The New Freedman Poll

[bobo the clown]

↑↑↑ & that run got us to 14th due to his 110 year record puss poor start.

He seems en route to trying to match that right now.

[TonyDomingos]

I doubt very much he's trying to match or surpass last season's historic achievement.
But, I do wonder where he thinks he might be able to take us. For example, does he think that he has the capability to get us promoted and to sustain a place in the Prem over a number of years? Or perhaps he's come to realise that maintaining a mid-table Championship position is the limit of his abilities?

I know it's not fashionable, but I'm not calling for his head after four games in (I'm fully aware that it's two years, not just four games). My main concern is Eddie Davies - he seems to be making a tactical retreat and if he decides to speed things up - ie call in the loans sooner rather than later - then we're fecked.

[bobo the clown]

↑↑↑ He's the owner.
Any money he is owed is owed by himself.
He can't "call in the loans" as he owes them to himself.
He could collapse the Company ... and lose £160m or so.
He could sell it, either at face value to a raving lunatic or at a massive loss.

[Lord Kangana]

Whilst I perfectly understand the logic Bobo, until such time as it says Money owed to E. Davies: £0, I do wonder and worry that all will not be as plain sailing as the optimists amongst would have it. I feel there are as yet unseen twists and turns to come.

[TonyDomingos]

I'm more of a cynic than Bobo! I can't claim to have the slightest understanding of the nature of the various companies involved or the relationship between them, but I'd be surprised if Eddie owed himself money. I'd always assumed that BWFC plc owed ED plc money, with the security being the ground and surrounding land (valued at c. £100m?). So, when Eddie's had enough, he simply forces the sale of the land and recoups some or all of his money. Haven't we heard elsewhere on this forum about how council members have been leant on to grant planning permission for the land, which immediately makes it more valuable? Conspiracy theory ahoy!

[bobo the clown]

As ever the issue is that he owns a football ground, a training ground, offices and now a school. All with BWFC written on it. Whatever the nominal value of that land you can't sell a football ground to WH Smiths.

Like the rest of us I wonder about what happens when he joins the angels and what happens then but any inheritor will be similarly hamstrung. I wish we were solvent, but the lack of finances is a bigger FFP issue than immediate cash matter. I don't blame him one jot for not wanting to add to add that but it's not going to suddenly come crashing around our ears.

[Peter Thompson]

Quote from Freedman in a BN article following the Brighton game

“Unfortunately today we were a little bit open – it was a case of ‘you have a couple (of chances), we’ll have a couple’ – but that’s not the way I want to play. I want there to be one chance, and we win 1-0. We need to get back to how we were playing last season.”

This is exactly why the fans are deserting, this ultra defensive, negative, dull football....why on earth would anyone want to shell out £25/£30 week after week to sit through a game where the manager only wants us to create one chance in 90 mins - things will never change whilst we have a manager with this mind set

How on earth can the owner & board of directors allow a manager to set out to play football in this manner, in front of the paying public.

[Lord Kangana]

We need to get back to how we were playing last season.”
.

I'm not entirely sure a record breaking run without a win, or indeed one of the worst results ever in the history of the club are exactly solid grounds for this kind of nostalgia.

[Hoboh]

Quote from Freedman in a BN article following the Brighton game

“Unfortunately today we were a little bit open – it was a case of ‘you have a couple (of chances), we’ll have a couple’ – but that’s not the way I want to play. I want there to be one chance, and we win 1-0. We need to get back to how we were playing last season.”

This is exactly why the fans are deserting, this ultra defensive, negative, dull football....why on earth would anyone want to shell out £25/£30 week after week to sit through a game where the manager only wants us to create one chance in 90 mins - things will never change whilst we have a manager with this mind set

How on earth can the owner & board of directors allow a manager to set out to play football in this manner, in front of the paying public.

Seems after Coyle's folly Gartside has returned to a Megson clone.

[officer_dibble]

I'd be happy enough to set up to win 1-0 at brighton.

He just doesn't know how to do it. I'd start by introducing defenders and midfielders to each other.

[Prufrock]

I understand the wanting '0' bit, but I can't for the life of me understand the 1 chance 1 goal mentality. I'd rather win 10-0, ta.

[IggyTheDawgster]

I can't get my head round that either Pru.

Surely you want as many goals as possible while keeping the back door shut? Would breed confidence, I think if he has pushed this 1-0 mentality all through the team maybe thats the reason we are so nervous looking and unwilling to push forward for that second goal when we go ahead.

[Prufrock]

I think the logic is that if you're 1-0 up,going for 2-0 means you're more likely to concede, but there's no way that's an absolute!

If you're 1-0 with 5 minutes to go, then fine, get 11 behind the ball, don't commit numbers forward, try to hang on. If you're 1-0 up with 60 minutes to go, you can't do that. It's nuts. It doesn't take the other team long to figure out you're doing it, and then suddenly they're attacking with 8 or 9. FOR AN HOUR!

The most frustrating thing is the number of times we have actually got ourselves in front. The players are good enough, and he's capable of sending them out there in a way that means they can do the hard bit, score first, get in front, then yet again he reverts to type. The thing that pissed me off with Coyle was that he never learnt. I said after the Blackpool final game that you can forgive a young manager making mistakes, you can't forgive them keep making them.

I remember reading a quote when I was a kid from an interview with a NI player from the 50s who, when asked why they did so well against teams with much bigger reputations, said it was because at the start of each game they pretended they were losing 1-0. I always liked that mentality. Surely, given his ability level, you'd expect Pratley to be stood around at their kick-off after we've just scored reminding everyone 'it's still 0-0, boys'?

[bobo the clown]

But defending deep, the same goes for having no one up when defending corners, means the ball simply comes straight back at you if it's cleared. So you inevitably end up defending 2, 3, 4 waves of attack not just the one.

It's tactical madness.

[BWFC_Insane]

But defending deep, the same goes for having no one up when defending corners, means the ball simply comes straight back at you if it's cleared. So you inevitably end up defending 2, 3, 4 waves of attack not just the one.

It's tactical madness.

Sam Allardyce says hi......

[bobo the clown]

He's wrong.


That's all.

[Prufrock]

But defending deep, the same goes for having no one up when defending corners, means the ball simply comes straight back at you if it's cleared. So you inevitably end up defending 2, 3, 4 waves of attack not just the one.

It's tactical madness.

I think it's fine for 5-10 minutes. No more. And agreed with corners. That's one of those misleading stats IMO. They all go with 'you concede fewer goals with everyone back' which is probably true, but they don't tell you how many you concede in the second or third phases, or how many are scored on the counter by teams who do leave someone up. What's the point in Joe Mason or Rob Hall coming back to defend corners?

[Prufrock]

But defending deep, the same goes for having no one up when defending corners, means the ball simply comes straight back at you if it's cleared. So you inevitably end up defending 2, 3, 4 waves of attack not just the one.

It's tactical madness.

Sam Allardyce says hi......

Jose Mourinho says hi.....

[BWFC_Insane]

He's wrong.


That's all.

He demonstrated his case via opta stats. It seemed to work out pretty well for us too.

That's all.

[Abdoulaye's Twin]

He's wrong.


That's all.

He demonstrated his case via opta stats. It seemed to work out pretty well for us too.

That's all.

I'm sure that if Bish were here he'd be fairly successful at finding lots of threads where we all bitched and moaned about Allardyce doing it.