"Stats mean jack sh*t" If they don't favour who you feel is better you mean?



Well first of all Saint's aren't a crap team as you so well point out. So while I do agree with your first point, it has no relevance on this match up IMO. Saints are the third best team in the comp with the third best attack.

As for Saints not being as expansive as Wigan this year, that's a fair assessment to make and one I agree with. But is it not then up to the winger to come inside and help his forwards and team mates in general by sharing the workload? One can't just stay out on the wing doing nothing. Charnley has shown his ability to break a game open in Wigan's last two CC matches. Foster was next to anonymous against Wigan except for his party piece kicking, which let Saints down IMO. Because had he converted their third try Saints would have been able to win the match with a try and goal, his miss deflated the Saints team IMO. Anyway back on topic.



Foster does more with ball! Granted Foster's scored a single try more and has more clean breaks, but then Foster has played a game more than Charnley.

In every other area Charnley beats Foster. If their stats were closer, and Jamie showed the ability on the field that Josh does then I could then see where your coming from. But at present I don't.

Wigan would probably be 3rd only for the goalkicking of pat Richards. Without his goal kicking Richards would be nowhere near the player some people think he is.

Richards was a good try scoring winger in Australia. He wasn't picked for his goal kicking.

According to the ever reliable Wikipedia.



Pat only kicked four goals in his pre Wigan career. So I'm in agreement with Rogues, I think it's safe to say Richards wasn't signed for his goal kicking ability. He may well have been signed as a centre though by agent Millward.

He may not have been bought for his goalkicking but without it Wigan would not be in the position they are today. His goalkicking has won Wigan numerous matches. It's the combination of the wing position and his goalkicking ability that has pushed him to the fore.

Do you think Foster is as good a winger as Richards ( or ever will be) ?
IMO Richards held his position as a top winger without being a goalkicker (that was a bonus)

I didn't say he was but in a few years who can say. Players who we think will be great turn out not to be so and vice versa. As I say only time will tell and by then we could have another goalkicking winger who outshines the lot of them.

If Saints offered him to any club, i would bet my house not Wigan, Wire, Leeds any other club would refuse to take him.

Richards is a very good player and a world class kicker no doubt about that IMO.

However, I don't think he's the same player since his injury last year. He's lost pace, makes more mistakes and he even misses more kicks than he did.

IMO he's in decline.

I wouldn't disagree, but he's still in the top three wingers in Superleague.

I can see Charnley taking his place as top winger (although I would like too see him at centre) and he is a very good goal kicker, but obviously not being used at the moment.
And to get back on topic that's why I can't see Wigan wanting / needing Foster.

Good goalkicker, not much else.

Poor defensively, doesn't go past player or break tackles, not great at catching when under pressure, purely in the team for his goalkicking.

But scores tries for fun

Quote ="LovesToSpooge"I originally started the thought that Foster is a one trick pony a few months ago, and since then nothings changed my mind on that. He is very good at his one trick mind! Well the stats below suggest Charnley is the better player, and I think most neutrals would agree with that. www.superleague.co.uk/statistics ... eason=2011 Of course this is a forum where members can hold any opinion they like, no matter how wrong. '" Charnley has more physical presence than Foster, he's bigger and a touch faster. Though considering Foster apparently can't beat a man, he has more clean breaks than Charnley. He's also less error prone than Charnley. As for Richards, I don't think he's ever going to go down as a great winger, he's a good player but I think some are going over the top in their assessment of him. He's tall, good in the air and consistent, but I don't remember all this love for him when he was languishing in your reserve side. Without him showing this kicking game, would he be as revered as he is? Probably not.

Quote ="LovesToSpooge"I originally started the thought that Foster is a one trick pony a few months ago, and since then nothings changed my mind on that. He is very good at his one trick mind! Well the stats below suggest Charnley is the better player, and I think most neutrals would agree with that. www.superleague.co.uk/statistics ... eason=2011 Of course this is a forum where members can hold any opinion they like, no matter how wrong. '" Charnley has more physical presence than Foster, he's bigger and a touch faster. Though considering Foster apparently can't beat a man, he has more clean breaks than Charnley. He's also less error prone than Charnley. As for Richards, I don't think he's ever going to go down as a great winger, he's a good player but I think some are going over the top in their assessment of him. He's tall, good in the air and consistent, but I don't remember all this love for him when he was languishing in your reserve side. Without him showing this kicking game, would he be as revered as he is? Probably not.

I would score tries for fun in a top SL team.... catch a ball 5 yards from the line after opposition winger is drawn in, fall over line, I bet 80 percent of his tries come from that.

Chris Riley is a winger I never rated at Wire, but he still managed 20 plus tries in a season, because he was part of of a good attacking team, who create numerous overlaps.

His defence this season has improved massively. So long as he remembers that he's a scrawny git, he does just fine.

But what was he signed for, Roguey? Centre. Which was a fair dissapointment. I even seem to recall him being on the verge of being shipped off?
Moving him out of the centre and giving him the goal kicking responsibilties gave him back his confidence and a couple of years later he's MOS (all IIRC).

Personally, I don't see the big whoop with Richards. He good, don't get me wrong. He's big and strong, good under kicks, fairly paced, but I was a little dissapointed by him winning MOS. If he gats the ball 20 metres out, you don't panic like you do with some players.

Wigan wouldn't need foster as you say, they've got a kicker and there's winger with other strengths to compliment Wigan, but we all seem to talk about what Foster lack after his kicking - out'n'out pace, ability to beat a man etc. Well, those things didn't help Shaun Ainscough and Kevin Penny. We no longer watch the romantic semi professional era, where the likes of Sullivan were forgiven their inabilty of field kicks beacuse they'd make up for it in attack. Foster has a low error count, he has safe hands, can squeeze in at the corner, doesn't make many mistakes in defence and has enough pace to finish most chances. Add to that he's racking up points like a mother er and he's got the making of a club stalwart for the next decade.

Personally, I don't think he's got enough pace, size or magic to be an international quality winger, but I do see encouraging signs when he has the ball in 2 on 2 type situations. Obviously a result of all his years playing centre for the underwhatevers. I think he'd be a good full back, but I reckon with Hohaia arriving, the possibilty of Leon staying and the presence of Lomax, Gaskell and Wagon Wheels, his chances will be few and far between.

Summed up perfectly why he is such a valuable member of the side. Your heart isn't in your mouth with him, and he almost always squeezes in at the corner when other wingers would find a foot in touch or brush the corner post. And, as has been done to death, we finally have a consistently good goalkicker.

Not sure who is earning what at the club, but for me Foster has certainly deserved to be up there with J-Lo in terms of salary.

Not quite for me. Lomax could really be a star at any club. IMO He would have a lot more bargaining power when it came to salary negotions. Foster is a solid club player and deserves to end up on a solid club players wages, with a bonus for his kicking. Lomax looks set to be a star and should end up on top end wages.

I don't know where people get this idea that Foster is an average winger. He may not be a destructive solo player, but he's the best winger we've had since Albert left. Superb finisher, solid defensively, superb under the high ball generally. He is also starting to make line breaks as he becomes more savy and gets stronger.

Give him a new deal Eammon. Give him Gary Wheeler's money for starters.

Yet again you plonkers have let Rogues and his ilk hijack another thread on to talking about Wigan. This was about Foster, you know Saints, Foster, our winger.

Why do you let him do that? It's obvious what he's doing so why do you play along? If he wants to talk about Paaaaat then he can start a new thread.

If you read the full thread, on page one, you will see it was in response to SaintsFan speculating that Foster may be going to Wigan.

Please god no.

No wonder you have not won anything for so long........

You should change your specs before you decide to troll. It wasn't me. It was Saints94 who wrote the OP.

I never said that you were the OP.
However



I think you did speculate that he may be going to Wigan, did you not?

Or are you going to try and worm out of this one as usual?