Djordjic lifts lid on Pool exit

Bojan Djordjic has lifted the lid on a row with Blackpool manager Ian Holloway that occurred shortly before he left the club by mutual consent.

Former Rangers and Plymouth midfielder Djordjic - who was once a highly-rated young prospect with Manchester United - joined the Seasiders in the summer on a two-year contract with an option of a one-year extension, but failed to break into Holloway's first-team plans and has now been linked with a return to Argyle. The 29-year-old Serbian-born Swede was released on Monday without a first-team appearance to his name at Bloomfield Road, hours after he was substituted before half-time in the 2-1 reserve win over Manchester City. "The manager accused me of moaning and took me off," Djordic told Abu Dhabi newspaper The National. "I moan, but in a constructive and not a negative way. Players have to be able to take criticism, it's a man's game. You have to be mentally strong. "Sometimes having a brain doesn't do you any favours in football. As a player, you are expected to be quiet and nod your head, that's what 95 per cent of players do. If you're honest and speak out, you get punished for it. I'm guilty of speaking my mind, but I have to live like this to live with myself." Djordjic, who previously played under Holloway with Plymouth, added: "I thought it would be different with Holloway this time, but it wasn't. "I'm a free agent and looking for a new club. I'm in good shape."