Sidwell - Now the dust begins to settle...

[Doyler]

Have to agree with RoyalBlue. Once we got to August and Sidwell had not put pen to paper, his exit was all but secured. Reading's mistake was refusing to extend it's offer through £25k per week that probably would have secured Sidwell's signature.

Imho, we will not get a player of Sidwell's calibre in replacement for a lower wage than that anyway.

They offered him £25,000 a week a month or so ago, but by then the £50,000 a week from Chelsea was probably already on the table. No contest is there? I've said for a while now that when players like him are put in that situation you learn a lot about their character. If they want first team football they stay at their club, if money is what drives them they go to Chelsea. Sidwell is obviously quite happy to take his big pay packet to play a few cup games. If he stays there it will ruin him as a footballer but he'll be minted at the end of it, so what does he care?

[Huntley & Palmer]

I don't think it matters what the club would have done as his wife appears to be an utter moron and would have tried to persuade him to move on no matter what. It's a shame because he's done supberbly for us over the last few years, but there you go.

What has this got to do with his wife?

[Huntley & Palmer]

Have to agree with RoyalBlue. Once we got to August and Sidwell had not put pen to paper, his exit was all but secured. Reading's mistake was refusing to extend it's offer through £25k per week that probably would have secured Sidwell's signature.

Imho, we will not get a player of Sidwell's calibre in replacement for a lower wage than that anyway.

They offered him £25,000 a week a month or so ago, but by then the £50,000 a week from Chelsea was probably already on the table. No contest is there? I've said for a while now that when players like him are put in that situation you learn a lot about their character. If they want first team football they stay at their club, if money is what drives them they go to Chelsea. Sidwell is obviously quite happy to take his big pay packet to play a few cup games. If he stays there it will ruin him as a footballer but he'll be minted at the end of it, so what does he care?

Well we all know that isn't true, the club put a package on the table before the season started which they believed to be a true reflection of his worth (see first page of Sidwell wants Premier Dividend thread). Sidwell questioned the clubs commitment to him and also their ambition going forward with the offer, it must have been reviewed and then a final offer 25k put on the table. Sidwell started looking around and talking with clubs in January (Everton confirmed, Citeh, Villa and Newcastle) so he could see what else was on the table. Now this is where a bit of assumption comes in, I presume that he went back to Nicky Hammond and laid it on the table. "I can get this much here what are you willing to do about it?", Chelsea come into the equation fairly late in proceedings and top Newcastle's offer of signing on fee and basic wage. He now joins a top two club in the Premiership where he can play Champions League football and have a decent chance of winning at least one trophy. We can't even offer him a top half finish every season

[Fred Sharpe's Nose]

In my view, both the club and the player have handled this issue with a lot of dignity and restraint - which wouldn't be the case with other clubs or players. You can't blame Sidwell for going for the big time. Let's get off their collective backs, shall we.

[cmonurz]

Have to agree with RoyalBlue. Once we got to August and Sidwell had not put pen to paper, his exit was all but secured. Reading's mistake was refusing to extend it's offer through £25k per week that probably would have secured Sidwell's signature.

Imho, we will not get a player of Sidwell's calibre in replacement for a lower wage than that anyway.

They offered him £25,000 a week a month or so ago, but by then the £50,000 a week from Chelsea was probably already on the table. No contest is there? I've said for a while now that when players like him are put in that situation you learn a lot about their character. If they want first team football they stay at their club, if money is what drives them they go to Chelsea. Sidwell is obviously quite happy to take his big pay packet to play a few cup games. If he stays there it will ruin him as a footballer but he'll be minted at the end of it, so what does he care?

The indications have been that if we had offered Sidwell £20k + per week in August last year, he may never have questioned Reading.

[mathematically_safe]

I can't criticise the club's stance on this.

If they'd paid Sidders what he demanded, then the wages for the other players would have needed to go up too, so it would have cost a lot more than just the extra we'd be paying him. No-one is bigger than the club.

And yes, we would have got more a season ago, but we needed him to play this season - what would you rather have for our first season in the Prem? Sidders out there showing how good he is or £2.5M in the bank at a time when we couldn't get players to join us?

Even more so because (as pointed out) 40% would go to Arsenal. And let's not forget also, that because Sidders didn't sign the new contract, he was on about £8 K a week less than he wold have been on the new contract. That's another £400K saved to set against this mythical £2.5M minus 40%.

Nope, Coppell and Hammond have got it spot on - and fair play to Sidders for giving it his all this season, too.

what he said. to a T.

[Doyler]

We were never going to pay him that before he'd proved himself at this level, and why should we? The club knew that if we were relegated they could not risk giving him a long term contract with a wage that big. We would never have been able to afford it. They bided their time to see how we would cope and rightly so. Credit to the lad he gave 100% even with the contract situation this season and was a true professional throughout his time here. Good luck to him.

[Royalee]

I don't think it matters what the club would have done as his wife appears to be an utter moron and would have tried to persuade him to move on no matter what. It's a shame because he's done supberbly for us over the last few years, but there you go.

What has this got to do with his wife?

Just her general demeanor - he's noticeably changed in terms of his interviews a and how he's seen things since she's been on the scene. She just strikes me as one of these WAGs who wants to get into a clique at one of the fashionable London clubs, etc. People will disagree but I think it to be the case.

[Stranded]

Have to agree with RoyalBlue. Once we got to August and Sidwell had not put pen to paper, his exit was all but secured. Reading's mistake was refusing to extend it's offer through £25k per week that probably would have secured Sidwell's signature.

Imho, we will not get a player of Sidwell's calibre in replacement for a lower wage than that anyway.

They offered him £25,000 a week a month or so ago, but by then the £50,000 a week from Chelsea was probably already on the table. No contest is there? I've said for a while now that when players like him are put in that situation you learn a lot about their character. If they want first team football they stay at their club, if money is what drives them they go to Chelsea. Sidwell is obviously quite happy to take his big pay packet to play a few cup games. If he stays there it will ruin him as a footballer but he'll be minted at the end of it, so what does he care?

I'm sorry but a lot of the assumptions you've made there aren't great. Yes the money would have been a large factor in his decision, isn't it in all our working lives. But along with that, is there any bigger challenge for a player than trying to break into a midfield that currently has the likes of Lampard, Ballack, Makelele, Essien etc in there?

If you back your talent, which going by Coppell's comments of late, Sidwell always has - then that is surely a challenge that is too good to turn down? Break into that team and play regularly and he will be playing Champions League football every year and will undoubtedly start getting England call ups.

Fail and at least you know you've tried and you'll still be seen as a very valuable asset to everybody outside the top 4.

[Stranded]

I don't think it matters what the club would have done as his wife appears to be an utter moron and would have tried to persuade him to move on no matter what. It's a shame because he's done supberbly for us over the last few years, but there you go.

What has this got to do with his wife?

Just her general demeanor - he's noticeably changed in terms of his interviews a and how he's seen things since she's been on the scene. She just strikes me as one of these WAGs who wants to get into a clique at one of the fashionable London clubs, etc. People will disagree but I think it to be the case.

Hasn't he been seeing her for pretty much the whole time he's been at the club?

[Scarface]

Look he's a had a decent season, but essentially he's just used us this year as a vehicle to get a big money wage + signing on fee somewhere else. He never had an intention of negotiating a new contract and what the club offered at the time was fair.

Put it this way there is no way Chelsea would of signed Sidwell for £5m, he new that, so he let his contract expire.

Can't we just forget about it now, move on and laugh at Sidwell sitting in the stands at Stamford Bridge ?

[Vision]

I don't think it matters what the club would have done as his wife appears to be an utter moron and would have tried to persuade him to move on no matter what. It's a shame because he's done supberbly for us over the last few years, but there you go.

What has this got to do with his wife?

Just her general demeanor - he's noticeably changed in terms of his interviews a and how he's seen things since she's been on the scene. She just strikes me as one of these WAGs who wants to get into a clique at one of the fashionable London clubs, etc. People will disagree but I think it to be the case.

Hasn't he been seeing her for pretty much the whole time he's been at the club?

They're childhood sweethearts but that's obviously not gonna cut any ice in the face of a Royalee flaying.

[Fezza]

What happens to Sidders if Moronio is sacked over the summer for failing to deliver?

[Vision]

Have to agree with RoyalBlue. Once we got to August and Sidwell had not put pen to paper, his exit was all but secured. Reading's mistake was refusing to extend it's offer through £25k per week that probably would have secured Sidwell's signature.

Imho, we will not get a player of Sidwell's calibre in replacement for a lower wage than that anyway.

They offered him £25,000 a week a month or so ago, but by then the £50,000 a week from Chelsea was probably already on the table. No contest is there? I've said for a while now that when players like him are put in that situation you learn a lot about their character. If they want first team football they stay at their club, if money is what drives them they go to Chelsea. Sidwell is obviously quite happy to take his big pay packet to play a few cup games. If he stays there it will ruin him as a footballer but he'll be minted at the end of it, so what does he care?

I'm sorry but a lot of the assumptions you've made there aren't great. Yes the money would have been a large factor in his decision, isn't it in all our working lives. But along with that, is there any bigger challenge for a player than trying to break into a midfield that currently has the likes of Lampard, Ballack, Makelele, Essien etc in there?

If you back your talent, which going by Coppell's comments of late, Sidwell always has - then that is surely a challenge that is too good to turn down? Break into that team and play regularly and he will be playing Champions League football every year and will undoubtedly start getting England call ups.

Fail and at least you know you've tried and you'll still be seen as a very valuable asset to everybody outside the top 4.

He knows he's got a window of opportunity in January with African Nations Cup. In some ways it takes the pressure off because he can take his time to settle in a bit without the pressure of having to prove himself immediately.

I've said elsewhere that despite Mourinho's twatishness he is still one of the top coaches in Europe who has done a great job with a lot of the English players at his disposal. Even if Sidwell gives it 18 months/2years and fails to establish himself ( i personally think the Big 4 is a level too far for him ) he will still only be 26 and with a footballing education from the likes of Wenger,Coppell & Mourinho and a tidy 5m in the bank.

[Vision]

What happens to Sidders if Moronio is sacked over the summer for failing to deliver?

Same as any player at a club that sacks it's manager. He'll have to prove himself to the new boss.

[Maguire]

There's no way we can get through a season with Gunnarrson in the middle of the park. No way. That's not criticism, just realism.

[Hoop Blah]

The indications have been that if we had offered Sidwell £20k + per week in August last year, he may never have questioned Reading.

Personally I think he'd already made up his made sometime during the promotion season, if not earlier, that he was probably going to leaving at the end of this contract.

I don't think Reading could've offered him enough money to sign a new deal at any point as he was being hyped up in the media and his head had been well and truely turned. He was hot property and knew it. Even if we'd not had the season we'd had last year, and no this, I think he would've taken the gamble on making the 'step up' to another club willing to pay more and probably offer better prospects.

As it is we managed to get two good seasons out of him and he played a key part in getting us where we are today, but I think he always had it in his mind that his time was up at the end of this contract.

[AbovetheI]

My fellow Royals,

Having watched Sky Sports News last night and seen the obvious speculation about Sidwell and where he is going, I couldn't help but feel hugely disappointed. I may be being harsh but could we not (as a club) have handled this situation better ? To see a £5m+ player just walk out of The Mad Stad feels so wrong and especially to Chelsea! The one club that could afford £m's for Sidwell if pushed. Some may argue the money we get for staying in The Prem makes up for the loss, but does it ? Can anyone confirm how much physical cash we actually get ? The only money I've seen so far is the approx £7m prize money for 8th place.

Honestly, Chelsea wouldn't be interested if he had a transfer fee, which to me says he'll play a small part of that club, (assuming he joins them) and will be there under the Scott Parker/SWP type of role, in terms of being a talent, but doing fcuk all at this club.

[Vision]

There's no way we can get through a season with Gunnarrson in the middle of the park. No way. That's not criticism, just realism.

Exactly. In a lot of ways he's a better player technically than Sidwell but one of the mainstays of our consistent success in recent times is that both Harper & Sidwell can put in a shift for a whole 90 minutes virtually every week over a long season. I just don't see 31 year old Gunnar being able to do so and I'm pretty positive that Coppell has no intention of putting it to the test.

[southbank1871]

Look he's a had a decent season, but essentially he's just used us this year as a vehicle to get a big money wage + signing on fee somewhere else. He never had an intention of negotiating a new contract and what the club offered at the time was fair.

Put it this way there is no way Chelsea would of signed Sidwell for £5m, he new that, so he let his contract expire.

Can't we just forget about it now, move on and laugh at Sidwell sitting in the stands at Stamford Bridge ?

Am I alone in hoping that Sidwell actually does well at Chelsea?