David Cameron Walker

Posts Tagged ‘dougie freedman’

The Final Push

Saturday, April 20th, 2013

After Tuesdays 3-2 defeat at Leicester, Bolton lie one point and one place outside of the Championship play-off positions. The game itself, especially the second half, had a play-off feel to it. An end to end affair it was Leicester who came out on top thanks to Jeffrey Schlupp’s fine volley ten minutes from time. A spirited second half showing from Bolton was not enough to earn a crucial point. The damage was done 5 minutes before half time as two quick fire Leicester goals overturned the early lead from N’Gog’s penalty. Both goals will have to go down as Danny Butterfield errors as he brought down Lloyd Dyer for a penalty for the first then was sucked inside allowing Dyer the freedom of the area to smash in the second. It was a puzzling decision to start with Butterfield especially with regular right back Sam Ricketts on the bench. An error Freedman seemed to recognise by replacing Butterfield in the 59th minute.

With three games to go Bolton still have a very good chance of snatching one of the play-off berths with many of the teams above them still to play each other. Considering Bolton were languishing in 20th position at the start of the February the turn around has been remarkable. After an indifferent start it is fair to say Dougie Freedman has won over the doubters with this impressive surge up the table. Starting with Burnley at the Reebok, Bolton have been on a run that has seen them win 9 out of 14 games. The foundation of this run has been excellent home form, seven straight wins and only two goals conceded. With away form still a little patchy it comes as a bit of relief that two of the remaining three games are at the Reebok starting this Saturday against Middlesbrough. However with the unpredictable nature of the Championship nothing can be taken for granted.

Looking back on the defeat to Leicester, Bolton weren’t just left counting the cost of points dropped but also a season ending injury to David N’Gog. The French striker can be frustrating at times but is certainly the best Bolton have at the moment. His tally of 8 league goals is nothing spectacular but his hold up play and selfless running will be missed for the remainder of the season. This leaves Craig Davies and Marvin Sordell as Bolton’s main striking options for the run in. With Kevin Davies seemingly out of favour it will be up to C.Davies or Sordell to step up and spearhead the attack. N’Gog isn’t the only player who Bolton will miss for the remainder of the season, Jay Spearing will also play no part in the final three games due to a broken toe. This is arguably a bigger miss than N’Gog as Spearing has been Bolton’s most consistent performer this season adding bite to the midfield and a fine range of passing. Should Bolton make the play-offs then it is hoped Spearing would be available, in the mean time Darren Pratley, Medo and young Josh Vela are the midfield options at Freedman’s disposal. There is the option of recalling Stuart Holden from his loan spell at Sheffield Wednesday but he may better off taking the game time given to him as he continues his recovery from serious injury that has kept him on the sidelines for so long.

Other key performers in Bolton’s late season form have been defenders Marcos Alonso and Craig Dawson. After a poor start to his Bolton career Alonso has been in fine form since Christmas and begun to show why Owen Coyle parted with £2million to bring him to the Reebok. Unfortunately he is now out of contract in the summer and looks set to leave on a free transfer with Fiorentina strongly linked as his likely destination. Could it be a coincidence that the contract situation and the vastly improved performances are linked!?

On loan from West Brom, Craig Dawson like Alonso, has provided Bolton with a threat from set pieces and chipped in with a number of important goals. Interestingly Dawson’s loan will expire before the final game of the season after Freedman chose not to renew it before the loan window closed. Bolton have plenty of options to step in for Dawson when he returns to West Brom but whether David Wheater, Matt Mills or Tim Ream can provide the same level of performance remains to be seen.

With Watford looking the most likely to finish 3rd the remaining three places in the play-offs look like a fight between five teams, Brighton, Crystal Palace, Leicester, Bolton and Nottingham Forest. This Saturdays game see’s Middlesbrough visit the Reebok and they themselves are not mathematically out of the play-off picture, in fact a win would see them go just a point behind Bolton. The other two games left are Cardiff away and Blackpool at home on the final day. Hopefully two games that will see the opposition have ‘nothing to play for’ and increase Bolton’s chances of claiming vital points.

At the beginning of the season I fully expected Bolton to be amongst the front runners for the Championship title mainly due to the fact that the majority of the Premier League squad had been kept on. However after a shocking start and change of manager most Bolton fans were forced to reign in their expectations. Most fans accepted that a season of transition would be in store with a potential promotion bid next season. Expectations have since been raised again after such a strong final third of the season, and it would now be a major disappointment if Bolton failed to claim a top six finish. Ultimately it is the hope that kills you.

Written by James O’Loughlin, We Are Going Up’s Bolton Wanderers blogger

James tweets at @james_O_L

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Posted in Bolton Wanderers, Championship, Featured | No Comments »

Onwards and Upwards

Monday, February 11th, 2013

 

As the boo’s and chants of “you don’t know what your doing” rained down on Dougie Freedman and his players at 1-0 down, I found myself checking the latest scores to see if Bolton were going to drop into the Championship bottom three. With Peterborough, Bristol City and Barnsley all picking up wins this was a crucial three points for the Whites. It really was desperate times at the Reebok but the introduction of Craig Davies and David N’gog on 58 minutes eventually turned the game in Bolton’s favour.

The first half was a tame affair, two well organised teams cancelled each other out with the best chances coming from set pieces. As the game entered the second half you could feel the frustration growing inside the stadium, groans as passes went astray and sarcastic cheering as Adam Bogdan collected crosses. It does appear to be a small minority of boo boys but they can be clearly heard when things are not going in Bolton’s favour. As the argument goes these fans pay good money and are entitled to an opinion however the already fragile confidence of some players isn’t going to be boosted by a negative crowd. If they feel the need to boo why not leave it until full time. This negativity reached a crescendo as Freedman responded to Burnley taking the lead by replacing the lively Steve De Ridder and Marvin Sordell with Craig Davies and N’gog. The ire of the fans, I believe, was not aimed at the subs coming on but the decision not to replace the hopelessly out of form Chris Eagles. It has to be said Eagles has been poor for some time now but he is capable of flashes of brilliance at Championship level. The fact Bolton were chasing a goal probably explains why he was not substituted, added to this de Ridder has not been playing regular football at Southampton. It should also be said that at the beginning of the season Eagles was Bolton’s best player and is still the top scorer with 7 league goals. Perhaps now is the time to give him a rest in order to help him rediscover his form.

Under Freedman Bolton have appeared much more organised than at any time under Owen Coyle. The introduction of two holding players in front of the back four has made Bolton much more difficult to break down (apart from the Peterborough debacle). However this has not been met with universal approval from Bolton fans. Results have been disappointing, but in my opinion, performances are slowly improving. Some good performances in the FA cup were followed by a narrow 2-1 defeat at Watford. By all accounts Bolton were unlucky not to take a point from this game, controlling possession for large periods but conceding two soft goals.

Having had a strong January transfer window and the returning injured players I still believe Bolton can finish the season strongly and reach a much more respectable league position. Certainly the new signings who featured against Burnley at the weekend were impressive. Craig Dawson was excellent in the air against the physical Charlie Austin and appeared to be organising those around him, a quality that Bolton have lacked for some time. As mentioned earlier Steve De Ridder was lively and looks to be able to go past a player but it was the introduction of the muscular Craig Davies that was the biggest positive from the weekend. From this showing he appears to be able to hold the ball up front as well as run in behind the defence this will be invaluable should Freedman persist with his favoured formation of 4-2-3-1. The signing of the highly rated central midfielder, Medo, from Partizan Belgrade further adds to the options at the managers disposal.

On Saturday at least, Freedman “did know what he was doing“.

Written by James O’Loughlin, We Are Going Up’s Bolton Wanderers blogger

James tweets at @james_O_L

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Concentrate on the league

Monday, January 28th, 2013

After Saturday’s last gasp 2-1 defeat to Everton in the FA Cup there are plenty of positives for Bolton Wanderers to take into the remainder of their league campaign.

Bolton were certainly more than a match for a team hoping to be challenging for a Champions League spot come the end of the season. In the end it was a half cleared corner that cost Bolton the replay they deserved and as Dougie Freedman said post game, it is the small details that are holding Bolton back at the moment.

Similar lapses in concentration in recent league games at Leeds and at home to Millwall have resulted in penalties conceded and points dropped. However more recent back-to-back clean sheets against Sunderland, in the third round cup replay, and then at Crystal Palace are signs of progress.

Further reasons for Bolton fans to be optimistic for the remainder of the season include the return to fitness of several members of Freedman’s squad. Most noteworthy is fan favourite Stuart Holden, whose all-action displays were sorely missed as Bolton slipped out of the Premier League.

The reception he received as he entered the pitch as a late second half substitute was proof as to how popular he is with the Bolton fans. Another player who has suffered injury problems is Josh Vela. In my opinion he was outstanding in the middle of Bolton’s midfield until he was replaced by the Holden in the 81st minute. Up against Fellaini and Osman he more than held his own and looks to be the brightest prospect to come out of the Bolton youth academy since Kevin Nolan.

Looking at Dougie Freedman’s encouraging record of working with and improving younger players Vela looks to have a bright future at the Reebok Stadium. With David Wheater, Matt Mills and Mark Davies also due to return from injury and new signings Craigs Davies and Dawson adding further competition for places, the squad looks as strong as it has done for some time and should soon begin to climb the table.

In addition to squad members returning to fitness there has been encouraging signs of form from Marvin Sordell. Since signing from Watford on transfer deadline day last January the striker has had well documented troubles. However, when given an opportunity in the recent FA Cup games he has been excellent. The goal he scored on Saturday where he applied the finishing touch to a flowing team move was that of a confident striker.

Bolton have lacked a regular goal scorer so far this season with the favoured front pair of Kevin Davies and David Ngog only managing 10 goals between them. Hopefully Sordell can carry his FA Cup form into the upcoming league games. Also impressive in recent games has been Marcos Alonso and if the rumours are to be believed he has attracted the interest of Serie A team Fiorentina. Whether these much improved recent performances are to put himself in the ’shop window’ and secure a lucrative move when his contract expires in the summer remains to be seen!

With only a few days left before the January transfer window slams shut it would be good to see at least one more new signing to go with the arrivals of Davies and Dawson. Ideally that signing would be a winger to replace Martin Petrov and provide a different option from the often frustrating Chris Eagles. With Chung-Yong Lee also struggling to be able to play two games a week after his horrific leg break at the start of last season, another winger would be a welcome addition to the squad.

Optimistically Bolton could still claim a play off place this season as they currently sit 13 points adrift of sixth placed Middlesbrough. More realistically though a strong end to this season would set the team up nicely for a promotion challenge next year.

Bolton can definitely be heartened by Saturday’s FA Cup performance and now concentrate on the remaining league campaign, starting this coming weekend against the Championship’s form team Watford.

Written by James O’Loughlin, We Are Going Up’s Bolton Wanderers blogger

James tweets at @james_O_L

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Freedman Flies The Eyrie

Tuesday, October 23rd, 2012

Devastated. Angry. Betrayed. Palace fans are current experiencing a whole raft of emotions following manager Dougie Freedman’s somewhat surprising departure to Bolton Wanderers. The overriding emotion though is one of disappointment. Disappointment that the man who saved the club from oblivion (or League 1 as it is more commonly known) three times, has jumped ship the first time another team has come knocking.

It is hard to judge Freedman’s actions while little is known about the full circumstances around his departure. Co-chairman Steve Parish has already indicated to Sky Sports News that the move was seemingly more to do with ambition than money. Although that raises the question why a team currently languishing in the lower reaches of the Championship can be considered more ambitious than one in its upper echelons?

One thing is for sure though; Freedman’s departure is another death knell for loyalty in football. Freedman has red and blue blood coursing through his veins. Over the last two decades, Freedman spent 13 years at Palace; first as a player, then assistant manager before his promotion to manager midway through the 2010-11 season. For many fans, he will forever be remembered for his last minute winner against Stockport County in the final game of the 2000/01 season to keep Palace up. Others will never forget the loyalty he showed the club in its darkest days during administration three years ago, when he assisted Paul Hart in steering the club to safety. Yet, these memories may now forever be tainted by the cloud under which he has left.

A lot has been made of Freedman’s recent column in the Croydon Advertiser, in which he stated, ‘I think I’m halfway there in getting the club the way I want it to be, and I’m not the sort of guy to leave jobs half done.’ His words ring somewhat hollow now and perhaps bring Freedman’s integrity into question. Without being in possession of the full facts behind the scenes though, it is not clear whether Freedman jumped or has spent the last few months being edged towards the exit door anyway.

After all, it is only a few months since Palace fans were calling for Freedman’s head, following a particularly sluggish start to the season. Three losses in the first three league games and only four wins in 28 games dating back to last season meant that many fans were questioning whether Freedman was the right man to take the club forward. It is only since Palace’s recent eight game unbeaten run that Freedman’s vision appeared to be coming to fruition.

It makes Bolton’s appointment of Freedman seem all the more bizarre. If they are looking for a quick fix to get them back up to the Premiership at the first time of asking, Freedman is probably not the man for the job. It has taken him three years to get Palace where they are now and he is a young manager, still very much learning his trade. Lennie Lawrence is likely to follow Freedman up north, where he can continue to impart knowledge gleaned from his century (or so) spent in football. Whether Bolton’s fans will have the patience for Freedman learning from his mistakes as he goes along remains to be seen.

Freedman is one of a handful of former Palace players or managers considered a club legend. Another that is likely to have his name thrown around in the coming weeks in relation to the vacant manager’s position is Steve Coppell. In times of crisis, Palace have frequently turned to the quietly spoken Liverpudlian  but his involvement with the club has been limited since he was shown the door in 2000 by the shy and retiring former chairman, Simon Jordan. Palace fans would likely welcome Coppell back, although perhaps the owners need to be a little bolder in their appointment to show they are serious about a long awaited return to the Premier League.

Whoever does come in will inherit a squad high on confidence (the manager’s recent departure excepted). It is well documented that Wilfried Zaha has been playing like a man possessed so far this season. However, that does an injustice to the rest of the squad, who have been playing some of the most exciting football SE25 has seen for many years. The key for the new manager will be to keep recent momentum going so that Palace are still there or thereabouts at the end of the season. Hopefully the owners have not forgotten the effect Trevor Francis’s appointment had on the club, after Steve Bruce left at the turn of the century, in similar circumstances to Freedman’s departure.

So what of Freedman’s legacy? Regardless of the circumstances in which he has left, he will forever be written into Palace’s history books; whether it be as the man who saved the club three times or as the man who masterminded Palace’s win at the Amex Stadium (a feat that will also be written into Brighton’s history books under the sub-heading: ‘First league loss at new stadium’). He has seen the club at its worst and steered it through to brighter days, leaving the fans with many fond memories along the way. It would be entirely unsurprising if one day, further down the line, he adds another chapter or two to the rich history of this vibrant club.

Written by Martin Fitzgerald, We Are Going Up’s Crystal Palace blogger   

Martin tweets at @martinfitzgeral

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Comings and goings cause for concern at the Palace

Wednesday, August 15th, 2012

The new Championship season may not have even started yet but there are already a few murmurs of discontent rumbling around SE25. Much of this has to do with Palace manager Dougie Freedman’s wheelings and dealings in the transfer market over the close season. This has seen many of the club’s high profile and technically gifted players leaving and being replaced by others that are unlikely to set the Championship alight.

One of the many players to leave was England under-21 right-back, Nathaniel Clyne. Palace fans were resigned to losing Clyne almost from the day he first set foot on the Selhurst Park pitch, back in October 2008. In that debut performance against Barnsley, the teenager showed maturity beyond his years and outshone many of the more seasoned pros on the pitch. It was inevitable he would go on to bigger and better things one day but somewhat miraculously, Palace managed to squeeze four seasons out of him before he finally stepped up to the Premier League.

Clyne’s eventual move to Southampton this summer might not have been where many envisaged he would end up; especially after originally being linked to slightly more illustrious teams such as Manchester United and Newcastle United. However, being able to perform week in week out in the Premier League should give Clyne the platform to push on with his career over the coming years. Very few at Palace will begrudge him that opportunity.

Probably the most surprising departure though was that of Darren Ambrose to Birmingham City. Ambrose, possessor of a foot like a traction engine, had scored many of Palace’s greatest and most important goals in recent seasons. When he wasn’t scoring 25/35/45 yard (depending on amount of hyperbole applied) screamers against Manchester United, he was scoring crucial goals against Sheffield Wednesday on the last day of the 2009/10 season to keep Palace in the Championship. Since Freedman took up the reigns at Palace though, Ambrose never quite fitted into the system the manager opted to play. Despite this, he was one of the few players that could conjure something from nothing and his technical skill will be sorely missed this coming season.

Others to depart included injury-prone man mountain Anthony Gardner and local lad Sean Scannell, leaving the Eagles’ squad somewhat threadbare. Freedman has tried to plug the gaps with players that will do a decent job but would struggle to find their way into the squads of many other Championship clubs. A trio of defenders in the form of Joel Ward, Aaron Martin and Peter Ramage will shore up a defence that kept 17 clean sheets in the league last term. At the opposite end of the pitch, Aaron Wilbraham has been brought in, in the hope that he will score the goals to propel Palace up the league. Wilbraham’s return of two goals from 22 appearances at Norwich City last season will need to be improved on if this is to be the case though.

Palace have as good a backbone to the team as any of their fellow Championship rivals. Goalkeeping stalwart Julian Speroni and club captain Paddy McCarthy form the rock upon which the rest of the team is built. With the ever improving Mile Jedinak marshalling the midfield and Glenn Murray leading the line upfront, Freedman can fill in the gaps with a mixture of some older heads and a few of the club’s plethora of youth players.

Some of the younger members of the squad, such as Wilfred Zaha and Jonathan Williams, have been playing regular first team football for so long now, it’s easy to forget they’re still in their teens. There’s plenty more where they came from though, with the likes of promising centre back Ryan Innis and midfield whiz kid Reise Allassani among those that will be breaking into the squad this coming season.

Palace should realistically steer well clear of trouble this season, even though, as is often the case with the Championship, it’s ridiculously hard to call the promotion and relegation contenders at this early stage. Freedman has already learnt much in his season and a half in management. Last term, Palace were clear from safety about two months earlier than in previous seasons, which was a somewhat alien experience for all involved at the club. Slightly alarming though was how much the results tailed off once safety appeared on the cards. One win and two draws from the last ten games was relegation form and fans will be hoping this does not carry on into the new season.

The lack of any major signings may be a slight concern for some supporters but they would do well to repeat the unofficial fans’ mantra, ‘in Dougie we trust’ over the coming weeks. For, in the shape of the amiable Scot, Palace have a man in charge that seemingly thrives on adversity and the loss of a few key players is small fry compared to saving the club from oblivion three times.

Life’s rarely dull at Selhurst Park and with the new season fast approaching, Palace fans will be once again bracing themselves to expect the unexpected. Besides, it wouldn’t be half as fun any other way.

Written by Martin Fitzgerald, We Are Going Up’s Crystal Palace blogger   

Martin tweets at @martinfitzgeral

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Dougie Freedman and The Eagles – two wins from glory

Wednesday, January 11th, 2012

It’s impossibly hard to believe that we’ve gotten this far. Crystal Palace were supposed to be in an incredibly down year. After almost losing the team altogether a couple of years ago through administration and narrowly avoiding relegation by a single point two years running, Dougie Freedman wasn’t supposed to take the Eagles to anything resembling glory this quickly.

Yet, here we are. Two wins away from the first ever trophy in the long and sometimes painful history of Crystal Palace Football Club.

Once again, this dream season for the Eagles has plugged another notch into its proverbial belt. Even as Palace were ravaged by a viral infection across the team that knocked them swiftly out of the FA Cup with a 1-0 loss to Derby County, the team managed to sneak off their sickbeds and defeat a far more talented Cardiff City side 1-0 in the first leg of the Carling Cup semi-finals.

Paddy McCarthy in particular played a heroic role despite being clearly ill, the way that a true captain should. Other players like Nathaniel Clyne were forced to miss the match completely, which seemed to spell an unfortunate end to the Eagles’ cup hopes. Just like they’ve done all year though, Dougie Freedman has driven Palace to something they by all accounts shouldn’t have done.

This season has been dotted with ‘I can’t believe it’ moments for Palace. The 2-1 comeback win in stoppage time over Coventry City. The 3-1 comeback win at the Amex to hand fierce rivals Brighton and Hove Albion their first ever league loss at their new stadium. Darren Ambrose’s heart-stopping goal to lead Palace over Manchester United 2-1 at Old Trafford. This almost seems like a team of destiny, the team that the Palace faithful have been craving since the all too short dominance of the early 1990′s faded away.

It seems too good to be true, and truthfully it might just be. Palace legend Dougie Freedman comes into the club for his first ever managerial gig with the team hanging by a thread, makes a couple of brilliant transfers in the offseason and suddenly is fending off a team-wide virus but still up a goal in the Carling Cup semi-finals? And among all of this, the playoff race is not out of hand either with Palace a mere three points from fifth in the table? If you believe in any supernatural deities, you have to think that at this point they’re simply toying with the fans. It’s impossible yet it’s happening before our very eyes.

And now, Palace are left with two more games to go. With a 1-0 lead going into Wales, a win or draw will take them through. Even a 2-1 loss in extra time will carry the Eagles through thanks to away goals. Palace in fact have been quite proficient in recent years at getting 0-0 draws away to Cardiff, so perhaps it’s not quite a pipe dream. After that, it’s Liverpool or Manchester City at Wembley.

It’s too hard to get excited about Palace after the past few years have force fed supporters agonizing loss after agonizing loss. Even this season there has been a fair share of heartbreakers. The FA Cup loss so recently still stings even as we celebrate the 1-0 success over Cardiff. Palace have looked simply lost in games this season during league play. The attack is simply not there sometimes, with Palace scoring fewer goals in the Calendar year of 2011 than any other Championship side.

To see those let-downs combined with the last few years of futility and then to see this year’s victories is almost impossible to comprehend. Two wins away from the first major trophy in club history, in a year when relegation was supposed to be knocking on our door. Two wins away from a cup that the Eagles were knocked out of before they could even blink in 2010.  Two wins away from being able to change the chants of Freedman saving the Eagles from absolute loss into chants of him leading them to glory. It’s all so hard to believe.

But again, here we are. Dougie Freedman is already a legend in the eyes of Crystal Palace’s supporters. He is two wins away from becoming absolutely the greatest Eagle that there ever was.

Written by Chris White, We Are Going Up’s Crystal Palace blogger

Chris tweets at @uzworm

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Formidable Freedman Lays Palace Foundations

Saturday, October 22nd, 2011

After three unwelcome years of relegation scraps and desperate performances, a quarter of the way through the 2011/12 campaign can give Crystal Palace fans reason to be cheerful. As a Palace fan, I’d forgotten what it’s like to look up the league table rather than endlessly working out how many points we need to beat the drop. But in his rather matter of fact, efficient manner Dougie Freedman has assembled a team playing with confidence, picking up some impressive results and performances and getting the best out of 3 impressive youngsters in particular; Sean Scannell, Wilfried Zaha and Jonathan Williams.

The recent Palace turnaround has been assembled with the minimum of fuss and for the Championship at least, a small outlay. No big earners, no significant transfer fees, but we still find ourselves above Leicester City, Leeds United and Birmingham City. The key difference between Palace of today, compared with the last few years appears to be a new found confidence. In matches where the team has fallen behind, or been pegged back like Coventry City (home), notably against rivals Brighton & Hove Albion (away) or at home against West Ham, previous Palace teams would have surrendered and left empty handed. But on each occasion, the team has fought back to take at least 1 point from the match, and aside from an unlucky defeat against Middlesbrough in the league, are unbeaten at home, as well as three away wins in succession which has taken their points tally away from home to more than they managed to secure all last season.

But looking to the future, Freedman’s foundations have been laid on the talent of three promising players in particular. These talented youngsters, already securing the attention of scouts from a host of Premier League teams will almost certainly mean Crystal Palace have to fend off bids in the January transfer window. Whereas in the past Palace have tended to cash in, with the likes of Routledge, Watson and Moses all leaving for sizeable transfer fees (and wage packets) but rarely enhanced careers, the current trio of previously mentioned youngsters at Selhurst Park would be well served to further their development in south London.

This is a division where consistency rather than out and out quality is often the key to climbing the league and ultimately promotion as the likes of Swansea, Norwich and Blackpool have shown in recent years. And with a Premier League which has an astonishing 7 Scottish managers already, it’s not beyond the realms of possibility that they could be joined by another come next year.

Written by Aaron Porter, We Are Going Up’s Crystal Palace Blogger

Aaron tweets at @Aaronporter

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All aboard the Palace rollercoaster

Friday, August 19th, 2011

We may only be three league games into the new season, but it’s clear that the new Championship season is already looking like it will be another rollercoaster for Eagles fans.

Understandably Palace fans went into the first league game of the season at London Road against newly promoted Peterborough United with high expectations. Expectations were even higher when impressive young forward Sean Scannell gave the lead. But just as Palace took the lead and the rollercoaster started to look like it was soaring, fans were subjected to the first crash of the season as second half goals from McGann and Ball gave Peterborough a home win, and subjected Palace to opening day defeat once again. Whilst it was a shattering of dreams for many Palace fans new season optimism, there were enough flickers of hope to think that Palace will do more than be dragged into a demoralising relegation dogfight.

Dougie Freedman may be a newcomer to the management merry-go-round, but he’s already getting the Palace faithful onside. It helps that he had a successful career as a Palace forward (1995–1997 & 2000–2008), with highlights including an 11 minute hat-trick against Grimsby Town in 1996 , 2 goals in the play-off semi-final against Wolverhampton Wanderers in 1998 and a stoppage time winner against Stockport County in 2000 to ensure Palace beat the drop down to the third tier. And in the same way that Dougie always showed he was a bright, wily and hard-working player he is demonstrating those same traits as a manager.

Palace’s first home match of the season, after the Carling Cup match with Crawley Town was postponed, was against Burnley. Although it was hardly the most memorable game Selhurst Park has ever seen, Palace turned in a thoroughly professional performance with goals from debutant Jonathan Parr and a penalty from Owen Garvan, after Scannell was brought down in the box. A comfortable 2-0 win, which never really looked in doubt meant South Londoners points account was open, and the rollercoaster started on its upward trajectory once more.

But if the Burnley match was solid and rather unspectacular, the next match just three days later also at Selhurst Park against visitors Coventry City was the complete opposite. Midweek evening matches at Selhurst Park have a special atmosphere about them, and Tuesday 16th August certainly matched some of the best of them. For 45 minutes Palace got better and better, Scannell looked particularly lively but a combination of failing to find the final ball, and a some last-ditch defending saw the two teams go in at half-time level. The rollercoaster then went into overdrive, as against the run of play Coventry City took the lead against the run of play through Jutkiewicz after a momentary loss of concetration from Julian Speroni who found himself in no-mans land. But spurred on by conceding, Palace then went into overdrive as they pushed and pushed for an equaliser. Impressive youngster Wilfred Zaha joined the action along with debutant Jon Williams, and livened things up further. But no matter how hard Palace pushed, the Coventry defence somehow managed to stave off the threat.

And then, in stoppage time, in what is undoubtedly the best 5 minutes of the season so far – for a Palace fan, an equaliser was found through Scannell and Selhurst Park roared. With 5 minutes of stoppage time to be added, it seemed Palace weren’t sure whether to stick or twist. But with one final throw of the dice, a goal mouth scramble led to a late, late winner from Jermaine Easter. The celebration was electric, and the usually restrained Freedman found himself streaming away from the dugout to share in the celebrations with fans from the Main Stand.

The best rollercoasters leave you exhilarated, but feeling a little dizzy and sick too. That’s certainly what the first three matches have done to me so far this season, heaven knows what it could be like by May!

Written by Aaron Porter, We Are Going Up’s Crystal Palace Blogger

Aaron tweets at @Aaronporter

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Posted in Championship, Crystal Palace, Featured | 1 Comment »

Up, up and away for the Eagles?

Monday, August 1st, 2011


It’s been a tough few seasons for South London’s Crystal Palace. 2009-10 saw the Eagles save themselves from relegation on the final day of the campaign at the expense of Sheffield Wednesday in a tense and nail biting climax to the season.

Last season wasn’t much better, which like the year before turned into a long and drawn out relegation fight. Manager George Burley was sacked on New Years’ Day to be replaced with Palace legend, but managerial rookie Dougie Freedman. Freedman himself was no stranger to relegation great escapes, having scored a stoppage time winner against Stockport County in 2001 to save Palace from dropping out of what was then Division One, now The Championship, in a truly momentous day for Palace fans up at Edgeley Park.

Dougie Freedman brought the hard work, professionalism and courage which he demonstrated as a player to the management of Palace last season, and slowly but surely, managed to ensure that the Eagles were safe with two games to go. Which given what he’d inherited was a real achievement for his first spell as a manager. The foundations for survival were built on a tremendous home record in the second half of the season, which included a 13 match unbeaten sequence at Selhurst Park between November 9th and April 16th.

Off the field, Crystal Palace have had their problems in recent years too. They have gone into administration twice in just 13 years, but are now under the steady co-chairmanship of Steve Parish and Martin Long. The days of chairmen like Ron Noades, Mark Goldberg and Simon Jordan are behind us, and in their very different ways, that’s probably good news for the club. Given their turbulent financial past, it comes as no surprise that the summer hasn’t seen Palace able to splash the cash like some others in the division. Freedman has had to be astute and calculated in the transfer market, and in picking up three full internationals Norwegian Jonathan Parr (signed from Aalesund), Australian Mile Jedinak (signed as a free agent, having left Genclerbirligi), South African Kigasho Dikgacoi (signed from Fulham after a loan spell last season) as well as hitman Glenn Murray from rivals Brighton the squad has been bolstered in key departments, without huge amounts of money being spent.

Just as important as the new arrivals, has been the retention of some key players too. Rising star Nathaniel Clyne has certainly been watched by a number of Premiership clubs, as has the ever reliable keeper Julian Speroni. The club have also been able to retain the services of other key players Paddy McCarthy, Darren Ambrose and Sean Scannell as we approach the first league game of the season.

In keeping with his style as a manager, Dougie Freedman has overseen a relatively low key pre-season. Unlike in recent years where the Eagles have faced glamorous pre-season opponents like Inter Milan, Chelsea and Anderlecht, Norwich City were the biggest match on the pre-season schedule. After a relatively underwhelming performances against Basingstoke in the first pre-season match (won 2-1), followed by a disappointing 0-0 draw with Wycombe Wanderers and a similarly disappointing goalless draw at Crawley the performance against the Canaries was much improved. Scannell in particular looked lively throughout, and Norwich couldn’t complain too much that Palace went onto win the match 1-0 with a late goal from Nathaniel Pinney. You would certainly wouldn’t have believed it was Norwich that finished 40 points above Crystal Palace last season to earn their place in The Premiership.

Sadly for all the positives in the Norwich game, Palace then crashed to a 3-1 at Dean Court against Bournemouth in their final pre-season match before the season begins on Saturday. Freedman cited ‘defensive frailties’ as the key to the defeat. So with the start of the season just days away, only the very bravest Eagles would dare to bet that we will finish in the top 6. But this is a very tight and competitive division, a good start will be important and a reliable goalscorer means anyone can be the surprise outfit to surge their way through the division. And given the battles Palace have had at the wrong end of the table for the last few years, who is to say we shouldn’t dream about a promotion push this year? Unfortunately the bookmakers don’t agree, and at 80/1 we’ve got the 3rd longest odds for the title!

Written by Aaron Porter, We Are Going Up’s Crystal Palace Blogger

Aaron tweets at @Aaronporter

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