Monday 7 March 2016

Dougie needs a goal...in more ways than one

Dougie Freedman needs a goal. I don't just mean in the ball in the back of the net sense either although, actually, some of those would be nice too after just two in the last seven games.

What the Glasgow gaffer desperately needs right now is a sense of purpose. The current campaign is in severe danger of ending in ignominy and games against Preston, Sheffield Wednesday, D**by and Hull offer little respite in a tough March.

When the Freedman honeymoon ended last season - and the over-zealous talk of the play-offs was silenced - the wheels came off. Defeat against soon-to-be-promoted Norwich City started a run of eight games which saw six defeats and two draws.

A similar run now - further out from the end of the season - could undo the hard work Dougie has done to start to 'build from the back' and forge his side under the shadow of the FFP embargo.

But arresting the slide and avoiding 'going through the motions' are easier said than done. The manager tried to be more attacking in his outlook at Portman Road but, after spurning chances in the first half, the result was a sadly predictable 1-0 defeat.



Yet it'd be sad if Saturday is the end of the road for 'Action Dougie'. With the play-offs and relegation zone both a decent distance away now has to be the time to experiment...and not just to counter the critics of Freedman's normally cautious style.

In the next 11 games I'd like to answer at least some of the following ten questions:

*Is Dimitar Evtimov a good enough back-up to Dorus De Vries?
*Can Jorge Grant cope with the hustle and bustle of a Championship midfield?
*What type of midfielder is Robert Tesche and is he worth keeping in the summer?
*Can Tyler Walker make the step up?
*Is Deimantas Petravicius ready to make the matchday squad?
*Can Ben Osborn play in the middle?
*Is Oliver Burke ready to be a regular starter?
*Do we want to try to keep any of the loanees?
*Where is Chris Cohen going to be best utilised?
*Can Britt Assombalonga be the same play post-injury?

A productive final 11 games will answer a fair few of those questions and save us an awful lot of time and effort in the summer and beyond. The biggest gripe I had last season was that we continued to waste game time on the ineffective Chuba Akpom and the likes of Mo Barrow when we could and should have taken stock of other options.

If Dougie were to experiment, give some young players a chance - gradually and not all at once - and learn some important lessons for next season I'd be happy. In some respects these games are a golden opportunity, the chance to start next season early and build some momentum.

My main worry is that the fear of poor results might cause him to be more cautious. If he loses games by experimenting Fawaz's trigger finger might get twitchy again. The trouble is, if he bows to that pressure - and his critics - he might well end up taking the 'worst of both worlds' option. Toughing out a few draws and 1-0 wins might save him his job and earn him the right to carry on next season, but should he try this and fail he'll get even more stick and be even more likely to get the bullet.

To be fair to Dougie he's ridden out a few mini storms so far this season (the transfer window, the home game against the Sheep) so he'll be used to this feeling. If he's brave he deserves our patience and support to see off this one too (not least because we are a club that, lest we forget, were turned down by Neil Warnock not so long ago).

For inspiration Freedman need look to the south coast. Chris Hughton's dour, shot-shy Brighton side finished with a mere 47 points and 44 goals last season. The Seagulls kept faith with their boss and have gone from strength to strength. They can now look back on last season as the important building blocks for their play-off push.

If Dougie can set and achieve a positive goal between now and the end of the season he should back himself to follow suit. I sincerely hope he does.

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