Dougie Freedman - Ten Months On

[Enoch]

There's a fair number of games under his belt, most business of his second transfer window is done and a good few interviews have been given.

As the new season gets under way, what do we think of Freedman so far? Where has he impressed and where has he disappointed?

Do we like what he's doing with Bolton Wanderers Football Club?

[the-Bowtun-Warrior]

He simply feels the 'right guy' in charge for me.
Hard to explain.

Like all managers there are decisions I will question but with who wouldn't we?

He just feels like its gonna come right in the end. It's certainly a project but I have confidence he will see it through.

[CrazyHorse]

He simply feels the 'right guy' in charge for me.
Hard to explain.

See I'm the same, cept he doesn't feel like the right guy at all. Also hard to explain.

[Lost Leopard Spot]

I'm still firmly sitting on the fence. He's obviously better than if we still had Coyle, but that's hardly a difficult bar to leap over.

[TKIZ!]

I like the guy, thinks he's done a reasonable job so far. Looking forward to the season. Still think that we only seem to have one good half per match though

[Wrighty92]

If you look at his work in different areas, I think we have landed very much on our feet.

Transfer market -->

Signings such as Medo and securing Spearing permanently at the prices he's managed, along with Baptiste and Tierney on free transfers and Dawson on loan suggest he's very canny in this area.

On the pitch -->

The team are playing much nicer football than we've seen them play in a very long time imo. We have the ability to move the ball well on the deck now whilst also being fairly direct when we need to be.

Results -->

Our rise in fortunes at the end of last season seem to suggest that it took a while for him to work out his formation/line up but after that no Bolton fan can say they didn't enjoy our run of great results which almost took us from 22nd to the playoffs in just 2/3 months.

Youth policy -->

Appears to be intent on bringing through our own youth. We've already seen more in Odelusi Vs Shrewsbury and Vela when he's been played than we had done under any Bolton manager since Big Sam brought Nolan through.

Interviews -->

A hell of a lot less annoying than Coyle and I like the fact that he often speaks his mind.

[BWFC_Insane]

With any potential manager now I look for three things

1) Passion, desire and ambition. For me there are a lot of managers in jobs because they can be. But I think especially at a club like Bolton someone who is really driven for success and wants to achieve is what is needed. It drags the club along. Rioch and Allardyce both had this quality.

2) Intelligence and a forward looking modern approach to the game. You could go and get Bryan Robson and have your players all sat round playing drinking games but it just doesn't work anymore. Understanding how modern players tick and how to get the maximum out of them is key. Allardyce excelled here (or his team but it doesn't matter which).

3) A pragmatic and structured approach. We've seen in recent years at Bolton dreamers like Sammy Lee and Owen Coyle do a lot of damage through trying to play fanciful football with too many fanciful players in. There is nothing wrong with wanting to play good football, but the spine and the shape has to be rock solid first. And at Bolton we're never likely to have the best technical players available so to compete at high levels, be it cup or league, we need to have something on top of that. Fitness and organisation and a realistic approach to getting results are a must for me now.

Those are the three things that IMO are key for a manager of Bolton.

[Dave Sutton's barnet]

And how do you rate the incumbent?

[malcd1]

I don't want to put a downer on things BUT don't forget Owen Coyle was fantastic for the first 14 months.

My personal opinion is he has done a good job on both the transfer and results front. He has stabilised the club that was in sharp decline under Coyle. Hopefully now he can turn us around and get us back up to the table.

Fingers crossed because I do like what he is doing.

[BWFC_Insane]

And how do you rate the incumbent?

Useless.

[Chrisfu]

I like him.

I like the way he talks to the press about the club and the players. He says similar things to Coyle but with more realism, more honesty and less sentiment. There's no hint of bullshit or pandering to the cameras in the same way that you got with Coyle; he's no show pony. He's the same with the fans as the forum proved, honest and sincere. I genuinely believe he wishes to leave a positive legacy behind when he eventually leaves, not just for his own CV, but for his colleagues at the club and the town. Coming to Bolton from a Crystal Palace side that he'd rebuilt from scratch and had long-standing connections to can't have been easy, but he did, and he seems believable when he still re-illiterates that he made the correct decision. It's rare for me to listen to a manager that leaves you thinking "they sound like a stand-up guy". He admits when he's wrong, and that will command the respect of his players and fans. With all of his qualities and plans it'll be easy for me to stand by him even if we end up in the Championship for a couple of years more. Whether we spend money or not, either way I think we'll end up with one of the most youthful, dynamic and successful teams we've had in a long time come the end of his reign.

It looks to me that he's got a good mix of experience and fresh ideas in his backroom staff, with the likes of LL providing a bit of wisdom and the new medical team bringing back the cutting-edge tech.

He's proven to be astute in the transfer market, he's going to prove (again, I think) that he's more than capable of bringing youth into the team from development squads, and if we give him a 2-3 seasons I'm very confident he'll take us back up and keep us there for another decade. I'm absolutely convinced of that.

In ten years time we'll look back on his appointment and realise how lucky we were to have him. After the success of BSA, the dour relationship with Megson and the slide from hero to zero for Coyle, I'm hoping that Freedman will be remembered as the right manager at the right time.

[Lord Kangana]

Its way too early to be judging him yet. The question will be more pertinent in May 2014.

[BWFC_Insane]

Its way too early to be judging him yet. The question will be more pertinent in May 2014.

I'm more than convinced he's going to make a top manager in the premiership. He has all the characteristics and more. And having seem him up close, is very impressive.

I just hope it works out so he achieves that here. I really do. Because he will IMO definitely make it.

[Lord Kangana]

I hope he does because he will definitely make it? A psychologist would have a field day with that self-reinforcement.

I have one criteria for our manager now. Promotion.

[bwfcdan94]

I think given time he could be as successful as BSA but it will take time.

[Lord Kangana]

[Enoch]

Caution I suggest is always advisable, but I'm happy with what I've seen so far:

It feels to me that in spite of his bringing what's clearly a business like regime, there's a positive mood around the place, feels as though folk are enjoying going to work (subjective?).

I like that he has been able to sign some players that actually look fit for purpose, without throwing Eddie's money about like a man with no arms. Still a handful I'd like to see moved on, but the squad is starting to look as though the components compliment each other and of course Freedman's preferred style of play (albeit he's shit at tactics!).

I'm encouraged by his willingness to treat folk as individuals. Players like N'Gog, Pratley, Sordell to a degree and even poor old Zat, all look to have benefited from a more tailored environment. Sad that Alonso wanted away, but I'm sure even he would have enjoyed his improvement in fortunes under Freedman's stewardship (fingers crossed his faith in Beckford bears fruit).

His obvious commitment to developing youth really pleases me. He brought through some great talent whilst at Palace, though they are a club with a good record of doing so over many years. At the same time I don't expect him to use them recklessly, but their pace and enthusiasm is great to have around the team (nice to nick a prospect from Old Boltonians too!).

I actually quite like how he sets up. Unlike some, I enjoy watching a team stifle the opposition, wear them down tactically and strike with pace and verve when opportunity presents. Ok, we haven't necessarily had the personnel to always make it look attractive, at times even looking dreadful, but that's where I think we're heading (it stood old Red Nose of Manchesterershire in good stead for long enough).

After a very shaky start, he seems to have got the hang of dealing with the media side of things. He looks to be making more use of in house facilities to get his views across, thus retaining more editorial control I guess.

My biggest concern at the moment is whether he's here for the long haul or just passing through. No matter what he puts in place now, we know only too well it takes but a moment for someone to come along and f*ck it all up.

[BWFC_Insane]

I think he's got the tools in his bag to be a more successful manager than Allardyce.

I think he can win stuff, and go to the top.

A lot of variables will determine whether that will happen or not and it might be as said by Enoch that he goes elsewhere to achieve that.

[Lord Kangana]

He can. Anyone can. Its just such a ridiculous thing to say. I'd like him to be successful, so I think he will be.

[bwfcdan94]

Alright then Dougie out Boothroyd in...