It's all in the mind, says Freedman
2:20pm Friday 22nd February 2013 in Sport By Marc Iles
DOUGIE Freedman insists belief is the key if his Wanderers side are to bounce back to winning ways against Hull City tomorrow.
Despite extending an unbeaten run to three games at Derby on Tuesday night, there has been a distinct air of disappointment around the Reebok in the last few days as the manager reflected on yet another surrendered lead.
Wanderers have squandered 26 points from winning positions this season – a total that would put them three points ahead of Steve Bruce’s promotion-chasing Tigers.
But Freedman refuses to be downbeat about the current situation, which sees the Whites drifting in limbo four points above the drop zone and 12 from the top six, with a game in hand.
“I’m not frustrated because I know what the answer to the problem is,” he said. “We have just got to keep believing in what we are doing, it’s as simple as that.
“We have got a decent squad and a few different shapes we can play in now, which I think will help us. We have good options to win games.
“So it isn’t a case of not knowing where we are going. I just think we need one or two results to go our way and it will take the momentum with us.”
Freedman has the option of recalling Marcos Alonso after suspension and is also likely to rotate his front line after admitting that David Ngog and Craig Davies had tired in the last half an hour at Pride Park.
Hull arrive having won four of their last five games and boasting the Championship’s second-best away record, behind Gianfranco Zola’s Watford.
Bruce’s side look a good bet for a Premier League return three years after they dropped out of the top flight but Freedman does not think there is a huge quality gap between his own side and those currently vying for top spot.
“We were committed, we had a good game-plan, but we need to develop a winning mentality,” he said. “There is not a lot in the games at the moment – even against the Championship teams up the top.
“Something that has to be looked at is that we are taking the lead in these games, and we are giving ourselves a chance. It’s a whole team thing, so I am not going to sit and blame the defence because I think they have coped very well over the last couple of games with teams throwing everything at us.
“Getting rid of that survival mode in a team that has been relegated is very difficult. We need to learn to go on and win games, to kill games off.”
click2find
