DARREN FREEMAN believes his achievements at Whitehawk should have earned him more time to turn things around – and not the sack.
The Skrill South club parted company with the former Brighton striker on Thursday by “mutual consent” after nearly five years in charge, a claim the manager laughed off last night.
Freeman, 40, took the Hawks from the Sussex County League to Step 2 in the space of four years, and in the process he became the club’s most successful manager ever.
But he has been sacked after the Ryman Premier champions’ poor first half to the season. They sat fifth from bottom of the division, just a point outside the drop zone, after last weekend’s 4-0 loss to Chelmsford City.
Freeman says the events have “killed him” – despite accepting the team had under-performed this term.
He told The NLP: “I am really, really disappointed. It’s not mutual consent, I have been fired. I categorically deny that I’m a quitter, I’ve not got it in me.
“We have had four years and eight months of great success. Three promotions and one play-off defeat in that time isn’t bad going. I take a lot of pride in my record here so this has devastated me.
“I think because of my record I deserved more time. There’s no question that I would have kept the team up. It was a new division to me, I needed bedding-in time but I’ve not been given that. We were getting players back from injury and we were starting to turn a corner.
“The owners put in their money and they are entitled to spend it how they wish, but I think my backroom team and I deserved better.”
Freeman is planning to get straight back in to football – and says his CV stands up.
“I would like to think I have a chance of another job, and I don’t want to sit around and sulk for too long,” he added.
“I live for winning promotion. I did it as a player at Brighton, Brentford and Fulham and I’ve won three at Whitehawk.
“I’m a 23-hour-a-day manager, I live for my job and it’s a shame it’s ended like this. It’s been a special journey, but now I’ve got to look forward to the start of another one.”
