WE NEED A SIEGE MENTALITY NOW
Forest boss Dougie Freedman is fighting for promotion despite ban on transfers
Sitting in an office he has called his own for little over a year, Dougie Freedman tells a story from the beginning of his management career that says much about his dedication.
Freedman, whose nottingham Forest are battling to get into the play- offs despite being banned from spending on the squad, thinks back to May 25, 2008, and important words from wife Sarah.
‘it was my birthday,’ he says. ‘i played for Leeds at Wembley in the League One play-off final against Doncaster. We lost 1- 0. i was useless. i got home that night, a Sunday, at nine o’clock. i was miserable. i said to my wife, “i’ve got a two-week coaching course starting Monday morning, in 12 hours’ time”.
‘it had been a long, hard season, i could have taken the next day off or postponed the course for a year. She said, “get your a*** up, get your bags packed, you’re going”.
‘i had to drive up to Lilleshall for a two-week residential. that was the moment i felt my family would be supportive. it was a huge decision.’
Sarah is Ray Clemence’s daughter, so she grew up with an understanding of the game’s demands. She knew Freedman was serious when he became reserve-team boss at Crystal Palace in 2005 and wanted him to fulfil his ambitions.
‘When i decided to go into coaching, i was 29 and i thought there was nothing better than taking a trip, so i used to go to italy every summer,’ says Freedman.
‘i’ve still got the receipts. i went through a considerable amount of my own money, getting on planes, trains, bikes, to go and watch training sessions. i had the pleasure of being with Carlo Ancelotti in Milan for a couple of weeks in 2006. i saw them get beaten 1-0 by Barcelona in the Champions League semifinals. i also worked contacts at Palermo, Lazio and Bologna.’
Flash forward a few years. ‘When i did my coaching badges, what a course! gianfranco Zola, gary neville, Ryan giggs, Roberto Di Matteo, gus Poyet. i felt i could hold my own in that company. i felt i had prepared. i was so glad my wife, my four kids, understood in summertime i would be missing for a couple of weeks.’
Freedman is still just 41 but has a wealth of experience, in charge of Palace, Bolton Wanderers and now Forest, three clubs each bringing unique challenges. He took over at the City ground on transfer deadline day 12 months ago, and instantly had to fend off bids for Michail Antonio and Henri Lansbury, from West Bromwich and Burnley respectively.
that window the Football League imposed a ban on Forest paying out for recruits or offering more than £10,000 a week in wages to any loan signing as punishment for financial fair play breaches.
Freedman has instead brought in Jamie Ward, Matt Mills and Daniel Pinillos on frees and gary gardner, Ryan Mendes and nelson Oliveira on a temporary basis. Antonio was eventually sold to West Ham for £7million, to wipe out losses at a stroke and boost the club’s bid to get out of the embargo.
Freedman came under pressure in november during an eight-match winless run that saw nigel Clough touted as a replacement, but owner Fawaz Al-Hasawi kept faith, reluctant to sack his sixth manager since taking control in July 2012.
AFTER Al-Hasawi stuck by the manager, Forest went on a 13-game unbeaten league run. On Saturday they were beaten at home by Huddersfield but they are just nine points off the play-offs, a fine feat in the circumstances. ‘there was a lot of speculation but not for one minute did i think it was going to end,’ says Freedman. ‘the expectations when you work at Forest are going to be high. But the fans, myself and the chairman understand where we are and what hurdles we have to overcome before we can be really strong.
‘We should always aspire to be in the Premier League, but we have to be realistic and have a plan. that starts with recruitment and getting players for the right reasons.’
Freedman reveals Al- Hasawi (right) has a good eye in that regard.
‘When we were doing the Oliveira deal, i sat with him to watch a game and he picked out things i hadn’t. At the end of the night the two of us concluded we’d like to sign the player. Probably 90 per cent of our conversations are about recruitment. that’s why when the going got tough he always understood where we were going. When you change managers you lose identity. i want this club to have identity. We’ve started playing some attackingn stuff and that’s what happens wwhen you have stability.
‘i am developing a siege mentality aand spirit for the group. it is about uunderstanding your role, from physio to kitman to right back. the buck always stops with the manager but the manager needs to hold people accountable.’
Freedman is full of energy, a fast tthinker and quick talker, espousing his love of coaching and trying to bring the best from young players such as Ben Osborn and tyler Walker — son of Forest legend Des — as well as winger Oliver Burke, who signed a new fourand- a- half- year deal yesterday. Freedman leans on assistant Lennie Lawrence, 68, for guidance, a relationship that started at Palace.
Freedman looks back with pride at the job he did at Selhurst Park, saving the club from relegation, improving the next season and guiding the club to fourth in the Championship by October 2013, before relations with chairman Steve Parish soured and he left for Bolton.
Palace, Freedman’s club for 10 years in two spells as a player, went up that season under ian Holloway but there are no regrets.
‘that’s not me,’ says Freedman. ‘ i would still make the same decision because of where i was in my life.
‘if you’re asking was it the right decision, it wasn’t of course, because look at what happened at Palace. i felt i contributed to that. But it gives me huge satisfaction.’
Freedman signed Yannick Bolasie, Mile Jedinak and Joel Ward, while developing Wilfried Zaha. He also learned from the experience.
‘ Steve Parish and i probably get on better now than when we were working together,’ admits Freedman.
‘A couple of months after i left, he said to me, “Your problem was, every time we won a game you wanted a new training ground”. And i did at the time! But i didn’t see his point of view.
‘So i sought out mentors, older people in the game who are wise in what they say. Sometimes my energy means i can’t stop to think, so i burst through doors.
‘i can ring them and they make me understand other perspectives. now i think, let’s win 10 in a row before asking for a new training ground!’
Freedman admits to mistakes at Bolton after initially triggering a surge towards the play-offs. He left amid a slump in October 2014.
At Forest, he is aware of all that goes on. ‘it boils down to one thing: if i haven’t got the trust of the players off the field, then when i coach them i have to spend half the day trying to get them going,’ he says.
‘i make sure i know what gym programmes they’re on, what food they’re eating, when their contracts are up. that shows i’m taking an interest in them. ‘ therefore when we go on the field, that’s where all my energy is. i don’t waste 15 minutes trying to put my arm around them. We get to work straight away. that is where my enjoyment is.’ He seems to be enjoying that decision he made all those
years ago.
“Giggs, Neville
and Zola were on my course. I held my own” “I sought out
mentors so I can see other
perspectives”