: Wed Apr 01, 2009 4:57 pm
As a Wigan fan I would be gutted if this deal went through if it does mean us losing Goulding. You can have Mathers for nothing though
Gleeson is nearly 29 and only has 2 or 3 good years left in him. The entire deal just sounds like Noble's short term desperation to keep his job. Gleeson is a player that has underperformed for years and has very few good games and lots of very average ones. He has built a big reputation on very little, largely because we are so short of decent English centres. In addition we all know about his off field antics and we have too many of these types of players as it is and we should be looking at reducing the number of players like this that are at the club, not doing the opposite. In will also be on a big wage, a wage that could be much better spent on 2 good forwards or a stand off. With the team that we have Gleeson will make absolutely no difference at all.
Goulding is a very promising player and and could be the Wigan centre for the next decade and is a player who I believe has the potential to be one of the England centre's in the future. I actually believe that Smith tried to sign Goulding whilst at Leeds a few years ago and I guess that is where the interest comes from. He has been made a scapegoat by Noble and I guess that is why he wants to leave, as is rumoured. Indeed he should be playing now at the expense of an overpaid and very average import in Bailey but despite him scoring tries for fun in the academy and being the stand out player in the last few weeks but he still doesnt get picked. It will be a big mistake from the club if Wigan do let him go.
