Complex sentence: Simon was praised for being academically gifted and for knowing more than the other candidates about Sir Alan's companies, but his track record, however, came under fire for appearing too woolly, making it hard to understand where Simon is going with his career.
Split into simpler sentences: Simon was praised for being academically gifted and for knowing more than the other candidates about Sir Alan's companies. His track record, however, came under fire for appearing too wooly, making it hard to understand where Simon is going with his career.