The Dougie Freedman Question - A Crystal Palace View

[tonymikejoe]

When we lost CPFC legend Freedman to you I thought you had just got your hands on Scotland's answer to Jose Mourinho.

He took over the team with the worst defensive record in the top four divisions when George Burley was rightly sacked and with the same players immediately began keeping clean sheets, albeit with an ultra-defensive policy.

Just before the eye-catching league run that caught Bolton's attention Freedman had secured 3 points out of the 36 available, crashed out of the League Cup to Exeter City and rumblings of discontent and whispers about his future began being heard.

What saved him? Wilfried Zaha and Glenn Murray, that's who.

Suddenly a CPFC kid was the most exciting player in the division and the previously shot-shy Murray (a Dougie free transfer) was banging the goals in and ended the campaign with 38 in all competitions.

Where Bolton went wrong is taking Freedman and not these two players, who were the reason why he secured 20 of 24 points before jumping ship to your club.

So unless you have local kid that is going to be the subject to a £15m bid from Man Utd and earn a full England cap while playing in the Championship, plus a journeyman centre forward who suddenly become a goal-a-game machine you are probably not going to do any better under Freedman.

[Beefheart]

Gartside out.

[Lord Kangana]

Thanks for telling us this 15 months ago.

[BWFC_Insane]

So if we had better players we'd be doing better? Ok.

[bobo the clown]

mmmmm ..... I'm getting the word ....... "chancer" !!

[Gravedigger]

tonymikejoe out !!!

But thanks for the timely warning.

[irie Cee Bee]

So he had nothing to do with Zaha's and Murray's success at Palace ? I wonder how well those players are doing since he left.

[SmokinFrazier]

So he had nothing to do with Zaha's and Murray's success at Palace ? I wonder how well those players are doing since he left.

Murray got badly injured and Zaha was United's best player during their pre-season, the only time he's had a real chance to impress.

It's worth noting too that Palace's goal scoring record under Freedman, despite having Bolasie, Murray and Zaha as a front three, was still pretty poor. He's had two teams capable of dominating sides because of their attacking talent, yet his managerial style has stifled them. The attacking talent Palace had and now Eagles, Chungy, Mark Davies, Moritz, Beckford etc., should be capable of far more than a mere 164 goals in 136 games.

[bwfcdan94]

When we lost CPFC legend Freedman to you I thought you had just got your hands on Scotland's answer to Jose Mourinho.

He took over the team with the worst defensive record in the top four divisions when George Burley was rightly sacked and with the same players immediately began keeping clean sheets, albeit with an ultra-defensive policy.

Just before the eye-catching league run that caught Bolton's attention Freedman had secured 3 points out of the 36 available, crashed out of the League Cup to Exeter City and rumblings of discontent and whispers about his future began being heard.

What saved him? Wilfried Zaha and Glenn Murray, that's who.

Suddenly a CPFC kid was the most exciting player in the division and the previously shot-shy Murray (a Dougie free transfer) was banging the goals in and ended the campaign with 38 in all competitions.

Where Bolton went wrong is taking Freedman and not these two players, who were the reason why he secured 20 of 24 points before jumping ship to your club.

So unless you have local kid that is going to be the subject to a £15m bid from Man Utd and earn a full England cap while playing in the Championship, plus a journeyman centre forward who suddenly become a goal-a-game machine you are probably not going to do any better under Freedman.

Zaha has done really well since leaving Palace .