Bolton Wanderers boss Dougie Freedman moves to re-sign loan striker Joe Mason from Cardiff

WANDERERS are contemplating a move to re-sign loan striker Joe Mason this summer.
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Mason has slipped further down the pecking order at Cardiff City this week with the signings of strike duo Federico Macheda and Adam Le Fondre.

Javi Guerro has also arrived this close season to add to an overflowing attacking department at the Cardiff City Stadium, that already included Frazier Campbell and Kenwyne Jones who were first-choice options last season.

And The Bolton News understands the Whites would be interested should Mason be deemed surplus to requirements by Bluebirds boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer after his two spells at the Reebok Stadium last term.

Wanderers are already chasing the signature of another former loanee in the shape of Lukas Jutkiewicz.

But it is not thought interest in Mason would change that with boss Dougie Freedman keen to add both to his ranks for the 2014/15 campaign.

The 23-year-old former Republic of Ireland Under-21 striker is a fans’ favourite at Cardiff and is currently on a contract until 2016 after signing an improved deal just a year after joining from Plymouth Argyle in 2011.

But he only figured three times for the Bluebirds last season – all of those appearances coming in cup competitions.

And despite relegation back to the Championship after just one season in the top flight, it appears he is still likely to remain on the fringes if he stays on in the Welsh capital.

It is believed Wanderers would appeal to Mason after a successful spell at the end of last season when he netted five goals in eight games, starting alongside Jutkiewicz in seven of those and coming off the bench to net a last-gasp winner at Huddersfield in the other.

Jutkiewicz certainly brought the best out in Mason whose first spell with the Whites last autumn gleaned just one goal from eight outings.

In his second batch of eight matches, Wanderers lost just once and in only two did either Mason or Jutkiewicz fail to score.

In wins against Watford and Leeds they both found the net and it is that profitable link-up that is tempting Freedman to try to secure both signatures this summer.

The outcome, however, may rest on not only their availability but the fees involved with both under contract – Jutkiewicz’s deal at Middlesbrough has 12 months to run and they value him around the £1million mark.

If the finances could be found to sign both, Freedman would head into the new campaign confident of having the firepower for a sustained promotion bid.

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With the signings already made plus if we could get these 2 back, I would feel pretty happy going into next season.

Fair play IF Douglas pulls all these deals off before the end of June, he's certainly not messing about.

aaron_bwfc wrote:With the signings already made plus if we could get these 2 back, I would feel pretty happy going into next season.

Fair play IF Douglas pulls all these deals off before the end of June, he's certainly not messing about.

I agree, it makes a nice change to be shopping now and not waiting till the last week of the transfer window.

I am feeling slightly confident about next season.

Credit were credit is due ..... getting business done early is a pleasant surprise.  In the grand scheme, Juke, Mason, Beckford & Sordell looks like a decent strike force at this moment. The French lad and Mavies, Holden coming back along with some fit full backs is surely enough to mount a challenge.

I'd certainly welcome Juke and Mason back for next season. Although Mason is 4th or 5th choice at Cardiff, we seem to be a better fit for some players than other clubs - in much the same way Andrews flourished at Brighton and not so much here. We'd be pretty strong in every department and only need to decide what to do about having our top two goalkeepers both in the final year of their contracts. Roll on the new season!

terenceanne wrote:The French lad and Mavies, Holden coming back along with some fit full backs is surely enough to mount a challenge.

Mavies has a groin strain. Sorry, my fault.

Natasha Whittam wrote:

terenceanne wrote:The French lad and Mavies, Holden coming back along with some fit full backs is surely enough to mount a challenge.

Mavies has a groin strain. Sorry, my fault.

Did you make him carry your shopping up the stairs in your tower block again? I told you before - any more than 4 bags of Netto cat food will put him out of action for a month. Show a bit of clemency and let the poor gimp use the lift once in a while.

The lift is Nat's personal preserve.

Mark's not allowed in it.

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wanderlust wrote:

Natasha Whittam wrote:

terenceanne wrote:The French lad and Mavies, Holden coming back along with some fit full backs is surely enough to mount a challenge.

Mavies has a groin strain. Sorry, my fault.

Did you make him carry your shopping up the stairs in your tower block again? I told you before - any more than 4 bags of Netto cat food will put him out of action for a month. Show a bit of clemency and let the poor gimp use the lift once in a while.

 

I would like to point out a fact that nearly everyone has missed! The players that we regard as being the best ones that Old Dougie has signed and the little loan gems that we now want as full signings were all bit part players at their parent clubs, so were grateful for any football they could get especially the stupid rotation system that is currently in place at bwfc. I mean if you're sat on the bench at Boro week in week out never getting on the pitch on match day you'd be grateful for any game time and you'd make sure when you are on you do your best.

We (actually I mean you lot) want our illustrious leader to make those loan signing permanent and see us shoot up the league and challenge for a playoff spot or maybe even better! We expect that the return of said loan player in a permanent deal will somehow guarantee a better bwfc.

What everyone is missing is said loan player (previously bit part player) now he's a BOLTON player will be expecting to play every week. What happens when said player finds he's not playing every week and is back on the bench???? My guess is you will see a lot more of those "Eagles and Sordell" attitudes. Lots of you have thrown pelters at Sordell, but the kid just wants to play football like any other player. What happens when our saviour Juke starts getting a bit mifted that he's back on the bench after scoring the previous week?

I will be happy to eat humble pie but until I see proof that a rotation system works in the championship I will always be against DF. He's a young manager which is great, but is he too arrogant to change? Well I guess we will find out!

I don't get this sort thinking on a number of levels -

As a professional footballer who only works usually 90 minutes a week, why would any of them not do their best - even if it is only for pride in themselves - even if they had been 'rested' the previous week or two?

If they didn't try their best - then it is more likely they will be 'rested' in future weeks than if they performed well.

If they become unhappy with the manager / club - then surely they have a better chance to leave for a higher league club than to drop a division or two - if they consistently play well when picked? The lower the club they join, probably the lower their future wages will be too.

Finally, as far as I can tell players like Mason and the Juke are surpluss to requirement at their own clubs and will be in competiton for a place in our team with the seemingly often injured Beckford and the 'want away' Sordell - so I don't really see either of them not missing too many games over a season if they are fit.

Then again I've not written off Freedman unlike the majority of our fans seem to have done.

JAH wrote:I would like to point out a fact that nearly everyone has missed! The players that we regard as being the best ones that Old Dougie has signed and the little loan gems that we now want as full signings were all bit part players at their parent clubs, so were grateful for any football they could get especially the stupid rotation system that is currently in place at bwfc. I mean if you're sat on the bench at Boro week in week out never getting on the pitch on match day you'd be grateful for any game time and you'd make sure when you are on you do your best.

We (actually I mean you lot) want our illustrious leader to make those loan signing permanent and see us shoot up the league and challenge for a playoff spot or maybe even better! We expect that the return of said loan player in a permanent deal will somehow guarantee a better bwfc.

What everyone is missing is said loan player (previously bit part player) now he's a BOLTON player will be expecting to play every week. What happens when said player finds he's not playing every week and is back on the bench???? My guess is you will see a lot more of those "Eagles and Sordell" attitudes. Lots of you have thrown pelters at Sordell, but the kid just wants to play football like any other player. What happens when our saviour Juke starts getting a bit mifted that he's back on the bench after scoring the previous week?

I will be happy to eat humble pie but until I see proof that a rotation system works in the championship I will always be against DF. He's a young manager which is great, but is he too arrogant to change? Well I guess we will find out!

So, you don't think Juke and Mason or any better players are worth signing?

I don't think there are many players like Mears that are happy to sit in the stand and count their money. I think most genuinely want to play, even if it's simply for the win bonus or to put themselves in the shop window for a big money move.

I think the big problem with some players is morale and confidence. How many times under Dougie has a player done well and then found himself on the bench the following week. I don't care how clever you think you are as a manager, after time that sort of approach will have a negative effect on any team whether it's Accrington or Barcelona.

The most obvious example is Moritz who scored twice at runaway league leaders Leicester and then found himself sub the following week.

JAH wrote:I would like to point out a fact that nearly everyone has missed! The players that we regard as being the best ones that Old Dougie has signed and the little loan gems that we now want as full signings were all bit part players at their parent clubs, so were grateful for any football they could get especially the stupid rotation system that is currently in place at bwfc. I mean if you're sat on the bench at Boro week in week out never getting on the pitch on match day you'd be grateful for any game time and you'd make sure when you are on you do your best.

We (actually I mean you lot) want our illustrious leader to make those loan signing permanent and see us shoot up the league and challenge for a playoff spot or maybe even better! We expect that the return of said loan player in a permanent deal will somehow guarantee a better bwfc.

What everyone is missing is said loan player (previously bit part player) now he's a BOLTON player will be expecting to play every week. What happens when said player finds he's not playing every week and is back on the bench???? My guess is you will see a lot more of those "Eagles and Sordell" attitudes. Lots of you have thrown pelters at Sordell, but the kid just wants to play football like any other player. What happens when our saviour Juke starts getting a bit mifted that he's back on the bench after scoring the previous week?

I will be happy to eat humble pie but until I see proof that a rotation system works in the championship I will always be against DF. He's a young manager which is great, but is he too arrogant to change? Well I guess we will find out!

JAH. I get that you don't like Freedman. It's pretty obvious that whatever he does you'll have a go at and when what he does results in a string of wins (end of last season) you'll either go quiet about him or have a go at the style in which we won. All that is fair enough and you're entitled to have a pop if you want to even though he's an easy target.
I'm not that comfortable with Juke and Mason as targets but for different reasons, mainly consistency of quality, but I think it's unjustified to have a go at Freedman on the basis of your speculation about what players attitudes might be if we sign them. 
It is Freedman's job to motivate the players and he may be arrogant, but all the players signed so far have said that a big part of their reason for wanting to come to Bolton is that they want to work with Dougie.

Even Freedman deserves to be judged on his management of the team and finances and the results he gets pro rata to the investment he is allowed to make.

After 10 games of next season we'll know if he's managed to put a competitive team together - or not. He'll have had a full transfer window to wheel and deal and some of the players on fat contracts will have been let go so he'll have had a fair crack at creating his own team - so no excuses.

If the objective is a push for promotion the only thing that will matter next season is results - not style, not player rotation, not signings, not even youth development - all those things are a means to an end providing financial stability is achieved.

Ultimately, Dougie will get judged on results and whilst player attitude impacts on that, all the signs so far have been that he's buying players that he can work with and are willing to compete for their place - competition that was sadly missing at the beginning of last season. For me, the lack of competition for starting places was the root cause of our appalling start to last season and the reason we weren't in the promotion mix at the end.

Obviously not many of our squad is at Premier level should we be able to get there. But the players we have plus these transfers in should be good enough for 3rd or 4th in our division IMO.  The problem with Doog is the same most of us had with OC ......poor tactics and team selection. Not to say that we have to agree with everything Doog does week to week but it seems most on this board are not in agreement with the current tactical method over this last season.
If we win the first ten games 1-0 in complete bore fests then I'll tip my hat to Doog and say he is correct. My hope is that he will change it now that most of the team will be "his" picks.

I've no expectations what so ever on next season, this time last year I was optimistic having ended well but that didn't exactly go to plan.

aaron_bwfc wrote:I've no expectations what so ever on next season, this time last year I was optimistic having ended well but that didn't exactly go to plan.

Despite releasing a load of players our team next season should be fairly settled from the off in theory as Dougie is signing ex-loanees who've played for us before.
How the team stacks up quality-wise against the others is impossible to predict at this stage.

wanderlust wrote:
How the team stacks up quality-wise against the others is impossible to predict at this stage.

I predict caution.

Natasha Whittam wrote:

wanderlust wrote:
How the team stacks up quality-wise against the others is impossible to predict at this stage.

I predict caution.

Is caution a team quality? I suppose it is although I was thinking more of the quality of the players we can attract/afford.