' Sacked '
Fri Oct 03, 2014 11:42 am
' Dougie Freedman sacked by bolton who will be next? '
Freedman leaves Bolton
Dougie Freedman took over Bolton two years ago this month
Friday 3 October 2014 in National Sport News
Bolton have parted company with manager Dougie Freedman after a wretched run of results left them floundering in the Sky Bet Championship relegation zone.
Wanderers have won just one of their opening 10 games in the league and Wednesday's 4-0 drubbing at Fulham proved to be the final nail in Freedman's coffin, with the club announcing the Scot's departure by mutual consent on the eve of Saturday's home game with Bournemouth.
Freedman left Crystal Palace to take up the vacancy at Bolton two years ago this month but after narrowly missing out on the play-offs in that campaign, his side have toiled in the lower reaches of the second tier ever since.
"Dougie has worked tirelessly off the field to improve the infrastructure of the football club. Unfortunately, recent results on the pitch have not reflected all his work off it," chairman Phil Gartside said in a statement published on the club's official website.
"The club has faced a difficult time following our relegation from the Premier League and Dougie has helped to restructure the club in order for it to become successful again under ever-tightening constraints.
"I would like to thank Dougie personally for all his commitment and efforts for Bolton Wanderers."
Despite the heavy reverse at Craven Cottage, Freedman, who met with Gartside on Thursday, insisted he still expected to be in charge this weekend and it appeared he had been given a stay of execution when the club announced he would take his Friday afternoon press conference as normal.
However, in the face of overwhelming resistance from the stands, the Wanderers hierarchy have caved to fan pressure and moved on from Freedman, who leaves the club four points from safety.
The former Palace striker's decision to leave Selhurst Park for Bolton in October 2012 appears an increasingly strange one in hindsight.
The Eagles, whom Freedman left riding high in the Championship, won promotion later that year and stayed up against the odds last season to ensure another campaign at the top table.
Meanwhile, Freedman succeeded Owen Coyle at a time when the Wanderers purse-strings needed to be tightened in the face of mounting debt, which was recorded at over £160million when the most recent accounts were published last December.
The squad is now virtually unrecognisable from the one which was relegated from the top flight in 2012 and Freedman has had to manage on free signings and loans while offloading most of the club's higher earners.
Even so, the rut they currently find themselves in has angered fans, who remember the European nights they experienced under Sam Allardyce in the previous decade.
Supporters invaded the pitch in protest during the last home game against Derby when Gartside, as well as Freedman, was the subject of their ire.
The under-pressure Gartside will now be searching for his fifth manager since Allardyce left in 2007 and will be hoping to finally strike gold again after the disappointing stints of Sammy Lee, Gary Megson, Coyle and Freedman.
Freedman leaves Bolton
Dougie Freedman took over Bolton two years ago this month
Friday 3 October 2014 in National Sport News
Bolton have parted company with manager Dougie Freedman after a wretched run of results left them floundering in the Sky Bet Championship relegation zone.
Wanderers have won just one of their opening 10 games in the league and Wednesday's 4-0 drubbing at Fulham proved to be the final nail in Freedman's coffin, with the club announcing the Scot's departure by mutual consent on the eve of Saturday's home game with Bournemouth.
Freedman left Crystal Palace to take up the vacancy at Bolton two years ago this month but after narrowly missing out on the play-offs in that campaign, his side have toiled in the lower reaches of the second tier ever since.
"Dougie has worked tirelessly off the field to improve the infrastructure of the football club. Unfortunately, recent results on the pitch have not reflected all his work off it," chairman Phil Gartside said in a statement published on the club's official website.
"The club has faced a difficult time following our relegation from the Premier League and Dougie has helped to restructure the club in order for it to become successful again under ever-tightening constraints.
"I would like to thank Dougie personally for all his commitment and efforts for Bolton Wanderers."
Despite the heavy reverse at Craven Cottage, Freedman, who met with Gartside on Thursday, insisted he still expected to be in charge this weekend and it appeared he had been given a stay of execution when the club announced he would take his Friday afternoon press conference as normal.
However, in the face of overwhelming resistance from the stands, the Wanderers hierarchy have caved to fan pressure and moved on from Freedman, who leaves the club four points from safety.
The former Palace striker's decision to leave Selhurst Park for Bolton in October 2012 appears an increasingly strange one in hindsight.
The Eagles, whom Freedman left riding high in the Championship, won promotion later that year and stayed up against the odds last season to ensure another campaign at the top table.
Meanwhile, Freedman succeeded Owen Coyle at a time when the Wanderers purse-strings needed to be tightened in the face of mounting debt, which was recorded at over £160million when the most recent accounts were published last December.
The squad is now virtually unrecognisable from the one which was relegated from the top flight in 2012 and Freedman has had to manage on free signings and loans while offloading most of the club's higher earners.
Even so, the rut they currently find themselves in has angered fans, who remember the European nights they experienced under Sam Allardyce in the previous decade.
Supporters invaded the pitch in protest during the last home game against Derby when Gartside, as well as Freedman, was the subject of their ire.
The under-pressure Gartside will now be searching for his fifth manager since Allardyce left in 2007 and will be hoping to finally strike gold again after the disappointing stints of Sammy Lee, Gary Megson, Coyle and Freedman.
Re: sacked
Fri Oct 03, 2014 11:43 am
about time
Re: sacked
Fri Oct 03, 2014 11:48 am
No surprise there, then. 
Re: sacked
Fri Oct 03, 2014 11:53 am
MALKY might go for that job aswell..there again he wont get it
Re: ' Sacked '
Fri Oct 03, 2014 12:13 pm
Amazed he's lasted this long. He has a decent squad to work with there and is failing miserably.
Re: ' Sacked '
Fri Oct 03, 2014 12:15 pm
i would think all the names will be thrown around for this job..good job for someone like chris houghton any opinions....
Re: ' Sacked '
Fri Oct 03, 2014 1:57 pm
We're not scared !!!
Re: ' Sacked '
Fri Oct 03, 2014 2:17 pm
I'd sack myself if I lost 4-0 to Fulham to be honest. 
Re: ' Sacked '
Fri Oct 03, 2014 10:31 pm
Many many fans called for Dougie Freedman's sacking. He joined a club that really should have been promoted from the Championship in its first year.
Players like Chris Eagles, Kevin Davies and Marcos Alonso were heads and shoulders above the standard of your typical Championship player.
To his credit, Dougie didn't do a bad job given our poor start to the season. New arrivals Craig Dawson and Medo Kamara helped push the team up to 7th in the league.
There were some slightly dodgy signings by Freedman- for example Steve De Ridder and Danny Butterfield made absolutely no positive impact to the club.
Ahead of the next season, fans were confident on promotion. However, we were very disappointing yet again. We should have been seen as promotion contenders with the revitalisation of Matt Mills and Tim Ream along with the signing of Jay Spearing on a permanent basis.
However, last season's key man, Chris Eagles had a disappointing season bar his first few matches.
Loanee signings Lukas Jutkiewicz and Joe Mason helped the club to a mid table finish, though in reality we could have easily ended up much further down the table.
Other signings, such as Liam Trotter, seemed uninspirational and frustrated many fans.
Ahead of this season, Dougie made a few signings, though none really excited fans.
We started terribly and thus he was sacked.
Read more: http://www.bolton.vitalfootball.co.uk/s ... z3F7jn2Ngz
Players like Chris Eagles, Kevin Davies and Marcos Alonso were heads and shoulders above the standard of your typical Championship player.
To his credit, Dougie didn't do a bad job given our poor start to the season. New arrivals Craig Dawson and Medo Kamara helped push the team up to 7th in the league.
There were some slightly dodgy signings by Freedman- for example Steve De Ridder and Danny Butterfield made absolutely no positive impact to the club.
Ahead of the next season, fans were confident on promotion. However, we were very disappointing yet again. We should have been seen as promotion contenders with the revitalisation of Matt Mills and Tim Ream along with the signing of Jay Spearing on a permanent basis.
However, last season's key man, Chris Eagles had a disappointing season bar his first few matches.
Loanee signings Lukas Jutkiewicz and Joe Mason helped the club to a mid table finish, though in reality we could have easily ended up much further down the table.
Other signings, such as Liam Trotter, seemed uninspirational and frustrated many fans.
Ahead of this season, Dougie made a few signings, though none really excited fans.
We started terribly and thus he was sacked.
Read more: http://www.bolton.vitalfootball.co.uk/s ... z3F7jn2Ngz