Sidwell and Chelsea

[cantona94]

Not truly understanding this move I turn to you across the pond to further educate me on this transfer.

By that I mean I just really don't understand this. I've watched Sidwell play the few times Reading has been on tv over here in the States and while he has talent, I would never place him in the talent ranks that Chelsea currently has stabled.

I really don't understand his wishing to move there as well. reading appear to be up and comers in the league and while I can understand him wanting to go somewhere else for a bigger payday and perhaps more exposure, couldn't he have gone to another team where he will actually see the field more often than for Chelsea? I really don't see him seeing much starting 11 time with them.

I may be completely insane on this whole issue so please inform and educate me on this...thanks.

[michaec]

Obviously Chelsea pay well, he's possibly getting a much better salary than he could get anywhere else. That can be the only reason, he's got four seasoned internationals in front of him in the battle for a central midfield position (Makalele, Ballack, Essien & Lampard) and a young up and comer (Mikel) who appears to be going up in Mourinho's estimation if the amount of playing time he got towards the back end of last season is anything to go by.

I can't fathom it either, there's no way he'll be more than a squad player. Hasn't he seen what's happened to Shaun Wright-Phillips, Glen Johnson and Scott Parker?? He'll stagnate on the fringes of the team there and it will be hard for him to ever get to the very top level now. Shame really, he's a good player, but he's obviously been poorly advised.

[RichardL]

Shame really, he's a good player, but he's obviously been poorly advised.and while agents are paid on a % of their client's salary, such "career advice" will be the norm.

[nicephoras]

I can't fathom it either, there's no way he'll be more than a squad player. Hasn't he seen what's happened to Shaun Wright-Phillips, Glen Johnson and Scott Parker?? He'll stagnate on the fringes of the team there and it will be hard for him to ever get to the very top level now. Shame really, he's a good player, but he's obviously been poorly advised.

Those are bad comparisons, actually. While I'm as surprised as anyone else about Sidwell's decision to join (and surprised as to why we'd want him), its a different case.
Parker is the closest analog, and was given chances, but failed (his performance against Arsenal in the second leg of the CL quarters was akin to a deer in headlights) and he was then injured for nearly all of Mourinho's first season at the club. SWP was bought due to need (we had no wingers who could stay healthy) and actually played quite a bit the first half of his first season at Chelsea until playing his way out of the side. Glen Johnson played a lot his first season when his competition was Melchiot but lost his spot to Ferreira when Mourinho came in (due in large part to his inability to eliminate silly mental errors from his game).
In Sidwell's case, I've no clue what he thinks he's doing. I hope he's not a complainer, because I don't see how he's going to get a lot of playing time.

[cantona94]

Well I'm glad I'm not the only one and not just some "dumb yank" with no idea what he's talking about then. Thanks guys for your info and opinions.

Reading barely missed out on a European spot this year. With a little tweaking and successful bounces of the ball, they could reach Europe in the next few years and Sidwell could actually play. Doubt he'll see much time with Chelsea.

Money makes the world go round as usual :(

[superdave]

and while agents are paid on a % of their client's salary, such "career advice" will be the norm.

That's the norm here in the US, too. But I recall an article from a couple of years ago about a sports agency, centered in a law firm, that bills like lawyers...for hours worked. Saves the players TONS of money. I would think a law firm in Britain could make a killing by charging by the hour. They'd destroy the competition. I would imagine that for all players below the CCC, contracts are really standard, so he could just have a template saved on his hard drive, pull it up, and fill in names, dates and numbers.

While the contracts for guys like Ballack would require more billable hours, it STILL would be a huge savings for players.

Not to get political, but one reason Republicans have been running well in recent years is that Republican consultants, as a standard, charge a straight fee. So they make their money by winning races and getting more clients. Democratic consultants, on the other hand, make their money by taking a percentage of ad buys, which is going to bias them tremendously toward spending money on TV ads rather than grassroots "people power." That bias might only costs Democrats 1 or 2 points an election, but the Republicans, until 2006, had an extraordinary record in close Senate races. And of course, Bush's two margins have been very small. That bias unquestionably put Bush in the White House instead of Gore, and in our 100 seat Senate, probably won a half dozen races from 2000 through 2004 for the Republicans.

Anyway, you see the analogy. Anyone paying a "percentage" is at risk of his agent/consultant giving advice that benefits him, rather than the client.

[Pablo Chicago]

Reading barely missed out on a European spot this year. With a little tweaking and successful bounces of the ball, they could reach Europe in the next few years...

A little more tweaking now that Sids has gone, and a few less injuries (e.g. Kitson, Sonko, Convey, etc.).

[fernb8]

Well I'm glad I'm not the only one and not just some "dumb yank" with no idea what he's talking about then. Thanks guys for your info and opinions.

Reading barely missed out on a European spot this year. With a little tweaking and successful bounces of the ball, they could reach Europe in the next few years and Sidwell could actually play. Doubt he'll see much time with Chelsea.

Money makes the world go round as usual :(

Richard is probably going to jump all over me for this, but I really think Reading will struggle and perhaps thats why Sidwell jumped ship. The second season is always tougher, teams figure you out so quickly, players realise that they have to put in the same amount of effort while playing against players who get paid 10 times more, etc.

Why Sidwell rejected Newcastle, where he would clearly get more playing time is a question that is beyond me. Cant really see him getting much playing time at all really.

[RichardL]

Richard is probably going to jump all over me for this, but I really think Reading will struggle and perhaps thats why Sidwell jumped ship. The second season is always tougher, teams figure you out so quickly, players realise that they have to put in the same amount of effort while playing against players who get paid 10 times more, etc.

Why Sidwell rejected Newcastle, where he would clearly get more playing time is a question that is beyond me. Cant really see him getting much playing time at all really.It depends a lot on who we get in.

Next year will be harder, especially at home as I think more teams will visit and be defensive, but it's not as if there's a great deal of mystery about our play that needs finding out. We play traditional 4-4-2, with a flat back four and two wingers, usually with a tall striker and a shorter one beside him. It's textbook English football.

I think the problem a lot of teams face in their second year isn't being caught out tactically - it's not as if the premirship is obviously full of tactical geniuses after all - but more that the excitement of playing in the premiership won't be quite what it was last year. A game v Middlesbrough last year was something that excited the players. In the coming season it could be "...oh, it's Boro".

[Harry Boulton]

I think Sidwell has been bought because Chelsea are set to lose Essien and Mikel (I think) to the African Cup of Nationsnthis year. Although they have Ballack and Lampard, Makelele is 34 now and he may need resting.

Still, Sidwell should have thought this through more thoroughly. Although if someone offered me £60,000 a wekk for free, I'd take it.................

[yasik19]

Or Chelsea could have looked ahead to the future. If Diarra leaves to Lyon and Maka either leaves or retires after this season, we need another CM. Why not take someone, who happens to be a promising, young British lad on a free, who will get a chance to practice with some of the best players in the world and learn a thing or 2 about playing in the role Jose wants him to play. I can guarantee that Diarra would not be nearly as good today if he didn't have Makelele mentoring him.

Or I could be wrong.:o

[joniebee]

Steve Sidwell is one of the new breed of footballer who seems more interested in his wage packet than his career.Okay Chelsea come in for him,Its going to be very flattering but once you sit down and think about the offer,He must have known he was going there as back up when hed just had a very productive year with Reading where he was a very instramental in there fine season,And he could have moved to other premier league clubs where he would play more games.Look at the example of Shaun Wright-Phillips,As a Man City fan i was livid to hear it was Chelsea he was signing for as i knew his career would nose dive,And its done exactly that,He was sensational at Man City,Now he sits on the bench and cheers on Chelseas big guns from the sidelines,Why?He and many other players these days seem content to just sit back and collect a wage packet and not play.

[nicephoras]

SWP sits on the sidelines because he was never all that good.
Sorry.

[RichardL]

Steve Sidwell is one of the new breed of footballer who seems more interested in his wage packet than his career.yet less than 2 years ago, after a cup tie at Arsenal, he was down to earth enough to travel home on the tube/train with the fans after the match (as did a number of the players).

Prior to this season (or it last now?) he'd played outside the top division since 2001, so it's unlikely he's known nothing but big money.


to his credit, after saying he'd probably leave at the start of the season, many said that he'd have big sulk and be no good if we didn't sell him, but he didn't.

[Matt Clark]

Steve Sidwell is one of the new breed of footballer who seems more interested in his wage packet than his career.

I'm not sure that's true. I was reading this article (http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/sport/football.html?in_article_id=467694&in_page_id=1779) on a plane this morning and in it he seems to be driven more by a desire to prove himself in what he admits is a huge challenge than anything else. Remember that this is the lad who never made it at Arsenal but clearly feels that was less an indictment of his abilities than of his manager's preferences. I don't doubt the wage offer on the table played a role (it must have been substantial, given that it was Chelsea and a free transfer) but maybe he's equally driven to show he's got the mettle to play at that level. As someone else has pointed out, Mikel and Essien will be gone for the best part of six weeks in the middle of the season and Chelsea will again be pushing on four fronts for as long as they can. Any halfway confident and competitive sportsman would surely fancy taking the chance.

Put it this way, I don't think we can put him in the same file as one Bogarde, Winston just yet.

[mshankb]

If Sidwell was only in it for the money, he would've got more at West Ham...

[leg_breaker]

http://www.backyardcity.com/images/HPT/Bench-GAR172.jpg

[stokemanfc]

Richard is probably going to jump all over me for this, but I really think Reading will struggle and perhaps thats why Sidwell jumped ship. The second season is always tougher, teams figure you out so quickly, players realise that they have to put in the same amount of effort while playing against players who get paid 10 times more, etc.

Why Sidwell rejected Newcastle, where he would clearly get more playing time is a question that is beyond me. Cant really see him getting much playing time at all really.

I didn't know he rejected newcastle he's a moron... he had team cemistry at reading come on no-one could deny them that... why a second squad cronie at stamford bridge its beyond me.

[canadianscraggledog]

Yes, he will definitely be a squad player to make up the numbers. He may get his chance during the African Cup of Nations, and during FA or Carling Cup games.

SWP was a much more touted player, cost a heck of a lot more. (infinitely more actually, as mathematically, even 1 pence is infinitely more than zero ;) )
And look at him, he very rarely starts. Though I can see why. IMHO he is extremely talented, and athletic but he lacks the technical skill and has not gelled into a great footballer.

[mshankb]

Well, SWP got given chances and failed to produce. He was given further chances towards the end of last season and performed much better. He's featured in pre-season games and done well this season as well.