When Wigan first signed Fielden during that terrible period i was delighted to have him in the squad and although he never quite lived up to his reputation as one the countries top enforcers there have definatley been plenty of games where he has made a difference and im sure that just his presence on the field and in training would of helped our younger players, particularly the likes of Eamon O'Carrol and Paul Prescott amongst others.

However there have been many games last season and particularly this season where despite his best efforts he has struggled to make a positive impact and forgive me if i seem unappreciative of some of his better games because i am not. Even in the win over Bradford there were moments when i felt sorry for him as he struggled to keep possesion of the ball and in a tight game he is one of the last people i want to see take the ball up in the final few minutes of the game.

Do you think that Fielden should consider early retirement or am i going over the top?

I can see why you'd ask the question - he looks like a player who has fallen out of love with the game and is hanging on for the money. He's a classic example of being overplayed early in his career and suffering burnout. I actually feel quite sorry for him sometimes when he's on the pitch as he just looks frustrated all the time. His knock on he seems to do in EVERY game off a straightforward carry is the most predictable thing in a Wigan match now.

The answer to that can only really be answered by Stuart Fielden. His attitude to the game has changed. He has gone from a player who played 80 minutes every week - was furious whenever he was taken off to a player who now is incapable of starting games at prop.

I think Wigan need to be straight and up front with him. If he isn't pulling his weight he needs telling. However if it is something much deeper than that and he has lost his appetite for the game he should do the honourable thing and own up to this & we should agree a compensation package with him and release him.

I think that is only fair to Wigan and Stuart Fielden because I fear the more he continues to play like this the more the crowd will turn on him. People were close to booing him on Friday and had we lost he would have took a lot of abuse.

I posted about this straight after the game somewhere. Ive never seen a player go downhill so quickly. He is being bullied and knocked around by everybody he comes up against these days. His defence is still as good as it was but his work with ball in hand is very poor. I guess he set his own standards and theres no doubting that in his earlier years he was GB's best prop by far. Right now though hes reached a level that is lower than a snakes belly and i dont think he would even stand out in the reserves.

he wont retire........theres years left in him yet at lower grade.

warrington ?

Not that low surely?

i was thinking more CELTIC reserves

yeah. it worked once with bloody ell mathers, its not going to work again is it !

leave cru reserves alone. thats the breeding ground for the charge into mid table for next year !

on a more serious note. it is sad when a great player falls so low.
the best we can hope is that a reinforced front row next season will take the pressure of him, and he can rebuild his career.

unless he wants to release himself from the contract, hes here for next season. in the past hes looked like a genuine pro, who is confused about his lack of form. one last hurrah to earn a final deal back over the pennines ? i hope he can come back.

i would notlike to think of him retiring with this level ofperformance as something to remember him by.

personally, come october i would tell him bugger off for 2 months. get his head in order, then come back training hard for a final fling, and a chance to resurrect his career.

He's good defender (and he does get through a ton in defence) but that's all now, and it's not good enough for a super league prop. I hope he returns to some kind of form but I seriously doubt whether it will be with us. What frustrates me more is that he's been so bad for so long, and yet he's never been dropped.

I think it could be that he is getting stale under the same manager. he has been with nobby for most of his career. i think with a change of coach/team he will regain some of his form.

i also feel sorry for him. i was sure that he would shut the doubters up during this season, and he aint anywere near doing that.

to be fair to him he has been honest in his approach and whilst talking about his performances. he has never (IIRC) blamed anyone but himself for it.

He will be known as a SL great, just not from his time at Wigan. IMO hes not the same size as he was at Bradford, hes looked like he was going to explode at any moment at Bradford but now he looks nothing more than most 2nd rowers in the league.

Does anyone else think he should have a spell in the academy? I know it's a risk playing a young lad (Mossop) or a second rower (Hansen) at prop but I'd put money on them doing a better job of it than him. Plus that leaves Fielden with no pressure on his shoulders, playing as a big fish in a small pond. If that happens maybe he'll get back some form and be useful in September/October. The idea of Fielden lining up against Morley and Westwood in a couple of weeks scares me to be honest, and could lose us momentum when it matters.