In answer to your first point - yes I can see him moving us forward; he's done that already hasn't he and I expect him to continue in a similar fashion.

Your second point - everybody's credentials are questionable, but yes if he does make a similar hash of the job to McLeish, Davies, then Pearce between now and Christmas then by all means replace him; but I think he should get more than 14 games to prove himself don't you.

He has said he has a philosophy and has discussed it with the owner during contract negotiation so I don't know why you think he hasn't. He has also said he understands the kind of football the fans want to see and aims to deliver it.

Agree with you on Warburton; he would be worth looking at if we were in need of a manager.

I don't think he's moved us forward. The players responded to him initially but that's clearly worn off.

McGovern said then when he was appointed the main appeal was his availability. Better managers are / will be available in the summer.

Regarding his philosophy he's not implemented any 'style' as yet and I don't think he's much of a forward thinker. So far he's grinding out results, sacrificing possession and getting Darlow to consistently play long balls. Tyler Walker whose not fully grown yet only service yesterday was long high balls. Even his goal at Brentford was route one.

If you don't think he has moved us forward then you must think we would have been as well placed as we are now or better if Pearce had still been in charge which is total nonsense and not many posters on here would agree with you.

Freedman has done the same as Billy Davies did when he took over from Calderwood.

R50, I honestly reckon we'd be safe now even if SP was still in charge, but I don't think he would have changed his methods or tactics sufficiently and would probably have been sacked in the Summer, what with Mark Warbutton manager available.

If I was Fawaz, I'd be tempted to thank Freedman for his efforts and then try to bring in Warbutton in, but his stock is high right now and we probably couldn't afford him! No, Freedman is within our budget, knows the team now and has a plan for the future. We have few other realistic options, and who knows, maybe he might just be the one we've been hoping for... maybe.

Two wins in eight isn't very convincing so I think fans are right to question DF. I want stability and a plan as much as the next fan but I remain inconvinced. The last two games v Wolves and Huddersfield have been as bad as anything I've watched in recent seasons. These games are basically DF's pitch for the job. On that basis, would you give him the job?....

Any manager who is fooled into thinking Danny Fox deserves a first team spot needs to have a word with themselves too! 😫

Even the much derided Pearce worked that one out!

Of course I hope I am wrong and DF turns Forest around and next season is far more watchable!...

Red50 based on how we've won and recent performances we have shown improvement but its in my opinion down to the honeymoon period / new manager bounce. We will find out what he's made of now the players have slipped back into the gutless mode which has plagued the season. Freedman blamed lack of energy due to how hard the players have been worked in previous games yesterday yet his most energetic player, Osborn has been on the bench the last two games.
I just think that there is a real opportunity for the club to appoint someone with a philosophy rather than another stop gap run of the mill manager who will not last next season. Freedman has done a job but I don't think he has the nous to get a demotivated squad up the league. Inherent problems within the squad and a lack of desire and guts. The players need to have a good look at themselves.
Freedmans main advantage is that he's 'in post' and has had time to evaluate what's required but I just don't see him achieving based on what I've seen so far.
It's a fair enough debate as he's only contracted until the end of the season and candidates whom are better suited probably are available.

comment by ManiReniRed (U19207)
posted 9 hours, 11 minutes ago
Red50 based on how we've won and recent performances we have shown improvement but its in my opinion down to the honeymoon period / new manager bounce. We will find out what he's made of now the players have slipped back into the gutless mode which has plagued the season. Freedman blamed lack of energy due to how hard the players have been worked in previous games yesterday yet his most energetic player, Osborn has been on the bench the last two games.
I just think that there is a real opportunity for the club to appoint someone with a philosophy rather than another stop gap run of the mill manager who will not last next season. Freedman has done a job but I don't think he has the nous to get a demotivated squad up the league. Inherent problems within the squad and a lack of desire and guts. The players need to have a good look at themselves.
Freedmans main advantage is that he's 'in post' and has had time to evaluate what's required but I just don't see him achieving based on what I've seen so far.
It's a fair enough debate as he's only contracted until the end of the season and candidates whom are better suited probably are available.
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I would hope that Fawaz has considered the merits of other potential candidates out there before taking the plunge on Dougie. The likes of Warburton will be looking for employment and I like the cut of his gib. I can't help thinking back to McGovern's quote that they went for DF because he was "available". Fans are right to be worried as there doesn't appear to be a strategy from the Al Hasawi's when it comes to hiring managers and are rightly concerned that DF is another shot in the dark when a more considered approach will have a better chance of achieving the stability we all crave. The road map has been set out by the likes of Swansea and Southampton on this issue.

Freedman has done the same as Billy Davies did when he took over from Calderwood.

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Really Red? Not so sure about that. Davies turned a relegation threatened side into one of the top sides in the league who were very close to going up.

Mani, I kind of agree with you. I'm not sure he's the right man for us although I think he has definitely done a decent job since taking over. He saved us from a potential disaster. But I have my doubts whether he can move us beyond a mid table side. I think he probably does a philosophy but whether the players are bought into it or whether it's any good is another thing. I don't think we necessarily need to play attractive football to succeed. When Mick McCarthy was considered as Forest boss some people were against it. He doesn't play nice football but he a football philosophy and will probably get Ipswich promoted at some point. We just need someone who knows what they're doing and can motivate players.

Mark Warburton would be a great appointment. Look at the way Brentford play - they all work incredibly hard and play good football.

I actually thought Freedman had already got a new contract and therefore assumed he was staying? If so, I'll get right behind him because even with my doubts, I do believe he has potential and it is probably a bit unfair to judge him on 14 games. Let's see what he does with the squad over the summer and how he deals with the embargo.

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I would hope that Fawaz has considered the merits of other potential candidates out there before taking the plunge on Dougie. The likes of Warburton will be looking for employment and I like the cut of his gib. I can't help thinking back to McGovern's quote that they went for DF because he was "available". Fans are right to be worried as there doesn't appear to be a strategy from the Al Hasawi's when it comes to hiring managers and are rightly concerned that DF is another shot in the dark when a more considered approach will have a better chance of achieving the stability we all crave. The road map has been set out by the likes of Swansea and Southampton on this issue.
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I would agree with this statement, if we haven't made a commitment as yet to DF then it makes sense to reserve judgement until the end of the season and consider him against other available options. JM certainly didn't seem to display any real enthusiasm for his appointment so it doesn't appear as if it was any kind of strategic appointment, more of a stopgap. If this is the case then as fans we'd all certainly hope more thought and consideration would go into our managerial appointments. I, too would love to see Warburton appointed and give him a 3 year deal to oversee the club from top to bottom, that said if DF is appointed I'll support him but I am concerned about some of his selections, tactics, etc.

Here we go again

Rev

Ray, will there ever be a day when we're not discussing potential new managers?!

What we need to do Caniggia is sign managers up on two/three month contracts and then when the initial up turn in performances out of the way we can get someone else in. Maybe if we had sacked Pearce back in November we could have had Dougie's bounced earlier, be shot of him and now be firmly in the playoff under Pet Rescue

Saturday was awful, I just hope it was a blip rather then anything more permanent, even though losing 3 of the last 4 is not good.

I suppose we could wait until the summer.

Canniggia, yes really. I was comparing what Freedman has done in the second half of this season to what Davies did in his first half season. Whether he goes on to match Davies' subsequent achievements nobody can say for sure. I hope he does, others don't.

As to whether the players buy into his philosophy; maybe he has identified those who don't and they are the ones he was referring to when he said in his post match interview that some players had been advised they are not in his plans for next season.

Freedman would not have been my choice at the time, but he has done all that could have been asked of him and deserves a contract. I'd just ask the doubters what more he could have done, and what they would view as a satisfactory season next year. My view is that we should always look to improve, so top eight would be good for me.

Do you actually remember where we was when Davies took over first time? We was all but dead and buried so comparing that without being seven points clear off the drop zone is a bit daft

Have third from bottom even got to our points total when Pearce was sacked yet?

Look I'm one for continuity and I personally think the sooner we can get a manager signed up for next season the better, and may as well give DF his twelve months. But don't overstate what he's done. Right now it have just have been a new manager bounce we had, still a LOT to prove.

Wigan are still 4 points off our total when Pearce was sacked.

Ray, I was really not impressed without what I saw v Wolves and Huddersfield. The players seemed as demotivated as they had under Pearce so I think fans are right to be concerned. I don't like constant managerial changes but we have an opportunity to really assess what we need. I don't think Forest should rush into extending DF's contract. I would say to him prove yourself over these last five games and show that you can motivate the players as that, after all, is the basic requirement for any manager. I wouldn't be concerned about agent spun stories of interest from Celtic, etc. DF knows that success at Forest would be a big plus on his CV.

We are constantly questioning DF here, but surely this group of extremely well paid players should take a long hard look at themselves. This group of players are constantly under performing, and I would go so far as too say some of them are just down right lazy/can't be bothered, a terrible attitude to have. They are well paid to do a job, if they can't be bothered then don't let them near the first team, I'd like to say get rid, but both I and the players know this isn't going to/can't happen. It will be. Interesting to see w ho DF has told has know future at the club. Let's see some fight/pride between now and the end of the season.

All I would say is just look at the apathy during the half time training activity. Don’t get me wrong, if it is not fun don’t do it but those guys really need to apply themselves as if they really mean it.

Ipswich and Bournemouth finished 9th and 10th last year, stuck by their managers and now enjoying great seasons.

Derby, Brentford and Wolves are following up good seasons with success this year with the same manager

we have sacked 5 mangers in 3 years and are no better off

so the answer is to ........... get shot of another manager

at least we learn from our mistakes

Basingstoke, all fans want stability at the club but some need that to be with a manager who not only improves the team but keeps that going after the initial bounce without form/performances degrading over time. The manager should also be able to crap their favourite flavour of ice cream and urinate a high quality beer

I'm not saying DF is the answer, but realistically very few managers could reach the high standards some fans demand, especially as if they did have the necessary "proven" skills they are unlikely to want or need to manage at this level