Douglas to stay?

[mrverve]

I agree that Douglas last season was rubbish but so were the rest of the players. It doesn't change the fact that he is a better player than Ferry or Timlin. I'm sorry but he would get ahead of them every day of the week.

Bangkok, I hope to God your right and we replace him adequately, hopefully Smith can slot in and do what Douglas did. Neither Ferry or Timlin (both players I like) are similar to Douglas, they are very different to him. DV, they don't get stuck in as much as Douglas.

Some people on here have short memories, Douglas was the sort of player this club has needed for years. We were always crying out for a tough tackling midfield player, when he came it was a real coup for us. Leeds fans still rate him highly.

[horlock07]

Didn't someone on here moan when we signed Smith that he was a tough tacking midfielder who picked up bookings....

[Nomoreheroes]

So Douglas 'was' good. But he is on the downward spiral. Who is to say that he would have been good in the minimum timeframe that we could get back to L1 and challenge for Champs. Jonathan Smith on the other hands is a box to box combative player who is on the up.

I'm happy he's gone. I'm happy that they've all gone!

[Benzel]

Which just shows he is still naive benny.The board for all the good stuff they do need to realise the way they communicate through the press is the main outlet and that not all fans are understanding.

Yes, naivety. Exactly. Which is why I see little need to chastise him for it.

I agree with your 2nd sentence. Perhaps he should've learned already from the Robinson saga, but I guess he just wanted to make a good impression on the fans. I've no problem with it. He was told it looked like he was going to stay, he wanted to give the fans the good news - most of us were pretty happy with that - then Dougie (perhaps) went back on his word. We move on.

[Doore]

I hope no-one is complaining about Smith.  Often the relative unknowns are the ones who come good - Cox, Parkin, Austin, Sabin (I jest, but I did love him).  On the other hand, some "bigger" names just don't work out - I remember being vaguely excited when we signed Nalis, and then Nalis Mark II (Prutton).  Lets wait and see...

[yeo]

Well what can I say that hasnt already been said..

Stfc is quite a yucky place these days isnt it.

[london_red]

Douglas was awful last season.

I think he deserved his place at the start of the season the back of the previous season but by December I thought Ferry and/or Timlin should have at least had more of a chance in a 'well they couldnt do any fucking worse' sort of way.

Did they both play away at Charlton?

Yes. Also worth bearing in mind that Timlin excelled at Southend the last time he was playing league 2 football so anyone who wants a proven L2 centre mid there you go.

On the Douglas issue, I never kidded myself that if offered L1 football that wasn't miles away from where he lived he would ever stay. As others have expressed, the way both he and the club led us on into thinking he would stay up until he suddenly was gone leaves a sour taste though.

[mrverve]

What Alan Sheehan wrote on Twitter

sheezdogg Alan Sheehan
Wanna say good luck to my buddy @dougieno4 on his move. Gonna miss him and the family.
9 minutes ago Favorite Retweet Reply

Sounds like Douglas is moving after all. (house)

[Doore]

Yes. Also worth bearing in mind that Timlin excelled at Southend the last time he was playing league 2 football so anyone who wants a proven L2 centre mid there you go.

On the Douglas issue, I never kidded myself that if offered L1 football that wasn't miles away from where he lived he would ever stay. As others have expressed, the way both he and the club led us on into thinking he would stay up until he suddenly was gone leaves a sour taste though.

I'm not sure it does leave a sour taste.  These things happen all the time - say anything to pacify the local press.  If you stay, you were always going to stay and you get lauded for declaring your loyalty.  If you leave, you leave - and your reputation with the fans you leave behind doesn't matter.  We've seen this enough times by now to know that until something is signed (and we see a scarf raised above a head) that nothing should be believed or taken for granted.  

[RobertT]

If Douglas was the player we have been crying out for, for years, why was he part of one of the worst seasons in our clubs history?  Stats, and performances, would suggest he was not exactly what we needed and that other less liked midfielders had probably done a better job in the past.  He was going backwards, literally, as the season wore on.

[Spencer_White]

I think he's still a good player, and the last couple of games he did come out of his malaise and start playing well.

Through the middle of the season he looked depressed in his football. Apparently he is a bit moody and grumpy.

An up shot of this could be that Dave Lucas also leaves, because he is past it. We need a number 1 goalkeeper very badly.

[mrverve]

If Douglas was the player we have been crying out for, for years, why was he part of one of the worst seasons in our clubs history?  Stats, and performances, would suggest he was not exactly what we needed and that other less liked midfielders had probably done a better job in the past.  He was going backwards, literally, as the season wore on.

He was also part of a team that came the closest to getting us into the of 2nd tier of English football in 10 years.

But lets just concentrate on last season. All his fault.

[joteddyred]

I'm not sure it does leave a sour taste.  These things happen all the time - say anything to pacify the local press.  If you stay, you were always going to stay and you get lauded for declaring your loyalty.  If you leave, you leave - and your reputation with the fans you leave behind doesn't matter.  We've seen this enough times by now to know that until something is signed (and we see a scarf raised above a head) that nothing should be believed or taken for granted.  

Is it just me or do we seem to have more than our fair share of last minute letdowns?  Personally I'd rather be moaning about no news than news that subsequently doesn't happen!

[Doore]

Is it just me or do we seem to have more than our fair share of last minute letdowns?  Personally I'd rather be moaning about no news than news that subsequently doesn't happen!

Perhaps we just notice our own more than those that happen to others?  In my experience most football fans feel that everything bad happens to their club.

[RobertT]

He was also part of a team that came the closest to getting us into the of 2nd tier of English football in 10 years.

But lets just concentrate on last season. All his fault.

Yes I will concentrate on last season because it consisted of a lot of games and opportunity to turn his performances around.  He didn't, he got worse.  Parkin played pretty well for us, I wouldn't take him back now because that was in the past.  Douglas' record with us seems fairly consistent with his time at Leeds who were happy to be rid.  He played his part in 2009/10, he didn't in 2010/11 which is a considerably more relevant pointer to his potential form next season.  I can see why he would not have received an offer to good to refuse here.  He did get an offer it seems, just not good enough and I can't blame the club for that.

If he had stayed, I'd have been happy, he's gone and I just think thats life and we'll all move on.  His leaving will not leave a hole, it could have done a year ago.