Dougie: Bolton fans need a reality check!

Dougie Freedman has appealed for everybody connected to Wanderers to adopt a realistic mindset as they enter the new year sitting 18th in the Championship.

Frustration is growing on the terraces after the Whites failed to make the progress expected during December, taking just seven points from a possible 21.

“We have to realise very quickly where we are and what we are trying to achieve and build towards that – not where we used to be,”

“We have to make sure everyone understands that. We are a club that has got to start from the beginning again and make sure the people who come into the building are good enough and aspire to getting up to the next league."

http://www.theboltonnews.co.uk/sport/10905282.Dougie_Freedman_says_it_is_time_for_Bolton_Wanderers_to_have_a_reality_check/?ref=ar

aaron_bwfc wrote:Dougie Freedman has appealed for everybody connected to Wanderers to adopt a realistic mindset as they enter the new year sitting 18th in the Championship.

Frustration is growing on the terraces after the Whites failed to make the progress expected during December, taking just seven points from a possible 21.

“We have to realise very quickly where we are and what we are trying to achieve and build towards that – not where we used to be,”

“We have to make sure everyone understands that. We are a club that has got to start from the beginning again and make sure the people who come into the building are good enough and aspire to getting up to the next league."

Weren't we 18th when Dougie took over?

More than a year in charge and nothing has changed. Resign you clown.

I've heard this a million times off a thousand different managers.

We need to realise that...we used to be good, we're not any more, we need to start again, and it's gonna take time.

Boring.

Cheeky twat!

I reckon this is the start of the inevitable decline into all out war between him and us, like we had with Megson.

I reckon he'll use "the P word" by about mid-February.

What's the P word?

Plan??

No, not "Plan", (he can't even spell it), I mean "Pathetic".

If he does I'll call him a ginger prick. Just like i did with megson

I'm taking a reality check Duggy, and that is the fare on offer at the moment is pretty shite. Furthermore I don't expect it to improve in the long term with you in charge never mind the near future. I wonder if that is realistic enough then perhaps I should look at saving my money next season?
It would present a clearer picture if you practiced what you'd have us believe re. youngsters.

Boggersbelief wrote:If he does I'll call him a ginger prick. Just like i did with megson

That's what came to my mind with Breadman's P word.

Remind me again.....didn't we survive in the Prem under Mugson.....

On paper he's the best manager we had since BSM.

British School of Motoring....?

When were they in charge?

Although I did once see Stig Tofting driving up Halliwell Rd in a Metro with a red cone on top of it, so I guess it makes sense now....

Breadman wrote:British School of Motoring....?

When were they in charge?

Although I did once see Stig Tofting driving up Halliwell Rd in a Metro with a red cone on top of it, so I guess it makes sense now....

  *BSA

It was only a matter of time before megson relegated us, he also chose to fuck up our chances in the UEFA. Ginger prick

Megson and Coyle weren't focussed on getting the club back on to a sustainable financial footing. They spent money we didn't have on players to keep us up and (somewhat ironically as it turned out) to keep the fans happy. It seems funny now that both of them tried to court popularity, although TBF to Megson he did give up and that one not long into his tenure.
Neither had the bottle to come out and say that we need to cut spending and start again from scratch or the club will go tits up.
It's not a popular message because we know what it means in terms of what we're likely to see on the pitch.

One thing in Dougie's favour though - he's man enough to take on the shit job.

I really expect to see the club's finances turning around at last, although that will be hindered by the interest we're paying the owner (10% p.a. I believe) which on debts of over £100m gives him £10million+ a year which is a tidy little earner for him. That's £10 million a year we're not spending on players.
With that kind of return in this economic climate I'd be amazed if Eddie would ever consider selling the club even if a billionaire offered to invest heavily.
People say Eddie is a fan and he's loaning the club money out of the goodness of his heart, but whilst he's taking so much out of the club his motives have to be questioned.
If I was cynical about his motives I'd suggest that he allowed the club to get into so much debt so that he could feather his nest at BWFCs expense.

So finally we get a manager prepared to bite the bullet.
Dougie must know that he won't be popular taking a hard financial line so I don't think he'll be too upset by the comments he gets.

For me, I can accept a transitional period, but only if we see a serious reduction in debt, survive in the Championship and see some evidence that the U21s are making progress by the end of the season.

If Dougie manages to put an end to the club's spiralling debt, a couple of seasons of makeshift teams and the resultant dubious performances will be well worth it. If he doesn't, we're f***** anyway.

yes we are in a mess financially but this team should be way higher in the League than 18th with the players DF has available, the problems are of his own making to a certain extent. Far too negative and too much chopping and changing.

I do think Dougie should be getting more out of this set players but frankly it just feels like the rot has set in, It's the mentality now that losing is acceptable.  The problem for Dougie is expectation at an all time high, and money at an all time low.  

Lets just pretend we sacked Dougie and got in a lets say Malky McKay (wouldn't be able to most likely but hey ho), he takes us up, we have literally nothing to spend so would do very very very well to survive and would most likely go down.

again the expectation would be that we'd "piss the league" likely wouldn't and the calls for Malky to go would be almost instant.

and thats even pretending he's an instant success initially. The likelihood is that any new manager would get that "bounce" and then level off, maybe we'd sniff the playoffs but so what? I really don't know what success looks like to fans now considering the finances.

I don't think anyone would have a problem if Gartside, Invisible Eddie and Freedman held a press conference and said:

 "Look....we're fucked. We've no money and the debt's spiralling, so we need to make some big changes otherwise we're going bust. Yes, it's THAT bad folks."

"Forget promotion and we might actually go down if we're not careful, so bear with us. We're getting rid of all the big earners because we can no longer afford to pay them, so as their contracts expire, we'll be moving 'em out."

"From here on in, it's all going to be about youth players and loanees (who we won't be trying to sign permanently because we've no cash), so don't expect anything miraculous to happen.
There will be some wins but equally, there will be some losses."

"It will take time, but eventually we will have the club back on an even footing and then we can start thinking about the future."

But they won't.

Freedman will still spout his shite after games, Gartside will carry on sitting in his plush office, phoning his other Chairmen mates to talk about how important and clever they are and as for Eddie....well, I think he lives in a box of soil on the Isle of Man and only comes out at night.

We could cope with low expectation if the people at the club stopped treating us like kids and actually told us the truth for a change.

And we might just start respecting them a bit more....

i think most Bolton fans would expect us to be challenging for a play off spot not languishing down in 18th, which is where we were when he came. I just don't see him turning it round, finance available or not.

He makes out he is a deep thinker and a tactical genius but i am yet to witness anything new and original from him. He never changes the formation, only makes a substitution when it goes tits up or to try and defend a lead which we all know we can never do.

Norpig wrote:yes we are in a mess financially but this team should be way higher in the League than 18th with the players DF has available, the problems are of his own making to a certain extent. Far too negative and too much chopping and changing.

Totally agree that DFs tactics and selections are often questionable but his tactics aren't the only reason we're in this position.
I think our players aren't exceptional in this division despite the media hype and ridiculous prices paid for some of them by previous managers - we would be far higher up the league if it wasn't for individual errors - of which there have been far too many at both ends of the pitch.
Before Mavies came back and Moritz started to show a bit of class I'd say our team was bog standard at best - they are journeymen and kids.
Totally disagree that "this team should be higher in the League" - they're just not that good and have no divine right to be there.

Whilst we rebuild, the only good things that can come out of it are to survive and reduce the debt so we get back to a solid financial footing and have a chance of pushing on from there.