Freedman out!

[Annoyed Grunt]

Of course everyone wanted to sign him last year ... he played well and was our player of the season, and rightly.

This season he has seemed lost .... which I believe is down to DF's ability to confuse the shite out of people. He deserves to swao with Medo and spend some bench time. That doesn't make the decision to purchase him incorrect.

What's your point Bish ?

He has had plenty of time to post it but I don't think he will as he hasn't got a point and doing the usual of trying to stir it without committing.

Not just me that's noticed that then?

[boltonboris]

He's a grenade chucker. Throws it in then sits back arms folded

[LeverEnd]

Of course everyone wanted to sign him last year ... he played well and was our player of the season, and rightly.

This season he has seemed lost .... which I believe is down to DF's ability to confuse the shite out of people. He deserves to swao with Medo and spend some bench time. That doesn't make the decision to purchase him incorrect.

What's your point Bish ?

Exactly. Player of the season in a season when we nearly made the playoffs. Of course there was a clamour to sign him, quite right too. As is the clamour to drop him when he's playing shit. I don't see what there is to argue about.
No-one's saying hound him out of the club.
He's just been educated that's all. Like Medo and Cravies. Let's hope Danns isn't next.

[Dave Sutton's barnet]

This, to me, is his biggest failing. If there's a problem with a nucleus of players at the club, stop picking them and start picking the ones you've signed. Mind you even the much-requested switch of Medo for Spearing would be replacing one of his own buys for another, so the problem must be elsewhere. Is it in goal, where he signed neither contender? In defence, where he's already excised Mears but is still having to pick at least three players he inherited? In attack, where he staked much on Beckford, got him back to form then dropped him for a not particularly impressive kid from someone else's team?

For the record, I reckon he's talking about Knight and Ngog, possibly Eagles too. But again, he has gone on record about Ngog and Eagles' importance, and made Knight captain. We will never know whether he'd have cashed in had he found a buyer for any or all of them - I suspect he'd have been tempted to keep Eagles - but his doublespeak leaves everyone confused. After the (impressive) cup win he went on the record about how good Medo had played, then dropped him. And I can only hope Moritz had a knock that kept him out today. Players are simple souls and he may well be confusing the hell out of them. It's certainly bending my head trying to work it out.

[boltonboris]

All his players are great until they let him down. He's no different to any other in that argument. But his post match interview mentioned the word "recruitment" 12 times today apparently.

Except his argument falls down when like you say, his signings don't even make the bench when they're fit.

Would any of us give this guy money?

[jaffka]

I think Beckford is w**k and a meh! singing but he was hitting the target when he signed Mason, who he started to play. Dissent in the camp? Feck me you can bet on it.

[CrazyHorse]

Beckford isn't wank. He's a 1 in 3 man. Injuries aside, he'd get us 15 league goals this season.

The masterstroke was dropping him for the 1 in 7 loaner. Genius. You can't buy managerial brilliance like that for love nor money.

[jaffka]

is he worth the reputed 40k a week?

[CrazyHorse]

I'm not sure that's right.

But imagine if it is, it just makes Freedman's dropping of him for Mason even more wonderfully spectacular.

[jaffka]

From what I have gathered, that is his contract at Leicester.

What are we paying?

I think we could have got better.

[Lord Kangana]

I've got the popcorn and a couple of beers on stand by for this weeks excuse. Autograph and photo opportunity practice took precedent over training or something?

Worst start in a century, worst defeat ever (equal, or did N'Gog spoil it with his meaningless consolation?). In the same season. F*cking genius.

[CrazyHorse]

I've got the popcorn and a couple of beers on stand by for this weeks excuse. Autograph and photo opportunity practice took precedent over training or something?

Worst start in a century, worst defeat ever (equal, or did N'Gog spoil it with his meaningless consolation?). In the same season. F*cking genius.

HE.

JUST.

NEEDS.

MORE.

TIME.

[Lord Kangana]

Then he'll manage the records unequivocally?

[William the White]

I've got the popcorn and a couple of beers on stand by for this weeks excuse. Autograph and photo opportunity practice took precedent over training or something?

Worst start in a century, worst defeat ever (equal, or did N'Gog spoil it with his meaningless consolation?). In the same season. F*cking genius.

Consolation spoiled. Was it N'gog though? Now only worst defeat since 1936 (0-7, Man C). Though equalled in 1889, 1902, 1931, 1950 and 1982.

happy reading available here:

http://bwfcstats.com/score/page3.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[LeverEnd]

It was Ngog's goal. Did nothing to earn it though, all Odelusi's work. He was just stood there and it bounced off him. He's earned very little in his Bolton career, just stolen a living basically.
He's one I don't blame DF for, the gutless mercenary shithouse.
Still leaves enough other things to sack him 10 times over though!

[danardif1]

From what I have gathered, that is his contract at Leicester.

What are we paying?

I think we could have got better.

I thought so too... Dougie seemed to want him because they had played together at Leeds for a bit.

I think he's a spent force anyway, hasn't reached double digits at any level since his 25 goal season at Leeds back in 09-10, which was in League One as well. He had a chance to step up a level at Everton and did okay, but nothing like what players like Grant Holt and Ricky Lambert did with their rise up the leagues, consistently scoring double digits figures for each season, whatever the level. His entire reputation rests on that FA Cup run Leeds had, where I think they beat United at Old Trafford(?).

[SmokinFrazier]

I think he's a spent force anyway, hasn't reached double digits at any level since his 25 goal season at Leeds back in 09-10, which was in League One as well. He had a chance to step up a level at Everton and did okay, but nothing like what players like Grant Holt and Ricky Lambert did with their rise up the leagues, consistently scoring double digits figures for each season, whatever the level. His entire reputation rests on that FA Cup run Leeds had, where I think they beat United at Old Trafford(?).

Yeah, pretty much. I don't mind Beckford at all but the reputation he gained as being somewhat prolific were based entirely on that period for Leeds. He looked like a good player then, absolutely, but he didn't deliver in the Premier League and his form has been sketchy in the Championship. I think he is a good player but he when we were interested in signing him, the way Freedman talked about him, you'd think he was a 25 goal striker throughout his entire career. He hasn't been that and looking at him now, you can see why. I don't think he was worth what we had to pay to get him and considering how tight the finances are according to Freedman, it doesn't say a lot about his judgment that Beckford was the player to chase so much.


Anyway, to steal some statistics posted elsewhere by TomBWFC:

"This season's record against the current top 14 teams stands at...

Played: 17
Won: 0
Drawn: 7
Lost: 10
Goals Scored: 16
Goals Conceded: 37"


That's an awful record. I'm not surprised to see the goals scored is so low though. I don't recall watching any team who look as useless going forward as we have done on a regular basis, and I try to watch as much football that I possibly can. The service to our lone strikers at times has been atrocious, even last season when we went on that 'good' run. The writing should have been on the wall for that though because when Freedman was at Palace, with Bolasie, Murray and Zaha, they still weren't a team who scored like they had the potential to do. Tactically, I think we're awful going forward and obviously we're no better defensively, which is funny considering what Freedman said before coming here, about tightening up at the back etc.. He can pin the blame on individuals all he wants but there is no excuse for the sort of shoddy defending that I've seen this season from us, which can be pinned on lack of organisation. It's something I've mentioned numerous times but why do we constantly let the opposition just tee off when they're outside our box? We don't close them down at all and despite it costing us plenty of goals so far, nothing has changed in that regard. I was listening to Steve McManaman earlier today during the Sunderland/Southampton game and he was highly critical of the way Sunderland weren't closing the Southampton players down, just as any pundit or football fan with the slightest bit of knowledge would. If pundits cared about Championship sides, they'd be pulling their hair out at how shockingly bad our defensive set up is.

Last season, I think we relied a lot of luck to get the sort of results we did. Things went our way, obviously, but this season, we aren't unlucky, we're getting exactly what we deserve. Freedman's record as a manager is the second worst in the league, ahead of Paul Dickov, and that's not a coincidence. Most managers in the league average around 40-45% win rate whereas Freedman is on a low 35%. We didn't pick a good candidate who is just on a bad run, we picked a poor manager who is unproven at any sort of level and doesn't seem to have the ability to turn things around. On top of that, is there any doubt he's lost the faith of the players? He's a much, much worse managers than Coyle and Megson.

[bobo the clown]

He's far worse than Megson ..... though he was such a tw@t he lost the job due to his manner at the place. He's no worse than Coyle, in my view, though that's no recommendation.

He may have taken on a poisoned chalice, he may be doing marvellous things with the Acadamy, trimming the budget, doing a clearout, improving the meducal team. But what we see are the performances and the results ... and they are shite.

[gizmothevoomer]

The fact that D Freedman is still manager is down to the fact BWFC have never been a sacking club and our current financial situation. Clearly he has not improved the club on the pitch we can not see what he has done behind the scenes with the youth section and operating within the constraints set by club.

If we changed manager I don't see us making the play offs this season, nor do I see us getting relegated under DF at this stage. therefore no great sense in getting rid and paying out compensation we can not afford. DF has the what's left of this season to prove he is worth trusting for the remainder of his contract.

What ever happens next season will see a drastically different team on the pitch given Knight, Eagles, Ngog, Holden and Mears are all likely to move on when their contracts expire. Which will get the major wage earners of the books no doubt others will leave as well.

I suspect that is way the board are thinking currently.

[Palace]

Pick the same team and stick with it, danns,moritz & one other in CM and you will nail it.
Not sure why he's chopping and changing every game.