Dougie Freedman - New Manager

[Enoch]

Two questions! If I answer them here, what chance will I have of selling that book I'm writing?

As an occasional guest at Palace, I never saw week by week team selections, only the development over time. Since he's been here though, I don't see that he's done much tinkering. Early doors I thought it reasonable that he wanted to have a look at everyone, though I noticed a few grumbles on here. Of late I think he's had a fairly settled group, cup matches and injury niggles aside, it certainly looks to me as though he now knows what he's got. However, I will ask the question when I get the chance of someone that would know.

As to his performance in front of the media, I've said on here before that he could do with some schooling in the art. I've also said and this is a general observation not Freedman specific, that what's said in press conferences is at best light entertainment. Not to be taken too literally, even when the subject is a polished performer, which Freedman clearly isn't.

[LeverEnd]

Two questions! If I answer them here, what chance will I have of selling that book I'm writing?

As an occasional guest at Palace, I never saw week by week team selections, only the development over time. Since he's been here though, I don't see that he's done much tinkering. Early doors I thought it reasonable that he wanted to have a look at everyone, though I noticed a few grumbles on here. Of late I think he's had a fairly settled group, cup matches and injury niggles aside, it certainly looks to me as though he now knows what he's got. However, I will ask the question when I get the chance of someone that would know.

As to his performance in front of the media, I've said on here before that he could do with some schooling in the art. I've also said and this is a general observation not Freedman specific, that what's said in press conferences is at best light entertainment. Not to be taken too literally, even when the subject is a polished performer, which Freedman clearly isn't.

His selections and signings so far have been consistent with the plans and aims he has outlined (apart from the one about promotion!), but the players haven't carried them out on the pitch. I keep thinking back to Peterborough, where he put out exactly the team I would have hoped for (except for Lonergan) - the defence, the two DMs in front of it and the keeper all have played internationally (2 at World Cups) yet shipped 5 goals to a bottom team. None fo those players were his signings and I don't see what else he could have done. He's now gone about changing what he has diplomatically termed 'the balance of the squad' which means rooting out those with losing mentalities, of which there are many it would appear, and replacing them with players of character.

He's been mocked for the comment about signing players worse than those we've got etc etc, but he clearly means he can't go out and sign a player of Petrov's quality, but he can get someone who contributes more in this league because they want it more. Like he said about Craig Davies, he's not 'got the T-shirt'. Well Amen and Bo Selecta to that.

And he's bigged up the individual players' talents (good man management given the low confidence around the place) but made it clear he's not happy with the squad he's inherited. For 'balance' read 'ratio of pussies to gratfers'.

I think he talks sense and means it, in contrast to Coyle and his meaningless platitudes.

[Bruce Rioja]

I thought it was £8.5M?

Braaten went the other way and his value would have been the balance. Either way, it's the best part of £10M.

Either way. "Coyle turned him into the player we paid the best part of £10M for"?

Oh my giddy aunt

How? When? And for how long?

[Bruce Rioja]

I thought it was £8.5M?

Either way. Coyle turned him into the player we paid the best part of £10M for

?

Oh my giddy aunt

How? When? And for how long?

[Prufrock]

If Toulouse paid £1.5m for Braaten then Gartside wants knighting, or jailing! F*ck off Sugar, there's a new Business Tsar!

I'd always read the deal as being £8.2m (including Braaten - so £8,199,995 + Braaten) to begin with, rising to a possible £11m if certain things happened. I'd be astounded if we got anywhere near paying that.

That said, his best performances in a white shirt did come under Coyle. He was fantastic for about two months, and very good for the rest of that season. I'd say he got nowhere near paying pack the £8m, but then I'd run out of words for how far off £4.5m David N'Gog is!

[Prufrock]

Aye, I reckon our lot would probably piss this league if it was just about kick-ups. As it is, there's more to it than technical ability. Our players clearly aren't even that much better than everyone else's technically, as if they had been you'd have expected at least one fluke where we absolutely battered someone.

[malcd1]

If Toulouse paid £1.5m for Braaten then Gartside wants knighting, or jailing! F*ck off Sugar, there's a new Business Tsar!

I'd always read the deal as being £8.2m (including Braaten - so £8,199,995 + Braaten) to begin with, rising to a possible £11m if certain things happened. I'd be astounded if we got anywhere near paying that.

That said, his best performances in a white shirt did come under Coyle. He was fantastic for about two months, and very good for the rest of that season. I'd say he got nowhere near paying pack the £8m, but then I'd run out of words for how far off £4.5m David N'Gog is!

I think it was more £7m Elmander and another £1.2 to take Braaten off our hands.

[truewhite15]

If Toulouse paid £1.5m for Braaten then Gartside wants knighting, or jailing! F*ck off Sugar, there's a new Business Tsar!

I'd always read the deal as being £8.2m (including Braaten - so £8,199,995 + Braaten) to begin with, rising to a possible £11m if certain things happened. I'd be astounded if we got anywhere near paying that.

That said, his best performances in a white shirt did come under Coyle. He was fantastic for about two months, and very good for the rest of that season. I'd say he got nowhere near paying pack the £8m, but then I'd run out of words for how far off £4.5m David N'Gog is!

I think it was more £7m Elmander and another £1.2 to take Braaten off our hands.

Daniel Braaten was never, ever in a month of Sundays and blue moons, worth £1.2M. You might have got £500K for him. If you were lucky. And the buyers were blind/had never seen a game of football in their life. He did one good thing, which was the goal vs Reading at the beginning of the season, and that's it.

Then again, Elmander was only worth £7M for about 2 months, when he was looking for a new contract/team...

[boltonboris]

Read it again... He was being sarcastic by suggesting we gave them extra to take him off us

[Worthy4England]

I don't give a shite what he says

I tolerated Allardyce calling me 'ignorant and naive'

Well, look, he was right about lots of things whilst he was at Bolton.

[boltonboris]

78
Dougie Freedman
Bolton Wanderers
16
19
1.19

79
Stale Solbakken
Wolverhampton Wanderers
26
31
1.19

80
Simon Grayson
Huddersfield Town
28
33
1.18

81
Dave Jones
Sheffield Wednesday
30
35
1.17

82
Martin O'Neill
Sunderland
25
29
1.16

83
Joe Dunne
Colchester United
22
25
1.13

84
Michael Appleton
Portsmouth
16
18
1.12

85
Martin Jol
Fulham
25
28
1.12

86
Chris Hughton
Norwich City
25
28
1.12

87
Owen Coyle
Bolton Wanderers
10
11
1.10


So basically.. Freedman is doing shite with us (78th worst performing manager of the 96 league clubs), but is still doing marginally better than Coyle, but there's a fag paper between them..

[boltonboris]

An extra 4 points over the course of a season is pretty shit considering how bad the last idiot was

[thebish]

An extra 4 points over the course of a season is pretty shit considering how bad the last idiot was

s'not his fault - it's the players...

[LeverEnd]

An extra 4 points over the course of a season is pretty shit considering how bad the last idiot was

s'not his fault - it's the players...

Clearly, look how well he was doing with a worse squad...

17
Dougie Freedman
Crystal Palace
11
20
1.82

18
Paolo Di Canio
Swindon Town
30
54
1.80

19
Andre Villas-Boas
Tottenham Hotspur
25
45
1.80

20
Gianfranco Zola
Watford
30
52
1.73

And look what the circus clown Holloway has done with them...

44
Ian Holloway
Crystal Palace
16
24
1.50

[LeverEnd]

Mildly interesting but not that revealing really. More interesting to read about spending caps in the Premier League, which Dougie clearly has an eye on. Clubs like ours will need a long term youth strategy like the one he has outlined. And a manager who actually develops and selects young players instead of talking about it then ignoring them.

[CAPSLOCK]

Freedman is here til half way through next season as an absolute fcuking minimum

I find it amazing that some people don't seem to have grasped this, yet

fwiw, I think he'll be with us til he goes to a club higher in the league than we are now

[thebish]

Freedman is here til half way through next season as an absolute fcuking minimum

I find it amazing that some people don't seem to have grasped this, yet

I don't think anyone on here believes he'll be gone before the end of next season.... do they??

[CAPSLOCK]

Think what you want

[thebish]

Think what you want

Why, thankyou captain! likewise!

(but - nobody on here actually DOES think dougie will be gone anytime soon...)

[Prufrock]

78
Dougie Freedman
Bolton Wanderers
16
19
1.19

79
Stale Solbakken
Wolverhampton Wanderers
26
31
1.19

80
Simon Grayson
Huddersfield Town
28
33
1.18

81
Dave Jones
Sheffield Wednesday
30
35
1.17

82
Martin O'Neill
Sunderland
25
29
1.16

83
Joe Dunne
Colchester United
22
25
1.13

84
Michael Appleton
Portsmouth
16
18
1.12

85
Martin Jol
Fulham
25
28
1.12

86
Chris Hughton
Norwich City
25
28
1.12

87
Owen Coyle
Bolton Wanderers
10
11
1.10


So basically.. Freedman is doing shite with us (78th worst performing manager of the 96 league clubs), but is still doing marginally better than Coyle, but there's a fag paper between them..

In fairness he isn't 78 out of 96. It's out of a good deal more than that.