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Some may argue it was a wake-up call that came too late but Dougie Freedman was nevertheless in a rather confessional mood after the final whistle against Derby County on Saturday.
The Scot’s critics would claim he has not taken enough personal responsibility for the club’s poor results so far this season and yet this was one occasion where he readily heaped blame on himself.
Clearly rocked by the vitriolic protests from three sides of the Macron Stadium, the Scot has never looked as visibly disappointed in nearly two years in charge of the Whites, and that includes the 7-1 hiding they got at Reading back in January.
That sense of vulnerability may have accounted for some of the frank answers he dished out to the local press in what must surely rank among his lowest points in management.
“We can’t keep on committing football suicide,” he said, searching for the right phraseology to describe a limp, lifeless performance that never came close to that given against Chelsea in the Capital One Cup in midweek.
“I have got to take the responsibility. I am manager of this football club.
“We tried to out-football Derby and we got that wrong. I’ve tried to play in a certain way and thought certain players could do certain roles but I’ve been proved horribly wrong.”
Freedman attempted to match Derby’s 4-2-3-1 system but found out after 10 relatively bright minutes of football that he simply does not have the tools.
As for “out-footballing” Steve McClaren’s slick side, whether that was ever a possibility is up for debate – but the fact that Freedman tinkered with the tactical approach of his side once again simply added fuel to a fire that was raging quite well on its own.
Over-compensating for the opposition has been one of the main criticisms aimed at the Scot this last 12 months, leaving fans finding it difficult to identify with a side that lacks any real identity.
Unlike that hideous day at the Madejski Stadium, Freedman was not about to lash out at his squad.
“I’m here to take as much responsibility as I can. I’m not really one for pointing fingers at players and never have been,” he said.
“When things are going wrong I take the responsibility and then when things are going right, the players take the credit. That’s football management for you.
“I understood it when I got into this job, it’s simple. We don’t have the resources to chop and change as much as we’d like so I need to shoulder the blame.”
Beaten in the play-offs last May, Derby are looking a good bet to go one better this time around.
Freedman – who picked out Leicester City’s eventual dominance early in the piece last season – predicts that McClaren’s Rams will follow their East Midlands neighbours into the Premier League next season.
“We’ve played Forest and teams like that but they (Derby) will win the league by far,” he said. “They will storm this division.”
Source
The Scot’s critics would claim he has not taken enough personal responsibility for the club’s poor results so far this season and yet this was one occasion where he readily heaped blame on himself.
Clearly rocked by the vitriolic protests from three sides of the Macron Stadium, the Scot has never looked as visibly disappointed in nearly two years in charge of the Whites, and that includes the 7-1 hiding they got at Reading back in January.
That sense of vulnerability may have accounted for some of the frank answers he dished out to the local press in what must surely rank among his lowest points in management.
“We can’t keep on committing football suicide,” he said, searching for the right phraseology to describe a limp, lifeless performance that never came close to that given against Chelsea in the Capital One Cup in midweek.
“I have got to take the responsibility. I am manager of this football club.
“We tried to out-football Derby and we got that wrong. I’ve tried to play in a certain way and thought certain players could do certain roles but I’ve been proved horribly wrong.”
Freedman attempted to match Derby’s 4-2-3-1 system but found out after 10 relatively bright minutes of football that he simply does not have the tools.
As for “out-footballing” Steve McClaren’s slick side, whether that was ever a possibility is up for debate – but the fact that Freedman tinkered with the tactical approach of his side once again simply added fuel to a fire that was raging quite well on its own.
Over-compensating for the opposition has been one of the main criticisms aimed at the Scot this last 12 months, leaving fans finding it difficult to identify with a side that lacks any real identity.
Unlike that hideous day at the Madejski Stadium, Freedman was not about to lash out at his squad.
“I’m here to take as much responsibility as I can. I’m not really one for pointing fingers at players and never have been,” he said.
“When things are going wrong I take the responsibility and then when things are going right, the players take the credit. That’s football management for you.
“I understood it when I got into this job, it’s simple. We don’t have the resources to chop and change as much as we’d like so I need to shoulder the blame.”
Beaten in the play-offs last May, Derby are looking a good bet to go one better this time around.
Freedman – who picked out Leicester City’s eventual dominance early in the piece last season – predicts that McClaren’s Rams will follow their East Midlands neighbours into the Premier League next season.
“We’ve played Forest and teams like that but they (Derby) will win the league by far,” he said. “They will storm this division.”
Source
