Freedman out!

[Worthy4England]

Freedman's argument that he didn't have the right combination would make more sense if Beckford and N'Gog's partnership hadn't been reasonably successful. They played together 7 times this season and in that period, we won twice, drew three times and lost twice. That's an average of 1.28ppg whereas as a combined total of our season, we're averaging 0.97. Assuming we played every league game using 4-4-2 and had the same success, that average means we'd currently be in 13th place. Football isn't that simple, of course, but it's an indication of how much more successful the Beckford/N'Gog partnership was than anything else Freedman tried and persisted with. He also chose to loan Sordell out, yet when Sordell started in a 4-4-2 under Freedman last season, our record was excellent; we won 6 and lost 1, so lets not pretend the players weren't available for Freedman. They were but it was his decision to either not play them or to send them out on loan.

The win on Saturday did nothing but confirm that Freedman has to go because it's not rocket science to get us winning games, yet he chooses to go against what works. I argued before our good period last season that we should be playing 4-4-2 and whilst I was derided for it back then, I think it's clear to everyone now that it works for us, yet Freedman still won't stick with it. He wants us to play in a certain way, even if the results aren't as good. That's terrible management. It's like a boxing coach being hired by a windmilling, knockout artist and telling them to fight on the backfoot. If he would prefer us to play in a different way, that's fine, but to continuously pick those other tactics ahead of something which is clearly superior is simply wrong. I don't look at the Watford win and think it's a marvelous result, I think we could have been doing that throughout the season had Freedman not been so stubborn.

Hold on a cotton-picking minute. Those 6 with Sordell were in that run of games that I think you declared as (paraphrasing) "lucky as feck and not any sort of indication of an improving team" - make your mind up.

The N'gog and Beckford "partnership" includes a win against Blackpool in the Cup (a team that haven't registered a win in 10 games and are in freefall), and a decent 2-0 against Bournemouth away.

I think someone is picking evidence to support a pre-determined conclusion.

The evidence supports my opinion that 4-4-2 is a better formation for us. I'm not clutching at straws with my argument, although I accept that when you're dealing with such few games, it might lead to exaggerated numbers. There's no argument at all to suggest that 4-5-1 is better for us, either from watching the games themselves or by looking at the numbers to prove it's more successful.

My point about Sordell was that he could play in a 4-4-2, as he proved last season, yet Freedman chose to loan him out, so he can't then say "we don't have players suitable of playing 4-4-2" after he's loaned out a player who had success when playing in that formation. Sordell was fine in a 4-4-2, as were N'Gog and Davies, and Beckford is suited that role too. For Freedman to suggest now that without Mason and Juke it wouldn't work is laughable. We have had players all season who could do what those two did, it's just that Freedman wouldn't give them a chance.

And yes, I do believe that a fair few of those games we won last season were down to good fortune but that's the case for 4-4-2 or 4-5-1. We did play better, and got better results, when playing with two strikers though.

There isn't necessarily a "right answer" to this.

Between 17 Sept and 7 Dec, we played 13 games - winning 5, drawing 4 and losing just 1. In just two of those games, did we start 4-4-2. PPG 1.35, so was it down to "more confidence"? Or McNaughton coming in, allowing Mills and Ream to sit in the middle of the defence?

I dunno, but it was predominantly not 4-4-2.

Same for the season before - from 9 Feb to end of season. Down to 4-4-2? Possibly - but hell of a correlation with Dawson turning up too. Earlier in the season when we paired N'gog and SKD, the results were unsurprisingly patchy (W2 D1 L4). When we paired the same two after Dawson's arrival W2, D0, L0...3 points per game.

Either system is fairly obviously a workable system, to suggest otherwise would be silly methinks. But obviously largely dependent on who you have playing within that system. There isn't an "it must be 4-4-2 or it must be 4-5-1" - That's too simplistic.

[bobo the clown]

Aye. Sort your defence out and you have a chance. Have to fret over your defence and quite apart from what the opposition do to you it means nervous types like DF have to play two, at times effectively 3, defensive midfielders. Look at what that does to your attacking options ... however you set them up.

[Wandering Willy]

Fcuk me!

This useless nice person's managed to win his 3rd game at home and already some are scrambling back on the fence if not over it.

Form is temporary, being a clueless, know nowt chancer is permanent.

[bobo the clown]

Yay Willy.

"Internet".

[Wandering Willy]

Serious business.

[Harry Genshaw]

I cant understand how a bloke who eulogised about Ngog at the fans forum and bought Beckford & Craig Davies to the club can claim he hasn't had the attacking personnel to play as he wanted.

[Worthy4England]

Fcuk me!

This useless tw*t's managed to win his 3rd game at home and already some are scrambling back on the fence if not over it.

Form is temporary, being a clueless, know nowt chancer is permanent.

No, he's still a useless tw@t - if that was directed at me - and I'd still unload him.

None of which makes N'gog a useful partner for any combination of strikers.

[jaffka]

Says something about a manager when his biggest achievement is getting rid of a player.

[a1]

Says something about a manager when his biggest achievement is getting rid of a player.

i still carnt think if 4million for alhabsi was good or bad.

i know i wouldnt have had 14 out of contract all at once, though.

"we dont know what division we'll be in"

the shitbag.

[Wandering Willy]

Fcuk me!

This useless tw*t's managed to win his 3rd game at home and already some are scrambling back on the fence if not over it.

Form is temporary, being a clueless, know nowt chancer is permanent.

No, he's still a useless tw@t - if that was directed at me - and I'd still unload him.

None of which makes N'gog a useful partner for any combination of strikers.

Is there a fence strong enough?

[Tombwfc]

Literally at any point over the past 15 months Dougie could have brought in a big man and a little 'un. Instead he bought Beckford and literally hundreds of central midfielders.

Fair play, he's done the unthinkable and guided a side with an enormous wage budget to a win at home against a team who haven't won away since October, but I can't help but think it's a bit early for him to claim this was how he's wanted it all along.

[Lord Kangana]

It's all part of the plan he formulated for us when he was still at school. Man's a genius, it's just a pity we're all so uneducated as to not be able to see it.

[Lost Leopard Spot]

I see a mast. I have some colours. Despite the stuffing of Venky United inflicted over the weekend, I still have some nails.
I'll wield my hammer - colours nailed to mast: Freedman still needs sacking off.

[Hoboh]

I see a mast. I have some colours. Despite the stuffing of Venky United inflicted over the weekend, I still have some nails.
I'll wield my hammer - colours nailed to mast: Freedman still needs sacking off.

Got a nail or two spare pal?

[Puskas]

Freedman must go now. He is literally - LITERALLY - spitting in our faces, each and every one of us, and this so-called "4-0 win" is merely the icing on the cake - icing made of piss on a cake of shit.

Let's just look at the facts.
He's got rid of our top quality players - people like Sordell,Craig Davies and Ngog, who score for fun.
He's signed up some useless Boro reject - just look how happy the Boro fans were to see the back of that lump, and now he's disgracing himself for us.
He's signed Cardiff waste-of-space and ex-Wanderers reserve Andy Mason. FFS, he was rubbish when he played here earlier this year. Everyone on this board knew how bad he was, yet Freedman still signed him. Not only that, he signed him on some sort of emergency loan deal, purely because he didn't know what he was doing. Pathetic.
He signed some Villa reject, who hadn't played for months, on huge wages - and then refused to play him!!!
He gave Zatastrophe Knightmare a game. Alongside useless Boro reject Wheater. And we all know how many goals they concede.
He continually tinkers.
He refuses to give young players a chance, stuffing the team with worthless journeymen like so-called Danns.

The fact is simple - if Owen Coyle or Gary Megson had this set of players, they would have pissed this division. They'd have beat Blackburn 97-0. Whilst pissing. This is undeniable fact.

FREEDMAN MUST GO NOW BEFORE WE ARE RELEGATED

[hi there, i'm chris]

Freedman must go now. He is literally - LITERALLY - spitting in our faces, each and every one of us, and this so-called "4-0 win" is merely the icing on the cake - icing made of piss on a cake of shit.

Let's just look at the facts.
He's got rid of our top quality players - people like Sordell,Craig Davies and Ngog, who score for fun.
He's signed up some useless Boro reject - just look how happy the Boro fans were to see the back of that lump, and now he's disgracing himself for us.
He's signed Cardiff waste-of-space and ex-Wanderers reserve Andy Mason. FFS, he was rubbish when he played here earlier this year. Everyone on this board knew how bad he was, yet Freedman still signed him. Not only that, he signed him on some sort of emergency loan deal, purely because he didn't know what he was doing. Pathetic.
He signed some Villa reject, who hadn't played for months, on huge wages - and then refused to play him!!!
He gave Zatastrophe Knightmare a game. Alongside useless Boro reject Wheater. And we all know how many goals they concede.
He continually tinkers.
He refuses to give young players a chance, stuffing the team with worthless journeymen like so-called Danns.

The fact is simple - if Owen Coyle or Gary Megson had this set of players, they would have pissed this division. They'd have beat Blackburn 97-0. Whilst pissing. This is undeniable fact.

FREEDMAN MUST GO NOW BEFORE WE ARE RELEGATED

[Annoyed Grunt]

Freedman must go now. He is literally - LITERALLY - spitting in our faces, each and every one of us, and this so-called "4-0 win" is merely the icing on the cake - icing made of piss on a cake of shit.

Let's just look at the facts.
He's got rid of our top quality players - people like Sordell,Craig Davies and Ngog, who score for fun.
He's signed up some useless Boro reject - just look how happy the Boro fans were to see the back of that lump, and now he's disgracing himself for us.
He's signed Cardiff waste-of-space and ex-Wanderers reserve Andy Mason. FFS, he was rubbish when he played here earlier this year. Everyone on this board knew how bad he was, yet Freedman still signed him. Not only that, he signed him on some sort of emergency loan deal, purely because he didn't know what he was doing. Pathetic.
He signed some Villa reject, who hadn't played for months, on huge wages - and then refused to play him!!!
He gave Zatastrophe Knightmare a game. Alongside useless Boro reject Wheater. And we all know how many goals they concede.
He continually tinkers.
He refuses to give young players a chance, stuffing the team with worthless journeymen like so-called Danns.

The fact is simple - if Owen Coyle or Gary Megson had this set of players, they would have pissed this division. They'd have beat Blackburn 97-0. Whilst pissing. This is undeniable fact.

FREEDMAN MUST GO NOW BEFORE WE ARE RELEGATED

So, back to back wins glosses over everything before it?

[CrazyHorse]

Of course it does. Two wins on the trot and the worst start for 100 years has been wiped from the history books. I say we give him a ten year rolling contract just on the back of yesterday's result.

[Hoboh]

Freedman must go now. He is literally - LITERALLY - spitting in our faces, each and every one of us, and this so-called "4-0 win" is merely the icing on the cake - icing made of piss on a cake of shit.

Let's just look at the facts.
He's got rid of our top quality players - people like Sordell,Craig Davies and Ngog, who score for fun.
He's signed up some useless Boro reject - just look how happy the Boro fans were to see the back of that lump, and now he's disgracing himself for us.
He's signed Cardiff waste-of-space and ex-Wanderers reserve Andy Mason. FFS, he was rubbish when he played here earlier this year. Everyone on this board knew how bad he was, yet Freedman still signed him. Not only that, he signed him on some sort of emergency loan deal, purely because he didn't know what he was doing. Pathetic.
He signed some Villa reject, who hadn't played for months, on huge wages - and then refused to play him!!!
He gave Zatastrophe Knightmare a game. Alongside useless Boro reject Wheater. And we all know how many goals they concede.
He continually tinkers.
He refuses to give young players a chance, stuffing the team with worthless journeymen like so-called Danns.

The fact is simple - if Owen Coyle or Gary Megson had this set of players, they would have pissed this division. They'd have beat Blackburn 97-0. Whilst pissing. This is undeniable fact.

FREEDMAN MUST GO NOW BEFORE WE ARE RELEGATED

Well I supose after months of having now't to shout about,

Your entitled to your 5 mins

[TANGODANCER]

If Dougie Freedman has done anything right now, it seems to be getting the players to perform to their own
best ability and as a unit. That seems to be the real difference over systems of 1-2-8, 4-4-2, 4-5-1 or anything else. We've won and lost games when we've played any of them, the difference right now being we're scoring.goals and not letting them in due to good play from the team.

Re systems, mostteams have the ability to change positional set-ups to suit what's needed. Last two games the attitude, effort and fight from the players has seemed the real difference. There are a lot of questions still hanging in the air, like why do two/three (? insert your own numbers) of our real good players warm the bench regularly? When did Eagles/Chungy/Moritz/ Hall/Odelusi... last get ninety minutes? What will happen now if Beckford is actually declared fit next week? Will Dougie change a winning side/system for an away game? How much of a team are we actually building with the "borrow a cup of sugar from the neighbours" method we seem to be operating on right now? (talk of another loan of a kid at Chelsea?). Mainly, how much of a team togetherness can be built with the patchwork system we're operating? Fair play, our financial situation is the main concern, and a solution doesn't appear to be available in golden lettering in the sky, but if Dougie's winning the players over it's a start, and the fans will surely follow, will they not?

If we can get a win at Leeds it will actually seem like we've turned a corner. Three of our next four games are aways so it might well prove a testing time. If we come through that things will really be looking up.