Freeman gone...

[LoughboroBlade]

So the club need to offload players who are not playing. They offload a player and then get criticised for it. Who said about damned if you do .....

It's come as a huge shock to the system this. Where were the warnings, other than twice weekly suggestions this would happen in our manager's press interviews?

 

[Billyblade]

Has he shagged Adkins Wife?

Noticed you "liked" my post Kieran.
So, have you?

 

[Rodley]

It's come as a huge shock to the system this. Where were the warnings, other than twice weekly suggestions this would happen in our manager's press interviews?

The guy who rings up and suggests Brayford as right wing and Freeman as right back will be on Football Heaven again. The stage is set for his big moment!

 

[SUFC Guy]

Another gone. Good news for us even though he is an adequate squad player. The more that leave = the greater chance of us getting more in that will fill the critical areas - right back is not a problem for us.
CB, CM, LW (and poss CF if we are greedy) is all we need.

Just 4 more signings please

 

[SwissBlade]

But what's that got to do with Freeman going? It's a separate point.

Hang on... Yep just checked. It was your good self that brought up Flynn being cover for Brayford at right back. Hence my direct response to that separate point

 

[Rodley]

Hang on... Yep just checked. It was your good self that brought up Flynn being cover for Brayford at right back. Hence my direct response to that separate point

What that Flynn shouldn't be played at centre midfield? How is Freeman leaving material to that?

 

[Bladepicker]

I don't think anyone is saying we don't need to reduce the playing squad or ship people out - I just think those who are disappointed would have expected that to apply to other players rather than Freeman, who was one of our better players in the first half of the season and could cover both left and right back as well as the wing.

 

[west_yorks_blade]

Not particularly happy about this. He had played well when called upon and is a good utility defender, with a bit of pace and a willingness to go forward and overlap. He will do well there.

Surely there are many players above him on the prioritised 'waste of space' list?

 

[SwissBlade]

What that Flynn shouldn't be played at centre midfield? How is Freeman leaving material to that?

Do I have to explain twice?

You said Flynn could replace Flynn at right back
I said he won't because more recently Flynn has been preferred at centre mid...

Now for the killer part... This being the case, we don't have right back cover do we.

 

[William Henry Foulkes]

Why is he a 'non squad player' - of course he is part of the squad. If Brayford get's injured or suspended he would be automatic cover - he can even do a job on the wing. Disappointed we have loaned him out.

He's not been in the match day squad for weeks and Adkins has said twice in interviews that he hopes he wants to play football.

He's clearly surplus to requirements.

Part of a plan to free up wages and slim down and strengthen the squad.

Cover? Probably Flynn.

 

[Grappler]

Not particularly happy about this. He had played well when called upon and is a good utility defender, with a bit of pace and a willingness to go forward and overlap. He will do well there.

Surely there are many players above him on the prioritised 'waste of space' list?

Agreed.

 

[Rodley]

Not particularly happy about this. He had played well when called upon and is a good utility defender, with a bit of pace and a willingness to go forward and overlap. He will do well there.

Surely there are many players above him on the prioritised 'waste of space' list?

Problem with that is if the opposition have scouts with any ability, they'll realise a lot of the crap we've signed in the last 2 years is (a) mediocre, and (b) on wages no-one can match out of the Championship. Can't see the queue being big!

 

[Treeton Blade]

Fair enough, but slightly concerned at who plays RB if Brayford gets injured. Bear in mind Flynn's injury record for the past 2 years makes pretty bleak viewing.

Can Dan Burn play right back??

 

[pommpey]

We're building a pretty fine squad at Portsmouth.

Yup

I'm off to Fratton this weekend to watch most of Utd play Pisspoor Athletic in the Tampon Trophy.

Come on your Red and White Jamrags!

pommpey

 

[Mouth of the South]

I don't get the uproar about this one - admittedly more on Twitter than on here.

Even though it could be argued that worse players remain at BDTBL (seemingly to the annoyance of quite a few), Freeman is essentially a player not currently in the match day 18 who won't get a game unless Brayford is unavailable. Even then it's questionable whether he'd be selected over others (e.g. Flynn, Basham) although I do get the point about lack of natural cover.

He may do well in L2 (that is probably his level) and good luck to him.

From Utd's perspecitive, he's another one off the payroll (albeit temporarily and likely to be <100% of his salary being covered) who IMO isn't good enough for a side hoping for promotion from L1 this season or next. If those resources are directed to other options i.e. a smaller number of better players, then that's ok with me.

 

[sheffielder]

Can't believe people are moaning about a second string right back going, when we need to reduce squad numbers to bring some players in. A player who can't get into the 18 and just sat in the stands..

 

[Smirth]

I don't get the uproar about this one - admittedly more on Twitter than on here.

Even though it could be argued that worse players remain at BDTBL (seemingly to the annoyance of quite a few), Freeman is essentially a player not currently in the match day 18 who won't get a game unless Brayford is unavailable. Even then it's questionable whether he'd be selected over others (e.g. Flynn, Basham) although I do get the point about lack of natural cover.

He may do well in L2 (that is probably his level) and good luck to him.

From Utd's perspecitive, he's another one off the payroll (albeit temporarily and probably not 100% of his salary will be covered) who IMO isn't good enough for a side hoping for promotion from L1 this season or next. If those resources are directed to other options i.e. a smaller number of better players, then that's ok with me.

Basham is awful at right back. Flynn is decent but has lots of injury problems. It just seems nonsensical to loan out a player who is a decent league 1 full back on either side of the pitch.

I'm not outraged by it, just bemused at the sense behind it. Adkins seems to be making a few strange decisions of late, this one included, which I can't quite get my head around.

 

[Rodley]

Do I have to explain twice?

You said Flynn could replace Flynn at right back
I said he won't because more recently Flynn has been preferred at centre mid...

Now for the killer part... This being the case, we don't have right back cover do we.

I dont think playing 20 minutes out of position precludes a player covering elsewhere (particularly somewhere where he's done a job in the past).

Seems a fairly abstract criticism that we now can't consider Flynn as RB cover.

 

[sheffielder]

Just for those people who are shitting themselves that Brayford might get injured and what would we do. What about Sharp?

 

[Sheffsteel]

So the club need to offload players who are not playing. They offload a player and then get criticised for it. Who said about damned if you do .....

I also couldn't understand Roygivs logic. Our squad is massive but Blades still insist we need more players.

Surely offloading players might mean we have incoming players lined up. Maybe or maybe not.

But surely offloading squad players is a positive?

 

[EddieColquhoun]

Can't believe people are moaning about a second string right back going, when we need to reduce squad numbers to bring some players in. A player who can't get into the 18 and just sat in the stands..

When we don't win, there are posts such as "ferk em all off except Beard and Billy".
Then when any players head out of the door (including Kennedy, Wallace, Freeman and even Higgopotamus!!!) there is uproar on here.

 

[Deleted member 1486]

We can't – it's a standard loan to the end of the season, rather than an emergency loan where a recall clause applies. For standard loans the only recall is if it's season-long and the player is recalled in the midseason window

This has been bugging the shit out of me on Football Manager (why I can only sometimes recall a loaned player). Good explanation!

 

[Deaneandagana]

Seems a sensible & obvious decision to get rid of Freeman, not in the match day 18, a bang average lower league player who has proved just that by going to a L2 club.

Perhaps the reason we are staring at a 6th consecutive season in this wretched division is down to having a squad full of bang average lower league players.

 

[Large Mendonca]

It's a gamble, that's for sure. I just hope Brayford stays fit as i don't have that much confidence in Flynn's fitness either.

Yeah of course there are players we ideally would get rid of before Freeman, but no-one wants those players for a reason...........

 

[BushBlade]

At his age he needs regular first team football which he isn't going to get with us whilst Brayford is fit.
It leaves us potentially short at RB but Flynn can cover short term and if Brayford gets another long term injury then we'll have to use the loan market, if we're still in with a fair chance of the playoffs. I'm fairly sure we can find a RB who is decent going forward and a bit crap at defending. We might even find one who can defend a bit too.

 

[LoughboroBlade]

I think Freeman is a good example of poor spending/planning on our part. I actually think he's a reasonable player at this level and has had a few good games for us. But he's likely on what's likely to be a Championship wage as a reserve for a position where there's only one going that's a luxury frankly. Some say he gives us options at left back – we already have three!

Of course Brayford could get injured again for a bit, or suspended, or whatever. We'll have to manage that if and when it comes, but it's not as though we have no reasonable options at all. Cutting the overall squad while upping the quality of the first XI is a good goal in my opinion. Albeit we're all still waiting for the latter part to happen...

 

[HeCanDoMagic]

We need to get rid of all the players that aren't going to be part of the nucleus of the team for the next 3/4 years.

 

[Jim Chimmerney]

We can always go 3-5-2

 

[Blade58]

"Ruthless" was a word I used in a previous thread about what this club needs to be and ruthless it remains

We all accept we're not good enough. We all know the players that aren't getting games for whatever the reason. We need a big clear out

I no longer sit back and look at these players and think mmm we ought to really hang on to him, you never know, we might need him. Sorry, they've had their chances, it's time to get shut and wipe the slate clean and if that means starting with Freeman then so be it. The likes of Scougs, Flynn, Higdon, Harris etc aren't cutting it, that's the simple truth

Imo, we need the big clear out to allow Adkins a proper chance to prove his worth, then there can be no excuses if he fails

 

[Roygbiv]

Not fussed on this one. Flynn is adequate cover and we've got the best RB in the league.

Because we loaned out a non-match-day-squad player?

Nothing to do with the player himself going but the fact we can't get either him or McNulty back shows that trying to get rid of players is the key ambition this season. I'm not necessarily saying this is a bad thing but I think it's pretty clear what the major aim is this season. If we can get promotion then great but getting rid of players is what we have decided is much more important. Long term this may be the best thing