Promotion? Keep dreaming.

I'm sorry to be all negative guys but there is not a chance of promotion this year atleast. All this talk of our squad being one of the best in the league is utter bollocks! They are useless and could not care less aslong as they are still picking up a wage.

We have a non existant defence, an average midfield at best and a strike force that couldn't score in a blind brothel! To gain promotion you need to be consistent and win even when you play poorly, we aren't ruthless enough to go I places like boro or even hull city and grind out a result!

Even teams like Blackburn who most people thought would struggle are still looking very good and knowing how to win games! It's so frustrating but an instant return to prem football is not going to happen.

I know it, you know it.

Sadly I think you are right. I was one of this who said we hAve a good enough squad to go up but the reality is our defence is woeful, one away clean sheet in the league in 3.5 years! Our central midfield is rubbish, we need Holden back desperately! And Kevin Davies still our main striker, it doesn't seem like sordell or n'gog are up to it.

I don't think any of the relegated three will finish top or 2nd!

Cardiff will go up this season! (it seems all they needed was a red shirt )

I think Leicester will just have enough to get 2nd this season. (Showing the sheep shaggers how to win promotion wearing a blue shirt!)

Play-offs? Total lottery! Maybe Boro, Palace, Hull, Blackpool or Wolves? Maybe even ourselves as an outside chance if we buck our ideas up very VERY quickly? Like you though, I can't see it. Unless we spend big in January, which wont happen!

Maybe im just being overly optimistic but I honestly don't see why we still shouldn't be fully expecting to make the play offs.

Everyone keeps saying that the players aren't up to it. Why not?

I think everyone now agrees that Coyle did a very poor job this season, IMO his tactics and team selections this season have been worse than last. Weve heard a lot since he has left about the players not doing anywhere near as much training as they should have been. A few weeks in the hands of inexperienced Jimmy and his team we got two good results, ok we lost to Middlesbrough but under Coyle we would have been battered in that match.

Solbakken said after the Wolves match that it was the most quality he had seen in a Championship game so far.

I don't think our players are playing to their full potential. A prime example is Sordell, how could he possibly go from being a good Championship Striker to not even being on the bench, these players have more capability.

Its all about the management, we of all fans should know this! we wen't from top 6 to relegation candidates, and it wasn't because we got new players!

A good enough manager will be able to get the best out of them.

Im just hoping Freedman can.

Lofty_Love wrote:Maybe im just being overly optimistic but I honestly don't see why we still shouldn't be fully expecting to make the play offs.

Everyone keeps saying that the players aren't up to it. Why not?

I think everyone now agrees that Coyle did a very poor job this season, IMO his tactics and team selections this season have been worse than last. Weve heard a lot since he has left about the players not doing anywhere near as much training as they should have been. A few weeks in the hands of inexperienced Jimmy and his team we got two good results, ok we lost to Middlesbrough but under Coyle we would have been battered in that match.

Solbakken said after the Wolves match that it was the most quality he had seen in a Championship game so far.

I don't think our players are playing to their full potential. A prime example is Sordell, how could he possibly go from being a good Championship Striker to not even being on the bench, these players have more capability.

Its all about the management, we of all fans should know this! we wen't from top 6 to relegation candidates, and it wasn't because we got new players!

A good enough manager will be able to get the best out of them.

Im just hoping Freedman can.

I'm not sure we would make the playoffs if BSA came back to bail us out. I think he would get the best out of these players and would not hesitate to bench anyone not putting in an effort. We need a tough and smart manager... hope Dougie can do the job with these players. If you don't play to your potential, you deserve to sit on the bench. Still can't understand why OC wanted some of these players, only to sit them down each and every week.

Lofty_Love wrote:Maybe im just being overly optimistic but I honestly don't see why we still shouldn't be fully expecting to make the play offs.

But which players are underperforming? How many of the current squad have proven they can be good players?

Ngog? No.
Mills? No.
Knight? No.
Ream? No.
Mears? No.
Andrews? No.

I suggest they aren't underperforming....they're just shit.

Natasha Whittam wrote:


But which players are underperforming? How many of the current squad have proven they can be good players?

Ngog? No.
Mills? No.
Knight? No.
Ream? No.
Mears? No.
Andrews? No.

I suggest they aren't underperforming....they're just shit.

From that selection:

Ngog? No - still think he can though
Mills? Yes - hes had a good career so far, and captained Leicester
Knight? No.
Ream? Yes - Played better last year
Mears? No.
Andrews? Yes - Did well at Ipswich last year


And since thats a list of some of the worst performers thats not too bad

Natasha Whittam wrote:

Lofty_Love wrote:Maybe im just being overly optimistic but I honestly don't see why we still shouldn't be fully expecting to make the play offs.

But which players are underperforming? How many of the current squad have proven they can be good players?

Ngog? No.
Mills? No.
Knight? No.
Ream? No.
Mears? No.
Andrews? No.

I suggest they aren't underperforming....they're just shit.

You missed one out.



K Davies? No.

anyone who seriously think Kevin Davies hasn't been a good player for Bolton needs their head checked IMO.

Even though his talent is obviously on the wain he's still commanding a place in the team for 90 minutes. Make of that what you will.

the people who think he shouldn't... that blame lies with the manager.

There's no promotion this season


Unless DF is the secong coming

Lofty_Love wrote:


Mills? Yes - hes had a good career so far, and captained Leicester

I think you have mistaken him for mick mills or Danny mills?

I am not sure about Freedman now as only an idiot would want gartside as his boss and give up palace for this shit.

By the time Bolton were talking to Freedman - he was actually a free-man as he had already left Palace (or should I say he was pushed).



I hope he knows what he is doing otherwise its all part of our terminal decline into the wastelands, yet again!! It took almost 20 years last time, how long would it take this time, if the decline did happen?

I'm with lofty, and I'm genuinely amazed by the negativity here following a loss away at 3rd in the league. Middlesbrough are a good side, in good form. We are a side in transition

From what I saw at wolves we have more than enough quality to be challenging for the play offs, there are three major factors that in my opinion will determine our fate this season.

1. As everyone knows; the return of Holden (if it ever happens and if hes the same player)
2. Freedman, and whether or not he's a complete idiot. I have no idea what he's like but from what I've seen of palace and what I've heard about him I'm quietly optimistic.
3. The January window. Yes we have no money, but if the clubs serious about promotion then they will be investing in our defence ASAP. How the club acts during the window should tell us a lot, as this bunch look to be failing miserably.

It's far too early to write off promotion, if we made the play offs I dont see why we can't beat any side in this league on our day. Considering where reading came from last season even automatic promotion isn't out the question entirely. We've just got a new manager, give him some time and let's back him, I haven't given up yet.

I haven't given up either! We can still get automatic promotion. At this point last season, Reading where 15th on 17 points, we are 18th on 15 points...Hope Dougie can help stop the rot...

We're writing our chances off way too early IMO and I am with Lofty on this one.

I personally think we may see some changes under DF, ok he can't make radical changes instantly as we don't have a huge squad but I think Freedman will be a much better tactician than Coyle.

You heard it here first, we WILL at least finish in a play off place.

COYWM!!

Glad to read some positivity. Yes we need to pick it up but to write of this squad as shit is nonsense really.

A lot of people need to understand the importance of proper motivation and correct tactics. Had we had both of those last season we would of stayed up, and it would make a vast difference now.

I haven't seen the boro game, but I was at wolves and the players looked fitter than I've seen in a while (kept going to get the late equaliser) and more confident in possession, 2 big improvements on Coyle's reign.Mavies in particular looked more willing to take it on and was very efffective, yes he's inconsistent but he gets too much criticism on here in my opinion.

If freedman has any sense he'll go back to basics and sure up the defence first of all. If I was him I'd be looking at bringing kids through, anything is better than what we have in defence at the moment.

I know it's a tired point, but why hasn't sordell been on the bench last couple of games? Personally I'd start him in a 4231 I hope freedman agrees

Ha ha, what a deluded bunch. Probably the same people who were predicting survival last season right up until the last minute at Stoke.

There is absolutely no evidence that we can turn things around. Sure, it might happen, but anyone who thinks that is basing things purely on hope rather than anything they've witnessed.

The only hope I'm holding onto is that we go on a great run which usually happens for a team with a new manager, hopefully that will leave us in with a chance come January time and I think that the club would invest in a few new players to get us back in the big time. As gartside and co won't want to miss out on sky money

I would love to finish in a play-off place now. Pre-season, I actually thought we could walk this division. Then I realised how crap a manager Coyle really is and how poor the quality of most of our players really is.

I will defend Matt Mills though. He's our best fit CB in my opinion (although considered the others are Knight and Ream, that's not difficult.) Wheater is our best when fit. But even he is no Faye, N'Gotty or Gudni.

A new full back, centre back, defensive midfielder and striker (that are all decent at this level) and to be honest, I can imagine automatic promotion being possible in 2013-14.

Or maybe I'm being a rose-tinted deluded idiot. I guess we'll see....

GK: Bogdan

RB: Ricketts
CB: Wheater
CB: ?
LB: ?

DM: ?

RW: Chung-Yong/Eagles
CM: M.Davies
CM: Holden (if ever fit)/Eagles
LW: Petrov

ST: ?

Bench: Lonergan, Mills, Alonso, Eagles/LCY, Wylde, K.Davies & Sordell

Could be a strong team in this division with the right signings! (Who they are? No idea, hope Freedman & Garty do!)

*Am I right in thinking that's Dougies preferred formation?