Dougie, What are you doing?

[blue shrimp]

Lat 20 games for Revell and Freedman and i think i am correct in typing Revs has scored more goals?

 

[A Century United]

Crown watches the action for free,We shell out decent money and have every right to become any players critic as long as its not abusive,Crown never played top flight football and IMO was/is being diplomatic regarding Dougie.

When have I ever said that anyone doesn't have the right to criticise? But I have the right to criticise in my turn. The fact that Crown never played top flight football is irrelevant - if he isn't allowed to criticise that automatically debars anyone who hasn't played top flight football. But his opinion is likely to carry more weight than the average punter's.

Did you hear him last night? He wasn't being diplomatic, he was expressing positive opinions about Freedman's contribution, and backing it up with examples.

ACU, might aswell shut it down? Being a bit dramatic now aren't we.

You asked a question, I replied with reasoned argument. How is that "dramatic"? And as I haven't been rude, abusive, off-topic, or broken any board rules, I hope you won't be offended if I ignore your advice to "shut it down".

 

[GBJ]

My advice to shut it down? wtf? lol, when did i ever say that? You're the one who mentioned shutting it down!! Ha, re-read your posts.

Also, i'd like to add, i haven't been abusive or broken any board rules.

 

[GBJ]

none of us on this forum can possibly be qualified to criticise, and we might as well shut shrimperzone down.

ACU, might aswell shut it down? Being a bit dramatic now aren't we.

As you can see....

 

[THE SEVENTIES NORTH BANK]

It also made us very easy to read and defend against, as they knew that we were always trying to find Barney, so they anticipated the ball through to the only channel.
You can't fault the effort and commitment last night, but we could have huffed and puffed all night without scoring from open play with Dougie Too deep and Barney alone.
Dougie is a great player, but if you want him as a midfielder then put another striker on.

 

[Yorkshire Blue]

Which is largely a problem of how we play, as Freedman has to chase the ball rather than receive and let the ball do the work.

This is my issue with Freedman playing. He simply isn't mobile enough to reach balls passes that aren't inch-perfect. And when you've got the likes of McCormack, Laurent and Grant in midfield you aren't going to get inch-perfect passes, whilst the chances of our defenders managing to pick him out with a 60 yard pass are about the same as me winning the lottery.

We saw this problem with Lead Bradbury and it pains me to see us suffer from it again. We need our forwards to be sufficiently mobile. Freedman isn't.

 

[Blueshrimper]

If Revell played like Freedman did last night he would be slated on this board. People talk about how Freedman provides class but there has been little evidence of this in the last year. The last good game he had was away at Crewe last season, after that he has been injured and just seems a different player. Its a shame Revell has been forced out of the club really because I think the way Barnard is playing this season, they could of linked up well. Still I think the defence is far more of a worry. I dread to think how we will cope if Francis or Barrett get injured.

 

[Hooly]

I'd suggest Goater was different. I had a lot of time for Goater and couldn't understand the stick he was recieving. I saw little on here, but on the stands there were plenty of shouts for him to be subbed. Fact of the matter was the Goater was the perfect foil for Eastwood... He was strong, good in the air and intelligent in picking out Eastwood's runs from deep. His legs had gone, as Dougie's have, but used his intelligence and strength to hold the ball up and lay it off to either of our wingers or Eastwood to do the hard work. I don't think it a coincidence that, in that season, a great deal of goals came from the likes of Guttridge and Gower... even Mitchell Cole pitched in with a few.

I'm not doubting Freedman's quality, I just don't think he compliments Barnard or the system we play that well... Not as much as a Big, strong targetman would who could bare the brunt of a defenders onslaught before slotting in Barnard to finish. That showed last night for me...

ESB. I couldn't have put it better.

I was amazed at the cr@p aimed at the Goat on occasions. In fact someone I know reasonably well, & who posts on here regularly, abused him on his on his debut away at Walsall. The Goat had only been on as a sub for 5 minutes when he started on him so I grabbed the guy warmly by the throat (literally) & offered to not let go if he continued. 10 minutes later when St Leonard scored the abuser didn't seem to have the stomach for more complaints. I'd eaten it with a nice Chianti. MMMMM.

But. Goater knew his limitations & accepted them. I don't think Freedman does. If you look at their records per minute on the pitch they are not dissimilar (league only)

Freedman last season 5 goals in 1023 mins = 1 every 2.27 games
Goater 2005/6 11 goals in 2383 mins = 1 every 2.41 games

This season Freedman has 1 in 389 mins = 4.3 games
Giving him a total of 6 in 1412 mins = 1 every 2.61 games

But Goater was on the pitch for 58% of the 46 games that season & Freedman only 27% of the 42 he was with us for last year. Even taking this season where he's been on more in terms of time per game he still averages a paltry 29% of match time. So he's basically doing half the work the Goat was & Leonard was a year older when he came to us.

Therein lies the rub for me. Freedman simply doesn't perform enough & with the miniscule squad we've got we can't afford that sort of a luxury.

 

[Richard_Cadette]

David Crown was co-commentating on the game last night. He rates Dougie highly, and was impressed with what he was doing for us. I will happily take the opinion of a very decent former striker over some of the blinkered bilge that is spouted on here. We have problems, but Freedman isn't one of them.

To be fair ACU, he did fade somewhat in the second half, but IMO, some of the posts on here about Freedman are ridiculous. He is arguably our most intelligent player, and at times, is often too intelligent for those around him, and it winds me up when people fail to see some of the things he does off the ball that allows space and time for others - the dummy he sold the entire Soton defence to allow Moussa to play Barney in in the first half was head and shoulders above anything the rest of our team could contemplate!

If a striker pulls on a Blue shirt and hasn't scroed a hat trick within the first 10 minutes of the game, he instantly comes under pressure from our fans. Sometimes, it's justified, but when you are writing derogatory comments about a model professional such as Dougie who has NOTHING to prove to anyone, then I think that's a total lack of footballing knowledge.

 

[Richard_Cadette]

We saw this problem with Lead Bradbury and it pains me to see us suffer from it again. We need our forwards to be sufficiently mobile. Freedman isn't.

Actually, what we need YB is for the rest of our team to play to his strengths. You're right, Freedman isn't the most mobile of players, he's never going to be now he is in his twilight years, but rather than removing the most intelligent player we have in our squad from the team, we ned to be able to get people to play the ball to his feet, and then allow him time and space to open teams up.

It's not his fault that our midfield need a HUGE margin of error when playing a pass because they are not upro to the task, and it should not be a pre requisite for any future signing to be mobile enough to reach a pass aimed for him which lands up 20 yards away - we need to have midfielders who have the ability to pass to their team mates effectively and incisively enough to cause the opposition real concern.

A creative mideifler is something we have been lacking for a long time - something I have crowed on about for 18 months, and while determination and guts will get you so far, you're going to be limited if you do not have a player capable of passing through a defence.

 

[EastStandBlue]

Actually, what we need YB is for the rest of our team to play to his strengths. You're right, Freedman isn't the most mobile of players, he's never going to be now he is in his twilight years, but rather than removing the most intelligent player we have in our squad from the team, we ned to be able to get people to play the ball to his feet, and then allow him time and space to open teams up.

That's far easier said than done though...

For the team to play to Freedman's strengths, we're looking at needing a major overhaul of our midfield... Something we just don't have the resources to pull off at the moment. I agree that Freedman is definitely the most intelligent player we have in the team, that goes without saying with the number of years he spent int he top flight.

As for us allowing him time and space to open teams up, Southampton knew what would be coming from Freedman and Trotman never gave him time to think, he was all over him from the first whistle and it negated the tactic brilliantly.

It's been said on this board recently, but the way the season is shaping up and the way the team is performing at the moment, we need not to be playing our best players, but to be selecting our best team that can carry out the tactic the squad is most familiar with.

 

[Richard_Cadette]

That's far easier said than done though...

For the team to play to Freedman's strengths, we're looking at needing a major overhaul of our midfield... Something we just don't have the resources to pull off at the moment. I agree that Freedman is definitely the most intelligent player we have in the team, that goes without saying with the number of years he spent int he top flight.

As for us allowing him time and space to open teams up, Southampton knew what would be coming from Freedman and Trotman never gave him time to think, he was all over him from the first whistle and it negated the tactic brilliantly.

It's been said on this board recently, but the way the season is shaping up and the way the team is performing at the moment, we need not to be playing our best players, but to be selecting our best team that can carry out the tactic the squad is most familiar with.

I'm not sure he was marked out of the game - I refer you to the dummy he made in the first half which opened up Southampton's entire defence, only for Barney to shoot tamely rather than square it to a completely unmarked Freedman in the box!!

I'm not saying he had his best game last night, nor that he should every game just because he is Dougie Freedman - he has to earn it on merit. But when he is playing, the rest of the team have play to his strengths, and his strengths would be more beneficial to us if they were used effetively than any of our other strikers - Look at what high regard Leeds fans hold him in, less than 2 years ago he single handedly dragged them into the playoffs - The guy is pure class, and if we let yet another striker leave us without being a success when he has been elsewhere, it would be a disgrace - look how many goals Paul Furlong has scored for fun since leaving us - the way too creaky and past it Paul Furlong that is.

There is NO argument for not playing your best players.

 

[Sean 2]

I'm not sure he was marked out of the game - I refer you to the dummy he made in the first half which opened up Southampton's entire defence, only for Barney to shoot tamely rather than square it to a completely unmarked Freedman in the box!!

I'm not saying he had his best game last night, nor that he should every game just because he is Dougie Freedman - he has to earn it on merit. But when he is playing, the rest of the team have play to his strengths, and his strengths would be more beneficial to us if they were used effetively than any of our other strikers - Look at what high regard Leeds fans hold him in, less than 2 years ago he single handedly dragged them into the playoffs - The guy is pure class, and if we let yet another striker leave us without being a success when he has been elsewhere, it would be a disgrace - look how many goals Paul Furlong has scored for fun since leaving us - the way too creaky and past it Paul Furlong that is.

There is NO argument for not playing your best players.

I agree. Dougie and Barnard are the best two attackers we have right now and a force to be respected by other teams. Dougie definetly still has it, as long as he stays injury free, i feel he'll get better by the match.
IF we can find some width, then Dougie is our man.

 

[blue shrimp]

Dougie is great on the training ground.
Certain pitch conditions dont suit him.
Our players must pass it exactly to Dougies feet
2 goals from Dougies last 19/20 appearances.
Tilly stated the player was a little tired.
Dougie is great on the training ground.
Tilly wanted to loan Dougie out.

I say give Dougie a further 3 year deal on improved terms.

 

[Napster]

Bring back Jay Smith. He would have been ideal to support Freedman.

 

[EastStandBlue]

Bring back Jay Smith. He would have been ideal to support Freedman.

Because they'd be equally as mobile?

 

[blue shrimp]

Because they'd be equally as mobile?

Both players get the deckchairs out whilst smoking cigars.

 

[Blueshrimper]

Both players get the deckchairs out whilst smoking cigars.

Make it an injury table so they feel at home.

 

[Hooly]

Look at what high regard Leeds fans hold him in, less than 2 years ago he single handedly dragged them into the playoffs.

Oh come on RC, be realistic. 18 month to 2 years is a long time in the career of a veteran player over period in which their overall performance levels, if not their talent, can fade quite fast.

I'm sure if we looked in detail at the 2007/08 season we'd find a number of players who were very decent then but their star has faded with time.

 

[Andy_S]

The problem with every single one of our strikers, well the 3 we have, is our midfield in my opinion. Freedman suffers because the midfield punt the ball over his head or to him in tight situations making him look stupid half the time. O'Donovan's clever runs are ignored and the ball again is punted at head height towards him making him completely ineffective. How in the hell Barnard has scored 10 goals, admittedly assisted by the penalties, I don't know, because the strikers get naff all service game after game. They have to feed on scraps. Tiny, tiny scraps.

Freedman, O'Donovan and even Barnard would be far more effective if we actually had a competent midfield line up. With Tilly continually ignoring the Sawyer or Moussa in the middle debate, it wouldn't do us any harm to bring in a lump up front, especially now Laurent is a "winger". Some laughed when Colchester signed Odejayi, but we need someone exactly like him. A bit of mobility, an aerial threat and a lump.