Home
Home comforts have been in short supply for Dougie Freedman since the moment he walked through the doors at Wanderers.
Even as he built a decent record at the then-Reebok early in his tenure, the fact his chosen style of play clashed with the tastes of many Wanderers fans meant he never felt truly appreciated in front of his own supporters.
But the grumbles over supposedly-negative tactics back then look small fry compared to the reception waiting for the manager, chairman Phil Gartside and an under-performing team when they return to the Macron Stadium tomorrow to host Bournemouth.
Angry protests cropped up during and after last weekend’s meek surrender against Derby County but the fires of frustration were well and truly stoked in midweek when Wanderers were obliterated at Fulham.
There are many who feel Freedman has done well to escape the fans’ ire for as long as he has.
The manager has thus far resisted the urge to bite back despite the criticism he has experienced in the last few weeks.
But there was a slight hint at the frustration he feels with current form when he looked towards this weekend’s game on the touchline at Craven Cottage.
“It will be very, very difficult,” he told The Bolton News.
“It is a tough atmosphere we are playing in right now.
“A club of this size expects you to win there every week. They expected it two years ago when I turned up and they are still doing it now.”
Wanderers have won three of their last 11 games at home and last season was characterised by a stream of draws and lost leads that served to exasperate the ill-feeling in the stands.
That Freedman is gearing up to take charge of another game may be a surprise to some – but he remains convinced this battle is one he can win.
“I don’t consider my position,” he said.
“We have found ourselves here a couple of times over a couple of years and we’re working away as hard as we possibly can with what we’ve got.”
Freedman is acutely aware of his side’s limitations and admits effort alone is unlikely to lift the club out of the bottom three.
He also concedes there is no money available for loan signings, which leaves him in a predicament going into the international break.
“I will set up a team with character – we have got what we have got,” he said looking forward to the Bournemouth game.
“There are no loans coming in. The cavalry isn’t coming over the hill to help us.
“Yes, we are down the bottom of a hill looking up it but we have got to be professional and we’ve got to pick a team that stops making mistakes.
“Fighting is all we can do. I’ve tried to open the side up and we don’t score enough goals, and then when we don’t we need to stop giving mistakes away.
“It completely destroys your game-plan and it makes the players wander around for the next 80 minutes thinking they are going to make another one.”
Freedman memorably claimed that some of his side were “not good enough” after the infamous 7-1 thrashing at the hands of Reading back in March.
The 4-0 defeat at Fulham felt equally comprehensive given the perilous situation the manager appeared to be in heading into the game.
Freedman kept the players behind for more than half an hour after the final whistle at Craven Cottage but issued only a brief summary of his words inside the dressing room.
“I felt let down by certain individuals,” he said. “I won’t name names because I don’t do that – it will stop inside the dressing room.
“I have told them as a team that they have to stick by each other and stop the finger-pointing.”
Source
Even as he built a decent record at the then-Reebok early in his tenure, the fact his chosen style of play clashed with the tastes of many Wanderers fans meant he never felt truly appreciated in front of his own supporters.
But the grumbles over supposedly-negative tactics back then look small fry compared to the reception waiting for the manager, chairman Phil Gartside and an under-performing team when they return to the Macron Stadium tomorrow to host Bournemouth.
Angry protests cropped up during and after last weekend’s meek surrender against Derby County but the fires of frustration were well and truly stoked in midweek when Wanderers were obliterated at Fulham.
There are many who feel Freedman has done well to escape the fans’ ire for as long as he has.
The manager has thus far resisted the urge to bite back despite the criticism he has experienced in the last few weeks.
But there was a slight hint at the frustration he feels with current form when he looked towards this weekend’s game on the touchline at Craven Cottage.
“It will be very, very difficult,” he told The Bolton News.
“It is a tough atmosphere we are playing in right now.
“A club of this size expects you to win there every week. They expected it two years ago when I turned up and they are still doing it now.”
Wanderers have won three of their last 11 games at home and last season was characterised by a stream of draws and lost leads that served to exasperate the ill-feeling in the stands.
That Freedman is gearing up to take charge of another game may be a surprise to some – but he remains convinced this battle is one he can win.
“I don’t consider my position,” he said.
“We have found ourselves here a couple of times over a couple of years and we’re working away as hard as we possibly can with what we’ve got.”
Freedman is acutely aware of his side’s limitations and admits effort alone is unlikely to lift the club out of the bottom three.
He also concedes there is no money available for loan signings, which leaves him in a predicament going into the international break.
“I will set up a team with character – we have got what we have got,” he said looking forward to the Bournemouth game.
“There are no loans coming in. The cavalry isn’t coming over the hill to help us.
“Yes, we are down the bottom of a hill looking up it but we have got to be professional and we’ve got to pick a team that stops making mistakes.
“Fighting is all we can do. I’ve tried to open the side up and we don’t score enough goals, and then when we don’t we need to stop giving mistakes away.
“It completely destroys your game-plan and it makes the players wander around for the next 80 minutes thinking they are going to make another one.”
Freedman memorably claimed that some of his side were “not good enough” after the infamous 7-1 thrashing at the hands of Reading back in March.
The 4-0 defeat at Fulham felt equally comprehensive given the perilous situation the manager appeared to be in heading into the game.
Freedman kept the players behind for more than half an hour after the final whistle at Craven Cottage but issued only a brief summary of his words inside the dressing room.
“I felt let down by certain individuals,” he said. “I won’t name names because I don’t do that – it will stop inside the dressing room.
“I have told them as a team that they have to stick by each other and stop the finger-pointing.”
Source