A friend who supports Bournemouth FC has just text me to say it looks as though our teams could meet next season. By this he means Bolton could be relegated to Div 1 or Bournemouth could be promoted to the Championship.
There is an interesting comparison between the 2 clubs. Both teams had a bad start to the season and sacked their manager about the same time. But there the similarity ends. Bournemouth were just above the relegation zone but are now not far from a promotion position, the effect of the the change of manager has been that dramatic. Bournemouth has not lost any of their matches since early October and has in fact won all the games in December. Compare this with Bolton where in November only 2 matches out of 6 were won and in December the record is even worse with 1 game out of 5. At Bolton when Coyle was sacked and Freedman brought in, I expected the kind of quick transformation that has happened at Bournemouth.This has not happened.
Our record this season for a club that has just come down from the Premiership is dreadful. Some of the facts are:-
* We are 16th in the league.
* We have only won 7 out of 24 games played.
* With the few games we have won we have only won by a margin of more than 1 goal in 2 of those matches.
* We have lost against the bottom of the league.
* We have scored 4 goals in a match and STILL MANAGED TO LOSE.
* There have only been 3 clean sheets in the 24 games, which proves that our defense is useless.
* We cannot defend a lead on the few occasions we are winning in a match, a fact picked up by the BBC last weekend.
* Judging by the way we have played this month and the results, things are getting worse, not better.
Some supporters are looking forward to the team being strengthened in January, but the sad fact is that the club just cannot afford any decent players, and anyway we need almost a completely new first 11 not just a few players. Others are hopeful of the return of Holden, but after such a long absence he just cannot be the player he was.
I am not so down about the situation that I believe we shall be relegated, but to be completely realistic a mid table position is about the best we can hope for at the moment. As for Freedman he should look with some concern over what has just happened at Blackburn. What he has tried so far has not worked, for his own survival he should try something else.
An interesting comparison
posted on 28/12/12
SW, looking at the league, and I haven't seen every single team play this season, it's hard for me to name three specific teams I think will be below us this season, but personally, I think there will be far more than three teams finish beneath us.
Just for fun, if you'd like me to name three teams though, and lets check these at the end of the season, I will go for Barnsley, Bristol City and Ipswich.
You're picking at isolated evidence - teams who have performed well in one game. Well, we beat Cardiff quite recently. That's more impressive than Sheff Wed beating us of Barnsley pasting Birmingham. All those three results tell me is what we already know - it's a crazy league where, unlike the PL, any team can beat any other on any given day.
Which is why I look at the league table as evidence that, even on a run of two very damaging defeats, we are still 7 points off the relegation zone (and 8 off the play-offs btw). All it takes from some fans on this forum is a bad result and the relegation word comes out as though one such result brings it into the equation. We're half way through the season now and although we've been in the bottom half all the way through, we've not actually been anywhere near the relegation haunted part of the table in terms of either league position or points. If we'd won the Peterborough and Sheff Wed games, and someone had created an article talking about automatic promotion or finishing in the top three (yes I realise it's only top two go straight up but that's the fairest comparision with relegation) then they would have been laughed at.
But a couple of bad results and we're comparing ourselves with Bournemouth and talking about survival.
Can we maintain a sense of perspective please.
I don't say we will never get relegated, but I am a betting man, and I wouldn't bet on us to go down even if you offered me 100/1 against it, I wouldn't give you a fiver. Absolutely no way will it happen.
In his original (and well thought out) post, Mike says he expected a big turn around when Freedman was appointed. Does he think Freedman's middle name is Jesus? How can people come on to this forum, month after month, for nearly two years, and slate everything the previous manager did at the club, every signing, every piece of tactical work, every backroom appointment, every press conference he gave, and then expect some new young manager to just come in and instigate an immediate and dramatic improvement? So far, all Freedman has been able to do is bring in his own staff. Give him a chance to make systemic changes behind the scenes and bring his own players in, removing some of the surplus to requirements.
Freedman says in the programme for tomorrow's game that his target is to be in the top half of the table at the end of January. Not only is this an achievable target and a realistic target, it is one I firmly believe will be achieved. See you on the 31st January.
posted on 29/12/12
Evening/Morning
Good comments by all by the way.I agree with LH that its hard to judge DF with this squad as they are not his players.Although his selections do point/lean to he cant figure these players out or what his best 11 is.
Coyle left a team with a soft soft underbelly in my opinion,but thats yesterdays news isnt it.Where do we go from here? well not wanting to sound a smart ar$e but I predicted midtable before a ball was kicked.
Its going to be a long/horrible season for us I think,maybe a few seasons actually!.
Enjoy everyone tomorrow may see a few about for a pre match pint.
posted on 29/12/12
Evening nuns, I'm just working on the match thread, as I'm in the platinum suite tomorrow, early start for me pal! Got four courses to cram in before kick off. Prawn Sandwiches may be one of them? May be around for a pint after the game though if you're still around. Text you if so.
posted on 29/12/12
LH
Platinum suite eh? good on you mate.My phone died so just have numbers at moment without names using an old handset the only one I recognise is Bennys,so text me tomorrow
posted on 29/12/12
Oh and Mrsnuns number of course ha.
posted on 29/12/12
Will do mate. Might be having beers around Farnworth followed by a curry with some fellow whites too if interested. I'll let you know my plans pal. Match thread is up, don't want to dilute this excellent thread with our social plans so reply there if you want to bud.
posted on 29/12/12
Social networking site? Back to the OP, some good points made on this thread, we have not had any new manager positive effect at all in fact up to now it feels no different than when OC was here. The attendance figures are down when at this time of year you would expect the opposite, if i was ED i would be getting very concerned.
posted on 27/4/13
SWIE:
"LH perhaps you could please inform me which teams currently below us you think will still be below us come May 2013 ?"
LH:
"I will go for Barnsley, Bristol City and Ipswich."
posted on 27/4/13
It wasn't SWIE - it was SW
Both you and SWIE have said all season that we wouldn't get relegated.
Fun looking back at threads though.
Great result today!!!!!
posted on 27/4/13
Fail.