Coventry City’s ‘Terminator’ reveals truth behind proposed move to Blues & new lease of life 12 months on

Jake Bidwell of Coventry City celebrated his two years with the team last week, but if a potential move to St Andrew’s had been approved in January of last year, things might have turned out very differently.

Today, January 17, marks Jake Bidwell’s two-year anniversary at Coventry City. He is confident that he has dispelled any skeptics. Strong and dependable on a regular basis, the 30-year-old defeated Josh Wilson-Esbrand, a young player on loan from Manchester City, last season after the wing-back signed in January. Jay Dasilva, a summer acquisition, is now being kept off the field as more of an impact substitute.

With many fans and colleagues alike, Bidwell has gained a lot of supporters. Just this past weekend, he gained the moniker “The Terminator” after leaping up from Leicester City’s Abdul Fatawu’s red card challenge. Callum O’Hare declared, “Bidwell is the Terminator.” The monster is the bidder. Everyone knows that, after all. He easily stood up after taking a two-footed tackle. He reminds me of Rambo.

It’s ironic that, just a year ago, the former defender for Brentford, QPR, and Swansea was heavily tipped to be joining Birmingham City in order to free up salary and space, as the Sky Blues had Dasilva on their transfer list from Bristol City in January. However, the arrangement fell through when the Robins were unable to locate a suitable left-back on their own, and Dasilva spent the rest of the season at Ashton Gate, delaying his move to the CBS Arena until last May.

He said to CoventryLive, “I don’t think it was as close as people seemed to think.” “I don’t know; obviously, we had just brought Josh Wilson-Esbrand in on loan as well. Although it was never that far down the line, people tend to believe it was a done deal.

With Dasilva’s arrival and his early-season performance, the manager made the former Chelsea prospect his first option, consigning Bidwell for the first time in his professional career to the sidelines for an extended period of time (three months, to be exact). Even though he was in every matchday team, he hardly played, and it seemed as though his longer-term destiny with the club was sealed in stone.

“Yeah, but I just think that’s part and parcel of football sometimes and that’s probably the first time in my career that I have had that long a spell out,” he said when asked whether it was a tough time for him having to wait on the sidelines. Although it was an unusual experience for me, I tried to make the most of the time I didn’t play by taking a step back to assess my performance and identify areas for improvement.

“You need to put in the work and become proficient with it, and be prepared to contribute when you have the opportunity again.”

He added: “Bigger squads and more competition, that’s just modern day football in general. Managers usually want bigger squads and with the busy schedule these days it’s probably needed. But ever since I have been back in I have enjoyed it and hopefully that will continue for the rest of the season.”

So was there any aspect of his game that he wanted to improve and thinks he has managed to achieve during his time on the bench?

“No not really,” he said. “I just think that when you are in the games sometimes it’s hard to analyse what’s going on because the game is so fast and you’re just concentrating on doing your job.

“But when you are sitting back and watching from the side you get a broader view of what teams are trying to do, so from that point of view you see a lot more, I suppose. I just tried to use it to my advantage. No player wants to be sat on the sidelines but I just tried to use the time the best I could to improve myself. I don’t think there’s one area but I tried to take in as much information as possible.”

The one significant alteration, though, is City’s favored configuration. It’s no accident that Bidwell has returned to the starting lineup after the team moved from wing-backs to a back four with more conventional full-backs.

He said, “Yeah, I have mentioned before that I have had to learn along the way playing wing-back.” “When I was on the young squad, we never used a back five. I believe I will always feel a little more at ease in a back four because it was always a back four.

“I am content and at ease in the wing-back position, but I played most of my football in a four when I was younger, so if I had to choose a favorite position, it would be left-back. However, I simply want to be on the field and play wherever I am, as I have stated.

“You need a big squad and competition all over the pitch to push people on,” he continued, “if you want to compete at the right end of this league.” Everyone, I believe, is aware that they cannot become complacent.

“Obviously, Jay and I are in the same position. Having a strong team to constantly push each other’s limits is beneficial. While I’m glad to be a part of the team right now, I am aware that if there’s any drop off at any point then I won’t be in the team.”