Freedman out!

[Prufrock]

Houghton did a good job at both Brum at Newcastle, less good at Norwich. I'm still a no though. One of those managers fans are quick to jump on coz he's another negative fecker! Don't think we're going up (ahem), so if we're going to be shot can we at least try and play done bloody football.

Sick of watching Bolton teams where I think if I got really really for I might have a shot of getting into it!

McDermott the best if the 'usual suspects' offered. Robinson works be my shout.

[Worthy4England]

Question. New manager would have bugger all to play with on the money front, probably. We have a couple of loanee's, Mason, Mcnaughton, which leaves us 2? We could probably be a bit more attacking, formation wise than today, but only maybe one additional MF for Medo/Spearing...I'm not convinced personnel wise we have much room to move tbh.

[Tombwfc]

You can have five loanees in a matchday squad, and I still think we will bring in players between now and the end of the window, or shortly after the loan window opens. I do agree though, the squad has been so completely gutted of all it's quality whoever is in charge is going to spend an inordinate amount of time praying Mark Davies's body holds together.

FWIW, I'm still of the mind that Chris Eagles would add something to this team. It's only one season since he got 12 goals in this division (Beckford has never hit double figures ever). He's local and loves the club (which surprised me, considering the fans never really took to him), so I'd like to think a new man could at least take a look at that.

[Mar]

You can have five loanees in a matchday squad, and I still think we will bring in players between now and the end of the window, or shortly after the loan window opens. I do agree though, the squad has been so completely gutted of all it's quality whoever is in charge is going to spend an inordinate amount of time praying Mark Davies's body holds together.

FWIW, I'm still of the mind that Chris Eagles would add something to this team. It's only one season since he got 12 goals in this division (Beckford has never hit double figures ever). He's local and loves the club (which surprised me, considering the fans never really took to him), so I'd like to think a new man could at least take a look at that.

I really doubt we would resign Chris Eagles. I get the impression that he Bogarded the club and sat out his contract with us rather than waivering any contract bonuses he would get from playing a substantial number of games, that, coupled with the fact we tried to get rid of him in the same manner as Keith Andrews probably wouldn't have gone down with the upper management all too well.

I'm under no illusions he'd improve our side, but i'm also pretty sure that we wouldn't get him back.

[officer_dibble]

You can have five loanees in a matchday squad, and I still think we will bring in players between now and the end of the window, or shortly after the loan window opens. I do agree though, the squad has been so completely gutted of all it's quality whoever is in charge is going to spend an inordinate amount of time praying Mark Davies's body holds together.

FWIW, I'm still of the mind that Chris Eagles would add something to this team. It's only one season since he got 12 goals in this division (Beckford has never hit double figures ever). He's local and loves the club (which surprised me, considering the fans never really took to him), so I'd like to think a new man could at least take a look at that.

Spot on

Mark davies is streets ahead of the rest of the nice people we call a midfield

And i would have eagles back tomorrow!

[SmokinFrazier]

You can have five loanees in a matchday squad, and I still think we will bring in players between now and the end of the window, or shortly after the loan window opens. I do agree though, the squad has been so completely gutted of all it's quality whoever is in charge is going to spend an inordinate amount of time praying Mark Davies's body holds together.

FWIW, I'm still of the mind that Chris Eagles would add something to this team. It's only one season since he got 12 goals in this division (Beckford has never hit double figures ever). He's local and loves the club (which surprised me, considering the fans never really took to him), so I'd like to think a new man could at least take a look at that.

Yeah, I'd agree with that. Another would be Moritz who, whilst not always brilliant, was effective and definitely had a creative spark plus he could score. Something like the below would allow us to play a more attacking, better style of football.

Eagles/Danns - Moritz - Feeney/Chungy
__________Davies - Spearing

I know there's the question mark of wages but Moritz and Eagles are without a club right now and we didn't offer them anything, so what's to say they wouldn't have accepted what Trotter is on or what contribution we were offering, say, Liverpool for Ibe? We can obviously afford something in wages, even if Eagles in particular would need to accept a lesser contract than what he previously had. Neither will happen but it's a shame because we lack creativity and whilst Freedman prefers a team of unskilled workhorses, you do need some players who are able to produce chances and score.

[BWFC_Insane]

There is no money. Why can't people accept it? There is no money to sign Eagles or Moritz or anyone. We can do a loan where the premiership club pays the players wage, or most of them. We couldn't sign Ibe because we couldn't afford the percentage contribution.

We are working with what we've got bar a short term emergency loan deal.

Accept that whoever is in charge the squad now is what he will be working with.

[bobo the clown]

Dreaming doesn't hurt Insane and we all know those are dreams. Just saying look at the feck ups this clown committed as recently as a few months ago.

Mind you, when Eagles and Moritz are the scope of your dreams it's saying something.

Still ..... "Freeman Out".

[Worthy4England]

Don't particularly disagree with any of the above. I don't see Eagles or Moritz coming back. So I think we're saying yesterday team selection,, barring any loanees, is about the upper limit of our attacking intent. Sure, we could play Beckford, Mason and Cravies at the same time, but I don't think anyone's seriously suggesting we should. We could start Feeney, either for a DM (or maybe Danns), but there isn't a lot of wriggle room.

When we were talking about 442 last season as being the panacea, it's clearly only part of the picture. It has to have the right people in the right places too, otherwise it's as useless as 451.

Leeds have scored three Championship goals all season, including yesterday but have more points than us, because they were able to keepna clean sheet.

we are truely very poor in all departments.

[jaffka]

Amazing how trouble making eagles who was at best hit and miss is now a hero.

Good riddance to old rubbish.

[Tombwfc]

Hit and miss > miss and miss (and miss again).

[bobo the clown]

We could start Feeney, either for a DM (or maybe Danns), but there isn't a lot of wriggle room.

We certainly should, and for either Spearing (who, as captain is unlikely to take the hit) or Medo (who I like, but it's pointless playing both).

Obviously Mavies back in the moment he's free, but I'd be far from surprised to see him out to another club by midnight today.

There seems no way we are getting anyone fresh in, so what we have is what we need to use. Dougie has proven not to be able to get the best from this lot, his style is, was and ever will be negative containment. I fear he's with us till his contract runs down ... y'know, like he sulked that Eagles, Knight, Mears, Keven Davies did.

I am confident that there are 3 worse squads than us, but not that there 3 worse attitudes or coaching mentalities. What I'm now seeing is a real "us against them" attitude between club/squad/management team ... and the fans. That was clear at Crewe. They are obviously feeling down, but that will solve f'call.

It can end one of a few ways ;
Form & results turn around somehow. Fans will be less critical. .......... I just fear this won't happen.
Hang on in there and grind out what points we can. ......... This seems to be the chosen path
Go to hell in a handcart. ............. I fear increasingly likely.
Move this chump on and change the places whole mentality. .......... I bloody wish.

[BWFC_Insane]

Don't particularly disagree with any of the above. I don't see Eagles or Moritz coming back. So I think we're saying yesterday team selection,, barring any loanees, is about the upper limit of our attacking intent. Sure, we could play Beckford, Mason and Cravies at the same time, but I don't think anyone's seriously suggesting we should. We could start Feeney, either for a DM (or maybe Danns), but there isn't a lot of wriggle room.

When we were talking about 442 last season as being the panacea, it's clearly only part of the picture. It has to have the right people in the right places too, otherwise it's as useless as 451.

Leeds have scored three Championship goals all season, including yesterday but have more points than us, because they were able to keepna clean sheet.

we are truely very poor in all departments.

Absolutely, we need to focus on being hard to beat and stop conceding.

This season is going to be all about grinding out every possible result. Forget pretty football.

But we aren't grinding out results and look far from doing so. That is my biggest disappointment.

[Jugs]

Don't particularly disagree with any of the above. I don't see Eagles or Moritz coming back. So I think we're saying yesterday team selection,, barring any loanees, is about the upper limit of our attacking intent. Sure, we could play Beckford, Mason and Cravies at the same time, but I don't think anyone's seriously suggesting we should. We could start Feeney, either for a DM (or maybe Danns), but there isn't a lot of wriggle room.

When we were talking about 442 last season as being the panacea, it's clearly only part of the picture. It has to have the right people in the right places too, otherwise it's as useless as 451.

Leeds have scored three Championship goals all season, including yesterday but have more points than us, because they were able to keepna clean sheet.

we are truely very poor in all departments.

Absolutely, we need to focus on being hard to beat and stop conceding.

This season is going to be all about grinding out every possible result. Forget pretty football.

But we aren't grinding out results and look far from doing so. That is my biggest disappointment.

Lots to look forward to, then.

In all honesty, I don't think we have that bad a team. I just don't think we have a manager capable of getting the best out of what we've got. He doesn't help things with his rotation policy, though he has rotated things less so far this season, but that's down to the fact that he has hardly any players. There are some good players in this squad, we are better than 'grinding out results every game'. Far better than that. There are 3 worse squads than ours; there are probably 5, 6, or 7.

And to an earlier suggestion that we 'could' start Feeney; I think we should be looking at giving Feeney regular starts. He's a proper out and out winger, in the David Lee mould, straightforward, and he's actually pretty decent. We need this kind of attacking player in the team.

[EverSoYouri]

Mind you, when Eagles and Moritz are the scope of your dreams it's saying something.

Yep.

I just don't think we have a manager capable of getting the best out of what we've got.

I think that's increasingly clear. A better man-manager could get this lot at least into mid-table, and I'd settle for that this season.

I know Coyle proved ridiculously inflexible and that Elmander is generally hated by the fans but it's worth remembering how Coyle got the best from Elmander after Megson had utterly alienated him. (btw this is not my 'Bring Coyle Back' campaign - just illustrating how much impact a manager can have on existing squad players).

[Abdoulaye's Twin]

Mind you, when Eagles and Moritz are the scope of your dreams it's saying something.

Yep.

I just don't think we have a manager capable of getting the best out of what we've got.

I think that's increasingly clear. A better man-manager could get this lot at least into mid-table, and I'd settle for that this season.

I know Coyle proved ridiculously inflexible and that Elmander is generally hated by the fans but it's worth remembering how Coyle got the best from Elmander after Megson had utterly alienated him. (btw this is not my 'Bring Coyle Back' campaign - just illustrating how much impact a manager can have on existing squad players).

Before Coyle alienated Elmander by moving him to the wing/midfield to accommodate a young loan signing after his best spell for the club. As good as Sturridge was in terms of goals, I think in some ways we were worse for having him. I'll probably get stick for that last sentence, but from memory we were doing reasonably ok and the team as a whole seem to be a bit shitter (probably because Elmander played midfield/wing) once we started to rely on Sturridge to save the day.

[Jugs]

Mind you, when Eagles and Moritz are the scope of your dreams it's saying something.

Yep.

I just don't think we have a manager capable of getting the best out of what we've got.

I think that's increasingly clear. A better man-manager could get this lot at least into mid-table, and I'd settle for that this season.

I know Coyle proved ridiculously inflexible and that Elmander is generally hated by the fans but it's worth remembering how Coyle got the best from Elmander after Megson had utterly alienated him. (btw this is not my 'Bring Coyle Back' campaign - just illustrating how much impact a manager can have on existing squad players).

Before Coyle alienated Elmander by moving him to the wing/midfield to accommodate a young loan signing after his best spell for the club. As good as Sturridge was in terms of goals, I think in some ways we were worse for having him. I'll probably get stick for that last sentence, but from memory we were doing reasonably ok and the team as a whole seem to be a bit shitter (probably because Elmander played midfield/wing) once we started to rely on Sturridge to save the day.

There is a very real possibility we would have gone down had we not got Sturridge that season. We were 6 points above the drop zone when Sturridge scored a last minute winner on his debut to beat Wolves 1-0, and we were in something of a malaise. The purple patch of November, when Elmander scored a bagful of goals, had become something of a distant memory and we were really struggling.

The signing of Sturridge was worse for Elmander and, perhaps, you could argue, somehow worse for us in the long-term (Elmander wouldn't sign a new contract after playing out of position for so long, Coyle spent the whole summer dreaming he could resign Sturridge, forgoing other targets); but we were definitely better off with him than without him for those few months he was here.

[Abdoulaye's Twin]

There is a very real possibility we would have gone down had we not got Sturridge that season. We were 6 points above the drop zone when Sturridge scored a last minute winner on his debut to beat Wolves 1-0, and we were in something of a malaise. The purple patch of November, when Elmander scored a bagful of goals, had become something of a distant memory and we were really struggling.

The signing of Sturridge was worse for Elmander and, perhaps, you could argue, somehow worse for us in the long-term (Elmander wouldn't sign a new contract after playing out of position for so long, Coyle spent the whole summer dreaming he could resign Sturridge, forgoing other targets); but we were definitely better off with him than without him for those few months he was here.

My memory is a bit shit, so you may well be right. I do remember Sturridge being a greedy sod at the time and I'm not convinced that he wasn't detrimental to the team as a whole.

[Jugs]

Sturridge will always be greedy, it's his ego, but we reaped his benefits for a short time, before Ngog came along to replace him.

[Abdoulaye's Twin]

Sturridge will always be greedy, it's his ego, but we reaped his benefits for a short time, before Ngog came along to replace him.

Did you have to remind me