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I got a big response last night when asking for words of comfort regarding Dougie, so thought I'd post them over.
stick wif him mate, he needs time....he's either a genius or a complete nutter but god knows he's a Palace legend and I still love him.....needs time.....
Yeah, I still love Dougie.... He just couldn't get on with the chairmen (IMO) just like Coppell didn't get on with Jordan.
However, I believe Holloway was the man for the playoffs and is doing us proud now.
Good luck Dougie, you're going to need it!
I think that LL shares Dougie's views on having the 2 DM's as a base of support and so I think they keep each other from allowing the team to be more expansive.
What I feel IH has done with Palace (albeit gradually) is to use the DMs as a shield for the CBs (rather than the whole defence) which allows the full backs to bomb on and provide width allowing our midfield unit to provide options throughout the middle. Essentially taking the base that DF had with us and looking to play on the offensive in a counter attacking way.
With Dougie, our few good runs aside, he was too content on defending and keeping shape etc rather than looking to go for it.
I'm not sure where it goes here for Bolton but it isn't looking like a successful pairing. He certainly won't get the level of support and time that he got here.
Sorry, none here.
His tactics at Palace literally made me question why I spend time and money following the club, such was his obsession in controlling everything and stifling nearly all self expression and creativity.
The problem I had with DF - and seems like he hasn't changed - is that he tried to be far too clever for a guy who was just a novice in the managerial game.
This time last year Zaha was on fire for us, turning defence into attack. Maybe Dougie was fortunate that a young player came thru from our academy who had such impact and made his management skills look better than they actually are? Dougie deserves some credit for our play during that winning run, but not all of it.
On the basis of one decent run of form, both he and some of the media decided he was the new management guru. I've no sympathy for Bolton owners who chased and unsettled a young manager under contract elsewhere, based on limited evidence. He was still inexperienced and many of us felt that Popovic helped him a lot the season before with defence coaching, and Lennie Lawrence in general too.
I think he's good at spotting talent, but as a manager his first priority seems to be trying not to lose rather than trying to win.
He could be a good manager in the future if he can lose the negativity but, let's face it, he was lucky that Murray was on fire, that Wilf came through at that time and that Popovic found Jedi. Despite all of that, most of the time I was bored witless with his style of play.
I feel for you.
I suspect that the real problem is Lennie Lawrence. Lennie is a very knowledgeable football man and always comes across well but his team at Cardiff and Charlton were ultra defensive, and that is what we got most of the time with him and Dougie at the helm at Palace.
Things changed after Dougie got a bollocking in the car park after a dismal defeat at Ashton Gate, but then he got lucky, really lucky. He brought in 5 new players, they all gelled almost instantly and faced with an attack or (face the) sack option he changed the tactics overnight and it worked and we went on a winning run.
And then he went to Bolton ..... and he seems to have reverted to Lennie's plan A.
Don't think Lennie is the issue; players played with freedom under him & Curtis as caretakers.
Freedman is simply an overthinker. When he reigns himself in, he may be a fine manager.
he cost us a trip to Wembley by being his usual negative self. Brilliant player for our club so have my respect but awful negative manager. Could find a player mind.
I have to save that I don't particulary enjoy seeing Dougie struggle, but then I never felt anything like the love many people did for him. Steve Coppell is the 1 and only CPFC Legend I've ever known. It is interesting to watch though.
A few days after he left I was at a wedding where loads of guys asked me about him, included 1 Bolton fan. I said it was a shitty time to leave us and didn't know who we'd be able to get to replace him but I really didn't believe he was anything like as good as he thought he was. I reminded them of what happenned when Dowie left us in a not too disimilar way.
I think the setback will be good for Dougie longterm. IMO his stubborness/ego is too dominant. He need his bubble to be burst and learn some humility. Ian Holloway said Leicester really shook him up and he really came out better for it.
All said, he has many attributes of a top manager, and can find his level. I suspect that he'd do well as a Director of Football somewhere, and maybe even as Scotland manager as one dimensional tactics would probably be better suited to that.
