Hang your boots up stuart
It's all over for you.

Go tell him to his face, big man...

Couldn't agree more.

agree. how can it hurt our squad with fielden coming back into it?

agreed

coming into the big games, I can't see anybody wanting to have Crosby/Spencer on the bench and not Fielden.

It would lift our pack to have another experienced prop on the field going into the business end of the season.

Personally I can't wait for Stu to return, him & Coley were the cornerstones of our pack for 3 years. To lose both within 12 months has allowed us to develop the likes of Mossop & Prescott but we have been founding wanting on occasion this year when up against a tough opponent.

He used to get smashed in most collisions, even rookie props were embarrassing him - every single week.

And he's unbelievably slow in defence, quite simply a weak link in a lot of games in 2010, especially on our own line where his agility (or lack of) lets him down a lot.

You can't be talking about Fielden there? A weak link in 2010? He played himself back into the England team FFS. It was by far his best season in a Wigan shirt and he'd clearly got his head right as he aluded too on Super League Super Men.

In defence.

Watch any games from that year.

rlE.g 1rl, rlE.g. 2rl. And these were actually the first two games I came upon on Youtube lol.

Richards missed the first tackle. The second one I'll agree he was slow to react but it was a cracking ball from Wilkin.

His stats from that season in defence were:

Tackles: 607 Marker:89 Missed: 18 These are better than Andy Coleys of Tackles: 523 Marker: 78 Missed: 22

Only Lockers and Joel made more tackles from marker.

For the record, he has better attacking stats than Coley as well

Carries: 358 Metres: 2543 Av Gain: 177 Errors: 18 Offloads: 23 compared too Carries: 285 Metres: 1921 Av Gain: 140 Errors: 16 Offloads: 8

Fielden a bad defender?

He's had issues at points in his Wigan career with a few things but defence was never one of them. A few examples from YouTube could be sought for most players. I could pick out plenty for brilliant defenders like McIlorum and Hansen from last weeks game alone.

We can't expect him to fit straight back in and play like 2010 but it's good to have him back around the squad. He's an experienced head and I feel we need that at the moment.

The av gain stat shows that though.

I always preferred that stat though really I can't remember why but I remember someone showing how that being good doesnt necessarily equal the other being good.