Sidwell Played The Almost Perfect Game Says Jol

[White Noise]

http://cravencottagenewsround.wordpress.com/2011/10/13/steve-sidwell-explodes-into-a-sweet-special one-nirvana/




Steve Sidwell explodes into a sweet special one nirvana


October 13, 2011


rich


Or something.  In any case, Martin Jol said today that Sidwell's peformance against QPR only lacked a goal to have been perfect.  I noticed this at the time but didn't get round to chalkboarding it, but Jol's right, Sidwell had a stormer of the highest order (also clattered Taraabt early doors (you must always clatter in the early doors) to announce himself).



Oof!

[Steve_orino]

Prefer Etuhu's size but Sidwell does so many things from box-to-box...passing forward & having a go from long range being my favorites.

With Stoke coming up though, Etuhu is a must.

[Mr Fulham]

Prefer Etuhu's size but Sidwell does so many things from box-to-box...passing forward & having a go from long range being my favorites.

With Stoke coming up though, Etuhu is a must.

Etuhu destroys our passing game - it's Sidders for me, even v Stoke. Never change a winning team - especially when the team scored six. It works! Why change?

[Hazey]

Prefer Etuhu's size but Sidwell does so many things from box-to-box...passing forward & having a go from long range being my favorites.

With Stoke coming up though, Etuhu is a must.

I'd stick with Sidders also.  Even though he is smaller than Dickson, he is still good on the ball and gets stuck in.  Def have Dickson on the bench in case they start bossing Murphy about.

[richie17]

Prefer Etuhu's size but Sidwell does so many things from box-to-box...passing forward & having a go from long range being my favorites.

With Stoke coming up though, Etuhu is a must.

Etuhu destroys our passing game - it's Sidders for me, even v Stoke. Never change a winning team - especially when the team scored six. It works! Why change?

He doesn't destroy our passing game.  I watched Barcelona beating Atletico on DVD last night and there was a sequence where Busquets and Xavi passed it back and forth to one another about five times.  If Etuhu did that he'd be slaughtered.   He's not exactly Glenn Hoddle but his shortcomings are becoming annoyingly cliched, much as in the old days on TiFF when Houghton's Chip was calling Hughes 'not good enough at jumping' and 'forcing Hangeland to play on the left' and other crap like that.  I hate these generalisations, which, while perhaps having something to them (he's not a good passer or anything) are usually massively exaggerated.  Destroys our passing game indeed....

[BalDrick]

I too would stick with Sidders, for myriad reasons.

Firstly, he played a blinder last game out, so no need to drop/replace.
Secondly, just because Stoke are a bunch of bully boys doesn't mean we have to turn it into a battle of muscle - quite apart from anything else, we'll lose if we try to play their game.
And thirdly, not being funny but is Etuhu really that tough? Yeah sure he looks the part, but so did that girl's blouse Diop and we all know what a tart he was.

[richie17]

Also Etuhu's partner has just had a second baby so I doubt he'll be starting.

[MJG]

I too would stick with Sidders, for myriad reasons.

Firstly, he played a blinder last game out, so no need to drop/replace.
Secondly, just because Stoke are a bunch of bully boys doesn't mean we have to turn it into a battle of muscle - quite apart from anything else, we'll lose if we try to play their game.
And thirdly, not being funny but is Etuhu really that tough? Yeah sure he looks the part, but so did that girl's blouse Diop and we all know what a tart he was.

could not agree more, Etuhu and his size, he does not bloodthirsty use it to Schubert real effect.
Sidwell for me be it Stoke or scunthorpe we were playing, Etuhu thanks for all you have done with your hot potato passes back to player who just gave you the ball(who happens to now have three players around him) but come Jan maybe look to move on and we can get a replacement.

[MJG]

Also Etuhu's partner has just had a second baby so I doubt he'll be starting.

so when she gives him the baby to hold does he then throw it straight back to her?

[HatterDon]

by all means, stick with Sidwell. He'll turn in a great performance, and when he gets sent off we can all blame the ref.

[BalDrick]

Also Etuhu's partner has just had a second baby so I doubt he'll be starting.

Not being funny, and I'm far from his biggest fan anyway, but he is paid a small fortune to play football once or twice a week, don't really see how he'd get the weekend off, bar because he's pony. Incidentally, a few days after becoming a father both times, I was so sick of making tea for the in-laws and not being allowed anywhere near my own flesh and blood, I'd have been happy for an excuse to get out for a day.

[richie17]

Also Etuhu's partner has just had a second baby so I doubt he'll be starting.

Not being funny, and I'm far from his biggest fan anyway, but he is paid a small fortune to play football once or twice a week, don't really see how he'd get the weekend off, bar because he's pony. Incidentally, a few days after becoming a father both times, I was so sick of making tea for the in-laws and not being allowed anywhere near my own flesh and blood, I'd have been happy for an excuse to get out for a day.

Ha ha, excellent. I love how in-law jokes go from being odd cliches when you're growing up to straight up facts when you're older.

Money notwithstanding, presumably having a new baby he wouldn't have slept especially well.  So he wouldn't be at his best and therefore worth leaving out?

[richie17]

Also Etuhu's partner has just had a second baby so I doubt he'll be starting.

so when she gives him the baby to hold does he then throw it straight back to her?

Ha ha.  but seriously, he's not that bad and we seem to be reasonably successful with him in the side.  Hodgson and hughes both decided he'd be worth sticking with, and it's only since the arrival of Sidwell that Etuhu's slipped down the pecking order a bit.  This isn't really his fault, a Murphy/Sidwell midfield has plenty of pedigree.  Just get a bit annoyed at all the Etuhu bashing.  He does a job, and it so happens to be the job that fans value least/find it hardest to notice.  Doesn't make it the least important.

[luckykat]

Sidwell for me. Ethu can play while Sidwell is banned - and it won't be long before he picks up a red or enough yellows.

[Steve_orino]

With Stoke coming up though, Etuhu is a must.

Never change a winning team - especially when the team scored six. It works! Why change?

I can't argue with that thinking Mr Fulham.

Secondly, just because Stoke are a bunch of bully boys doesn't mean we have to turn it into a battle of muscle - quite apart from anything else, we'll lose if we try to play their game.

I like your point - I'd also prefer to play our game.

Either way the fact we have the 3 of them (DM, SS, DE) gives us options and cover - never a bad thing.  I agree with Mr. Richie17 though, we may undervalue DE, & focus on what he doesn't do as effectively as others, rather than what he does provide.

[FatFreddysCat]

Etuh coudn't lace Sidders boots. Sidwell would be one of the first on my team sheet.

[Ordar]

Etuh coudn't lace Sidders boots. Sidwell would be one of the first on my team sheet.

Totally agree with this. I think Sidwell has been superb since he joined us. Adds a new dimension to the midfield, plus takes some of the creative burden off of Murphy, makes runs and gets into the box.

[AlFayedsChequebook]

Sidwell has really impressed me during his time at Fulham. I always had rated him as a good midfielder, and he proved that all he needed was a run in the side.

That said, I think we are stronger defensively with Etuhu in the side, and his role should not be underestimated. Three successive managers have rated him highly enough to give him significant pitch time, and he helped reshape the backbone of Fulham that was really lacking during the great escape season. His replacement if Bullard in midfield freed up Danny Murphy and turned us into the side we are today.

Mock him with cheap shots about his passing if you want, but he is the player who facilitated success in the team through team-first performances that ultimately allowed us to go on to great success over the last 3 years.

[Scrumpy]

Sidwell has really impressed me during his time at Fulham. I always had rated him as a good midfielder, and he proved that all he needed was a run in the side.

That said, I think we are stronger defensively with Etuhu in the side, and his role should not be underestimated. Three successive managers have rated him highly enough to give him significant pitch time, and he helped reshape the backbone of Fulham that was really lacking during the great escape season. His replacement if Bullard in midfield freed up Danny Murphy and turned us into the side we are today.

Mock him with cheap shots about his passing if you want, but he is the player who facilitated success in the team through team-first performances that ultimately allowed us to go on to great success over the last 3 years.

Spot on. I prefer Sidwell, and think his game against the HaHas was as good a midfield performance as I have seen. But I can't stand the constant snipeing at Dickson either. He has many strengths, many of which go unnoticed.

[Mr Fulham]

I think it would be the wrong decision to play Etuhu just because we play Stoke. As mentioned above, it would be wrong to play their game. We need to play our game. If we want to play hardball with them, they will destroy us. That's not our way.