DOUGIE Freedman believed he could become the best player outside the Premier League, so where DID it all go wrong for Rob Hall?

In less than 10 days the 21-year-old lurched from a substitute used to try to close out the game at Ipswich Town to one deemed surplus to requirement by Neil Lennon and heading to spend the rest of the season in League One with MK Dons.

Within seconds of Hall’s introduction at Portman Road a mistake in possession had gifted the winning goal to Jay Tabb and sent his manager into a fit of fury which would spill over into his post-match comments.

But to say that 11-minute cameo sealed the winger’s fate would only be telling half a story for an unfortunate player who has been caught in limbo almost from his first day at the Macron Stadium.

Winding the clock back exactly two years, Freedman brought Hall in for a loan spell at Wanderers which even his biggest fan would admit did not go according to plan.

The Whites were in form, looking a decent bet for the play-offs going into the final, must-win game against Blackpool. Hall could have few complaints at not getting into a settled team, or a settled team by Freedman’s standards.

His inclusion that afternoon remains a mystery and perhaps the biggest tactical error of Freedman’s time at the club.

Wanderers were 2-0 down when Marvin Sordell was sent on in place of Hall after just 37 minutes. At that stage, Hall’s Bolton career looked like being one of the briefest on record.

Behind the scenes, however, Freedman and the club had worked tirelessly to convince the youngster’s family and representatives that a move up to the North West would be the best thing for his career.

Wanderers had missed out on the play-offs with virtually the last kick of the season but with Hall’s contract up at West Ham, Freedman saw his signature as a major coup in his attempt to rebuild the club from bottom up.

He was even willing to go to the gamble of a tribunal, which set the initial figure at a hefty £450,000 with significant add-ons for each game played.

That not only put instant pressure on Hall to succeed, it placed a burden on the manager each time he selected him.

Nevertheless, Wanderers fans took to him straight away after an electric display against Shrewsbury Town in the Capital One Cup – which also saw the emergence of another of Freedman’s prodigies, Sanmi Odelusi.

“The fans can see Rob Hall has quality and so can I, but with players at that age it’s about working with them every day,” the Scot said after the game. “I’d like to think I’ll be quoted on this in a couple of years – he will be a wonderful player for this football club.

“People say to me that I need players right now, well I know that. But I can’t go and buy a Rob Hall for £4million; I bought him for £450,000. It’ll take time for him to become that player and he will be, but that’s where we are.”

Freedman desperately wanted to make a success of the club’s academy but quickly found himself at odds with the system itself. Ready-made players like Hall, Conor Wilkinson and Hayden White, who were recruited the same summer, merely illustrated how little trust he had in the players coming through at the time.

Hall, an immensely likeable but very much still-maturing young man, was happy to place his trust in Freedman to bring him through.

But as the pressure built and results slid, his chances became frustratingly few and far between. By the end of his first full season, Hall had started 13 games and made another 11 appearances from the bench.

After some encouraging displays in pre-season hopes were high Hall’s career was about to ignite – yet a disappointing performance against Bury in the Capital One Cup saw him drop out of contention again, with Freedman admitting a loan could be the best option.

When Neil Lennon arrived in October the door was open again. Hall made several appearances over the Christmas schedule but never quite fit into a tactical system which was still settling down.

As a traditional winger without the physical presence Lennon required in midfield – Hall made infrequent substitute cameos up until his last, at Ipswich.

At time of writing it is understood Hall has cost Wanderers £650,000, without factoring in wages; a modest return for 16 starts, 18 appearances as a sub, and two goals.

The product of one manager’s philosophy not mixing well with another, Hall will most likely be looking for a new club this summer where regular football is on offer.

But if one thing counts in his favour, at 21, he still has plenty of time to ensure Freedman’s prediction comes true – at Wanderers or elsewhere.