There's alot of talk on the Pies board about if Fielden should be offered a new contract. Would anybody have him back at the club? Obviously he's nowhere near his best anymore but what do you think?

Given his apparant lack of respect for our current coach I doubt it

Yeah, have to agree with you. But forgetting his relationship with SM would you like to see him back at the club?

Burgess and Lynch are the future, Fielden is the past.

On his form of the last year or two, we already have 3 better props in Lynch, Burgess & Scruton. Why waste money on Fielden who hasn't had a truly top class game since the World Club Challenge he played for us?

So true

Such a shame how he's ended up the player he is now. I'm sure no one one have predicted this a few years back

Never recovered from when Big Willie laid him out....was good for Bradford but would say he is well down the picking list for most top teams in terms of props... will probably end up at Salford/Celtic.....

on current form? No. On current wages? No. If he really does hate macca? No.

However.... [iIf[/i he signs on a wage comensurate with a squad 4th prop, [iif[/i the thing with macca is paper talk and exageratted rumour, then I just wonder if maybe coming back to Bradford could reignite his career and he could be worth a punt on those terms.

Lots of ifs mind, and it would be a big gamble given our current strength in the front row, but I just think he will go for cheap on his next contract, as the common wisdom is that he's a busted flush, and so there is the possibility of picking up someone who has been and could be great for not much cap money. I think it would be worth looking at and not discounting straight away.

Wouldn't he also be a better buy for us than other clubs because he's a Bradford product and therefore counts towards the quota of homegrown players? What is that quota btw? Did I dream it?

yeah that would count in our favour to a point. Below is something I cribed off google last year so it could well be wrong in the fine detail but it gets the main ideas across. (IE dont anyone bother picking up all the faults with the exact details - its an illustration only - Anyone got a more accurate up to date version of the rules?) The home grown player rule increasing year on year is where signing Fielden would be better for us than signing an equally skilled aussie but it still might not be as useful in the long run as introducing another young current academy player from our books if there are any good enough to step up.

2008 each club is allowed -

At least 5 home grown players.
No more that 5 overseas quota players.
No more than 10 overseas trained players inc the 5 quota players.
Rest of the squad to be from players trained within the same federation.

2009

At least 6 home grown players.
No more than 5 overseas quota players.
No more than 8 overseas trained players inc quota players.
Rest of squad to be from players trained within same federation.

2010

At least 7 home grown players.
No more than 5 quota players.
No more that 6 overseas trained players inc quota players.
Rest of squad to be from players trained within same federation.

2011

At least 8 home grown players.
No more than 5 quota players.
No more than 5 overseas trained players inc quota players.
Rest of squad to be from players trained within same federation.

But let's be fair, they'll change those quota rules again soon. And then again. And then again. And then again.

last night Fielden was smacked all over the pitch by Big Eorl, not the most aggressive, forward in SL. maybe Fielden doesn´t fit at Wigan, maybe he´s over the hill ?, maybe a move back to the Bullhole might resurect his career? Will he take a pay cut, can you afford him?

Crabtree seems a gentle giant, he offered Fielden out calling him glass jaw and Fielden produced feaces in the back of his shorts. He should have just banged him! I remember when he leathered Jason Smith off Hull, whats happened?

Fielden is an enigma. There can be little doubt that getting rid was a great bit of business considering his form since.

Some say Fielden stopped being any good after being clubbed in the face by someon's Willy(or something like that). I think it was before that.

The last game I can recall him being absolutely world class was for Bradford against Wests. The only way I can think to get his passion back would be to bring Barrie Mac out of retirement and loan him to whatever club Fielden is playing against each week. Then he can do that cocked-arm thing he used to do until the willy incident.

Remember how much it took off? You'd see kids in the street cocking their arms wherever you went. The club shop even sold prosthetic limbs pre-cocked which we'd all wave in the air when we scored. Fielden took it in good spirit though I'm sure. Until he got slammed in the mush with a willy that is....

He was shocking last night - surely you are not desperate to have him back?

Stay well clear!

I' buy a season ticket on the strength of Stu coming back. He's my hero (and I don't have many)

What about Scruton?

I don`t think it`s desperation; more that we can remember Fielden when he was rightly regarded as in the top two or three props in the world.

Whatever has happened since, that same guy must still be in there, laying idle, waiting for the trigger to bring it out; after all so much of sporting performance is mental and a coach with a bit of psychological nous might well be able to find it.

Whether, or not, that coach works at the Bulls I`m not certain, nor am I sure of Stu`s age, probably around the thirty mark at a guess, and that is far too young to regard a prop as a busted flush imo.

As several people have said, Fielden has never been the same since he got panned by Willie Mason. Also anyone else think his motor may of burnt out bit too early?

I think Fielden would be a great signing, he's not as good as he was in 2006, but he's still a good prop forward and better than Craig Kopczak is and probably ever will be. Given his drop in performances and his status being lowered then I doubt it very much that Stuart would be able to command the dollars that he would have been able to say 3 or 4 years previously. If we could get him for a reasonable price then I would love him back at Odsal. People would still like to see Momoi here, I'd much prefer Fielden back. Plus he'd count on the homegrown list.

If we got him for a decent price and he could pull his head out of his then yeah I'd take him back at Odsal.

I'd leave well alone.

Prefer to promote one of the juniors instead.

It a gamble Bradford can afford to take?

Don't really see what he would add to us now. Looked a shadow of his former self for a long time now. He did us a big favour going to Wigan and turned out to be daylight robbery by the Bulls.

We need to be concentrating on targets for the backline and a new playmaker for 2010.