I Am Truly Fearful Freedman is Taking Us Down - Notes for Bolton Friday, 31st Jan 2014 11:30 by HarryFromBath HarryfromBath assesses the mood in the opposition camp ahead of Saturday's game by delving into their forums. "I know we were in a bad position at this point last season and recovered well, but we were playing better and not getting the results. This year there is no hope at all, none whatsoever", "We'll be in a relegation battle on the last day of the season, mark my words." Wanderers go into Saturday's match on a poor run of form, having lost their last three games and with just one win in their last seven. Things hit a low point two weeks ago when they were hammered 7-1 by Reading at the Madejski Stadium. Supporters believe that the team doesn't have enough fit and in-form strikers and they haven't settled on their best midfield, their wide midfielders lack a cutting edge and they only have one established full-back in a defence which has shipped 14 goals in their last three away league games. In addition, they believe that their manager has a habit of dropping players when they are in form and is over-cautious in his approach, and that the team lacks confidence. The club has little room for manoeuvre in rectifying many of these issues given their current high debts and wage bill. A Fragile Mentality"I read once that courage in football wasn't a crunching tackle, but wanting the ball in front of the crowd even when you weren't playing well. There are too many cowards in that team. Too many heads go down when we are losing, neither running nor showing for the ball." "Stand up and be counted, Whites. What's the matter with you?", "We've got technically good players who completely lack the mentality to be successful", "In the first half at QPR, we pressed them from top to bottom and were fine. After half-time, we stood off them and looked poor." Most fans accept that manager Dougie Freedman steadied the ship in their last two games, despite losing 1-0 at home to Cardiff in the Cup last Saturday and 2-1 against QPR on Tuesday at Loftus Road. "I think we were set up not to get totally destroyed" "Two more defeats on the back of the Reading result, but at least they are battling ones. Cold comfort though in an awful season", "It's just loss after loss. We're getting sucked closer to relegation and there's no sign of a turnaround." A Defensive Mentality"Dougie too cautious yet again", "We showed more teeth when we lost 5-3 to Leicester. We do have teeth sometimes, but against Cardiff we left them in a glass on the bedside table", "Dougie would rather play to nick a win than open up a fragile defence to get hammered." "I don't mind being ‘plucky little Bolton', but we've lost our pluck at the moment." Fans chanted ‘you don't know what you're doing' at their manager when he swapped strikers when losing at Loftus Road, sticking with a one-man attack. "He's defensive even when we're losing", "Considering we are out of this game, you'd have thought that Dougie would make attacking substitutions, but no", "He never tried to win or draw that game. All he wanted was not to get pasted." Dougie Freedman"I think that there is a good manager inside Freedman somewhere, but I'm well past defending him", "It's frustrating to watch a talented team being stifled by a clueless manager", "It's like Groundhog Day with this idiot, the same rubbish served up week after week." "We have never been a creative side under Freedman", "I think people are tired of the whole ‘played well' speech after yet another defeat.", "I'm sick of hard luck stories", "We lose all the time. We are in real trouble and Freedman has no answer." "Freedman has this contradictory philosophy which means that is a player performs well one week, he is sidelined for the next two games", "Both goal scorers in the 5-3 defeat at Leicester were dropped, but the defence that let in five goals remained intact for the next game." "It has been the story of our season, poor defending and not taking our chances", "Our tactics are not the problem. We just cannot finish or defend", "We can have as much possession as we want, and look nice passing sideways, but we are shocking up front and equally shocking in defence." The Trotters have played a 4-2-3-1 or 4-5-1 formation in their last three games, but they played with two strikers in a 4-4-2 formation in the two games prior to these (at home to Forest and Blackpool), as available personnel permitted this. Defence"Dougie wants to play defensive football with the worst defence I have seen us have in a long time", "One daft mistake and it costs us — the story of our season." "We look at sixes and sevens at the back when under pressure. Their strikers seem to find more space in and around our box than we do up the other end." "Andy Lonergan has to stay in goal for the rest of the season. He's a much better keeper than Bogdan." The former Leeds keeper "made two world class saves" against Forest, but dropped the ball for Cardiff's winner last week. "He looked scared. I saw it coming before he went for the ball."
Hungary international Adam Bogdan is on the bench. "Bogdan oozes mistakes, lacks confidence and cannot command his box or defence for toffee. The last thing we need is even more pressure on a shocking defence." There was no comment from fans on former ITFC keeper Arran Lee-Barrett, who is yet to make his debut for the Trotters. Bolton are struggling for options at full-back. Right-back Tyrone Mears is out of form and left-back Marc Tierney has a long-term ankle injury. Cardiff loanee Kevin McNaughton covered on the right until December, after which 27-year-old centre-back Alex Baptiste took over the berth. "Baptiste didn't look very assured out on the right against Leicester", "He had no answer to Dyer's pace", "I've seen him exposed by more than Dyer. He keeps plugging away but teams deliberately attack his flank more", "He looked much better as a centre-half at Blackpool." USA international Tim Ream was left with a broken nose and stitches after an early clash in Tuesday's QPR game and is a "serious doubt" for Saturday's game. The 26-year-old former New York Red Bulls player "was terrible last season but has markedly improved." "Ream isn't a left-back", "We concede less when we play him with Mills in the centre. He has the composure to keep the ball and pick a pass. The sooner we can get him back in the middle, the better", "At left-back he is static and doesn't give any support going forward." He was replaced on Tuesday by 18-year-old Hayden White, who joined Bolton from the Owls last summer. "White didn't let anyone down, although he was very naïve at times", "The raw potential seemed to be there. He hasn't the game brain of a defender yet, but he did well for a kid." "If Freedman is sacked, he will surely reflect on his decision to back Zat Knight at centre-back as being one of his big misjudgements.", "Our win-draw-loss record with him is 1-4-7, without him is 5-6-3", "I couldn't believe how poor he was at Reading. He certainly did not look like a leader." Many Trotters believe that the 33-year-old former Villa centre-back is the weakest link in the back four. "As well as little defensive instinct, his all round play is timid", "He doesn't react quickly to danger", "As soon as he is pressurised he resorts to Row Z tactics and it sets the tone." Matt Mills"Against Boro, Matt Mills held the defence together yet again with the rubbish playing either side of him." The 27-year-old former Leicester centre-back "defends well, but I can't understand why he can't just play a simple ball sometimes."
"His distribution is nothing better than Sunday league", "There are a few wayward balls, but he's a no-nonsense defender and not a Franz Beckenbauer. His passing is getting better, although it needed to", "He was a liability and a slow one last year, but has impressed this season." Central Midfield"We have players who can pass the ball around well and you see good movement in the middle of the pitch, but we don't know how to create chances in the final third", "At times we look light with two in central midfield, and it seemed like we parted the Red Sea for Forest's goal." "Andre Moritz is good, but for some reason can't make back-to-back starts", "At least he's comfortable on the ball. " The 27-year-old former Palace man is better behind a striker in a midfield five", "Some of his set piece deliveries are wonderful, but his general play is very average for us."
"It's great to see Mark Davies running at defences, zipping up and down the pitch and putting in strong tackles with seemingly no ill effect", "He's the player most likely to make us tick, and is by far our most capable player." The 25-year-old former Wolves player "is not back to his best yet" after being out since last March with a knee injury", "Davies running off the ball makes such a difference and seems to make others pass and move", "I wish he'd run at defences a little more. He's unplayable when he does that." "Medo Kamara must be as confused as anyone. He was Man of the Match against Blackpool and then dropped for two weeks in a row." The 26-year-old Sierra Leone international is most Trotters preferred defensive midfielder. "We get cut open a lot less with Medo in there." Jay Spearing"Too many times Forest players ran past Spearing with the ball. Sloppy passing, poor freekicks and often marking space rather than a man", "Spearing lets his runners go", "He doesn't seem interested since he stopped fighting for a chance at Liverpool. I'd rather have Medo in for him every time."
The 25-year-old former Liverpool holding midfielder "is frustrating to watch, constantly making silly decisions and bad passes", "His set-piece deliveries are appalling", "He allowed Forest's runner through for their goal, tracking without intervening", "Get goalside, lad!" Wide Midfield"Chung Yong Lee retains possession, but there's no threat with the lad", "He's not shown much, with little end product", "He's a bit short of shooting confidence", "Flatters to deceive. Wingers thrive on confidence, and obvious he's lacking that at the moment."
The 25-year-old South Korea international and right winger "is frustrating to watch. He wastes too many chances, taking too many touches and not being direct enough. It costs us big time", "He isn't close to what he was." "Chris Eagles is like a curate's egg. He has the odd stellar performance in him." The 28-year-old ex-Burnley winger has been deployed on the left flank. "He can be scared of getting the ball", "He needs to be adaptable and take advantage of things as they happen." "I like Neil Danns. He seems an honest player who makes the most of what he has", "He has such good feet, and always escapes when closed down." The 31-year-old is on loan from Leicester, and has been "tenacious, with good passing and work rate" when playing in a variety of midfield roles. The same cannot be said of 28-year-old former Swansea man Darren Pratley. "If I had Pratley's ability, I reckon I could be a professional footballer", "We all have Pratley's ability", "He was his usual willing but limited self, a good athlete with no football ability." Strikers"We never look threatening. We're toothless up front with zero creativity", "We are unconfident, taking too many touches in goal scoring positions rather than putting our foot through it and having a good crack", "Once again our failure to take our chances has come to bite us on the backside", With top scorer Jermaine Beckford out in recent games with a hamstring injury picked up during the Forest match, the Trotters have struggled to threaten up front while playing with a lone striker. "It is clear to everyone that playing Craig Davies up on his jacksie and twatting it to him (against Cardiff) wasn't going to produce a goal, so why stick with it?", "We are wanging it in to his head and he hasn't got anywhere near one as far as I can see", "It's so poor tactically."
The 28-year-old former Barnsley striker "is a hard working player who struggles for pace and is easily pushed off the ball", "I felt for Davies because he obvious didn't do anything wrong but his service was awful." Lukas Jutkiewicz"Two goals in 24 games - sounds like our kind of striker", "He has a bit about him and can hold it up, but he's more of a touch striker than a ram. He likes it on the deck but will win headers." Trotters are pleased with news that the 24-year old has joined on loan from Middlesbrough this week.
"He didn't look bad at Loftus Road, a few nice touches here and there", "He looked very good for his first appearance (from the bench on Tuesday)", "He's more like a striker than attacking midfielders can play off", "I know he's not been prolific lately, but he has some talent." Trotters' Views on David Ngog"Phew! David Ngog signs for Swansea", "I bet every footballer in the country will want his agent for achieving such a move", "His training form might make Swansea think they've got something. Then they'll realise that's all he's got", "He's gutless, lacks mental strength and is a perennial underachiever."
The departure of the former Liverpool player this week has been hugely welcomed. "He had short periods where it seemed to click followed by longer ones where it didn't. When things didn't work, he'd drop his head", "I hope he gets Swansea relegated", "He's capable." Trotters' Views on ITFC and the Game"Are we in a relegation battle yet? We will be after this match I think", "I couldn't think of anything worse than trailing all the way there to watch the dross we're putting out", "We'll be the ones who take the most kick-offs", "A truly dire game, directed by two of the dullest men in the modern game." "Heavy defeat - lock the thread." Most Trotters are understandably pessimistic. "Nobody parks the tractor better than McCarthy. Like two cars going for the last spot this game. They are flying high at the moment and as you would expect, they are very hard side to beat". "McCarthy has done just shows what a competent manager can achieve results wise with a very limited bunch of players", "On the only facts available he is doing better than Freedman with a smaller budget and worse players, that is currently indisputable." There was just one Barry Knight reference, but Saturday's referee did attract some comment: "Charles Breakspear has handled 16 games this term showing 66 yellow and six red cards. That's 4.125 yellows a game and a red in every 2.67 games. Has he reffed Blackpool or summat?" WebsitesThere are two busy Wanderers message boards. Burnden Aces is the more informed. The Wanderer is also good for views and opinions, but can descend into point-scoring and bickering.
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Andy Lonergan 
Andre Moritz
Chung Yong Lee
Craig Davies
