left??? And then brought on Butterfield when we needed a goal and Sordell who is a striker was still left on the bench, I don't care if he hasn't been training well or he is homesick or he is too obsessed with twitter but Dougie said everyone would get a chance and game time but he had about 20 minutes last week?? He also hasn't given Riley or any other goalkeepers a chance. Riley was a great player when he made his handful of appearances last season so why do we have Mears starting ahead of him... Who happened to lose us the game today. He is right in saying we need a right-back, left-back and centre-back but will Gartside be willing to give him some money so he can get the very players he wants, or does he have to look at players to sign on a free. A defensive midfielder, Spearing and Andrews are good defensive midfielders so why would you want anymore... He doesn't mention going for an out and out goal scorer, leaving us with SKD who will never get more than ten goals a season, N'Gog who is a good player but not in the goals department, Afobe who is a bag of shit, Sordell a proven goalscorer at this level not given a chance and Eaves who deserves his chance... He doesn't know what to do. But it's also the teams fault. Even Sir Alex couldn't get this lot promoted

Should Jimmy and Sammy have been given longer ? In his post match interviews Freedman seems content that we have played well even though we have lost.

OK. Things aren't going to plan but answer some questions

1 - Who wanted Coyle to stay?
2) - If you had the job now and were dismissed without any opportunity to bring in your own players would you be pissed?
3) - Clubs that change manager every 5 mins never get anywhere, find me one that does and I don't mean their 1st 2 games. Discuss.
4) Who would you have take over who would do better with what is available?
5) Is a 1-0 defeat away to a team that has won its last 4 home games a disaster? - Really???????????

We are all frustrated but what do we really expect??

Lets be brutally honest here, Natasha. No decent manager would ever get the best out of this shite shower of so-called players. Fergie, Wenger, Rafa or those in Spain and Itlay would be failing as much as Freedman. Coyle brought in completely sub-standard players and re-signed players that were sub-standard and we are stuck with them.

Do you honestly think we can get rid of these players to any other team???? Do you honestly think that Eddie Davies has the sources to sack these inept players and bring in a whole new squad???

Get in to the real world and realise we are punching above our weight, because of the players we have. Freedman is doing his utmost but until he can bring in his own players and style and get rid of the deadwood, which cannot be done when the windows are shut-tight, we will just have to sit it out...

A lot of people's reasoning for wanting Coyle out was that we had the squad to be mounting a serious promotion challenge, but were closer to the relegation places than the play-offs. Now that it's no better under Dougie, it's because he needs time and resources in the transfer window.

I don't think the squad is near as strong as has been claimed in the media, but a manager's job doesn't start the minute he begins to bring his own players in. Dougie should be given time, but the level of tactical nous he has so far demonstrated with the cards he's been dealt underwhelms me.

NickFazer wrote:OK. Things aren't going to plan but answer some questions

1 - Who wanted Coyle to stay?
2) - If you had the job now and were dismissed without any opportunity to bring in your own players would you be pissed?
3) - Clubs that change manager every 5 mins never get anywhere, find me one that does and I don't mean their 1st 2 games. Discuss.
4) Who would you have take over who would do better with what is available?
5) Is a 1-0 defeat away to a team that has won its last 4 home games a disaster? - Really???????????

We are all frustrated but what do we really expect??

1) No one. But hindsight is ace.
2) I would, but I'm supposed to be a manager and sometimes you have to manage with what you've got. Freedman knew of the players before he signed on the dotted line.
3) I agree. But there are just as many clubs that stick with a manager and end up sacking him anyway - the damage just ends up being far worse.
4) The job should have been given to Mick McCarthy, but that ship has sailed. I realise the pot of potential managers isn't massive, but if the club were going to take a chance with a young manager it had to be someone who could give these ponces a backside kicking and not be scared to drop them. Dougie is just another Coyle in this respect. I still say Di Canio would have knocked these bellends into some sort of shape.
5) Dougie's reign has been a disaster...virtually no improvement in any area, players being picked regardless of form, players being left out for no reason.

The main fact is that Dougie was brought in to manage this team, it's plain stupid to say judge him when he's got his own players in. Are we saying a manager should only be able to manage the players he bought?

Natasha Whittam wrote:

NickFazer wrote:OK. Things aren't going to plan but answer some questions

1 - Who wanted Coyle to stay?
2) - If you had the job now and were dismissed without any opportunity to bring in your own players would you be pissed?
3) - Clubs that change manager every 5 mins never get anywhere, find me one that does and I don't mean their 1st 2 games. Discuss.
4) Who would you have take over who would do better with what is available?
5) Is a 1-0 defeat away to a team that has won its last 4 home games a disaster? - Really???????????

We are all frustrated but what do we really expect??

1) No one. But hindsight is ace.
2) I would, but I'm supposed to be a manager and sometimes you have to manage with what you've got. Freedman knew of the players before he signed on the dotted line.
3) I agree. But there are just as many clubs that stick with a manager and end up sacking him anyway - the damage just ends up being far worse.
4) The job should have been given to Mick McCarthy, but that ship has sailed. I realise the pot of potential managers isn't massive, but if the club were going to take a chance with a young manager it had to be someone who could give these ponces a backside kicking and not be scared to drop them. Dougie is just another Coyle in this respect. I still say Di Canio would have knocked these bellends into some sort of shape.
5) Dougie's reign has been a disaster...virtually no improvement in any area, players being picked regardless of form, players being left out for no reason.

The main fact is that Dougie was brought in to manage this team, it's plain stupid to say judge him when he's got his own players in. Are we saying a manager should only be able to manage the players he bought?

I agree wholeheartedly that Di Canio would have been a better choice, (Billy Davies would have been mine) and Freedman has not thus far been an improvement on Coyle. The real question now is are the current players capable but not performing, which is undoubtedly a management problem tactically or with their attitude, or are they not up to the job no matter who is picked in which case changes to the squad are needed and Dougie needs to be given the time to do that. My overall feeling is that it is the latter, Freedman despite what he says publicly is probably disappointed with what was here once he had time with these players.

What he does in this window may improve things defensively and would be a step in the right direction.

I honestly think Freedman thought he had a mucb better set of players to work with than what is actually here.

It may work out with DF but I still think we should have kept Phillips and Lee in charge for a while, we haven't progressed under Dougie nor have we gone backwards.

He worked on a next to nothing budget at palace and left them in a healthy league position so it will be interesting to see what he does in january and over the summer, as there is not a hope in hell we're getting near the play offs this season.

Basically agree with Natasha ..... we are no better off. Playing the same donkey's, slow no pace attack, guys playing out of position. I'm afraid it's OC all over again.