Moaners need to lay off Freedman after Palace's poor start (From News Shopper)
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Moaners need to lay off Freedman after Palace's poor start
3:19pm Wednesday 22nd August 2012 in Sport
Dougie Freedman has come in for plenty of online criticism this week
EAGLES columnist SAM ROSS questions why it is always the manager and owners who attract the flak from fans and not the players in the wake of Crystal Palace’s shocking start to the new campaign.
WITH only two games of the season gone, the Eagles sit embarrassingly bottom of the table having conceded seven shocking goals.
Yes, it is not a good start.
In fact, it’s an abysmal one.
But it’s certainly not a surprising one.
I said in my column last week Dougie Freedman could have his toughest ride from the fans this season and last night’s result at Bristol City showed frustration has disgracefully already started.
Reading tweets and posts on the BBS I was ashamed to see comments calling for Freedman to be sacked, while Steve Parish was getting abuse for not investing in players and Dean Moxey received personal insults – all completely uncalled for.
Do these fans not remember this time last year when the Eagles went unbeaten throughout August and were soaring high in the league?
That didn’t last long.
Fans joked at the time about sacking Freedman after the Eagles dropped down to fourth without even playing a game.
Now those calls are worryingly becoming serious ones from some deluded supporters.
We are clearly missing Paddy McCarthy, something I thought I’d never say.
His leadership is by far his best attribute over his defensive capabilities and we needed a skipper in both games.
To concede two goals in the last five minutes of a game as we did against Watford is schoolboy stuff and had McCarthy been on the pitch that wouldn't have happened.
Conceding two late goals is bad enough but conceding two early ones like we did last night is just amateurish.
McCarthy would have made sure everyone was focused for the opening and closing stages of the game.
The performance over the last two games has not been acceptable, granted, but the reaction from some section of the fans has been well over the top and plain wrong.
I am not even going to dignify the call for Freedman to leave with a response of the possible managers out there because I know there isn't one better suited.
The person we are perhaps missing the most early on this season is Tony Popovic.
He worked wonders with the defence last season and since his move to Australia we have struggled with organisation at the back.
Some fans clearly have missed having a moan at football over the last few months and are prematurely venting their anger at the wrong people.
Why is it never the players’ fault?
It is already clear we haven’t got the squad to challenge for promotion this season unless something miraculous happens from now until deadline day.
We will be battling for survival and some players need to make sure they are prepared for that fight because it is not going to be an easy one.
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Cassiepuss says...
10:36am Thu 23 Aug 12
Firstly, we have won something like three league games in 2012 - that is appalling. The final portion of last season was a write off, partly due to the injury list and partly due to the ultra-negative tactics that Freedman uses. Stick nine men behind the ball and hope for the best...
Freedman said before the end of last season that he was planning an overhaul of the squad. We knew Clyne was going and things started off well when we signed Ward very early in the close season. And since then we have done little to address the departures in the squad.
And here is where it gets consusing. The board have said in public several times that the transfer budget has been improved, as has the wage budget and Steve Parish has spoken of "giving things a go" this year. And on the other hand we have Freedman who, if you believe what the board says, has the final word on who comes in and out, approving the departures of players like Ambrose and Scannell and dithering over bringing new people in.
He speaks of "hoping" to get new faces in by the transfer window, which would mean that the season is further delayed as these players, if we get any, settle in. Freedman has failed to prepare us for the new season and his team is playing negative, boring football that is driving some fans away.
If we believe CPFC2010 there is money available, granted we are no Man City, and our manager has failed to ensure that we are ready for the new season.
Nobody likes seeing the abuse a club legend is receiving at the moment but if he was anybody else he would rightly be criticised for (a) not having us ready for the new season and (b) producing awful football for the best part of a year that has seen us win three league games.
On the other hand, CPFC2010 could be being creative with the truth and we are skint...