OFFICIAL - Feeney goes back to Millwall

Millwall are sticking to their guns in a stand-off with Wanderers over winger Liam Feeney.

Lions boss Steve Lomas is still aiming to invoke a 28-day recall clause to take the on-loan midfielder back to The Den after this weekend.

Feeney had not started a single league game for the London club before his arrival at the Reebok and it is understood he wants to see out the full three months of his loan to in order to earn a permanent deal.

But Millwall are short of wingers after selling James Henry to Wolves and Lomas appears willing to gamble on taking an unhappy player back into the fold after his involvement in Wanderers home game against Ipswich Town on Saturday.

Dougie Freedman said at the end of last week that he was not willing to be bullied into an early deal. But a fee has been agreed between the two clubs, which sources in South London claim is worth up to £350,000 with bonuses, the same fee Millwall paid Bournemouth two-and-a-half years ago.

Feeney has been a hit with the Wanderers supporters and Kevin McNaughton, who arrived on loan from Cardiff on the same week as the 26-year-old, is hoping a deal can be struck after the pair forged an effective partnership on the right flank.

“He’s a natural winger – probably an old style player who just goes at opponents with the ball,” he told The Bolton News.

“My strength is in defending so I suppose we complement each other, but he has worked back well too. That’s made my life a lot easier.

“Trying to back him up is a bit harder. There have been a few times he’s just bombed on and I couldn’t keep up with him.

“But he has been brilliant for us since he came in. He’s direct and has caused people a lot of problems. I have just concentrated on defending.” 

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350k seems cheap to me to be honest but i was just browsing twitter and apparently this would be the "worst 350k we've ever spent" according to someone.

Feeny must have had the worst game of any player ever against wednesday as that is some fall from grace.

Hipster_Nebula wrote:

Feeny must have had the worst game of any player ever against wednesday as that is some fall from grace.

He didn't see all that much of the ball against Wednesday.

He's played well twice, rubbish once so the jury is out. The club would be foolish to spend that sort of money unless they were 100% sure he was a good fit for the team. They should leave it until the end of the 3 months - if Millwall want him back before then so be it.

They've taken him back and there's no intention of buying him so it seems.

That was the nature of the ransom - being pushed into buying him before we had a proper chance to evaluate him. As if.

wanderlust wrote:That was the nature of the ransom - being pushed into buying him before we had a proper chance to evaluate him. As if.

well, hes gone back, so thats that deal not happening now. 

I just don't see why we couldn't part with the money, freedman obviously likes the player, but his fat twat boss was playing the 'we wont be held to ransom' card again. 

Who do you reckon will sign him on a free next season?

Gartside doesn't control the money, unless you mean Davies is the fat twat.

Reebok_Rebel wrote:

wanderlust wrote:That was the nature of the ransom - being pushed into buying him before we had a proper chance to evaluate him. As if.

well, hes gone back, so thats that deal not happening now. 

I just don't see why we couldn't part with the money, freedman obviously likes the player, but his fat twat boss was playing the 'we wont be held to ransom' card again. 

Who do you reckon will sign him on a free next season?

I think the we wont be held to ransom' card is a good card to play, especially as we've been stitched up and had to pay over the odds for crap in recent years. Our reputation for being a soft touch in the transfer market is one of the main reasons we're in the shit now.
Who do you reckon will sign Feeney on a free next season? - Depends on how/if he plays. Maybe nobody will want him and we haven't seen enough of him to know.

Hipster_Nebula wrote:Gartside doesn't control the money, unless you mean Davies is the fat twat.

No, 

Eddie Davies is just a man who cant afford his expensive toy anymore, a club the size of Bolton (and smaller ones) in the championship shouldn't find it remotely difficult to find 300K. About time the fucker called it a day, we said thanks and goodbye and BWFC was put up for sale to somebody that can afford it. 

Gartside controls the money and ensures that regardless of how much money we have, he always gets a sizable bonus in April. 

His attitude towards progression and thus spending is a joke, we are going to league 1 lads, better look forward to it.

wanderlust wrote:

Reebok_Rebel wrote:

wanderlust wrote:That was the nature of the ransom - being pushed into buying him before we had a proper chance to evaluate him. As if.

well, hes gone back, so thats that deal not happening now. 

I just don't see why we couldn't part with the money, freedman obviously likes the player, but his fat twat boss was playing the 'we wont be held to ransom' card again. 

Who do you reckon will sign him on a free next season?

I think the we wont be held to ransom' card is a good card to play, especially as we've been stitched up and had to pay over the odds for crap in recent years. Our reputation for being a soft touch in the transfer market is one of the main reasons we're in the shit now.
Who do you reckon will sign Feeney on a free next season? - Depends on how/if he plays. Maybe nobody will want him and we haven't seen enough of him to know.

so your saying, every player we sign plays a few games for us first before we sign them? 

yes, we have signed crap, but feeney has proven to be a player that fits in and has a place in the team.

He's gone back

Boggersbelief wrote:He's gone back

we know.

Reebok_Rebel wrote:

Boggersbelief wrote:He's gone back

we know.

Feisty

Boggersbelief wrote:

Reebok_Rebel wrote:

Boggersbelief wrote:He's gone back

we know.

Feisty

^ abuse. 

I don't think there are any mods on here.

Doffcocker has targeted me yet nothing is done.

Natasha Whittam wrote:I don't think there are any mods on here.

Doffcocker has targeted me yet nothing is done.

My keyboard and fingers are worth a lot more than yours and the mods know this.

I have to agree with Hipster in that £350k isn't a lot of money, even if he is a one trick pony.

I did see one comment today that said he "wasn't that good" because all he did was "push the ball past someone" and "put a cross in"

Update:

Dougie Freedman has told Liam Feeney that he will remain in his thoughts next summer after he was called back early by Millwall from a three-month loan spell.

The 26-year-old winger is out of contract at The Den next summer and had not played a league game for the London club before being sent out in September.

He made a big impact in his first two full games but after Millwall lost James Henry to Wolves, they tried to force through an early deal with the threat of invoking a 28-day recall clause.

It had been hoped he would remain in place until after this weekend, but with injuries also mounting up for Lomas, the decision has now been taken to bring him back.

A fee had been agreed between the two clubs for January – but Freedman says he is more likely to wait until after his contract expires before looking to sign him again.

“It’s something we can’t affect,” he said. “We had an agreement and Millwall have exercised their option to recall Liam. It’s disappointing but there we go.

“But he’s out of contract in the summer so we will keep an eye on his situation.”

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There is an update to the article from the BEN which can be read below:

Dougie Freedman took a swipe at Millwall for reneging on their deal to loan out Liam Feeney for three months – but believes he will have the last laugh.

The Wanderers boss has been left with a hole on his right wing after the Lions invoked a 28-day recall clause in the contract to take the 26-year-old back to The Den.

Freedman says the London club changed their tune after seeing he had made a big impact at the Reebok in his first two starts and tried to force through a permanent deal ahead of schedule.

But while the Scot admits the loan “backfired,” forcing him back to square one on the right of his attack heading into tomorrow’s home game against Ipswich Town, he now plans to pick up Feeney for nothing next summer after his deal has expire.

“I’m disappointed because the deal was three months, and they insisted we keep him for three months and now they’ve taken him back after 28 days,” Freedman said.

“It’s in the contract and fair enough, it’s in any contract, but this is what happens when you have loan players. You are at the hands of other clubs and it has backfired a bit.

“He did well for us and we wish him luck. I know his contract is up at the end of the season and we’ll be looking at that then.”

It had initially been indicated Millwall would wait until after this weekend to recall Feeney but with injuries mounting ahead of their game at Reading tomorrow the Lions have stuck to the letter of the clause.

Sources close to Feeney said the winger was “gutted” to leave Wanderers and it now remains to be seen how he fares for the rest of the season under manager Steve Lomas, who had not used him in a league game before sending him out on loan.

“When he came here he definitely didn’t have one of those clown smiles, put it that way,” Freedman said. “It was maybe the other way because he wasn’t enjoying his football.

“We brought him here and this group suited him. The way we played suited him.

“He had a couple of games that he was really effective in and I don’t imagine he’ll be running back there.

“Millwall are his parent club and they have called him back. I can’t do a lot about that.”

Freedman has said he will not rush into a replacement signing and ruled out bringing anyone else in before the Ipswich game.

He added: “I could move us forward quicker but when you are making sure the club is on a stable financial footing and trying to make sure it keeps going forward, I’ve never been one just to go out there and get someone just because they are available.

“We’ll go back to the recruitment side and work hard, make sure we get value for money. I think the Bolton fans are starting to appreciate that.”

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