Am I the only one...

[Jam_Man]

Freedman according to Soccerbase:

Played 11 (1 sub) Scored 5.

So nearly a 1 goal every 2 games.

Sorry Grays Blue jnr, you obviously have some sort of dislike for him but the fact 9 out of 10 people disagree with you speaks volumes...

 

[chapperzUK]

Freedman according to Soccerbase:

Played 11 (1 sub) Scored 5.

So nearly a 1 goal every 2 games.

Sorry Grays Blue jnr, you obviously have some sort of dislike for him but the fact 9 out of 10 people disagree with you speaks volumes...

We have scored 14 goals when he has been on the pitch.

 

[Beefy]

and what exactly did he get stick for? poor passing? poor crossing? giving away possesion by trying to take people on and getting tackled. looking lazy.

funny how he got stick, but freedman gets none yet he is guilty of the same things gower got stick for

That doesn't mean that Freedman should get stick. It means that we have a fair few utter twonks supporting our club who wouldn't know a class player if he played for us for five years and scored ten goals in the Championship.

Freedman and Gower are comparable players because they both have far more ability than most players at this level, neither spend ninety minutes sprinting around with little effect (Freedman due to his age and Gower due to a chronic back problem which many fans conveniently overlooked every time they screamed at him for being lazy) and both are not afraid to try playing the killer ball even though three times out of four it won't come off and the fans will call them "f**king useless".

 

[Beefy]

i said he is a good player to have around, but people treat him like he is the best player we've ever had!!!

You keep saying this and did in the last thread about this too. And yet you've never once pointed to a single example of a single Southend fan claiming it or anything like it. Making your point completely null and void.

 

[C'mon you Shrimpers]

he's the sort of player that Tilly will be urging the younger players to watch and learn. He's complete class. On his way out of course due to age and injury and that is why he is with us, but pure class. We're lucky to have him IMHO.

 

[toellandback]

OK just to clarify a couple of things GBj.

As far as i know the reason Freedman isn't wearing a white shirt this year is due to the length of contract he wanted, not the wage demands. We weren't prepared to give him two or three years and he wouldn't uproot his famly for a years contract. Hardly a money grabber...

I will repeat what i said earlier i think his biggest problem is that he hasn't really been fully fit all year, he has been playing when he perhaps shouldn't due to your form. Lets not forgot a couple of weeks ago you were going to be relegated and people wanted Tilly out. Perhaps he has been making himself avaliable to help his manager and the team when he should have been rested.

Last year he played in a team that played to his strengths and that had pace all around him. People like Beckford and Howson improved playing with him and did alot of his running. He is an ageing striker who, for me, would get into most teams in this league. He will not out-pace many defenders but he will out-fox a good few. I have seen a handfull of Southend games and in those you look a better team for having him play. I thought that at the start of the season you lacked abit of guile in the middle and this is what he will bring. Perhaps he is playing in the wrong position and he should be in centre midfield as the creative player?

PS. I was interested in the debate and thought you were doing well until you started talking up Lee Trundle. He really is slow, fat and lazy. I don't think he does half as much behind the scenes as Dougie, fancy a swap?

 

[toellandback]

isn't exactly slow, but his technical ability is top notch. he has very quick feet and his speed of thought is impressive. over the last few seasons he has been forgotten (maybe he's past it) but the season we were promoted from league 2 he was incredible and easily ran eastwood close as to who was the best striker in the division at the time

He is past it :thumbdown:

 

[Perth Bambi]

OK just to clarify a couple of things GBj.

As far as i know the reason Freedman isn't wearing a white shirt this year is due to the length of contract he wanted, not the wage demands. We weren't prepared to give him two or three years and he wouldn't uproot his famly for a years contract. Hardly a money grabber...

I will repeat what i said earlier i think his biggest problem is that he hasn't really been fully fit all year, he has been playing when he perhaps shouldn't due to your form. Lets not forgot a couple of weeks ago you were going to be relegated and people wanted Tilly out. Perhaps he has been making himself avaliable to help his manager and the team when he should have been rested.

Last year he played in a team that played to his strengths and that had pace all around him. People like Beckford and Howson improved playing with him and did alot of his running. He is an ageing striker who, for me, would get into most teams in this league. He will not out-pace many defenders but he will out-fox a good few. I have seen a handfull of Southend games and in those you look a better team for having him play. I thought that at the start of the season you lacked abit of guile in the middle and this is what he will bring. Perhaps he is playing in the wrong position and he should be in centre midfield as the creative player?

PS. I was interested in the debate and thought you were doing well until you started talking up Lee Trundle. He really is slow, fat and lazy. I don't think he does half as much behind the scenes as Dougie, fancy a swap?

I agree whole heartedly and I would green rep you if you wern't a leeds fan.

 

[MK Shrimper]

I agree whole heartedly and I would green rep you if you wern't a leeds fan.

It's ok, I took the pain for you Bambi. :dizzy:

 

[Perth Bambi]

It's ok, I took the pain for you Bambi. :dizzy:

Ta. It is easier for you, you never had to live there.

 

[mattytheshrimper]

couldn't agree more with the original post. people just automatically think he's great for us because of his past. fair play he's got a great record in the lower leagues and i was so excited when we signed him. thought he was all the answers to our problems. but whenever i watch him (when he's rarely fit) his movement is terrible and barely breaks a sweat.

sure he's busy barking out the orders but is it something of a coincidence that we've been winning without him?

whilst he's busy strolling in the park i think he's really letting all the other players down. everyone around me in the south upper praise about how good and classly he is but i truly cannot see it. past his sell by date imo. as ever i hope to be proved wrong and see him go on and score 20 plus goals this season.

 

[GBJ]

TBH i was as excited as everyone when he first signed. i and i totally thought it would be brilliant for the youngsters aswell as our results and i totally agree having him behind the scenes can't be bad.
however, over the last few games (3-4) i've seen him play i have been far from impressed and have begin to wonder what it is he actually does to warrant a starting place and near on a full match. in all honesty i haven't got a grudge against him truly respect his career, but to me it does seem as though people rate him far too highly and don't want to say a bad word against him. as i've stated several times if "joe bloggs" played for us and he had some nice touches, some nice flicks, the occasional through ball but also lost control too easy, had no pace, was constantly injured, never fully fit (as some people claim) and was barking out orders to others around him, then "joe bloggs would be slated". however IMHO dougie does these things and no-one wants to acknowledge it. we have seen the likes of sankofa, francis, walker even clarke and barrett get highly criticised over the course of the season for their contribution and mistakes they make
as i've said i have no grudge against him, i have no bad feelings toward him and of course i want him to propell us up the league, but he has not produced anything like we expected. IMO (when all our strikers are fit) he does not warrant a starting place, but maybe a run out at the end where he could be more effective.

 

[Perth Bambi]

but he has not produced anything like we expected. IMO (when all our strikers are fit) he does not warrant a starting place, but maybe a run out at the end where he could be more effective.

What did you expect from a 34 year old at the end of his career? Are you honestly tellling me you expected him to be running all over the place. Maybe he wont play every game when all our strikers are fit, in fact I would be very surprised if he plays everygame when all our strikers are fit but the fact of the matter is they aren't and very rarely are, and wont be for a long long time.

 

[GBJ]

What did you expect from a 34 year old at the end of his career? Are you honestly tellling me you expected him to be running all over the place. Maybe he wont play every game when all our strikers are fit, in fact I would be very surprised if he plays everygame when all our strikers are fit but the fact of the matter is they aren't and very rarely are, and wont be for a long long time.

no but i totally expected him to be a lot better than what he has been. he has been terrible in the last few games. fair enough he has crossed a ball for a goal. scored 1, but apart from that he hasn't done anything to really impress.

 

[Perth Bambi]

no but i totally expected him to be a lot better than what he has been. he has been terrible in the last few games. fair enough he has crossed a ball for a goal. scored 1, but apart from that he hasn't done anything to really impress.

Ok in that case what was it you expected off him? I am not having a go, I am interested in what you expected. Also were you around when Goater played for us?

 

[GBJ]

Ok in that case what was it you expected off him? I am not having a go, I am interested in what you expected. Also were you around when Goater played for us?

yes i've been going up the hall for 14 years this year and remember majority of our strikers. i thought goater was by far the better striker, but that is probably because he was a great foil for eastwood who was the best striker in the division.
anyway freedman, when he first signed i expected
more goals - 5 ? i like many others were expecting more. maybe not 25+ but maybe 14-15. after all he is one of the best in this division apparently
more fitness - he's always injured or "not fully fit", "60%, 70%" did we really expect the amount of injuries he's had
workrate - i expected him to show more workrate on the pitch (which in my opinion is quite low) fair enough he saves his energy for the right moment, but does thast warrant 90 mins? hence my point of the last 15-20 mins.
encouraging the youngsters - this is a grey area. a lot of people will say he is. to me it comes across as he put some players on edge. this effects their game. I.E. francis against crewe. mousse against crewe.
and the last (maybe a bit too optimistic) but i hoped he would be the perfect foil (a la the goat) for either barny or laurent. but as it's worked out i now feel our best 2 are laurent and revs

 

[Kris]

couldn't agree more with the original post. people just automatically think he's great for us because of his past. fair play he's got a great record in the lower leagues and i was so excited when we signed him. thought he was all the answers to our problems. but whenever i watch him (when he's rarely fit) his movement is terrible and barely breaks a sweat.

What are you on about? His movement is fantastic. He constantly makes runs and drops off his man to make himself available for a pass. It's not his fault if the service into him is crap, which it undoubtedly was in his last outing against Crewe.

The fact is he remains our top goalscorer despite his lack of games, which tells you everything. Sometimes I really don't know what fans want. The likes of Harrold and Revell get criticism for running about a lot but not scoring, yet when we do sign a natural goalscorer he gets berated for not running about a lot. As many others have pointed out, if a player has both of these qualities they wouldn't be playing at this level.

 

[GBJ]

What are you on about? His movement is fantastic. He constantly makes runs and drops off his man to make himself available for a pass. It's not his fault if the service into him is crap, which it undoubtedly was in his last outing against Crewe.

The fact is he remains our top goalscorer despite his lack of games, which tells you everything. Sometimes I really don't know what fans want. The likes of Harrold and Revell get criticism for running about a lot but not scoring, yet when we do sign a natural goalscorer he gets berated for not running about a lot. As many others have pointed out, if a player has both of these qualities they wouldn't be playing at this level.

why has he only scored 5 goals then? surely " a natural goalscorer" with "fantastic movement" would score more at this level if he's proved it at a higher level

 

[Kris]

Five goals in 11 games is a very decent ratio and better than anyone else at the club.

 

[GBJ]

just seen some of the negative rep some people have given me for my views on freedman. hahaha have you nothing better to do? haha get a life!!! i'm all for people having a decent dabate, but... well it's just laughable some of the utter crap given against me. to be fair im not bothered about whether i've got positive or negative rep, especially if it's because my opinion does not fit in......
anyway i've digressed again!