Freedman out!

[boltonboris]

they had a covering defender.. Would have been harsh to show a red

[Bruce Rioja]

I haven't seen it back but from where I sit (admittedly, some distance away) it looked like Davies fell over his own feet. Their's was very harsh on us and given by the lino rather than the ref.
In fact, the one that looked most nailed-on to me was the one that he didn't give to Boro.

[boltonboris]

See, i thought the handball was a good decision.. Arms out like a numpty and off his own shit touch.. Wheater can only blame himself.. Unfortunate, but probably the right decision in my correct opinion

[Athers]

Perhaps a big clue on the handball that there wasn't much appeal against it from our players.

Hines/Davies was a long way away but wasn't he about to shoot with the next stride? I don't know

[jaffka]

Time for another poll I think!

[EverSoYouri]

There is time for things to change (and word this morning of two young players being brought in on loan - will they get a game?). However, we've seen enough of Douglas by now to be sceptical about the impact of any new faces on the overall approach.

We are back in the familiar pattern of being unable to hold onto a lead (we've had it three times in the last two games and come away with a single point).

Most tellingly, for all his talk about playing the ball on the ground and keeping possession more this season, we seem to be worse than last season.

Forest and Boro (and even Bury for much of the tie!) had a substantial majority of possession (72% for Boro at one stage last night). Here's an earth-shattering point for Douglas to try to get his head round:

If they have the ball twice as much as we do, the odds are they will score and we won't.

[bobo the clown]

Last week he stated, before the Bury match, at home to a 4th division team that he had worked out a plan to counteract Bury's system.

Firstly ... wtf ??
Secondly ... it didn't even work.

He will never, ever, ever take the game to the opposition. He will always be negative. Get him the fck out ... now.

[Puskas]

I like him.

I want him to stay forever.

[boltonboris]

Last week he stated, before the Bury match, at home to a 4th division team that he had worked out a plan to counteract Bury's system.

Firstly ... wtf ??
Secondly ... it didn't even work.

He will never, ever, ever take the game to the opposition. He will always be negative. Get him the fck out ... now.

Have you got any quotes?

[Prufrock]

It's looking like another of those years where the home form goes down the shitter. Narrow defeats to the stronger teams (they're a good side, we didn't quite take our chances, played OK), draws against the weaker ones (we struggled to break them down; they came for a point; at least we didn't lose).

[Puskas]

Ok, Dougie haters, let me ask you: What do you want?

Because here's a scenario. And I'm going to make it the most optimistic scenario possible.

Dougie gets sacked. "Hooray", you all cheer. We appoint the newly anointed saviour John Beck (or whoever. Pick your own hero. Barry Fry. It makes no odds). He organises the team, sorts out the tactics, out-thinks the opposition. Beckford and Mason get 30 goals apiece. We keep a clean sheet every match. We play brilliant, attacking football and are promoted as champions with 100 points and 100 goals. What then?

We're in the Premier League. We have to go to Arsenal and pay £60 for the privilege of sitting amongst the middle-class media whores and glory-hunters they call fans. They gloat about how they play beautiful football despite their obvious tactic of passing sideways and backwards for a while before punting a long ball for the fast striker to run onto. They whine about every tackle, complaining that football should be a non-contact sport before cheering Gallas or Diaby as they break someone's leg. And we lose.

So we go to ManUtd and pay however much they charge to get into the theatre of shite these days, to sit amongst people who are amongst the vilest nice people on the planet. And we lose.

But somehow - somehow - we scrabble, scrape and fluke enough points to finish fourth bottom. And we call it a success and try to repeat it the next season.

Is that living? Is that what you want for the future? Really? REALLY?

Because if so, I am out...

[Abdoulaye's Twin]

I just want a manager that can get the players he has to play to something approaching their potential. Whether that is good enough for top 6 or bottom 6 is less important right now.

[bobo the clown]

Puskas, I agree that the Premiership is a dour pace to be for a club for whom survival is the only hope. It's less fckg dour than our place last night though.

We can, at the very least, hope to be a good to middling club in this league.

[thebish]

you can do it with players...

could we not just get a manager on loan for a while? from some big team with an ace manager who had a good second in command? no harm in asking, surely?

[Prufrock]

Ok, Dougie haters, let me ask you: What do you want?

Because here's a scenario. And I'm going to make it the most optimistic scenario possible.

Dougie gets sacked. "Hooray", you all cheer. We appoint the newly anointed saviour John Beck (or whoever. Pick your own hero. Barry Fry. It makes no odds). He organises the team, sorts out the tactics, out-thinks the opposition. Beckford and Mason get 30 goals apiece. We keep a clean sheet every match. We play brilliant, attacking football and are promoted as champions with 100 points and 100 goals. What then?

We're in the Premier League. We have to go to Arsenal and pay £60 for the privilege of sitting amongst the middle-class media whores and glory-hunters they call fans. They gloat about how they play beautiful football despite their obvious tactic of passing sideways and backwards for a while before punting a long ball for the fast striker to run onto. They whine about every tackle, complaining that football should be a non-contact sport before cheering Gallas or Diaby as they break someone's leg. And we lose.

So we go to ManUtd and pay however much they charge to get into the theatre of shite these days, to sit amongst people who are amongst the vilest tw*ts on the planet. And we lose.

But somehow - somehow - we scrabble, scrape and fluke enough points to finish fourth bottom. And we call it a success and try to repeat it the next season.

Is that living? Is that what you want for the future? Really? REALLY?

Because if so, I am out...

That's what f*cks me off about the most recent set of pricks we've had in charge. It's our luck that the one time United are handing out victories to away teams for turning up and we're not bastard there.

[TANGODANCER]

I just want a manager that can get the players he has to play to something approaching their potential. Whether that is good enough for top 6 or bottom 6 is less important right now.

"Now I’ll believe that unicorns exist, and that there’s a tree in Arabia where the phoenix lives."
Shakespeare..The Tempest.

[Worthy4England]

I understand that the Prem has many faults - we're never going to win it or come close unless we get a City like Sheikh who doesn't care about cash.

That said, it is better football than in the Championship. I'd rather see Anelka, JJ, Youri and the likes than Trotter, Ream and Cravies.

It's hardly like we've done any better in the Championship. We were scrapping for "not in the bottom three" for half of last season.

So yes - if we're in the football business, then the Prem is the place for it - or go watch non-league or something completely different.

[EverSoYouri]

Ok, Dougie haters, let me ask you: What do you want?

Because here's a scenario. And I'm going to make it the most optimistic scenario possible.

Dougie gets sacked. "Hooray", you all cheer. We appoint the newly anointed saviour John Beck (or whoever. Pick your own hero. Barry Fry. It makes no odds). He organises the team, sorts out the tactics, out-thinks the opposition. Beckford and Mason get 30 goals apiece. We keep a clean sheet every match. We play brilliant, attacking football and are promoted as champions with 100 points and 100 goals. What then?

We're in the Premier League. We have to go to Arsenal and pay £60 for the privilege of sitting amongst the middle-class media whores and glory-hunters they call fans. They gloat about how they play beautiful football despite their obvious tactic of passing sideways and backwards for a while before punting a long ball for the fast striker to run onto. They whine about every tackle, complaining that football should be a non-contact sport before cheering Gallas or Diaby as they break someone's leg. And we lose.

So we go to ManUtd and pay however much they charge to get into the theatre of shite these days, to sit amongst people who are amongst the vilest tw*ts on the planet. And we lose.

But somehow - somehow - we scrabble, scrape and fluke enough points to finish fourth bottom. And we call it a success and try to repeat it the next season.

Is that living? Is that what you want for the future? Really? REALLY?

Because if so, I am out...

That isn't living but this IS?

I seem to remember a time when we had to put up with Arse whingeing and the Scum (sometimes) tonking us, but somehow, thanks to Okocha, Djorkaeff, Campo, Hierro, and a few others, we were foolish enough to think ourselves lucky to be sitting at the Reebok watching all this... That's what I call living.

[Puskas]

I understand that the Prem has many faults - we're never going to win it or come close unless we get a City like Sheikh who doesn't care about cash.

That said, it is better football than in the Championship. I'd rather see Anelka, JJ, Youri and the likes than Trotter, Ream and Cravies.

Well, yes - but I don't think our options are Anelka and Okocha vs Trotter and Danns. The options are Trotter and Danns in the Championship or Trotter and Danns in the Premier League. We'd need big money for wages and fees to sign anyone remotely decent, and unless Eddie wants to plunge even further into debt we won't be doing that, no matter the division.

And, let's face it, much of the Premier League seems designed more to appeal to the X-Factor generation than to football fans.

Which leaves your "go and watch something completely different" comment to be the most viable one yet...

[TANGODANCER]

And, let's face it, much of the Premier League seems designed more to appeal to the X-Factor generation than to football fans.

Astutely put good sire. Astutely put indeed.