RUMOUR - Sidwell to return to Reading

[Royal Rother]

Absence has certainly made the heart grow fonder in Sidwell's case, because he could have done a job for us in midfield last season without a doubt that MIGHT have kept us up.

But let's get real, he really ain't all that - whatever anyone chooses to remember, he had a very average season for us in 2006/7 - he ran about a lot, was always in the opposition's faces, had loads of shots but couldn't hit a barn door (worst shooting accuracy in the PL in that season) and generally was nowhere near as good as some people like to remember.

Sidwell 2006/7 = Hunt 2007/8.

In 2006/7 Sidwell scored 4 with 6 assists.
In 2007/8 Hunt scored 4 with 5 assists.

Sidwell will struggle to get a regular game at Villa - he just isn't good enough to fit in with really good players.

[Who Moved The Goalposts?]

Absence has certainly made the heart grow fonder in Sidwell's case, because he could have done a job for us in midfield last season without a doubt that MIGHT have kept us up.

But let's get real, he really ain't all that - whatever anyone chooses to remember, he had a very average season for us in 2006/7 - he ran about a lot, was always in the opposition's faces, had loads of shots but couldn't hit a barn door (worst shooting accuracy in the PL in that season) and generally was nowhere near as good as some people like to remember.

Sidwell 2006/7 = Hunt 2007/8.

In 2006/7 Sidwell scored 4 with 6 assists.
In 2007/8 Hunt scored 4 with 5 assists.

Sidwell will struggle to get a regular game at Villa - he just isn't good enough to fit in with really good players.

Whilst I normally agree with most things you say RR, I can't on this. Sidwell's loss was immense, as it turned out. I never thought this until I watched the review of the first premiership season on DVD. He was a vital component in most of the better things we did that season, be it assists, forward runs or generally being aggressive in the middle. Like I say, I never really thought this until the DVD really rammed it home.

[Sarah Star]

Didn't he also do a job firing up the team, or have I got that wrong?

[Roger the Rabbit]

Whilst I normally agree with most things you say RR, I can't on this. Sidwell's loss was immense, as it turned out. I never thought this until I watched the review of the first premiership season on DVD. He was a vital component in most of the better things we did that season, be it assists, forward runs or generally being aggressive in the middle. Like I say, I never really thought this until the DVD really rammed it home.

Although at the same time when he didn't play we never really seemed to miss him !

[Royal Rother]

Absence has certainly made the heart grow fonder in Sidwell's case, because he could have done a job for us in midfield last season without a doubt that MIGHT have kept us up.

But let's get real, he really ain't all that - whatever anyone chooses to remember, he had a very average season for us in 2006/7 - he ran about a lot, was always in the opposition's faces, had loads of shots but couldn't hit a barn door (worst shooting accuracy in the PL in that season) and generally was nowhere near as good as some people like to remember.

Sidwell 2006/7 = Hunt 2007/8.

In 2006/7 Sidwell scored 4 with 6 assists.
In 2007/8 Hunt scored 4 with 5 assists.

Sidwell will struggle to get a regular game at Villa - he just isn't good enough to fit in with really good players.

Whilst I normally agree with most things you say RR, I can't on this. Sidwell's loss was immense, as it turned out. I never thought this until I watched the review of the first premiership season on DVD. He was a vital component in most of the better things we did that season, be it assists, forward runs or generally being aggressive in the middle. Like I say, I never really thought this until the DVD really rammed it home.

Fair enough, but compilations are very selective and I am quite sure that the DVD of 2007/8 will show that Hunt was instrumental in many of our best moments last season.

The thing that gets me with so much of this conjecture about the impact of Sidwell's absence is that it's pure fantasy. If we had sold Hunt to Sunderland last January (after he'd had a generally excellent 1st half of the season) and we had gone down there would have been many people blaming it all on Hunt's departure. As it happens he had a crap 2nd half of the season of course.

Unless you're talking about a talismanic figure who is quite brilliant (which I'm sure no-one would claim either Sidwell or Hunt is) then the impact of their loss (potential or actual) is pure fantasy yet is so often spoken of as pure fact on here.

[Wycombe Royal]

My point was solely that free transfers are not free, and a transfer fee is basically paid to the player instead (although that fee is obviously not as high as they would have paid to his club if he were under contract).

I agree, but even in transfers where there is a fee the player will receive a nice little signing on fee too.

It would be nowhere near as big.

[Royalee]

Sidwell was worth ten of Hunt to us.

[Roger the Rabbit]

My point was solely that free transfers are not free, and a transfer fee is basically paid to the player instead (although that fee is obviously not as high as they would have paid to his club if he were under contract).

I agree, but even in transfers where there is a fee the player will receive a nice little signing on fee too.

It would be nowhere near as big.

All this Bosman nonsense wouldn;t have happened otherwise...

[Southbank Old Boy]

Whilst I normally agree with most things you say RR, I can't on this. Sidwell's loss was immense, as it turned out. I never thought this until I watched the review of the first premiership season on DVD. He was a vital component in most of the better things we did that season, be it assists, forward runs or generally being aggressive in the middle. Like I say, I never really thought this until the DVD really rammed it home.

Although at the same time when he didn't play we never really seemed to miss him !

But the team could survive the odd game, or even run of games, without him because they were on a roll and Gunnarsson came in and was capable of having a few good games.

The Harper/Sidwell combo set the tone of our play, even when Sidwell wasn't playing in many ways.

Sidwell didn't have the most productive of seasons in terms of goals, assists and all those other lovelly stats, but as it's been discussed to death on here for years, stats don't really show the reality of all that goes on on a football pitch.

[Roger the Rabbit]

Agreed - baseball and cricket are made for stats, football isn't.

[Sarah Star]

Roger, do you ever post on 606?

[Southbank Old Boy]

Agreed - baseball and cricket are made for stats, football isn't.

I think that's the first thing you've posted I haven't thought was complete rubbish!

[Alan Partridge]

The day a top 4 side comes in for Stephen Hunt is the day Crewe Alexandra win the Champions League

[Who Moved The Goalposts?]

Fair enough, but compilations are very selective and I am quite sure that the DVD of 2007/8 will show that Hunt was instrumental in many of our best moments last season.

True, but I think the critical difference is that this season, there were far, far fewer of those best moments. And I think Sidwell not being here was a mitigating factor.

Unless you're talking about a talismanic figure who is quite brilliant (which I'm sure no-one would claim either Sidwell or Hunt is) then the impact of their loss (potential or actual) is pure fantasy yet is so often spoken of as pure fact on here.

Agreed, but when you have such a well-oiled machine that has an output much greater than the sum of its parts, the moment you remove an integral part of the mechnism, it's bound to work with less efficiency. And as cogs go, Sidwell would have been a pretty important one.

[Southbank Old Boy]

Unless you're talking about a talismanic figure who is quite brilliant (which I'm sure no-one would claim either Sidwell or Hunt is) then the impact of their loss (potential or actual) is pure fantasy yet is so often spoken of as pure fact on here.

Agreed, but when you have such a well-oiled machine that has an output much greater than the sum of its parts, the moment you remove an integral part of the mechnism, it's bound to work with less efficiency. And as cogs go, Sidwell would have been a pretty important one.

Absolutely.

Look at the likes of Didi Hanmann at Liverpool , Makelele at Chelsea, or Gary Speed at times at Bolton.

They weren't the tailismanic figures RR is talking about, but they were fundemental to the way the side opperated. It's not always the best players that play the biggest part in making a team function.

[Royal Rother]

Fair comments gents.

[Royalee]

The day a top 4 side comes in for Stephen Hunt is the day Crewe Alexandra win the Champions League

Just think, if Roma paid another £2 million, they might have met our asking price for Hunt and signed him instead or Riise!

[Uke]

You should have put 'he might recieve a payoff' then neither me or you know what the situation is with that one or what Villa will offer him.

He will receive a payoff. He knows Chelsea are rich, he knows they paid nothing for him, he knows he can sit out his lucrative contract, he knows he is entitled to something and it has been all over the media that no club will pay him what he is on at Chelsea.

So you are correct that I do not know it as a fact, but it is 99.9% that Chelsea will have to pay him a fair bit of that transfer fee.

WR is right effectively Sidwell was guaranteed another 2 years at 38k per week so his payoff would be 1 years worth £1976000

If you had a job on a short term contract and your employer decided to cut it short you would expect compensation in line with that of the contract you signed. With footie players its generally 50% that's quoted in the papers.


So signing on fee £1 million
Wages for 1 year £1976000
Signing off fee 1976000
Bonus for playing in European Cup and other Cups £100000
Equals £5052000

Oh and don't forget the Agents fees which are usually negotiated as 10% on top which gives another neat half million.

So Chelsea would basically come out cash neutral.

[Roger the Rabbit]

Agreed - baseball and cricket are made for stats, football isn't.

I think that's the first thing you've posted I haven't thought was complete rubbish!

Damn, sorry for the lapse.

[howser]

The Sidwell topic has run and run since he left, so he hasn't done much at Chelsea but in all circumstances if a side like Chelsea came calling and offered the finance that they can then bloody good luck to him, he tried and it didn't work out but 10 out of 10 for him trying at least, he was wonderful at Reading and, for him, hopefully he can find a club that will give him the opportunity to play and show everyone what he is capable of. he will never be a top 6 team player but will do an adequate job for the likes of boro and West Ham, as for Aston Villa we would have to wait and see, but they will certainly pay the salary, but I hope he doesn't follow the doller and picks a side that he will get a fair crack at.