The Dolman Pragmatist Posted October 23, 2016 Report Share Posted October 23, 2016 I thought he was excellent yesterday, and is improving all the time this season. I hope that by the end of the season he will have proved to the doubters that he is undoubtedly at home in the Championship. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr Balls Posted October 23, 2016 Report Share Posted October 23, 2016 Freeman is not up to it at this level. Joe played in more crosses in 15 mins from the same position than Freeman managed in 80 minutes. Both Taylor Moore & Joe looked more threatening when they came on and both are clearly able to play with both feet. Our strongest line up doesn't include Luke. Put Joe in front of Scott Golbourne & you beef up the midfield as well. On the right side you could put any number of players in front of Matthews but ideally someone who can tackle back. Playing 4231 we need the wide players in the 3 to cover back to make the midfield line of 4. Allows Tomlin & Tammy to stay up/not have to defend. We need to look to sell Freeman in January. I am sure someone will come in for him & he will find his level again back as a top player in League 1. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robbored Posted October 23, 2016 Report Share Posted October 23, 2016 12 hours ago, rednotblue said: I can't get my head around why not Goldbourne at left back and Bryan Left Mid/Left Wing Surely more solid at the back and offer more going forward? Lots of us have been saying that since LJ "tinkered" with the left side. The question is why? He must have had a theory as to why he did/does it that was lost on us fans. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JoeAman08 Posted October 23, 2016 Report Share Posted October 23, 2016 I'd just put O'Dowda on the left. He hasn't looked too sharp either so far but he's clearly got talent. I know Freeman isn't old but he's had 50+ games at this level and still hasn't figured it out. I'll let my 1.5m signing learn on the go. You'll get some poor games but I imagine you'll get a few outstanding ones. Think with Freeman you only get average to below average displays like yesterday. He wasn't very good but no one really was. Give me the youth and pace. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BCFC Grim Posted October 23, 2016 Report Share Posted October 23, 2016 I thought he was the only looking player looking to do anything in the first half. ( not hard as we were awful) That being said, he really isn't making an impact at this level and has been giving numerous chances. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Davefevs Posted October 23, 2016 Report Share Posted October 23, 2016 I thought Freeman was 6/10 yesterday....only GON, Korey and Hordur got 7s from me. He wasn't poor. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
petehinton Posted October 23, 2016 Report Share Posted October 23, 2016 Think people forget he's only 24. Bobby Reid is lauded on here as having so much potential and given much more leeway for bad games as 'still learning' yet he's only a year younger. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Londoner Posted October 23, 2016 Report Share Posted October 23, 2016 1) He hasn't got pace 2) He doesnt have a shot on him 3) He doesn't have tricks 4) He doesn't beat people 5) He doesn't score goals He is a weak link, 1 or 2 good games this season, but for us to really push on we need better players. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CityCiderEd Posted October 23, 2016 Report Share Posted October 23, 2016 1 hour ago, petehinton said: Think people forget he's only 24. Bobby Reid is lauded on here as having so much potential and given much more leeway for bad games as 'still learning' yet he's only a year younger. I'd take Bobby Reid over Freeman any day of the week.Can beat a man,always looks to go forward and has scored a few as well.The reason I think he gets a bit more leeway than Freeman is because it's only LJ thats really played him regularly and obviously rates him.I don't dislike Freeman but he hasn't really shown that he can cut it in the championship but it's all about opinions. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lanterne Rouge Posted October 23, 2016 Report Share Posted October 23, 2016 I like Luke and really believe he will come good but sadly I don`t think it will be with us. I think the comparison with him and Bobby comes down to the fact that whereas Bobby seems to be progressing, Luke seems to be going backwards (with the odd flash of what we know he`s capable of). It`s sad to see really after we all had such high hopes after promotion that he at least would one of the certainties to make the step up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LondonBristolian Posted October 23, 2016 Report Share Posted October 23, 2016 What worries me a bit about Freeman is that, whilst his game is very nearly there and he just needs to improve his delivery and decision-making to be a top Championship player, that's been the case for a year now and - whilst there are glimmers of hope such as Fulham away in the league - he doesn't really seem to be improving. I think it's quite telling that, in the League Cup game at Fulham, Freeman had way more of the ball than O'Dowda but the two occasions O'Dowda managed to get forward and get the ball in the box both led to goals but, for all his effort and endeavour, Freeman seldom didn't produce anything that led to a goal and little that led to a real chance. I really like Freeman. He's exciting to watch, was utterly pivotal in the most enjoyable season I can remember and I cannot fault his workrate or commitment but there is a real question mark as to whether he can learn what he needs to learn to be a great player in this league. As Red Right Hand says above, it might be that he ultimately makes his mark elsewhere but I am starting to wonder whether - not unlike Cole Skuse a couple of years back - he's hit a wall in terms of his development with us and a fresh start might be the thing he needs. I'd be very sad to see him go though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Brent Posted October 23, 2016 Report Share Posted October 23, 2016 People expect him to be as threatening in this league as he was in League One. When he doesn't beat his man (his man being a vastly better defender) and score or assist he's called poor. He can, and frequently does, beat his man. He is a very good player, he doesn't often give the ball away and he's a very important part of our squad. We get it after every game and it's boring. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LondonBristolian Posted October 23, 2016 Report Share Posted October 23, 2016 1 minute ago, Libertine1 said: People expect him to be as threatening in this league as he was in League One. When he doesn't beat his man (his man being a vastly better defender) and score or assist he's called poor. He can, and frequently does, beat his man. He is a very good player, he doesn't often give the ball away and he's a very important part of our squad. We get it after every game and it's boring. He frequently beats his man for sure and I'd absolutely agree that he's great at keeping possession in the middle of the pitch. Literally my only issue with him is the quality of his final ball - it's just unfortunate that this is perhaps the single most important quality for the position he's playing in. He might get there, and it has to be said that wingers are frequently inconsistent and those that aren't tend to be at Premier league clubs, but it is essential he improves on this if he's going to develop and help us as a team. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Portland Bill Posted October 23, 2016 Report Share Posted October 23, 2016 6 hours ago, Robbored said: Lots of us have been saying that since LJ "tinkered" with the left side. The question is why? He must have had a theory as to why he did/does it that was lost on us fans. Well he "tinkered" with it a lot more yesterday, Freeman and Patterson swapped sides after 20 mins, Patterson went to the left side. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Portland Bill Posted October 23, 2016 Report Share Posted October 23, 2016 19 hours ago, Aipearcey said: The problem today was that he doesn't have a right foot and as soon as defenders realise this(or already knew in Williams case) then they know keep him outside and they're safe. Far more effective playing on the left wing in my opinion We had exactly the same from Patterson when he went to the left, meaning that for an hour of the game we had two wide men who 'always' cut inside, giving us no width at all. This is something that is starting to bug me re LJ, surely he can see that it's easy to defend against?. Is it any wonder that Blackburn were able to defend narrow and stop/block every attack or shot we had. If we are going to play with width ( we always look a far better side with it) then put round pegs in round holes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robbored Posted October 23, 2016 Report Share Posted October 23, 2016 4 minutes ago, Portland Bill said: Well he "tinkered" with it a lot more yesterday, Freeman and Patterson swapped sides after 20 mins, Patterson went to the left side. I guess LJ is trying to work out a system that's other teams haven't seen City use before. He's very aware that since Colin's tactics at Cardiff worked so well against us and QPR and Blackburn essentially used the same method that he needs to find a system that nullifies it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aaron-Bcfc Posted October 23, 2016 Report Share Posted October 23, 2016 5 hours ago, petehinton said: Think people forget he's only 24. Bobby Reid is lauded on here as having so much potential and given much more leeway for bad games as 'still learning' yet he's only a year younger. Age doesn't matter as much as game experience in my opinion. Bobby has played less than half the games Freeman has in his career, so despite being a year younger he's probably 2/3 seasons behind. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chairman Mao Posted October 23, 2016 Report Share Posted October 23, 2016 5 hours ago, petehinton said: Think people forget he's only 24. Bobby Reid is lauded on here as having so much potential and given much more leeway for bad games as 'still learning' yet he's only a year younger. Bobby Reid is miles better than Freeman. Creates chances, scores goals, gets in good positions, Freeman is too slow, the tempo of play sags badly when he is on the ball more often than not Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LondonBristolian Posted October 23, 2016 Report Share Posted October 23, 2016 2 minutes ago, Chairman Mao said: Bobby Reid is miles better than Freeman. For me, the major factor is that I don't have to try to hard to think of games where Reid has directly influenced the scoreline. Just had a look at the City website and it's 4 goals, 1 assist and 9 shots (all on target) versus 1 goal, 0 assists and 3 shots (all on target). I know Reid has played a bit more than Freeman but not *that* much... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RedM Posted October 23, 2016 Report Share Posted October 23, 2016 Weirdly I think he's been better since he cut his hair, looks lively and more positive in most games than the whole of last season put together. Ok, that's not too difficult but he's not got worse, he has improved. I looked at the players who started the match yesterday and wondered, apart from Tammy, where the goals were in the team. Tomlin & Patterson maybe, but apart from that it wasn't evident. Freeman has never scored at AG, Flint has not got going yet (after Christmas is his time apparently), I didn't know how Korey would play, and well just about everyone else looked more defensive than attacking. So, it's not just Freeman's fault basically! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LondonBristolian Posted October 23, 2016 Report Share Posted October 23, 2016 2 minutes ago, RedM said: Weirdly I think he's been better since he cut his hair, looks lively and more positive in most games than the whole of last season put together. Ok, that's not too difficult but he's not got worse, he has improved. I looked at the players who started the match yesterday and wondered, apart from Tammy, where the goals were in the team. Tomlin & Patterson maybe, but apart from that it wasn't evident. Freeman has never scored at AG, Flint has not got going yet (after Christmas is his time apparently), I didn't know how Korey would play, and well just about everyone else looked more defensive than attacking. So, it's not just Freeman's fault basically! Totally agree on that. I think we need to get 2 goalscorers in January (even if it's loans before we make permanent signings at the end of the season). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lanterne Rouge Posted October 23, 2016 Report Share Posted October 23, 2016 As I`ve said many times, I`m a fan of Luke but I fear he may have reached his `Cole Skuse` moment where to kick on he needs a fresh challenge. I also find it interesting that there`s been no talk of a new contract since his current one expires in the summer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Portland Bill Posted October 23, 2016 Report Share Posted October 23, 2016 1 hour ago, Robbored said: I guess LJ is trying to work out a system that's other teams haven't seen City use before. He's very aware that since Colin's tactics at Cardiff worked so well against us and QPR and Blackburn essentially used the same method that he needs to find a system that nullifies it. It would be nice to have a wide man who has the ability to go past someone on the outside.We look easy to defend against at the moment, teams can defend as narrow as they want ( Blackburn and Cardiff did, I didn't see the QPR game so can't comment) because our wide men just come inside. Tammy must pray for the day he will get balls played in from the byline, Imagine how many he could score if we had a winger/wide midfielder with the ability to go past a full back and get balls in across the 6 yard line. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lanterne Rouge Posted October 23, 2016 Report Share Posted October 23, 2016 3 minutes ago, Portland Bill said: It would be nice to have a wide man who has the ability to go past someone on the outside.We look easy to defend against at the moment, teams can defend as narrow as they want ( Blackburn and Cardiff did, I didn't see the QPR game so can't comment) because our wide men just come inside. Tammy must pray for the day he will get balls played in from the byline, Imagine how many he could score if we had a winger/wide midfielder with the ability to go past a full back and get balls in across the 6 yard line. We have. The trouble is he plays left back more often than not. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AshtonGreat Posted October 23, 2016 Report Share Posted October 23, 2016 On 19/10/2016 at 05:59, Portland Bill said: We have got a Swedish international striker, obviously not fit at the moment it seems. I would imagine he's pretty decent! 2 hours ago, Libertine1 said: People expect him to be as threatening in this league as he was in League One. When he doesn't beat his man (his man being a vastly better defender) and score or assist he's called poor. He can, and frequently does, beat his man. He is a very good player, he doesn't often give the ball away and he's a very important part of our squad. We get it after every game and it's boring. Good post. He's an excellent player to have in our squad, and has looked good whenever I've seen him start Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Dolman Pragmatist Posted October 23, 2016 Report Share Posted October 23, 2016 7 hours ago, Londoner said: 1) He hasn't got pace 2) He doesnt have a shot on him 3) He doesn't have tricks 4) He doesn't beat people 5) He doesn't score goals He is a weak link, 1 or 2 good games this season, but for us to really push on we need better players. The problem with that is that none of it is true. He does all those things. I've seen him and so, I suspect, have you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Londoner Posted October 23, 2016 Report Share Posted October 23, 2016 7 minutes ago, The Dolman Pragmatist said: The problem with that is that none of it is true. He does all those things. I've seen him and so, I suspect, have you. So does every single professional footballer....but at this level he has none of the above....and whether you like it or not, the evidence has been in the past 15 months. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Portland Bill Posted October 23, 2016 Report Share Posted October 23, 2016 34 minutes ago, Red Right Hand said: We have. The trouble is he plays left back more often than not. Very true. The problem is that LJ sees that as his best and future position. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lanterne Rouge Posted October 23, 2016 Report Share Posted October 23, 2016 1 minute ago, Portland Bill said: Very true. The problem is that LJ sees that as his best and future position. I know and in my view it`s a waste of a talent. We lose so much attacking threat with him being LB. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Davefevs Posted October 23, 2016 Report Share Posted October 23, 2016 Freeman has done 'alright' this season. He hasn't had any shockers like last season, but unfortunately he hasn't had any brilliant ones. He's become a 6/10 (just) player - which isn't what you want in a creative player. I'd still persevere with him, he is playing better than last season. He's not first choice, but none of our wide players have done enough this season to be automatic picks. Paterson is showing most and coupled with Bryan would be my choice right and left. Joe slides a lovely cross in at pace, that Tammy would thrive on, or an advancing midfielder like Reid at Rotherham. Paterson was sloppy first half yesterday, but he has good feet and I'm excited by the little I've seen so far. That's not to say Freeman or O'Dowda won't get game-time, LJ will pick on merit, whoever is in possession of the shirt has a chance to steak acclaim to be first pick. Wonder how bad Freeman's injury was yesterday? And finally, he can take a mean corner. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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