I assume (and assume is the keyword for this and every other What why how come such and such player this or that thread) is that we sign players because the management think they are good and can do a job for us...and sometimes they find that is not the case. Sometimes they may be embarrassed or disappointed about it and see no point in making that public for them or the players, especially if they want to offload them. I agree that it is certainly a bit dim for Rob to tell us we should stop mithering about the players in the team we support, as the job of every football forum worth the name (of which we all know the Gasroom is, of course, the creme de la creme*) is surely identifying The Players(s) who will secure promotion and then demanding to know why we did not buy them. The meanderings of our owner promising promotion, new loos, a new road or telling me to keep my nose out of transfers in interviews to fill out our exclusive club content I always take with a pinch of ready salted though.
*And having looked at a lot of other forums...I am not joking when I say the Gasroom is up there with the best. Like Scowen easy on the eye, crunching in the tackle and cut from quality materials. (Unlike the club shirts it seems.)
Freeman didn't start any of those 3 matches you have mentioned and played a grand total of 24 minutes combined.
It's an absolute myth that he started the 21/22 season well at RWB. He may have been having a good game against Lincoln before the injury, but that's the extent of his 'impressive' performances at wing back.
He's been here 7 years and still never fully established himself. Guess it's up to him if he wants to stay as an adequate option off the bench every now again or drop down to League 2 / National League and see if he can become a more influential part of a team.
Yep, the great at wing back thing is a strange memory. At best he can exist there, but we need specialists really.
And that is probably his big problem. He's never created this specialist position but he can fill in here and there decent and have 20min decent spells.
Wycombe Sound have an interview with Nick on their show this week - would seem a bit strange to do that if he was off, especially as they work a lot more collaboratively with the club now.
Nick was playing really well against Lincoln and I was surprised to see him subbed. He hardly gets any game time and yet they value him enough to keep him around. It can't just be sentiment. Who can tell what goes on?
When Obita signed I think we all assumed it was an upgrade on JJ or at the very least the successor to king of the left hand side of defence. 3 years later the fact that JJ would probably be selected ahead of Obita probably speaks volumes. I guess it comes down to contract cost and whether MB believes Obita can be JJ's successor or whether there are better options out there now. He's about the only player out of contract that I am ambivalent about.
Thank God someone else rational has arrived on the scene. I thought I was going crazy. Freeman hasn’t played any league games at wing back from what I remember. I remember the Leicester friendly. And he was massively overrated that day against a disinterested Leicester side. Pendlebury and Scowen dominated their midfield and that sums up how poor Leicester were. Can’t make any decisions on Freeman based on that sample.
If freeman stays on I’ll be pleased. I don’t want to come across like a total hater. He’s a good option - as the final throw of the dice in a game we’re losing 2-0. A valuable member of the squad as he seems comfortable being that rotation option - few will be as good as Freeman in that capacity.
Sorry but he’s a crap option at 2-0 down. Probably the last player I’d pick to come one when we need something remarkable to get back into a game from behind. I’d rather shove a centre back up front at 2-0 down.
Freeman is a decent option because he can plug a gap anywhere in attacking midfield and do a reasonable job. That’s handy when we’re ahead and suffering from tired legs, or need to rotate the squad against weaker sides.
He has also been useful under Gaz where the football sometimes became a bit too frantic. At times he was able to bring a bit of control and get us in clean possession. I doubt that will be as relevant next season because we seem to have too much tidy possession and not enough direct play.
By far his best weapon is a genuine ability to play with either foot. He’s best when isolated against a fullback in a position close to the box because you can more or less guarantee he’ll drop a shoulder one way or the other and stand up a ball at the back post. But that’s only any good if we can win the ball, carry it up the pitch and force their defence back in the first place, none of which he is especially adept at.
That was my thought process too. I certainly hope that’s the case anyway.
Previous seasons we seem to have gone for the ‘day in the office’ approach but with other players signing on already it would surely send a poor message to anyone who didn’t have such talks.
He’s recommending him, rather than suggesting he’s off, Gab’s always the first to admit he doesn’t have any inside info on such things. He’s also said he’d be a good fit for Hartlepool in a similar response to another fan.
Sometimes the problem with Gasroom Summer for me is a lot of it is spent slagging off our players (love the guy...great servant...but...). As is traditional - I hope to be proved wrong...
I can’t recall who made the comment that Nick Freeman didn’t in fact play in those matches in August before he incurred the ACL injury which ended his season (? @Croider ) and I wasn’t able to find the lineups against Accrington, Wigan and Cheltenham.
I wouldn’t have been at the Wigan or Cheltenham away games in any case so, unless he played against Accrington, I seem to have been been suffering from false memory syndrome and I apologise for seeking to justify on dubious grounds Nick’s claim (or rather my claim on his behalf) to be a worthy right wingback.
I would like to see him get an extended run in that position, nonetheless.
I would love to see Freeman start in place of Campbell on Sunday. As stated above he is comfortable on both feet, can beat his man on either side, deliver a good cross and score a goal.
I would be really worried for Nick if he doesn’t start against Portsmouth. It’s also worth noting that he was arguably our MOTM vs Lincoln despite being subbed on 52 mins, an extraordinary decision by Blooms
Big back page splash and photo in today’s BFP about some guy (said to be the dreaded Liam Sercombe’s double) who, surprisingly, has made the most appearances for Wycombe this season. Quite an achievement.
Couple of the usual tut tut bits in the article. Freeman ages from 26 to 27 in the course of it and “JMac” is quoted, perhaps erroneously, as saying “He was also really bubbly despite having all this happen to him, so we couldn’t be *more happier* for him”. Ugh.
We all see particular players in different ways and I completely understand it when @Malone, for example, questions Nick’s stamina or his ability to play as a wingback. @Malone is a good Gasroom mate whose judgment and no-nonsense common sense are second to none. As a former player himself he has more insight than most of us.
But I did rather resent the implication (by one of Nick’s harshest and most longstanding critics) that my own views are irrational.
MB: “Any team that represents me will represent high tempo and intensity.”
So far I’ve seen no evidence to support this claim. But I’m hoping it is an indication we’ll get back to a high press and quick transitions next season.
I can see why (some) people think we might be able to improve on Nick with someone who can hold down one specific role as a first choice but the bpf stats (if correct) show him as a useful utility player alongside being a steadying influence and a cultured if not prolific crosser and passer.
There's a danger in chasing decent players away, if we suddenly sign 5 greats then fair enough but I'm sure the market won't be easy and I remember a few clear outs that have backfired , Adams and Sanchez least successfully probably.
Comments
Why didn’t we retain AAH2?
“The Gasroom really should stop being so interested in the squad” RC
I assume (and assume is the keyword for this and every other What why how come such and such player this or that thread) is that we sign players because the management think they are good and can do a job for us...and sometimes they find that is not the case. Sometimes they may be embarrassed or disappointed about it and see no point in making that public for them or the players, especially if they want to offload them. I agree that it is certainly a bit dim for Rob to tell us we should stop mithering about the players in the team we support, as the job of every football forum worth the name (of which we all know the Gasroom is, of course, the creme de la creme*) is surely identifying The Players(s) who will secure promotion and then demanding to know why we did not buy them. The meanderings of our owner promising promotion, new loos, a new road or telling me to keep my nose out of transfers in interviews to fill out our exclusive club content I always take with a pinch of ready salted though.
*And having looked at a lot of other forums...I am not joking when I say the Gasroom is up there with the best. Like Scowen easy on the eye, crunching in the tackle and cut from quality materials. (Unlike the club shirts it seems.)
@BlueBoy i would interested to know whether Curtis missed out because of injury on Saturday or just didn’t make the squad?
Doesn't sound promising for Thompson if he truly hasn't heard a whisper by this time of the year.
Unless he just did not want to say anything about it to a random stranger?
Freeman didn't start any of those 3 matches you have mentioned and played a grand total of 24 minutes combined.
It's an absolute myth that he started the 21/22 season well at RWB. He may have been having a good game against Lincoln before the injury, but that's the extent of his 'impressive' performances at wing back.
He's been here 7 years and still never fully established himself. Guess it's up to him if he wants to stay as an adequate option off the bench every now again or drop down to League 2 / National League and see if he can become a more influential part of a team.
Yep, the great at wing back thing is a strange memory. At best he can exist there, but we need specialists really.
And that is probably his big problem. He's never created this specialist position but he can fill in here and there decent and have 20min decent spells.
Believe he also started the League Cup game at Exeter that year at WB and did pretty well before injuries meant formations went out of the window
Wycombe Sound have an interview with Nick on their show this week - would seem a bit strange to do that if he was off, especially as they work a lot more collaboratively with the club now.
Nick was playing really well against Lincoln and I was surprised to see him subbed. He hardly gets any game time and yet they value him enough to keep him around. It can't just be sentiment. Who can tell what goes on?
Would love to see what everyone else does in Freeman, just can't, and never really have
When Obita signed I think we all assumed it was an upgrade on JJ or at the very least the successor to king of the left hand side of defence. 3 years later the fact that JJ would probably be selected ahead of Obita probably speaks volumes. I guess it comes down to contract cost and whether MB believes Obita can be JJ's successor or whether there are better options out there now. He's about the only player out of contract that I am ambivalent about.
A "fact" can't be "probably" can it?
The real fact is that JJ has had a long spell starting at left back as Obita has had a classic mysterious unspecified injury layoff.
When he was fit, he'd start every game.
Thank God someone else rational has arrived on the scene. I thought I was going crazy. Freeman hasn’t played any league games at wing back from what I remember. I remember the Leicester friendly. And he was massively overrated that day against a disinterested Leicester side. Pendlebury and Scowen dominated their midfield and that sums up how poor Leicester were. Can’t make any decisions on Freeman based on that sample.
While football is all about opinions, the Freeman hype always seemed a little odd to me.
I think it's just about expectations. Our traditional top players like Scowen, Vokes etc, we have certain expectations.
With Freeman they are way lower, so the magical glide, or smoothness of his style in short bursts makes you want more.
But when he does play for longer periods or longer runs of games, those special moments just reduce.
However, all this said, I don't think there's any reason he needs culling. Playing in 50 or so games this season is a strong contribution.
Others should definitely make way before him if it's a numbers game.
If freeman stays on I’ll be pleased. I don’t want to come across like a total hater. He’s a good option - as the final throw of the dice in a game we’re losing 2-0. A valuable member of the squad as he seems comfortable being that rotation option - few will be as good as Freeman in that capacity.
This is it.
We all want a couple of gamechanger attackers to come in. But they'll cost, so we need some value option reliable squaddies who can step in.
Gab Sutton on Twitter suggesting Curtis Thompson could be off to Grimsby.
Sorry but he’s a crap option at 2-0 down. Probably the last player I’d pick to come one when we need something remarkable to get back into a game from behind. I’d rather shove a centre back up front at 2-0 down.
Freeman is a decent option because he can plug a gap anywhere in attacking midfield and do a reasonable job. That’s handy when we’re ahead and suffering from tired legs, or need to rotate the squad against weaker sides.
He has also been useful under Gaz where the football sometimes became a bit too frantic. At times he was able to bring a bit of control and get us in clean possession. I doubt that will be as relevant next season because we seem to have too much tidy possession and not enough direct play.
By far his best weapon is a genuine ability to play with either foot. He’s best when isolated against a fullback in a position close to the box because you can more or less guarantee he’ll drop a shoulder one way or the other and stand up a ball at the back post. But that’s only any good if we can win the ball, carry it up the pitch and force their defence back in the first place, none of which he is especially adept at.
That would have been my next question but he moved on, sorry.
That was my thought process too. I certainly hope that’s the case anyway.
Previous seasons we seem to have gone for the ‘day in the office’ approach but with other players signing on already it would surely send a poor message to anyone who didn’t have such talks.
He’s recommending him, rather than suggesting he’s off, Gab’s always the first to admit he doesn’t have any inside info on such things. He’s also said he’d be a good fit for Hartlepool in a similar response to another fan.
Sometimes the problem with Gasroom Summer for me is a lot of it is spent slagging off our players (love the guy...great servant...but...). As is traditional - I hope to be proved wrong...
I can’t recall who made the comment that Nick Freeman didn’t in fact play in those matches in August before he incurred the ACL injury which ended his season (? @Croider ) and I wasn’t able to find the lineups against Accrington, Wigan and Cheltenham.
I wouldn’t have been at the Wigan or Cheltenham away games in any case so, unless he played against Accrington, I seem to have been been suffering from false memory syndrome and I apologise for seeking to justify on dubious grounds Nick’s claim (or rather my claim on his behalf) to be a worthy right wingback.
I would like to see him get an extended run in that position, nonetheless.
I would love to see Freeman start in place of Campbell on Sunday. As stated above he is comfortable on both feet, can beat his man on either side, deliver a good cross and score a goal.
I would be really worried for Nick if he doesn’t start against Portsmouth. It’s also worth noting that he was arguably our MOTM vs Lincoln despite being subbed on 52 mins, an extraordinary decision by Blooms
Big back page splash and photo in today’s BFP about some guy (said to be the dreaded Liam Sercombe’s double) who, surprisingly, has made the most appearances for Wycombe this season. Quite an achievement.
Couple of the usual tut tut bits in the article. Freeman ages from 26 to 27 in the course of it and “JMac” is quoted, perhaps erroneously, as saying “He was also really bubbly despite having all this happen to him, so we couldn’t be *more happier* for him”. Ugh.
We all see particular players in different ways and I completely understand it when @Malone, for example, questions Nick’s stamina or his ability to play as a wingback. @Malone is a good Gasroom mate whose judgment and no-nonsense common sense are second to none. As a former player himself he has more insight than most of us.
But I did rather resent the implication (by one of Nick’s harshest and most longstanding critics) that my own views are irrational.
https://www.bucksfreepress.co.uk/highwycombe/23502836.matt-bloomfield-planning-wycombes-future-next-season/
MB: “Any team that represents me will represent high tempo and intensity.”
So far I’ve seen no evidence to support this claim. But I’m hoping it is an indication we’ll get back to a high press and quick transitions next season.
Certainly hope so, as it was the complete opposite of that last Saturday
I can see why (some) people think we might be able to improve on Nick with someone who can hold down one specific role as a first choice but the bpf stats (if correct) show him as a useful utility player alongside being a steadying influence and a cultured if not prolific crosser and passer.
There's a danger in chasing decent players away, if we suddenly sign 5 greats then fair enough but I'm sure the market won't be easy and I remember a few clear outs that have backfired , Adams and Sanchez least successfully probably.