Eddie Yates
Ian Bowyer
The word 'great' is doing some heavy lifting there, he was a good player for us for 1 season whilst we were a middling second division team
Michail Antonio
- Thread starter Gianni_Paladini
- Start date
Colin Addison
First Team Squad
Didn't he say he would be happy to sign for the Shaggers when he was with us?
Statto
Free Kick Specialist
I think they were interested in signing him when he went to West Ham.
Personally I don't hold too much relevance on things like that though. Plenty of players and indeed managers have represented both clubs and if you're not a fan of either club you won't really be that bothered about it.
Footballers play the game to make money and don't have the same allegiances (or in this case don'ts) than we would. If Derby were ever interested in him when he played for us, that would be considered a step up in footballing terms (like it or not they challenged for the play offs much more between the end of the Davies eras and us getting promotion) and because they were spending money like it was made by Swizzels at the time they could probably offer him more as well. Most professionals in their walk of life would take either.
In a sense they do have to go for a big move when they can because they could always be one incident away from it all ending or being unable to get back to the level they were. That could be an injury issue or in his case a car accident from which he appeared to be lucky to survive. Plus from their perspective a bigger club might not come back in for him again. Would a big club look at MGW this season?
Master Yates
Stuart Pearce
thick as a Boxing Day turd
Alpha Fail
Jack Burkitt
Can’t find the article on the FFT website to link it (and Jesus Christ what has that magazine become online? Absolute shitscape) but via Apple News Antonio has had this to say about leaving Forest:
“He explained: "All I wanted for my entire career was to get to the Premier League, but Dougie Freedman was the Forest manager – he had the same agency as me, and kept telling me and the agency that he’d help me to get out.
"I believed him - but then I found out West Brom had put a bid in and the club had turned it down.
"Then West Ham came in and Forest weren’t answering their calls. I said, 'Look, you’re not answering any calls, I’m one of the lowest-paid players at the club, either double my wages or let me go – I don’t mind playing in the Premier League on less money, because my dream is to get there'.
"They couldn’t increase my wages because they were under an embargo, and [Freedman] kept blaming the owner Fawaz [Al Hasawi], saying he didn’t want to let me go. But Fawaz needed the money to get out of the embargo, so I just thought ‘I’m pretty sure [Fawaz] wants to sell me.’”
“One day, I went into the training ground and was like, 'Gaffer, West Ham are going to put a bid in today and I need you to accept it'.
"Later, as I was about to go home for the day, Fawaz walked in and I said, 'Mr Chairman, can I have a chat? Dougie, Fawaz is here, we might as well have a meeting together now'.
"Dougie had a face of thunder. I found out he was blocking the deal because he couldn’t sign anyone and I was his best player. He was trying to stop my dreams, for himself.
"Later, I sent him a long text saying, 'If I’m at this club, don’t tell me any tactics, don’t talk to me, I’ll be out on that pitch playing for myself – you won’t be my manager, I’ll be out there managing myself'.
"Within two days I was at West Ham."”
Excerpt From
““Dougie Freedman was blocking my transfers, so I texted him that he wasn't my manager I’d be playing for myself. Within two days I was at West Ham" Michail Antonio on dark arts that got him his Premier League move”
Steven Chicken
FourFourTwo
apple.news
This material may be protected by copyright.
Yeah mate, it was all about Dougie. Not the club or the fans or winning being his bloody job
Should be fine pasting that as it’s nothing but a quote.
“He explained: "All I wanted for my entire career was to get to the Premier League, but Dougie Freedman was the Forest manager – he had the same agency as me, and kept telling me and the agency that he’d help me to get out.
"I believed him - but then I found out West Brom had put a bid in and the club had turned it down.
"Then West Ham came in and Forest weren’t answering their calls. I said, 'Look, you’re not answering any calls, I’m one of the lowest-paid players at the club, either double my wages or let me go – I don’t mind playing in the Premier League on less money, because my dream is to get there'.
"They couldn’t increase my wages because they were under an embargo, and [Freedman] kept blaming the owner Fawaz [Al Hasawi], saying he didn’t want to let me go. But Fawaz needed the money to get out of the embargo, so I just thought ‘I’m pretty sure [Fawaz] wants to sell me.’”
“One day, I went into the training ground and was like, 'Gaffer, West Ham are going to put a bid in today and I need you to accept it'.
"Later, as I was about to go home for the day, Fawaz walked in and I said, 'Mr Chairman, can I have a chat? Dougie, Fawaz is here, we might as well have a meeting together now'.
"Dougie had a face of thunder. I found out he was blocking the deal because he couldn’t sign anyone and I was his best player. He was trying to stop my dreams, for himself.
"Later, I sent him a long text saying, 'If I’m at this club, don’t tell me any tactics, don’t talk to me, I’ll be out on that pitch playing for myself – you won’t be my manager, I’ll be out there managing myself'.
"Within two days I was at West Ham."”
Excerpt From
““Dougie Freedman was blocking my transfers, so I texted him that he wasn't my manager I’d be playing for myself. Within two days I was at West Ham" Michail Antonio on dark arts that got him his Premier League move”
Steven Chicken
FourFourTwo
“Dougie Freedman was blocking my transfers, so I texted him that he wasn't my manager I’d be playing for myself. Within two days I was at West Ham" Michail Antonio on dark arts that got him his Premier League move — FourFourTwo
Michail Antonio spent ten years at West Ham, but had to resort to a bit of hardball to make the move happen
apple.news
Yeah mate, it was all about Dougie. Not the club or the fans or winning being his bloody job
Should be fine pasting that as it’s nothing but a quote.
Homesick Alien
Jack Burkitt
This is just what footballers do so I don't think we should be surprised.
Of course it feels a bit more personal though when it's your own club and we'd all happily pay them for the privilege of putting on the garibaldi.
Of course it feels a bit more personal though when it's your own club and we'd all happily pay them for the privilege of putting on the garibaldi.
Eddie Yates
Ian Bowyer
YeAH bUT iz KiCkkin A kAt woRsArA ttHaN RAcEIzm
The bloke is a f***ing idiot, can't stand him
The bloke is a f***ing idiot, can't stand him
Statto
Free Kick Specialist
That sounds like this to me:
- The club needed money, obv as we were in um bongo
- The player had interest from a PL club
- The club also didn't want to lose a star player
so
- Antonio wanted to leave
- Fawaz wanted to sell but Dougie didn't
- Dougie didn't want to talk about it
- Antonio forced the issue
- The club got 7m for a player who got his PL move
Sounds pretty standard and unsurprising really
Captain Sinister
Senior doom Monger
And at that time our Club was in the clutches of a spoiled rich kid, and the whole set up was a disaster.
It must have been pretty hellish for Michail.
Let's not forget what a terrific player he was for forest.
He was an awesome, powerful, scorer of amazing goals.
I thoroughly enjoyed watching him in the Garibaldi, and it was obvious to the fans attending the games he was destined for better things.
Chairman Mo
Viv Anderson
MA should issue a public 'thank you' to DF for preventing him from having to play for WBA or live in West Bromwich
Alpha Fail
Jack Burkitt
Trying to find this on the website there seemed to be a few recent “…needless to say, I had the last laugh” stories all culled from one interview, because clicks.
Templeton
Viv Anderson
So basically Antonio is selling a story about a manager that wanted the best for the team he was managing, that being not wanting to selli his best player. Not sure how that makes him a victim in the story.
Master Yates
Stuart Pearce
Apparently he told his driving instructor something similar
Project Zeus
Steve Chettle
I'm not really sure what he's aiming for saying all this. He comes across as a right bellend.Can’t find the article on the FFT website to link it (and Jesus Christ what has that magazine become online? Absolute shitscape) but via Apple News Antonio has had this to say about leaving Forest:
“He explained: "All I wanted for my entire career was to get to the Premier League, but Dougie Freedman was the Forest manager – he had the same agency as me, and kept telling me and the agency that he’d help me to get out.
"I believed him - but then I found out West Brom had put a bid in and the club had turned it down.
"Then West Ham came in and Forest weren’t answering their calls. I said, 'Look, you’re not answering any calls, I’m one of the lowest-paid players at the club, either double my wages or let me go – I don’t mind playing in the Premier League on less money, because my dream is to get there'.
"They couldn’t increase my wages because they were under an embargo, and [Freedman] kept blaming the owner Fawaz [Al Hasawi], saying he didn’t want to let me go. But Fawaz needed the money to get out of the embargo, so I just thought ‘I’m pretty sure [Fawaz] wants to sell me.’”
“One day, I went into the training ground and was like, 'Gaffer, West Ham are going to put a bid in today and I need you to accept it'.
"Later, as I was about to go home for the day, Fawaz walked in and I said, 'Mr Chairman, can I have a chat? Dougie, Fawaz is here, we might as well have a meeting together now'.
"Dougie had a face of thunder. I found out he was blocking the deal because he couldn’t sign anyone and I was his best player. He was trying to stop my dreams, for himself.
"Later, I sent him a long text saying, 'If I’m at this club, don’t tell me any tactics, don’t talk to me, I’ll be out on that pitch playing for myself – you won’t be my manager, I’ll be out there managing myself'.
"Within two days I was at West Ham."”
Excerpt From
““Dougie Freedman was blocking my transfers, so I texted him that he wasn't my manager I’d be playing for myself. Within two days I was at West Ham" Michail Antonio on dark arts that got him his Premier League move”
Steven Chicken
FourFourTwo
This material may be protected by copyright.“Dougie Freedman was blocking my transfers, so I texted him that he wasn't my manager I’d be playing for myself. Within two days I was at West Ham" Michail Antonio on dark arts that got him his Premier League move — FourFourTwo
Michail Antonio spent ten years at West Ham, but had to resort to a bit of hardball to make the move happen
Yeah mate, it was all about Dougie. Not the club or the fans or winning being his bloody job
Should be fine pasting that as it’s nothing but a quote.
Professor Wolfgang Schnell BSc. PhD.
Fulchester United
But does Eddie still think he's a prick?
Eddie Yates
Ian Bowyer
Yep, Eddie knows he's a prick
His pathetic attempt at justifying Kurt Zuma's kicking of an innocent defenceless cat across the room confirms this
TrickyTree101
Viv Anderson
He is picking up so many injuries, big risk for any club to take him on. He should retire before more damage is done, but maybe he still needs the money to buy a new car !
Otis Redding
Try A Little Tenderness
I was unaware of him trying to defend the hopelessly indefensible Eddie. He's gone down in my estimation as a person. Shameful.