Heroes & Villains, the Aston Villa fanzine
Heroes & Villains => Heroes Discussion => Topic started by: Leighton on July 16, 2010, 11:23:33 PM
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Thanks’ for everything Steve. That assist you made by throwing the ball, which led to Milner scoring, will keep you in Villa folklore.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-1295365/Hammer-blow-West-Ham-Aston-Villas-Steve-Sidwell-agrees-deal-Fulham.html
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Farewell, Sidders
You were really very shit
Except for that throw in against Hull
When we loved you for a bit.
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Farewell, Sidders
You were really very shit
Except for that throw in against Hull
When we loved you for a bit.
And volley against Everton at Goodison
I think that's about it
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I wish him well but he really was very disappointing for us.
I mean, how can somebody with bright orange hair be so anonymous?
Still, good luck Steve.
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Farewell, Sidders
You were really very shit
Except for that throw in against Hull
When we loved you for a bit.
And volley against Everton at Goodison
I think that's about it
Good point. What a goal that was.
That really was it, though.
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The man looked lost at Villa. He can have no complaints, he was certainly given a chance, he just failed. At £5m he was worth the risk but he's never rediscovered the form that made him look a quality player at Reading.
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...?! Martin Jol is the new* Fulham boss? That's not a bad appointment at all.
*Edit: Sorry soon to be boss.
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5m transfer fee, plus 40k a week for 2 years, ie 9 million pounds.
Plus NI, plus bonuses, plus signing on fees.
I'm aware that this is the case for every player, but I've got a bee in my bonnet about the way we judge players purely on transfer fees these days.
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I've more of a bee in my bonnet at how much Martin has wasted on players
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add Harewood. getting on for 20m wasted
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Can we rush the paperwork through before Jol cancels it?
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More to the point, can we get Jol?
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If Jol is their new manager, that's a really excellent appointment.
The Phony Pharaoh really has got a few things right down there.
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funny thing is, i can see him doing ok there. Just didn't fit our formation in any way. I was surprised we ever bought him the way we play.
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He might do, he might not.
From what I've seen, he's a very limited footballer indeed, and although I've seen a few "worse" players than him, I have to say I struggle to think of one who managed to make himself so consistently anonymous whilst actually on the pitch.
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I'm glad we always buy British. Would hate us to take a risk on a pesky foreigner when we could have solid, reliable, useless performers like Sidwell in the squad.
Hopefully we will now hold on till Reo-Coker, at least until Delph is fit. Otherwise Petrov will have to play every second of the season and look run into the ground by March... again.
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Good luck I suppose. Glad we're getting some kind of money for him.
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I know someone who was at Arsenal with Sidwell. He ended up going to Portsmouth whilst Sidwell went to Reading. He said that Sidwell was happier being the big fish in a small pond and that he'd not make it with Villa. The type of player he was at Reading I could see him becoming a Dennis Mortimer figure for us. For some reason he didn't make it - not sure why because the talent is there. Perhaps the big fish small pond syndrome was spot on.
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never given a proper chance
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never given a proper chance
I somewhat agree with this.
Yes, there were plenty of shite performances, but when you are playing a bit-part it's hard to get any momentum going.
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Great news; cheery bye bye!
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Unfortunately, when he did play, the very few good moments were far outweighed by a comments like this after the game.
"Sidwell was quiet, he didnt get into the game"......."What did Sidwell do, the game by-passed him"......."Sidwell covered a lot of the pitch but there was no end product"
Ball boy of the year 2009-10.
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Unfair comments, he had an excellent game against Lincoln pre season.
Actually no he didn't.
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When we plated 4-5-1 with Gabby up top on his own, Sidwell was excellent, going box to box to join the attack, and we gained a few results that wat. Then Heskey signed.
I think those of you with the "good riddance" comments are fucking idiots and ingrates - he may not have set the world on fire but he was a good professional who never once moaned about his status at the club. Twats.
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Fulham's ground is not as big as VP so I hope he can still find somewhere to hide
Anyone who can use the words 'Sidwell' and 'excellent' in the same sentence has to be up for H and V 'post of the year'
Good riddance - I hardly ever saw him break sweat for us. Nice when you think of the money he was earning. Twat
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I certainly expected him to become, if not a star, a vital part of the heartbeat of the side, especially after Barry left.
If i remember correctly he had a niggling injury at the beginning which, coupled to him missing one or two good chances, meant he never ever got going - odd moments aside, one being excellent alongside Reo-Coker and Petrov against Liverpool away.
He was also a signing which greeted almost universally positively (if not ecstatically) which is pretty rare these days.
But it has to be said that everytime Sidwell popped up you just thought "what the hell does he do apart from run around?"
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never given a proper chance
He was, he just never took it.
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Good fucking riddance !!
The most anonymous central midfielder ever.
A total waste of money.
I must admit, he didn't moan. Mind you I wouldn't moan about my predicament either if I was paid as much as him for doing fuck all !!!
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I think the anger is very misplaced, I don't think he took us fora ride. He just wasn't very good.
Less than half what we paid for him isn't a good return is it ? And we'll see a similar pattern with Davies, Shorey, L Young, NRC, Heskey and Harewood.
Let's hope the youngsters are as good as some think they are
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Ihave not seen it covered anywhere else so dont count your chickens folksIhope he has gone though.
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has he gone then ? how much did we get for him ?
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As long as we spend the money from the sidwell sale on a decent midfield'er.
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Cheerio Sidders, 6/10 - tried, but failed due to lack of talent.
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Its in the sun now so it must be true £2m though not good business.
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I certainly expected him to become, if not a star, a vital part of the heartbeat of the side, especially after Barry left.
Same here, I couldn't have been more wrong.
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The big fish thing stands true for me. He had a team basically built around him at Reading and he revelled in it.
To sum him up, he did a good job for the month or two before we signed heskey and were playing to his strengths but otherwise he never looked like he had the attitude to impose himself on games so I'm not upset to see him leave.
£2m in the bank is nice but the bigger thing is getting him off the wage bill, if we can get Heskey and Shorey off it as well we'd be £150k a week better off for the loss of 3 players who really don't contribute much, even when they play.
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Sidwell looked very good in a 3 man centre midfield, he did well when we went on our unbeaten run in 08/09.
Shame it didn't work out.
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I’ve rarely been as disappointed with a player as him. Like many I thought we’d done a good bit of business getting him in two years back, but ultimately he contributed next to nothing.
As far as Jol goes it is yet further evidence, if any were needed, that far from being an instrument to aid the national side the Premier League has grown into a commercial monster instead.
Ajax to Fulham?
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Not sorry to see him go. As has been said by many others, didn't live up to expectations, given plenty of chances but didn't take them mainly through doing nothing when he was on the pitch. Could never understand why he was ahead of NRC in pecking order (even before his rumble with MON). Great goal at Goodison though
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Thought he was going to brilliant. He wasn't.
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We bought him for £5m and we've had him for two years. Considering he has not improved or impressed at all, £2m-£3m is about the best you can expect to get for him.
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And so the weeding out of the hopeless begins, although if Jol joins Fulham as that article says I wouldn't be surprised to see an improvement in Sidders.
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Disappointing.
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It's a real shame this didn't work out for us (and for the player, too). I thought he was a good signing and held really high hopes for him. And although he didn't really do anything wrong when he played, I can't remember him doing much of note, either.
Ah, well. Good luck to him.
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Good luck to the bloke, sadly we never saw the best of him.
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I'm not getting the bunting out till the ink has dried. When will Gardner be back from his injury?
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I'm not getting the bunting out till the ink has dried. When will Gardner be back from his injury?
Should be fit by September/October or so I hear.
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I'm not getting the bunting out till the ink has dried. When will Gardner be back from his injury?
Should be fit by September/October or so I hear.
That sounds good,hopefully he'll be pushing for a place on the bench come Christmas.
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I'm afraid Sidwell has to go down as another very expensive mistake, £5m transfer fee, plus another £5m in wages.
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I'm not getting the bunting out till the ink has dried. When will Gardner be back from his injury?
Should be fit by September/October or so I hear.
That sounds good,hopefully he'll be pushing for a place on the bench come Christmas.
As highly as I rate the kid, I'd hope we wouldn't need him for at least another year. Even on the bench.
But if he makes the bench the odd time towards the end of the season or in the odd cup tie, I wouldn't worry about him. Hopefully we'll have Delph back by Christmas too.
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I'm afraid Sidwell has to go down as another very expensive mistake, £5m transfer fee, plus another £5m in wages.
Why are you afraid, did you buy him for 8 mill, was you one of the many who predicted when he signed he'd be the answer to our midfield woes, that he was Barry's replacement?
He came with nothing, he stayed and gave nothing and he left for nearly nothing.
At least he's gone, along with Harewood, hopefully, now there's just Coker, Davies, Beye, Young, ........ Is Salifou still there?
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I'm afraid Sidwell has to go down as another very expensive mistake, £5m transfer fee, plus another £5m in wages.
A player that was one of the most highly rated in the country when he went to Chelsea. Couldn't break into the Chelsea team, whether that was because there were international players ahead of him or just that he was not as good as Chelsea thought when he was playing for Reading. Was the Reading team set up to make him look better than he was.
He was on a very good contract at Chelsea and we had to make a good offer to get him. When we were in for him, I saw him as possibly the Dennis Mortimer type player we needed in midfield as I remembered how he played for Reading.
As it turned out, his time on the bench/in the reserves blunted his ambition and his Reading performances masked the true abilities as a player (or should that be inabilities). With hindsight, I was wrong, the manager was wrong, most people on here (if not all - cannot be bothered to search out the Sidwell signing thread) were wrong. The problem is, very few can see into the future with great accuracy.
I suppose the 'Sidwell' mistake will be another nail in the manager's coffin according to some.
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I suppose the 'Sidwell' mistake will be another nail in the manager's coffin according to some.
But it isn't just the "Sidwell mistake" is it?
We have a list of players that came for quite high fees and are on big wages that don't get used: Beye, Davis, Young (L), NRC, Harewood.
Either they were not good enough to start with, or we have managed to make them not good enough ,or Martin just doesn't fancy them.
One dud may be considered unfortunate, but six?
Randy's rich, but I wouldn't imagine that he is happy about that, and I can't imagine that he wants to keep running the club at a massive loss each year.
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There's a player in there somewhere with Sidwell. I'm sure of it. He'll probably do well at Fulham in the end.
However, we never saw the player that was in there somewhere and so good riddance to him.
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I suppose the 'Sidwell' mistake will be another nail in the manager's coffin according to some.
But it isn't just the "Sidwell mistake" is it?
We have a list of players that came for quite high fees and are on big wages that don't get used: Beye, Davis, Young (L), NRC, Harewood.
Either they were not good enough to start with, or we have managed to make them not good enough ,or Martin just doesn't fancy them.
One dud may be considered unfortunate, but six?
Randy's rich, but I wouldn't imagine that he is happy about that, and I can't imagine that he wants to keep running the club at a massive loss each year.
Most of these players were stepping stones to get to the top four, not top four players. Anybody that thought they were bought for any other reason were being a bit naive.
The exception was probably Davis. Presonally, I think Luke Young adds far more to the team than Cuellar but I only see the players when they are on the pitch. Beye was bought so that Young could play on the left as MON was having difficulty in getting his no. 1 target Warnock and when Beye became available the fee was not high for the player he got.
We can only put 11 players on the pitch at a time and MON goes with what he thinks is the best team. Granted, he is a bit conservative at times but doesn't give players a game just to say that he is using players he has bought.
I think the reason for selling is to raise some money, free up space for young players coming through and to generally freshen up the squad.
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He'll get a round of applause from me when he returns. Not because I thought he was good but because he didn't particularly do anything wrong.
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He'll get a round of applause from me when he returns. Not because I thought he was good but because he didn't particularly do anything wrong.
Agree. Whatever did or didn't happen in his Villa career, he never struck me as a sulky, moody type of player. That could of course be construed as a negative, thoug not for me in this instance.
I think we're now seeing the long-term results of some of MON's earlier signings.
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A move that did not work out. It's for the best for both Sidwell and Villa that a parting of the ways has come. And it will be interesting to see what Jol (if he is the next Fulham manager) can do with him.
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Yeah, another mark in the wrong column for mon's signings. Although to be fair it had all the right ingredients on paper.
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Yeah, another mark in the wrong column for mon's signings. Although to be fair it had all the right ingredients on paper.
I wasn't complaining when we signed him. Was hoping he'd return to the form he was in at Reading.
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If players that are bought and put on 50k a week are stepping stones for the top 4 when spurs are paying Modric around 35k a week according to reports, then we are shopping in the wrong market. A stepping stone also suggests something will be stepped to. We are still on the bank.
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You just know he's guaranteed to score against us when we play Fulham. Good luck to him though, it didnt work out, lets move on.
Seems we say this every summer but we are a bit light in numbers, time to start buying some players, MON!
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He's not gone anywhere - this has only been reported by the tabloids. I'd be surprised if Fulham sign anyone before Jol takes over.
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If players that are bought and put on 50k a week are stepping stones for the top 4 when spurs are paying Modric around 35k a week according to reports, then we are shopping in the wrong market. A stepping stone also suggests something will be stepped to. We are still on the bank.
I don't think Sidwell was bought in as a stepping stone. But as other people have said, he just didn't fulfill expectations.
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He's not gone anywhere - this has only been reported by the tabloids. I'd be surprised if Fulham sign anyone before Jol takes over.
FFS so all this thread has been for fuck all?! Bloody football forums!!!!
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If Jol is their new manager, that's a really excellent appointment.
The Phony Pharaoh really has got a few things right down there.
He's still in talks with Ajax and could stay on there for another season. That would be excellent news for us.
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What a great appointment for Fulham, I really rate Muttley as a manager
and is a great coup for Fulham.
It will be very interested if he does sign Sidwell and how Sidwell plays for him If he does.
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Best for him to go and won't go down as a successful transfer for MON, but does anyone else get the feeling that there's a good player in there trying to get out?
Maybe he's better being a big fish in a small pond as he was at Reading?
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Sidwell was never going to work out in a 2 man central midfield. I can only assume it was another attempt to convert a player into something he's not.
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Best for him to go and won't go down as a successful transfer for MON, but does anyone else get the feeling that there's a good player in there trying to get out?
Maybe he's better being a big fish in a small pond as he was at Reading?
Well, he certainly hasn't suggested he's anything like good enough with us, but maybe there's something in that, yes.
Maybe it's not so much the big pond thing, but the fact that with Reading, there was really not much pressure on him - nobody expected them to stay up in the first place, and he flourished as a result.
It's all conjecture, mind. I certainly think he's been a massive disappointment for us, I was actually quite excited when we signed him.
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Best for him to go and won't go down as a successful transfer for MON, but does anyone else get the feeling that there's a good player in there trying to get out?
Maybe he's better being a big fish in a small pond as he was at Reading?
Well, he certainly hasn't suggested he's anything like good enough with us, but maybe there's something in that, yes.
Maybe it's not so much the big pond thing, but the fact that with Reading, there was really not much pressure on him - nobody expected them to stay up in the first place, and he flourished as a result.
It's all conjecture, mind. I certainly think he's been a massive disappointment for us, I was actually quite excited when we signed him.
Or were Reading just the very paragon of 'one season wonders'? Dave Kitson, Nicky Shorey, Stephen Hunt, Sidwell and others all looked like they were destined for much bigger things and all have disappointed...
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Well, for whatever reason the player he was at Reading was never seen at either Chelsea or Villa. Was it a case of a good player going through a bad spell or a bad player who had a good spell? Either way his next move will either make or break his career.
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Best for him to go and won't go down as a successful transfer for MON, but does anyone else get the feeling that there's a good player in there trying to get out?
Maybe he's better being a big fish in a small pond as he was at Reading?
Well, he certainly hasn't suggested he's anything like good enough with us, but maybe there's something in that, yes.
Maybe it's not so much the big pond thing, but the fact that with Reading, there was really not much pressure on him - nobody expected them to stay up in the first place, and he flourished as a result.
It's all conjecture, mind. I certainly think he's been a massive disappointment for us, I was actually quite excited when we signed him.
Reminds me of Kinsella. An absolute star at Charlton but he sunk when he joined a bigger club/better side in us.
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I'll no doubt be in the vast minority here but I think he's a better player than many give him credit for. Often played in a two man midfield (FA Cup at Everton stands out) and therefore swamped on occasions, and never really got into his stride. I think he'll prove this when he settles into his next club. Good luck to the bloke.
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Might just be me but I never thought he had the build for the style of football MON wanted him to play.
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So is he going or not or don't we know?
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suprised Bolton havent come in for him, they usually like a player from us.
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Hope he goes cus he is shite imo
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So is he going or not or don't we know?
its another one of those H+V 'done deals' to add to the rest
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Hope he goes cus he is shite imo
Although I agree, I think is it mainly too do with lack of confidence and Oneil's lack of faith shown in him!
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Hope he goes cus he is shite imo
Although I agree, I think is it mainly too do with lack of confidence and Oneil's lack of faith shown in him!
O'Neil is one of the best managers in the world and if he couldn't him playing well then no one could.
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Steve Coppell.
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Steve Coppell.
Tha was mainly in the championship anyway.And there is a big difference in playing for reading and playing for 1 of da biggest clubs in the world.maybe he couldn't handle it.
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Steve Coppell.
Tha was mainly in the championship anyway.And there is a big difference in playing for reading and playing for 1 of da biggest clubs in the world.maybe he couldn't handle it.
I agree with your second point in fact I'm sure I stated the same earlier on this thread. Sidwell will probably do well at a smaller club but couldn't cope at a Villa or a Chelsea. I cited Coppell just to argue against your point that no one could get the best out of him.
Welcome to the site BTW. We don't all bite.
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Hope he goes cus he is shite imo
Although I agree, I think is it mainly too do with lack of confidence and Oneil's lack of faith shown in him!
O'Neil is one of the best managers in the world and if he couldn't him playing well then no one could.
Are you real?? Lol
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While I like O'Neill as a manager, if you're not playing reguarly, it doesn't matter how good the manager is. We have much better players that play in his position, and I'd play Milner, Petrov, Reo-coker and Delph all over Sidwell. He won't be a regular at Villa, so a move makes sense
Sidwell never impressed me when he did get his chances (which we're admittedly fairly limited.) I had such high hopes for him after remembering him from his Reading days, and when he scored that cracker against Wigan away coming off the bench in what I think was his debut(?)
Whether it's because his confidence has gone, or if he just doesn't fit into the system we play I don't know. Or maybe he just wasn't that good to begin with. It never worked out for him at Chelsea or Villa so I think Fulham seems the sort of standard I could imagine Sidwell playing at. He won't be a regular at Villa, so a move makes sense for both Villa and Sidwell. He can hopefully get his career on track and we won't be paying his wages.
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Hope he goes cus he is shite imo
Although I agree, I think is it mainly too do with lack of confidence and Oneil's lack of faith shown in him!
O'Neil is one of the best managers in the world and if he couldn't him playing well then no one could.
In the world? Could you honestly see Martin getting a job outside the UK? Not a chance.
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O'Neil is one of the best managers in the world and if he couldn't him playing well then no one could.
Why did he buy him in the first place then ?
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Hope he goes cus he is shite imo
Although I agree, I think is it mainly too do with lack of confidence and Oneil's lack of faith shown in him!
Sorry Gibbo but you're wrong. Sidwell had an extended run in the first team last season, he was given every chance to perform and failed. I put Sidwell's failure down to trying too hard to fit in rather than trying to take control of the game. He was a passenger rather than a leader.
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With Sidwell leaving is it more likely that NRC is staying? Personally, I'd much rather that latter staying.
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Are we ever gonna get this joker off the Villa Park wage bill? He's been hanging around like a bad smell.
Possibly the worst pound for pound signing this club has ever made.
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With Sidwell leaving is it more likely that NRC is staying? Personally, I'd much rather that latter staying.
NRC seems intent on running down his contract, so we'll probably see him sitting around not playing much, earning his huge wages, before leaving for free next year.
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Are we ever gonna get this joker off the Villa Park wage bill? He's been hanging around like a bad smell.
Possibly the worst pound for pound signing this club has ever made.
As nonsense goes that's up there.
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Are we ever gonna get this joker off the Villa Park wage bill? He's been hanging around like a bad smell.
Possibly the worst pound for pound signing this club has ever made.
As nonsense goes that's up there.
Two words Bosco Balaban
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Two more words: Emile Heskey
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Another couple: Nigel Callaghan.
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Hasan Kachloul
£40k a week and never made a squad in his last twelve months...
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We could be here all day:
Alan Curbishley
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At home games my two lads love watching Villa warm-up and especially when a few of the players have shooting practice. Their highlight is seeing if Sidwell can get more than one shot on target....
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Really is dead wood. Please sell him to the scum ..........
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My brother's work gives alot of business to a company in Brum,and they've just bought a box this season,and i've been lucky enough to weasel a ticket for the West Ham game,but my brother told me last night that we don't know what number box we're in yet as it depends if Sidwell has been sold to Fulham as he won't be needing his box!
This got me wondering do the players get a discount on one? I was imagining Sidwells family coming up from Lonodn last season to get a comfy view of him warming up all season!
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the thread says 'sidwells off, see ya then'
over a week and 100 hundred posts later and
has he gone yet ?
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We could be here all day:
Alan Curbishley
We could indeed
Gary Penrice