Freedman out!

[Lord Kangana]

I'm absolutely lost on this issue about Dawson.

Are we now saying that its ok, even desirable, to loan in other teams young players?

[bobo the clown]

I'm absolutely lost on this issue about Dawson.

Are we now saying that its ok, even desirable, to loan in other teams young players?

Well, if he IS saying that, then that's what WON'T be happening ... if DF stays to form !!

[Armchair Wanderer]

I don't know if the 2nd bit refers to me, but I was fully behind him until 10 games into this season as every new manager deserves a chance and some support. Then I realised he was clueless. I also think the vast majority of fans have been supportive of him, especially given the dross he's served up.

The bit on the end was just a general thing. I think I have issues concerning people criticizing publicly over trivial matters such as post-match wording, hairstyle, accent. Might need to look into some therapy about it

[Sponge]

I just think that he and backroom team have brought a negativity to the club and it's got to the players. He seems to think everything should be clinical and stifles any momentum as soon as it starts to build. It's hard to know what's wrong but it's awful to watch, unsuccessful and should result in a series of sackings.

Right, 'cause there was no negativity at the club when he arrived...

[Hoboh]

I just think that he and backroom team have brought a negativity to the club and it's got to the players. He seems to think everything should be clinical and stifles any momentum as soon as it starts to build. It's hard to know what's wrong but it's awful to watch, unsuccessful and should result in a series of sackings.

Right, 'cause there was no negativity at the club when he arrived...

Been there since Megson.

[LeverEnd]

I just think that he and backroom team have brought a negativity to the club and it's got to the players. He seems to think everything should be clinical and stifles any momentum as soon as it starts to build. It's hard to know what's wrong but it's awful to watch, unsuccessful and should result in a series of sackings.

Right, 'cause there was no negativity at the club when he arrived...

I meant in terms of style of play.

[BWFC_Insane]

Personally I think there needs to be a reality check amongst Bolton fans.

When Freedman came we were shite. Primarily because we had a lot of overpaid players who had never satisfactorily performed for the club on a regular basis. Knight, NGog, Sordell, Andrews, Mears, Eagles, Mills, Ream etc...for whatever reason those players simply did not perform to a consistently good enough level. Some offered more in spells than others but as a whole none of them had been good enough up to that point to achieve what the club wanted them to. We also had injuries to some key players who might have made a difference.

We had a brief respite from being shite last season, it could have been down to Dawson, it could have been down to Eagles being superb for a period, might have been inspired management, it might have simply been a bit of luck, but whatever, as I've come to expect with these players it doesn't take a whole lot for the whole thing to go into reverse at alarming speed.

Now, reading the Bolton News today it appears we've been circulating names of these players trying to get rid, and have only had a couple of bites and then once the interested party heard what the player earned the interest was dropped as quickly as an oven hot scone from a greedy childs hand. Tells you just about everything you need to know about how these players are viewed in football in general and how much we've paid them.

Now, that doesn't mean mistakes haven't been made since. Far from it. Spearing looks poor for our only real money signing and you have to question if Beckford, despite a decent scoring record here has brought in the right qualities in terms of adding some desire and fight to a squad desperately lacking in it. And at times I think we might have benefitted from going back to basics and leaving out all the fripperies and fairies and giving teams a good clouting. In fact we should do that now, put 11 grafters in and kick our way to some sort of safety. Because NGog, Eagles, Lee, Moritz etc etc are NOT the fighters and scrappers and battlers this club needs. They aren't going to dig deep and pull us out of a hole. We know that. So it might be worth adopting a dog of war approach and I'm a little disappointed that hasn't happened.

However, to assume that players that have never performed for us, that on top of that aren't wanted elsewhere, will be fixed and suddenly "perform" for a new manager is IMO hoping for a miracle. By all means change the manager, but we're going to need to similarly move out these players whatever. And we cannot do that till their contracts expire. And even should we do that we still have the £40+M to save before we can start to use the manager's term "recruiting".

In short, I believe things are going to get a lot, lot worse, irrespective before they can get better. And the best we can hope for is that whatever longer term plans the club as a whole beds in now and over the next year or two are damn good ones. Because frankly I don't see any scenario that doesn't see us scrapping to stay in this league and possibly/probably falling into the next one over the next 4/5 years.

Its going to get messy, it isn't going to be very pleasant. But heck we had 11 years of top flight football that few of us expected and two European campaigns that I'd say none of us expected. That was great. This is the pay-off and is when our club really needs us to get behind it, I'd argue at least!

[Lord Kangana]

We're still shite.

16 months and enough new players signed by Freedman to make a team (most of whom, by the way, he doesn't f*cking play) and we're still shite.

In fact, we're worse than shite. This season is worse than last. We're lower than when he took over. Not last week, in 2012. Its 2014 now.

The only thing that will get messy is your mind, when you realise he isn't the next Sam Allardyce, but the next Roy McFarland.

[jaffka]

Another massive insano u-turn

[boltonboris]

Spearing
Moritz
Beckford
Danns
Craig Davies
White
Wilkinson
Tierney
Hall
Baptiste
Bolger
Lee-Baratt
Medo

That's 13 players currently in the squad that Freedman has signed. 1 of them is long term injured. 1 of them has a short term injury.

Only 3 of them play regularly.

[thebish]

Personally I think there needs to be a reality check amongst Bolton fans.

When Freedman came we were shite. Primarily because we had a lot of overpaid players who had never satisfactorily performed for the club on a regular basis. Knight, NGog, Sordell, Andrews, Mears, Eagles, Mills, Ream etc...for whatever reason those players simply did not perform to a consistently good enough level. Some offered more in spells than others but as a whole none of them had been good enough up to that point to achieve what the club wanted them to. We also had injuries to some key players who might have made a difference.

We had a brief respite from being shite last season, it could have been down to Dawson, it could have been down to Eagles being superb for a period, might have been inspired management, it might have simply been a bit of luck, but whatever, as I've come to expect with these players it doesn't take a whole lot for the whole thing to go into reverse at alarming speed.

Now, reading the Bolton News today it appears we've been circulating names of these players trying to get rid, and have only had a couple of bites and then once the interested party heard what the player earned the interest was dropped as quickly as an oven hot scone from a greedy childs hand. Tells you just about everything you need to know about how these players are viewed in football in general and how much we've paid them.

Now, that doesn't mean mistakes haven't been made since. Far from it. Spearing looks poor for our only real money signing and you have to question if Beckford, despite a decent scoring record here has brought in the right qualities in terms of adding some desire and fight to a squad desperately lacking in it. And at times I think we might have benefitted from going back to basics and leaving out all the fripperies and fairies and giving teams a good clouting. In fact we should do that now, put 11 grafters in and kick our way to some sort of safety. Because NGog, Eagles, Lee, Moritz etc etc are NOT the fighters and scrappers and battlers this club needs. They aren't going to dig deep and pull us out of a hole. We know that. So it might be worth adopting a dog of war approach and I'm a little disappointed that hasn't happened.

However, to assume that players that have never performed for us, that on top of that aren't wanted elsewhere, will be fixed and suddenly "perform" for a new manager is IMO hoping for a miracle. By all means change the manager, but we're going to need to similarly move out these players whatever. And we cannot do that till their contracts expire. And even should we do that we still have the £40+M to save before we can start to use the manager's term "recruiting".

In short, I believe things are going to get a lot, lot worse, irrespective before they can get better. And the best we can hope for is that whatever longer term plans the club as a whole beds in now and over the next year or two are damn good ones. Because frankly I don't see any scenario that doesn't see us scrapping to stay in this league and possibly/probably falling into the next one over the next 4/5 years.

Its going to get messy, it isn't going to be very pleasant. But heck we had 11 years of top flight football that few of us expected and two European campaigns that I'd say none of us expected. That was great. This is the pay-off and is when our club really needs us to get behind it, I'd argue at least!

that sounds like a reasonable summary of where we are to me...

[boltonboris]

The guy has spent over £6m in a shade over a year. And all he has to show for it, is pretty much the same starting 11 that the last bloke was using.

Which he now reckons is shit. Well done Dougie. You've flushed £6m English pounds down the toilet

[BWFC_Insane]

The guy has spent over £6m in a shade over a year. And all he has to show for it, is pretty much the same starting 11 that the last bloke was using.

Which he now reckons is shit. Well done Dougie. You've flushed £6m English pounds down the toilet

I think you're probably being a bit creative to get to £6M to be honest. I know what you're saying but looking at your list of 13 even there are several youngsters on there an emergency keeper for cover and a couple of injuries.

[jaffka]

The guy has spent over £6m in a shade over a year. And all he has to show for it, is pretty much the same starting 11 that the last bloke was using.

Which he now reckons is shit. Well done Dougie. You've flushed £6m English pounds down the toilet

I think you're probably being a bit creative to get to £6M to be honest. I know what you're saying but looking at your list of 13 even there are several youngsters on there an emergency keeper for cover and a couple of injuries.

Sho you think he has been shit hot in the transfer market then.

[Sponge]

Spearing
Moritz
Beckford
Danns
Craig Davies
White
Wilkinson
Tierney
Hall
Baptiste
Bolger
Lee-Baratt
Medo

That's 13 players currently in the squad that Freedman has signed. 1 of them is long term injured. 1 of them has a short term injury.

Only 3 of them play regularly.

I assume Wilkinson, Bolger, White, and Hall were all brought in for "the future". Lee-Baratt is a back-up keeper.

So discounting those five and the injured player, that's three of seven who are regular starters. All of them are squad regulars. Not quite as disastrous as your original post implies.

[LeverEnd]

The guy has spent over £6m in a shade over a year. And all he has to show for it, is pretty much the same starting 11 that the last bloke was using.

Which he now reckons is shit. Well done Dougie. You've flushed £6m English pounds down the toilet

A far more succint and accurate summary I'd say. No new manager gets a totally clean slate. He's had a pretty reasonable, if not ideal, crack of the whip and has taken us backwards.

[Dave Sutton's barnet]

That's 13 players currently in the squad that Freedman has signed. 1 of them is long term injured. 1 of them has a short term injury. Only 3 of them play regularly.

The guy has spent over £6m in a shade over a year. And all he has to show for it, is pretty much the same starting 11 that the last bloke was using. Which he now reckons is shit. Well done Dougie. You've flushed £6m English pounds down the toilet

It's an interesting list. As noted, despite Hall's first-team appearances he, White, Wilkinson and Bolger are to a greater than lesser extent "ones for the future" - which has always been a hit-and-miss affair (Mickael Kaprelian, Emanuele Morini, Lubomir Michalik, etc). Lee-Barratt is an emergency signing for buttons. Tierney would be playing if he were fit, Baptiste hasn't been bad. Danns seems to have the right stuff. Spearing was a popular loanee most fans wanted to sign permanently, although now many would rather pick Medo. Craig Davies was a cheap punt and brings something different up front. Beckford and Moritz are our top scorers, when they're allowed to play.

I honestly think we've got the bones of a good team, when you add in a few pre-Dougie players (Mark Davies, Eagles/CYL, even arguably Mills-and-Ream who looked solid as a partnership). The problem is they're not playing well, and when it goes on for so long with so many different permutations you have to question the manager.

[Lord Kangana]

Whilst we're on the subject, he also handed a new contract to Wheater.

Or doesn't that count for the sake of the argument?

Anyway, evidence the Sordell signing, what the hell are you doing signing boys when you say you need men?

[coffeymagic]

Yet again Dougie tells us that he 'knows what the problem is'. Apart from pointing the finger at the past what's he doing about it?

How many more chances is he going to get?

Watching the goals on FLS just about summed up our season. Their fifth was a cracker with Bolton players falling over the ball and running into each other like a tribute to the Keystone Kops.

What a shambles.

I've got my train tickets for Saturday. My missues may be pulling the plug on that due to something she calls 'family commitments'.

I've got my fingers crossed.

[StaffsTrotter]

That's 13 players currently in the squad that Freedman has signed. 1 of them is long term injured. 1 of them has a short term injury. Only 3 of them play regularly.

The guy has spent over £6m in a shade over a year. And all he has to show for it, is pretty much the same starting 11 that the last bloke was using. Which he now reckons is shit. Well done Dougie. You've flushed £6m English pounds down the toilet

It's an interesting list. As noted, despite Hall's first-team appearances he, White, Wilkinson and Bolger are to a greater than lesser extent "ones for the future" - which has always been a hit-and-miss affair (Mickael Kaprelian, Emanuele Morini, Lubomir Michalik, etc). Lee-Barratt is an emergency signing for buttons. Tierney would be playing if he were fit, Baptiste hasn't been bad. Danns seems to have the right stuff. Spearing was a popular loanee most fans wanted to sign permanently, although now many would rather pick Medo. Craig Davies was a cheap punt and brings something different up front. Beckford and Moritz are our top scorers, when they're allowed to play.

I honestly think we've got the bones of a good team, when you add in a few pre-Dougie players (Mark Davies, Eagles/CYL, even arguably Mills-and-Ream who looked solid as a partnership). The problem is they're not playing well, and when it goes on for so long with so many different permutations you have to question the manager.

Pretty good summary with the honourable exception of the views on Baptiste who I maintain has been routinely targeted by the oppostion to great effect throughout the season - yes Mears would have been better.

On paper and by previous experience etc we have a good set of players - top end challengers .Think the no interest in them is a bit of a red herring. The only likely buyers would be lower prem and below. Which teams shell out transfer fees these days. As has been noted, we have paid well which again limits the market. No matter the church mouse spiel this has continued recently e.g. incredulous comments by Nigel Clough wrt wages we were offering Baptiste (I don't have an obessession with the guy honest)

Think the Dawson is an interesting one. He was solid but slow ( a bit like wheater but perhaps with more organisational abilities and good enough for were we are), but I do wonder whether the number of goals he scored (never to be repeated I suspect) and the run it co-incided with, has slightly rose tinted peoples opinions of him.