Re: Jamie foster : Sat Feb 25, 2012 11:22 am  

Carlos Alberto wrote:

To go back to the Wheeler contract situation; maybe Saints are being sensible and seeing how he copes injury wise this season before deciding whether to offer a new deal or not. Sorry to talk sense.

Other clubs wont be waiting.

Re: Jamie foster : Sat Feb 25, 2012 11:33 am  

Then I an sure Saints will evaluate the situation when that time comes. We have Mark Percival coming through as well.

Re: Jamie foster : Sat Feb 25, 2012 11:36 am  

Jamie has the ability to be a top class Rl player, he just needs to focus more on games.

I think Saints and the RFL need to take him out of the media spotlight for now. All this poster boy of RL stuff is i think not doing his development any good.
For a start it means fans from all clubs are watching his every move, and secondly i think its causing a distraction for him.

I keep thinking of Kevin Penny, another player who was splashed all over everywhere as a wonder player, when infact he was just a promising kid. Look how that has sadly turned out.

Re: Jamie foster : Sat Feb 25, 2012 11:51 am  

Couple of things, there were alot of fans (me included) wanting to see more of Wheeler. Some people want it all their own way. Happy to call Meli not a centre, happy to diride Meli, and when Meli is replaced, happy to do more of the same on the replacement. No doubt should Wheeler be replaced with Makinson and it not work out, they will diride the coach for running out best winger and putting him in the centre.

I want Wheeler to get a contract, I know we have all joked about his biscuit status, but seriously, he's a very good player.

Foster: I think his head has gone.

This is not saying I think his head is too big etc etc. I think his confidence has gone. He was a good safe defender, catching balls, defending his line until mid-way last season. It has not come back. I remember these discussions over other wingers in the past. He needs more game time verse drop him. I remember seeing wingers get more time week after week after week. All that did was give the opposition more and more time to hit his confidence. Target him and therefore make him more of a scapegoat, and rather than support fans start to get tired of the same or worse week after week.

It think a stint in the reserves takes the pressure off and lets a lad do what they need to do, get the match practice without the pressure. I don't want to see foster fail, but if we keep throwing him out their hoping it will fix it'self, it won't.

In the academy those high balls and defensive patterns will not be as exposed to so much hype. He will simply have to concentrate on rugby, and getting into a routine, once that routine is in place, then bring him back for a non-televised match, or CC match.

The wing spot long term is his to loose, Ade will not be around for ever. But in terms of competition for places at the moment it's not bringing the best out of him.

Re: Jamie foster : Sat Feb 25, 2012 12:40 pm  

Carlos Alberto wrote:

Then I an sure Saints will evaluate the situation when that time comes. We have Mark Percival coming through as well.

He looks a very good prospect.

Re: Jamie foster : Sat Feb 25, 2012 1:06 pm  

He's the biggest one trick pony about. As I said on here 18 months ago. I'm sure many of you will remember, most of you argued against me at the time. Possibly the worst thing about his game is that it's regressed since then, he's become even more one dimensional.

Re: Jamie foster : Sat Feb 25, 2012 1:29 pm  

Shadows, I agree with your post entirely and I think it's pretty much the only sensible post I've read on the subject of Jamie Foster. When he dropped that ball last night his head went down. He looked absolutely rocked by what he had done, and he was on Twitter apologising again. He's had too much to distract him and he needs to be helped back to focus. He was great in the first half. But he makes a mistake and he can't recover from it. Not that he got much help from his team mates of course, there was nobody in support defensively. But either way I think he needs some protection for a while, time to refocus and get his career back on track. Given that we have just signed him for two years the coaching staff obviously see some potential in him but at present I think if he makes more gaffs then his confidence will be shot.

Re: Jamie foster : Sat Feb 25, 2012 2:18 pm  

Saddened! wrote:

Wheeler to me looks eerily similar to Kyle Eastmond last season with his body language. It makes you wonder if the rumours he's agreed a deal with Wigan are true. His deal is expring at the end of the season.

If he has " done a deal " as your rumour suggests then its an illegal one,he cant talk to anyone yet.

Re: Jamie foster : Sat Feb 25, 2012 2:42 pm  

brook40 wrote:

If he has " done a deal " as your rumour suggests then its an illegal one,he cant talk to anyone yet.

Of course they can.
Saints with Shenton and LMS, Wire with Ratchford. Leeds with Griffin, Catalan with Pryce etc.

Re: Jamie foster : Sat Feb 25, 2012 2:54 pm  

SaintsFan wrote:

Shadows, I agree with your post entirely and I think it's pretty much the only sensible post I've read on the subject of Jamie Foster. When he dropped that ball last night his head went down. He looked absolutely rocked by what he had done, and he was on Twitter apologising again. He's had too much to distract him and he needs to be helped back to focus. He was great in the first half. But he makes a mistake and he can't recover from it. Not that he got much help from his team mates of course, there was nobody in support defensively. But either way I think he needs some protection for a while, time to refocus and get his career back on track. Given that we have just signed him for two years the coaching staff obviously see some potential in him but at present I think if he makes more gaffs then his confidence will be shot.

I think he needs putting back in the u20s to regain some confidence and also bring him down a peg or two.

People have bagged Meli for years for maning mistakes that cost us tries but people try to defend foster because if his age, the way I see it, he's being paid good money and given enough chances and if he's not good enough it's his tough luck but being young isn't a excuse for dropping ball.