Preston manager Darren Ferguson has launched an astonishing attack on Reds boss Mark Robins and the club as a whole after Iain Hume was recalled back to Oakwell this evening.
After watching his side suffer their second successive 3-0 defeat at Coventry this afternoon and the fact The Reds have netted just four goals on their travels this season Robins moved swiftly to recall Hume from his loan spell at Deepdale where he has scored twice in six starts.
This though has infuriated the Lillywhites boss Ferguson who believed he was all set to sign Hume on a permanent basis and had instructed his chairman to arrange a fee with his Barnsley counterpart Patrick Cryne.
Ferguson told his own club’s website:
"The situation when we signed Iain on loan was that they had in the contract a clause that they could take him back after a certain time,. "The chairman tried to sign him this week and tried to agree a fee but they then mentioned one of our players going the other way in a straight swap and we agreed to that but they pulled the rug on it on Friday.
"This was after I had told the player involved in the swap player he could go. That then meant not only did they upset one player but then last night they rang Iain and told him they wanted to take him back, so they have upset two of my players!
"They either want a player - and they were the ones who brought it to my attention - or they don't and you don't change your mind 24 hours later.
"They are now saying that they want to take Iain Hume back on Thursday and we will have to try and fight until then to get the deal done.
"Iain doesn't want to go back but if they are adamant he is contracted to Barnsley and there is nothing we can do, which is a massive disappointment. I have not been happy with the way Barnsley have conducted themselves at all.
"We will also have Jon Parkin suspended next week, which means we could have our two forwards who started today not available which would be a big blow. We have to get on with it; it is no-ones fault. We had to rush Iain in to get it done and they were adamant they wanted the stipulation put in place but the way they have gone about it is rubbish really."
Hume is due back at Oakwell on Thursday and could go straight into the squad for the TV game with Hull next Saturday.