Freedman ends his two and a half year reign as part of the backroom staff after having originally been given the assistant manager's job towards the end of the 2009-10 season when Palace were threatened by the prospect of relegation. He then took over as manager after a forgettable few months under George Burley and was able to steer us to safety for the third time in his footballing career.
Last season, despite a poor finish, the Freedman led the Eagles to a stunning Carling Cup run, which saw them see off Manchester United in the quarter-finals only to lose on penalties after a brave performance in the second leg at Cardiff. A great start to the season has seen Freedman become one of the most coveted managers in the Championship. With only 3 months left to run on his Palace contract, Dougie has decided to make the trip up north to start a new chapter in his managerial career.
The news still comes as quite a shock. Freedman, a club legend, seemed like he was in it for the long run. He was rebuilding Crystal Palace and had just started to assemble his own team in the style that he wanted in order to take the club in the right direction.
When the rumours emerged, most Palace fans laughed it off and I, for one, thought that there was literally a zero percent chance of him leaving us. You always do get a bit worried though when rumours are flying around but Freedman put us all at ease when he said, only last Saturday after the Millwall game, that he wasn't the type of person who leaves a job unfinished. It was all done and dusted when CPFC 2010 rejected a move for him...or so we thought. Just hours later, the board stunned everyone by accepting an improved offer after Freedman had pleaded them to accept. Everyone's red 'n' blue world was turned upside down and no one could believe what was going on. I'm sure that most people still thought that he would stay but when Steve Parish confirmed that his 'obsession for the Premiership' had made him accept Bolton's offer, it had become a reality.
Football really is a strange thing as I've never met Dougie nor have I ever even spoken to him but him leaving Palace felt like my best mate had run off with my girlfriend. I'm sure others may have felt similarly as the CPFC BBS - the main Crystal Palace forums, have gone crazy with claims that Freedman is the biggest traitor the club has ever seen and is no longer a club legend. For me he will always be a Palace legend but for the time being, I'll be hoping that Bolton have a terrible season so he realises what a mistake he has made.
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