Watford away

[BL3]

People who are still blaming a manager who left at the start of October need to wake up. This guy was appointed to 'get us back on track'. The target was 2 points per game to win automatic promotion. In the last ten games we've taken fewer points per game than we did in the first ten games and we've proved incapable of beating any of the teams currently battling relegation. We are going backwards and if it continues, we will drop into League One.

[Sponge]

We have plenty of experienced internationals

Do we?

The problem is though, we need results now.

Assuming we stay up – which I'm certain we will (for fecks sake, one win and everyone is talking about promotion, one defeat and everyone is talking about relegation) – and Dougie pulls things into shape in time for next season, why is that not acceptable? He's got one hell of a mess to sort out; let's give him the necessary time and support.

[BWFC_Insane]

Simon Charlton appears to have hit the real issue on the head yesterday. The group aren't untalented but they've 'got used to losing', have no natural leaders, allow a set-back to overwhelm them, have little fight. That's why we lose so many leads, we rarely pull back once we're behind, we let so many late or early goals in and so often very soon after we score.

Coyle changed our mindset. Our manager, whoever that is, has to alter that. Which is easier said than done. Cptn. Chaos did one hell of a job on us.

The Allardyce years weren't always pretty but you could never have said these things.

This, and despite what people say, Megson maintained a battling spirit within the group.

Coyle ripped that apart and it will take a while to restore it.

One of the major problems was that for two years we only recruited 'pretty players' but to a man they had no balls. We are paying for that now.

But I do still think Dougie will a) keep us up and b) make us better next season.

But clearly faith and belief is being tested seriously now.

[BL3]

one defeat and everyone is talking about relegation

One defeat?! We've taken 9 points from the last ten games and during that run we've played five of the teams around us. Wake up.

[officer_dibble]

I want to start see these signings play

sordell craig davies up top
de ridder
dawson
Kamara

Get the used to losing crop binned off and chuck the new lads in

why sign them otherwise?

[BWFC_Insane]

I want to start see these signings play

sordell craig davies up top
de ridder
dawson
Kamara

Get the used to losing crop binned off and chuck the new lads in

why sign them otherwise?

I think Dawson should start for sure.

We should not revert back to two up top though.

[Jugs]

The creativity in the centre of midfield is sparse; Pratley, Spearing, Andrews and Vela are rarely gonna unlock defences, either with a pass or a dribble. And by the sounds of it, neither will Kamara. We do need Mark Davies to return but I was hoping Freedman might add a bit of midfield creativity in the window but alas. Eagles is out-of-sorts at present so it seems we can't expect much from him either. Eagles and Mavies were sparkling at times during the season but its all gone a bit flat.

[Whookam]

That's a huge amount of faith you've got in Dougie's ability to turn this around if you're prepared to be relegated before we start seeing the results of his long term plan, and I really can't see what he's done either here or a Palace to deserve that faith.

No matter how you sugarcoat it, going down again will be a disaster. A League 1 club with more than £100mil of debt and crowds of ten thousand isn't the recipe for long term sustainability.

Exactly. I've said before that Freedman has not yet earned the right to tear the team apart and build his own. If he can't work with the players he's got now then I really can't see it working with a team full of Craig Davies'.

[Whookam]

Assuming we stay up – which I'm certain we will (for fecks sake, one win and everyone is talking about promotion, one defeat and everyone is talking about relegation) – and Dougie pulls things into shape in time for next season, why is that not acceptable? He's got one hell of a mess to sort out; let's give him the necessary time and support.

I'll lay my cards on the table; we're not going down this season, our form over the season is enough to keep us sitting just above the relegation places. In that case I'm not in the Freedman-out camp just yet. However I want you to consider this: Suppose Freedman does not pull things into shape next season. Suppose he builds a squad worse than the one he currently has available. What do you do then?

The simple fact remains that he's not doing very well, in that case I say he's got to work with what he's got. I wouldn't allow him the chance to build his own side because if we do continue as we are I want the next manager to have these resources and not the ones Freedman deems suitable. I do not trust his judgement.

"It'll be reet" got us relegated from the Premier League, let's not have it relegate us to League 1 as well.

[BL3]

No sooner will Dougie have finished signing a whole load of try-hards to get us out of the Championship, than he'll have to start offloading them and signing a whole load of cloggers to get us out of League One.

[Tombwfc]

Sorry Smokin but that's utter bollocks for me. Freedman needs at least a season to clear out the dross and change things around. He has brought in a number of players and got rid of very few so far. Changing a manager between now and the end of the season wouldn't help at all. The players we have need time to adapt their style of play to his methods, the new guys have to be allowed time to bed in. We're not going down, a single win of the game in hand sees us rise several places and just a couple of back to back wins would see us clear.

Can I see those wins coming? Yes I can, but getting on the managers back after a few months won't help. This season is already something of a washout. Sometimes, as a supporter you have to accept that things have to change and that those changes will take time. For years we have boxed above our weight. We've had our time in the sun, but this is our level as a club, to think anything else for me is somewhat deluded.

We haven't won back to back games all season.

As for our level, even if we have managed to halve our wage bill from the £50m that it was, we'd still be spending more than every single one of last season's Championship clubs, with the exception of Birmingham City. Not only are we below nearly all of those clubs, we're also below all three of the teams who were in League One last season.

How could anyone possibly believe that we are currently 'at our level'?

I'm prepared to give him the next few games because I do like a lot of what he's doing, but if with ten to go we're in a similar position (or we've slipped further), then you'd have to have a serious look at it. We've already suffered one relegation while everyone at the club was positively smug about our brilliant long term plan (which was so brilliant and worth being relegated for, we tore it all up five months later), we surely can't afford another.

I know the more popular view is that because a similar set of player have been shit under both Coyle and Dougie, clearly it's them who must be at fault. But pretty much all of those players have proven themselves at this level or higher at the past. Is it not at least conceivable that we've replaced one poor manager with another (albeit more organised) one? Where has Dougie proven himself to inspire this confidence in his ability?

[Prufrock]

I'm not at all worried about going down. We played really well yesterday. Certainly matched and I think outplayed one of the better sides in this division away from home. Ream can f*ck off, but other than that I hope he holds his nerve. D-Pratz motm yesterday, genuinely!

[Sponge]

one defeat and everyone is talking about relegation

One defeat?! We've taken 9 points from the last ten games and during that run we've played five of the teams around us. Wake up.

I'm clearly referring to the constant oscillation among fans between "woohoo, we're great, Dougie's great, we're going to push for the play-offs" after a win and "we're shit, we're doomed, we're going down and the club's going into administration" after a defeat. You, of course, don't oscillate. You're an unwavering nice person.

[thebish]

That's a huge amount of faith you've got in Dougie's ability to turn this around if you're prepared to be relegated before we start seeing the results of his long term plan, and I really can't see what he's done either here or a Palace to deserve that faith.

No matter how you sugarcoat it, going down again will be a disaster. A League 1 club with more than £100mil of debt and crowds of ten thousand isn't the recipe for long term sustainability.

at the start of the season, BWFCi told us that not getting promoted straight away would be a total and complete unmitigated disaster from which we would never recover (anyone who disagreed was an ostrich - or summat)...

now, it seems, getting relegated to div1 instead wouldn't be a total disaster...

but don't worry... it'll be summat different next week...

[bettyrasta]

One of our oscillating fans?

[BWFC_Insane]

That's a huge amount of faith you've got in Dougie's ability to turn this around if you're prepared to be relegated before we start seeing the results of his long term plan, and I really can't see what he's done either here or a Palace to deserve that faith.

No matter how you sugarcoat it, going down again will be a disaster. A League 1 club with more than £100mil of debt and crowds of ten thousand isn't the recipe for long term sustainability.

at the start of the season, BWFCi told us that not getting promoted straight away would be a total and complete unmitigated disaster from which we would never recover (anyone who disagreed was an ostrich - or summat)...

now, it seems, getting relegated to div1 instead wouldn't be a total disaster...

but don't worry... it'll be summat different next week...

I also last season kept pointing out what happened to the likes of Coventry, Southampton, Leeds etc upon premiership relegation.

I believe you repeatedly told me to stop being so miserable, and how going down wouldn't be so bad, if it happened.

[bettyrasta]

My personal opinion is that we are in a keep your nerve situation. I don't know if that makes me a rose-tinted but it would be great to get some stability. I understand the desire for quick results and panic induced by league position but would like go see a real philosophy/ playing style embedded. Obviously it's not there at the moment but I tend to think we've more chance of that under current regime rather than jumping to the next Mick McCarthy/ Sean Dyche/ Aidy Boothroyd/ Billy Davies and going through the cycle once more but at added cost that we don't have!

I'll get mi tin hat.

[bettyrasta]

My personal opinion is that we are in a keep your nerve situation. I don't know if that makes me a rose-tinted but it would be great to get some stability. I understand the desire for quick results and panic induced by league position but would like go see a real philosophy/ playing style embedded. Obviously it's not there at the moment but I tend to think we've more chance of that under current regime rather than jumping to the next Mick McCarthy/ Sean Dyche/ Aidy Boothroyd/ Billy Davies and going through the cycle once more but at added cost that we don't have!

I'll get mi tin hat.

[boltonboris]

I want to start see these signings play

sordell craig davies up top
de ridder
dawson
Kamara

Get the used to losing crop binned off and chuck the new lads in

why sign them otherwise?

I think Dawson should start for sure.

We should not revert back to two up top though.

If the manager is so great at organising the players and he's signed 2 midfielders, why not play 2 up front?

[thebish]

I also last season kept pointing out what happened to the likes of Coventry, Southampton, Leeds etc upon premiership relegation.

I believe you repeatedly told me to stop being so miserable, and how going down wouldn't be so bad, if it happened.

and I still believe that. I think staying up would have simply led to us getting relegated this season but being even more broke as we desperately spunked cash trying to stay on the merry-go-round - and the rebuilding would have been a year behind schedule.

as for you pointing out coventry and leeds et al., you were also saying we had an ace premiership squad (who you now say are all totally shoite) who should bounce back immediately... this predicting thing is easy if you predict all possible scenarios...

like Betty - I think we really just need to stop the hysteria and the hyperbole and keep our nerve - it's going to be ups and downs for a while yet. an up won't mean dougie is God and a down won't mean he should be sacked.