New central midfielder ?

[Arch]

is it me or does every thread this preseason decend into a bitch fight, or a lot of rubbish puns.

I've bin thinking along those lines myself.

Ahem.... I've wheely bin hoping someone else would join in with the rubbish puns.

[Huntley & Palmer]

Move on please you guys. A better debate IMO might be: How many Prem games will Sidwell start for Chelsea next season? My guess - zero.

At least five possibly as many as twenty would be my guess. Though of course Woodcote would play this down as being some sort of ploy by Chelsea to lose the league

Why not swap seats for Wed 15th August and ask the man himself how many games he expects to play?

Why, will he be sat with you on your high horse talking down at everyone? I doubt he will start against us but being Mourinho and with the history of the last home game, he may well put him on the bench as some sort of jibe at us. Hell he may even score a goal, I'd laugh if he did whereas BBC Berks will probably have to stop broadcasting while you swear at the top of your lungs and have a coronary

I won't be giving Sidwell any stick.

For the record, I've got what I wanted from about Christmas onwards......................one over rated midfielder off our wage bill and room in the squad for a replacement of genuine Premiership quality.

Score a goal?

If only Sidwell had converted a fraction of the countless chances (many of them easy ones, too ) that came his way last season, we might have got a European tour........................in the Champions League.

Now that last statement is the funniest thing I have read on here for a long time

[brendywendy]

is it me or does every thread this preseason decend into a bitch fight, or a lot of rubbish puns.

I've bin thinking along those lines myself.

where've you Bin, Man?

id like to see a couple of good additions littered throughout the squad come september

i would have liked to see us land-fill jagielka



thats me out already

[Denver Royal]

If only Sidwell had converted a fraction of the countless chances (many of them easy ones, too ) that came his way last season, we might have got a European tour........................in the Champions League.

Hahaha!

Well, Sids is gone now so he can't hold us back this year.

So, Top 4 here we come then!

[brendywendy]

is it me or does every thread this preseason decend into a bitch fight, or a lot of rubbish puns.

(and oxf*rd off newbie is a term of endearment)

It does when some people can't see their wrong, or at least won't admit to it!

oooo i know, gets right on my wick

[Woodcote Royal]

Move on please you guys. A better debate IMO might be: How many Prem games will Sidwell start for Chelsea next season? My guess - zero.

At least five possibly as many as twenty would be my guess. Though of course Woodcote would play this down as being some sort of ploy by Chelsea to lose the league

Why not swap seats for Wed 15th August and ask the man himself how many games he expects to play?

Why, will he be sat with you on your high horse talking down at everyone? I doubt he will start against us but being Mourinho and with the history of the last home game, he may well put him on the bench as some sort of jibe at us. Hell he may even score a goal, I'd laugh if he did whereas BBC Berks will probably have to stop broadcasting while you swear at the top of your lungs and have a coronary

I won't be giving Sidwell any stick.

For the record, I've got what I wanted from about Christmas onwards......................one over rated midfielder off our wage bill and room in the squad for a replacement of genuine Premiership quality.

Score a goal?

If only Sidwell had converted a fraction of the countless chances (many of them easy ones, too ) that came his way last season, we might have got a European tour........................in the Champions League.

Now that last statement is the funniest thing I have read on here for a long time

Go back and watch Sidwell's dreadful finishing last season and see how that makes you smile......................

His work rate is/was excellant but that's not enough at this level.

[brendywendy]

i believe that statistically he was the worst shot in the prem last year, and also the worst tackler, as he gave away more free kicks than any other player.
i dont think his passing was up to much either.

but what a great engine he had though
such drive.

[Huntley & Palmer]

Move on please you guys. A better debate IMO might be: How many Prem games will Sidwell start for Chelsea next season? My guess - zero.

At least five possibly as many as twenty would be my guess. Though of course Woodcote would play this down as being some sort of ploy by Chelsea to lose the league

Why not swap seats for Wed 15th August and ask the man himself how many games he expects to play?

Why, will he be sat with you on your high horse talking down at everyone? I doubt he will start against us but being Mourinho and with the history of the last home game, he may well put him on the bench as some sort of jibe at us. Hell he may even score a goal, I'd laugh if he did whereas BBC Berks will probably have to stop broadcasting while you swear at the top of your lungs and have a coronary

I won't be giving Sidwell any stick.

For the record, I've got what I wanted from about Christmas onwards......................one over rated midfielder off our wage bill and room in the squad for a replacement of genuine Premiership quality.

Score a goal?

If only Sidwell had converted a fraction of the countless chances (many of them easy ones, too ) that came his way last season, we might have got a European tour........................in the Champions League.

Now that last statement is the funniest thing I have read on here for a long time

Go back and watch Sidwell's dreadful finishing last season and see how that makes you smile......................

His work rate is/was excellant but that's not enough at this level.

oxf*rd hell, Harper scored less than Sidwell. Little should be out on his ear as well. We've let the wrong midfielder go!!!!!

Stats mean oxf*rd all, especially when they are the same one's that have Hahnemann down as one of the best keepers in this league.

[Woodcote Royal]

i believe that statistically he was the worst shot in the prem last year, and also the worst tackler, as he gave away more free kicks than any other player.
i dont think his passing was up to much either.

but what a great engine he had though
such drive.

I believe a former spice girl could have photographic evidence of Sidwell's worldwide "impact" on the game.

[Woodcote Royal]

Move on please you guys. A better debate IMO might be: How many Prem games will Sidwell start for Chelsea next season? My guess - zero.

At least five possibly as many as twenty would be my guess. Though of course Woodcote would play this down as being some sort of ploy by Chelsea to lose the league

Why not swap seats for Wed 15th August and ask the man himself how many games he expects to play?

Why, will he be sat with you on your high horse talking down at everyone? I doubt he will start against us but being Mourinho and with the history of the last home game, he may well put him on the bench as some sort of jibe at us. Hell he may even score a goal, I'd laugh if he did whereas BBC Berks will probably have to stop broadcasting while you swear at the top of your lungs and have a coronary

I won't be giving Sidwell any stick.

For the record, I've got what I wanted from about Christmas onwards......................one over rated midfielder off our wage bill and room in the squad for a replacement of genuine Premiership quality.

Score a goal?

If only Sidwell had converted a fraction of the countless chances (many of them easy ones, too ) that came his way last season, we might have got a European tour........................in the Champions League.

Now that last statement is the funniest thing I have read on here for a long time

Go back and watch Sidwell's dreadful finishing last season and see how that makes you smile......................

His work rate is/was excellant but that's not enough at this level.

oxf*rd hell, Harper scored less than Sidwell. Little should be out on his ear as well. We've let the wrong midfielder go!!!!!

Stats mean oxf*rd all, especially when they are the same one's that have Hahnemann down as one of the best keepers in this league.

This would be Harper who rarely crossed the halfway line

The key word you have missed is "chances"

Sidwell had enough to have made double figures with ease Harper didn't.......................but I know many, many Reading fans who are hoping the latter gets his fair share this season.

[Royal Rother]

Sidwell was very good for us, but ever since he was weirdly voted best player outside of the Premiership a few seasons ago, he has been over-rated by many external and committed observers.

His shooting was indeed bloody woeful last season, but Champions League? Wow, that really is stretching it a bit!!

[Woodcote Royal]

I wouldn't deny that

But his finishing was way below the required standard, as demonstrated time and again by Gunnarsson.

[Huntley & Palmer]

This would be Harper who rarely crossed the halfway line

The key word you have missed is "chances"

Sidwell had enough to have made double figures with ease Harper didn't.......................but I know many, many Reading fans who are hoping the latter gets his fair share this season.

So unless you convert a huge amount of your chances as a midfielder then you don't make the grade. I presume you would view Lampard as acceptable then seeing as he scored 'only' ten league goals in a team that finished second and would have had far more opportunities to score?

[Woodcote Royal]

As an attacking midfielder, if you convert as small a percentage as Sidwell, this makes you average at best, not to mention replaceable.

[Huntley & Palmer]

Answer me this then, with all the midfield players at Jose's disposal in the transfer market. Why did he decide to sign an average Sidwell over and above anyone else, even a squad player at Chelsea would have to be decidedly decent to even be considered for perusal for a team that is constantly in the thick of European and domestic trophies.

[Woodcote Royal]

How much have Chelsea spent recently?

Sidwell was free and has been over rated by the media for years.............................let's see how many game he plays this season.

[Huntley & Palmer]

What has the media got to do with anything, do you think Jose read 4-4-2 from a few seasons back and thought "I hope I can get him on a free at some stage".

I'd envisage that he will make more than his fair share of league and FA Cup appearances along with a handful of Champions League and league one's. Think of him as Chelsea's Gunnarsson if you will

[Woodcote Royal]

The media plays a huge part in hyping certain players and under rating others......................If premiership managers know so much how come we were so under rated last season?

Let's see how many games Sidwell plays and whether he's in the Upper West in a few weeks time

[Huntley & Palmer]

The media plays a huge part in hyping certain players and under rating others......................If premiership managers know so much how come we were so under rated last season?

Let's see how many games Sidwell plays and whether he's in the Upper West in a few weeks time

I'd say a lot of it was to do with the fact that they don't bother watching the Championship

[Denver Royal]

This would be Harper who rarely crossed the halfway line

The key word you have missed is "chances"

Sidwell had enough to have made double figures with ease Harper didn't.......................but I know many, many Reading fans who are hoping the latter gets his fair share this season.

Harper has never scored a lot of goals and rarely even looks like doing so because....he doesn't get in the right positions or have the instincts. Add to that, he's crap in the air, and so his "chances" to score are, well, limited.

You seem to attribute it to him having been held back by the system and Sidwell. Well, I guess we'll find that out this season and see if Harper busts out.

By the way, the 'attacking' midfielder Steve Sidwell is also much better defensively than James Harper ever will be.