| Luke Freeman & Forest 13:59 - Aug 1 with 2985 views | enfieldargh |
Article of Luke in the Athletic saying that Jokanovic might be the manager to make him shine for Sheff U
Loads of comments from Forest fans saying how cr&p he was so this response from a QPR fan is nice to read
'A lot of Forest fans on here panning him, some respectfully, others less so. With all due respect, Forest is a shambles. It is no surprise to see players falter there when the whole ethos of the club is just to rack and stack players, with no idea of how to actually use their cast of one million footballers. Forest is no club for a footballer to flourish in - if Hefele is anything to go by, it's where players turn up, collect a wage, get ostracised from training, and furnish their pensions.
Richard W states he has a total of 17 goals and 8 assists at Championship Level across his career, which is clearly nonsense and shows a disregard for the facts. A cursory glance at Whoscored.com evidences that, with Freeman posting 16 goals and 22 assists over his three years at QPR, which doesn't even include his time in the Championship with Bristol City.
QPR season ticket holder here, and I can say when he left us his legs hadn't gone. He made 43 appearances in the season before he moved to Sheff Utd and his pressing in midfield was as industrious as ever. Was a whirlwind of energy, pressing, and driving forwards from midfield.
One thing missed by the author of the article is Freeman's position as a LCM in a 4-3-3, with Scowen and Luongo making up the midfield trio. Played this role as a pressing and aggressive CM, who would drive forward and create. It all points to Freeman's tactical versatility, who can play as a wide player on either side, a 10, or an 8.' |  |
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| Luke Freeman & Forest on 20:02 - Aug 1 with 2432 views | rsonist |
https://www.nottinghampost.com/sport/football/football-news/nottingham-forest-mi
Was also playing in pain through much of his time there. Think I read that statistically he was still one of their most creative players by the end of the season though, and Hughton's sides are conservative anyway.
Jokanovic's big strength is he's not a dogmatic coach and quickly figures out what he's got, so should be promising for Luke. They haven't really got another of his type there. |  | | |
| Luke Freeman & Forest on 08:31 - Aug 2 with 1906 views | RBlock |
 That was me, who posted that comment! I got the hump with all those bloody Forest fans slating him and calling him fat. |  | | |
| Luke Freeman & Forest on 08:38 - Aug 2 with 1866 views | gazza1 |
| Luke Freeman & Forest on 20:02 - Aug 1 by rsonist |
https://www.nottinghampost.com/sport/football/football-news/nottingham-forest-mi
Was also playing in pain through much of his time there. Think I read that statistically he was still one of their most creative players by the end of the season though, and Hughton's sides are conservative anyway.
Jokanovic's big strength is he's not a dogmatic coach and quickly figures out what he's got, so should be promising for Luke. They haven't really got another of his type there. |
He played well for us and was an asset but he saw the Premiership dream in his eyes.....sadly he was not good enough even for an average Sheffield United. Went to Forest and whenever I saw him play he never played that well. I, actually, never thought he was good enough for the Premier after a decent couple(??) of Championship seasons in a very average QPR side. Released by Bristol after an average season down there apparently.
IMHO he made the wrong choice leaving the Rangers where he played well and was very happy indeed - I played golf with his Uncle and he said how 'happy' he was here.....but I suppose he made a 'few quid' but, I am sure, he lost a lot of enjoyment. |  | | |
| Luke Freeman & Forest on 08:47 - Aug 2 with 1851 views | CiderwithRsie |
| Luke Freeman & Forest on 08:38 - Aug 2 by gazza1 |
He played well for us and was an asset but he saw the Premiership dream in his eyes.....sadly he was not good enough even for an average Sheffield United. Went to Forest and whenever I saw him play he never played that well. I, actually, never thought he was good enough for the Premier after a decent couple(??) of Championship seasons in a very average QPR side. Released by Bristol after an average season down there apparently.
IMHO he made the wrong choice leaving the Rangers where he played well and was very happy indeed - I played golf with his Uncle and he said how 'happy' he was here.....but I suppose he made a 'few quid' but, I am sure, he lost a lot of enjoyment. |
Sad story really, because I think Warburton and him would have suited each other. | | | |
| Luke Freeman & Forest on 08:59 - Aug 2 with 1803 views | Konk |
Freeman has often talked in the past about how helping out at the Card Factory in Stratford allowed him to decompress and play some of his best football. Because of Covid, he's not really had that opportunity at either Sheff Utd or Forest. Expect to see a return to form now the shops are open again. |  |
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| Luke Freeman & Forest on 09:01 - Aug 2 with 1781 views | gazza1 |
| Luke Freeman & Forest on 08:47 - Aug 2 by CiderwithRsie |
Sad story really, because I think Warburton and him would have suited each other. |
You could be right......who knows but money & fame takes over sadly. The game he played for us against a good Leeds side was such an exceptional performance, he looked as good as Messi that night!!!, and I don't say that lightly. | | | |
| Luke Freeman & Forest on 09:51 - Aug 2 with 1673 views | rsonist |
| Luke Freeman & Forest on 08:38 - Aug 2 by gazza1 |
He played well for us and was an asset but he saw the Premiership dream in his eyes.....sadly he was not good enough even for an average Sheffield United. Went to Forest and whenever I saw him play he never played that well. I, actually, never thought he was good enough for the Premier after a decent couple(??) of Championship seasons in a very average QPR side. Released by Bristol after an average season down there apparently.
IMHO he made the wrong choice leaving the Rangers where he played well and was very happy indeed - I played golf with his Uncle and he said how 'happy' he was here.....but I suppose he made a 'few quid' but, I am sure, he lost a lot of enjoyment. |
It's cool to say "not good enough" isn't it. | | | |
| Luke Freeman & Forest on 10:26 - Aug 2 with 1614 views | 100percent |
| Luke Freeman & Forest on 09:51 - Aug 2 by rsonist |
It's cool to say "not good enough" isn't it. |
Without going into too much detail, Luke has been a frequenter of a couple of my bars over the last four months - not excessively, i hasten to add.
He is such a decent guy - grounded, genuine and very respectful. From the brief conversations I've had with him the following points were very relevant - he loved being at QPR - he said it was his favourite club to play for. he didn't want to leave, but the financial situation at our club meant that they had to cash in on him. he's had a difficult time at Sheff Utd, apparently wilder wasn't the easiest manager to work with. The ensuing chaos at Notts Forest didn't help him out either..
He said he would return to us in a heartbeat - although I doubt that will never happen.
From my personal point of view, I think Luke is a really decent human being - he's also an extremely talented player and even though he no longer frequents the tunnels of the KPFS I wish him every success in the future - apart from against us. |  | | |
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| Luke Freeman & Forest on 10:31 - Aug 2 with 1586 views | rsonist |
| Luke Freeman & Forest on 10:26 - Aug 2 by 100percent |
Without going into too much detail, Luke has been a frequenter of a couple of my bars over the last four months - not excessively, i hasten to add.
He is such a decent guy - grounded, genuine and very respectful. From the brief conversations I've had with him the following points were very relevant - he loved being at QPR - he said it was his favourite club to play for. he didn't want to leave, but the financial situation at our club meant that they had to cash in on him. he's had a difficult time at Sheff Utd, apparently wilder wasn't the easiest manager to work with. The ensuing chaos at Notts Forest didn't help him out either..
He said he would return to us in a heartbeat - although I doubt that will never happen.
From my personal point of view, I think Luke is a really decent human being - he's also an extremely talented player and even though he no longer frequents the tunnels of the KPFS I wish him every success in the future - apart from against us. |
It's almost as though the clubs/coaches/medical departments he's worked under elsewhere may have been the ones "not good enough"... never mind occasions of wrong place/wrong time. | | | |
| Luke Freeman & Forest on 10:43 - Aug 2 with 1556 views | BazzaInTheLoft |
No fan of Forest, Leeds, or Sheffield Wednesday but fck me I get frustrated on their behalf.
Filling the stadium and growing a fan base is 90% of the battle for football league clubs.
Without blowing our own trumpets I truly believe QPR are the model club in terms of process. Can you imagine what those clubs (Leeds finally did it after over a decade of fcking about) with their potentially huge incomes could do if they did the same? |  | | |
| Luke Freeman & Forest on 11:05 - Aug 2 with 1500 views | TacticalR |
Freeman was a bright spark before the emergence of players like Eze and Chair. At times it felt like he was carrying the team. |  |
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| Luke Freeman & Forest on 11:17 - Aug 2 with 1451 views | gazza1 |
| Luke Freeman & Forest on 09:51 - Aug 2 by rsonist |
It's cool to say "not good enough" isn't it. |
What would you like to say???? | | | |
| Luke Freeman & Forest on 11:21 - Aug 2 with 1430 views | gazza1 |
| Luke Freeman & Forest on 10:31 - Aug 2 by rsonist |
It's almost as though the clubs/coaches/medical departments he's worked under elsewhere may have been the ones "not good enough"... never mind occasions of wrong place/wrong time. |
You would think that......you have no idea, clearly he was not good enough for the Premier otherwise he would have played for Sheffield and if not gone to another Premier side, instead he went to Forest and struggled to get a regular game in an average side. You need to get real but I do not think it will happen any time soon !!! [Post edited 2 Aug 2021 11:21]
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| Luke Freeman & Forest on 12:58 - Aug 2 with 1273 views | CiderwithRsie |
| Luke Freeman & Forest on 11:21 - Aug 2 by gazza1 |
You would think that......you have no idea, clearly he was not good enough for the Premier otherwise he would have played for Sheffield and if not gone to another Premier side, instead he went to Forest and struggled to get a regular game in an average side. You need to get real but I do not think it will happen any time soon !!! [Post edited 2 Aug 2021 11:21]
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Well, all we really know is that Sheff U (and specifically Wilder) thought he wasn't good enough, he didn't really play enough to be sure. Managers get things wrong and I'd say many of the best QPR players have been ones other clubs have written off as "not good enough" (that was how we got Eze, for example).
But I do think we are inclined to think that a player who has looked great for us at our level will be good enough for the Premiership.
Even if they are it usually takes time to acclimatise and very often they don't get that because they go to clubs who are at risk of relegation. | | | |
| Luke Freeman & Forest on 13:11 - Aug 2 with 1218 views | Antti_Heinola |
You have to ask why when teams sign demonstrably good players, why they don't work out sometimes. The reasons must be endless, could include things like attitude, player not enjoying their new surroundings, not getting on with the manager etc etc. But plenty of times clubs sign players without any clear idea of how to use them. For all McClaren's faults, he knew exactly how to use Freeman to the best effect, taking him up another level from his admittedly very good form under Holloway. But I think a lot of people wondered how Freeman would fit into Wilder's style, and it appears Wilder didn't have much of an idea of how he was going to use him. It's easy to get lost in the shuffle at Forest, happened to better players than Lukie.
This is what is pleasing about our recruitment over the last year, with players signed to fit specifically into the way Warbs wants to play, or what the team is lacking.
Actually, Luke would still fit into this system, imo, playing in either Chair or Willock's position (not saying he's better, just that he could play there). But I wish he'd gone to Leeds. I think Bielsa would've been great for him. |  |
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| Luke Freeman & Forest on 13:27 - Aug 2 with 1177 views | Match82 |
| Luke Freeman & Forest on 08:38 - Aug 2 by gazza1 |
He played well for us and was an asset but he saw the Premiership dream in his eyes.....sadly he was not good enough even for an average Sheffield United. Went to Forest and whenever I saw him play he never played that well. I, actually, never thought he was good enough for the Premier after a decent couple(??) of Championship seasons in a very average QPR side. Released by Bristol after an average season down there apparently.
IMHO he made the wrong choice leaving the Rangers where he played well and was very happy indeed - I played golf with his Uncle and he said how 'happy' he was here.....but I suppose he made a 'few quid' but, I am sure, he lost a lot of enjoyment. |
You may be right about his ability, but "Average Sheffield United" is a bit harsh, they might be that now but they finished in the top half and were flirting with the top six for most of his first season if I recall correctly. Very unlucky from a timing perspective, was never going to break into a team overachieving by that degree. |  | | |
| Luke Freeman & Forest on 13:52 - Aug 2 with 1126 views | gazza1 |
| Luke Freeman & Forest on 12:58 - Aug 2 by CiderwithRsie |
Well, all we really know is that Sheff U (and specifically Wilder) thought he wasn't good enough, he didn't really play enough to be sure. Managers get things wrong and I'd say many of the best QPR players have been ones other clubs have written off as "not good enough" (that was how we got Eze, for example).
But I do think we are inclined to think that a player who has looked great for us at our level will be good enough for the Premiership.
Even if they are it usually takes time to acclimatise and very often they don't get that because they go to clubs who are at risk of relegation. |
I agree, too true  | | | |
| Luke Freeman & Forest on 13:55 - Aug 2 with 1118 views | gazza1 |
| Luke Freeman & Forest on 13:27 - Aug 2 by Match82 |
You may be right about his ability, but "Average Sheffield United" is a bit harsh, they might be that now but they finished in the top half and were flirting with the top six for most of his first season if I recall correctly. Very unlucky from a timing perspective, was never going to break into a team overachieving by that degree. |
Probably I am being a bit harsh on Sheffield but I didn't think they were really top 6.....fair play to them but reality hit the next season. | | | |
| Luke Freeman & Forest on 14:59 - Aug 2 with 1010 views | kensalriser |
| Luke Freeman & Forest on 13:27 - Aug 2 by Match82 |
You may be right about his ability, but "Average Sheffield United" is a bit harsh, they might be that now but they finished in the top half and were flirting with the top six for most of his first season if I recall correctly. Very unlucky from a timing perspective, was never going to break into a team overachieving by that degree. |
I think the truth is the Blades did well enough and outperformed expectations in that first season that Freeman wasn't able to break in to the team. |  |
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| Luke Freeman & Forest on 15:09 - Aug 2 with 985 views | LazyFan |
I remember when Freeman came to us from Brizzle. He looked overweight and slow, but tactically adept.
Over time he looked like he found his legs (got fit) and could run around all day. He would take the ball and drive upfield with it and then on the wing put the cross in or dribbles then pass it to release a player into a scoring chance.
I think with Freeman you have to build a team around him and play him and play him a lot, before its starts to gel.
At Sheff Utd, when I saw him play on those few occasions, I noticed his own team almost never passed to him. It was quite stark, they would never give him the ball. And when he did get it, he was okay with it in the Prem so it was not the level he was at, but his own players. They really did not pass to him. Something went on there in the dressing room I would guess.
When I saw him play for Florist I saw the old Freeman that we got from Brizzle, slow and leggy. He did not look fit for me. He needs a good run of games and getting himself to a high level of fitness and then he would grace any team in the Champ.
However, on his current wages which are rumoured to be £30K per week, I doubt anyone is gonna take a chance on him. He may come back one day, in the old Uncle for a few years type of way. |  |
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