Oh dear, the Sidwell bashers are showing their ugly heads again...

[jarv]

He has been terrific this season, let him have one poor game.

If you want to feel better, just think how Ipswich supporters felt....FULHAM 10, IPSWICH 1. :005:

[alexbishop]

i would argue that he hasn't been terrific all season. He has done a job, but is a limited footballer. His limitations all the more apparent today. But that said, the whole 11 players were useless.

[Bassey the warrior]

True. He was poor today but has been excellent recently.

[Bassey the warrior]

i would argue that he hasn't been terrific all season. He has done a job, but is a limited footballer. His limitations all the more apparent today. But that said, the whole 11 players were useless.

Since Rene took over he's done well, before that he was poor.

[EJL]

i would argue that he hasn't been terrific all season. He has done a job, but is a limited footballer. His limitations all the more apparent today. But that said, the whole 11 players were useless.

Since Rene took over he's done well, before that he was poor.

Bingo

[alexbishop]

i would argue that he hasn't been terrific all season. He has done a job, but is a limited footballer. His limitations all the more apparent today. But that said, the whole 11 players were useless.

Since Rene took over he's done well, before that he was poor.

Yes, because Rene put him in a midfield three which allowed him to just do what he was best at, breaking up play and doing a bit of box to box running. In a midfield two (like today and when Jol was manager) he needs to fulfil a more creative role which he is incapable of doing...

Receive ball, turn, pass backwards...

[Bassey the warrior]

i would argue that he hasn't been terrific all season. He has done a job, but is a limited footballer. His limitations all the more apparent today. But that said, the whole 11 players were useless.

Since Rene took over he's done well, before that he was poor.

Yes, because Rene put him in a midfield three which allowed him to just do what he was best at, breaking up play and doing a bit of box to box running. In a midfield two (like today and when Jol was manager) he needs to fulfil a more creative role which he is incapable of doing...

Receive ball, turn, pass backwards...

I agree with that. It's difficult playing Kasami and Sidwell as both will get forward, this leaves Parker alone and he too likes to get forward ocassionally. I think the best solution would be to sign a deep lying playmaker (god I wish it was Huddlestone) who can stay deep but still get the ball forward efficiently.

[Logicalman]

Today our overall poor midfield was exposed when Rene needed to rest the general, Scotty.

Sidwell needed to step up, and I feel he tried but had little other support in his efforts from Karagounis who, imho, maintains a negative overall profile when passing. The latter should have been subbed by the 60 minute mark by Kac to relieve the pressure on Sidwell.

[Arthur]

Sidwell's passing is not up to PL standard. Some games, we manage in spite of this because his industrious nature outweighs his shortcomings.

However, it is always a risk that we take. We need to try to find, in the transfer window, another Scott Parker: a player with energy and commitment who is also capable in possession.

[bill taylors apprentice]

Sidwell is an average PL player who can do a job for us but he is exposed by the lack of team mates who get goal side, make tackles, close down the opposition and generally defend as a team.
Anyone who plays in the middle, like Sidwell is on a hiding to nothing trying to plug gaps left by the players around them.

[itombomb]

He's a relatively unathletic box-to-box midfielder who gets in good positions and makes a number of important defensive interventions, but gives the ball away far too much and without the ball can run around like a headless chicken).

Sidwell played particularly well against Villa and was generally quite good against City (though the way he got pulled around for Navas' goal was schoolboy), but he is a very limited player and to stay up we should be looking to replace him asap. Particularly as the two better midfielders both - to varying degrees - struggle to maintain it for the full 90.