Steve Tilson admitted that Dougie Freedman was handed a opportunity that was too good to turn down, after he was named as assistant manager at Crystal Palace this week.
It was a move that all came about this Tuesday, which saw Freedman have his contract with Southend United cancelled by mutual consent, and one that Tilson believes could now be the start of Freedman's career in management.
Tilson knows all about Freedman's affiliation with Crystal Palace and when it comes to offering advice on the management front, he believes there isn't too much to tell the Scotsman that he wouldn't already know.
"It was an opportunity for Dougie to go back to a club where he knows the fans and they appreciated all the good work he did on the field," Steve told southendunited.co.uk.
"Dougie was meant to be playing in the reserves for us on Tuesday and he phoned me on the morning and said that he had an opportunity to go and talk to Crystal Palace, which he did and got the job.
"It really came about that quick.
"It was a great opportunity for him to go back and hopefully, start a long career in management
"In terms of advice, all I would say is that at the end of the day as long as you give your all, as Dougie did on the pitch, then that is all you can do.
"You have to be honest with your players, but I probably wouldn't be telling him anything that Dougie doesn't already know."
