No coincidence that we did well at the start with him in the team and since his return we have seen an upturn in our fortunes.

Shelton was made to be the fall guy after the Torquay debacle. I did say I thought DC reached for his gun far too quick in dropping Shelton after that game. In fact I think it was DCs reaction to that game, that laid the foundations for the poor next couple of months. Hopefully some lessons have been learned.

Agree he has been in very good form since he came back into the side. On the other hand I don't think he started the season particularly well; he just wasn't 'at it' and always wanting to be involved the way he is now - and the way he was when he joined Pools on loan last season.

If a spell on the sidelines is the kick up the backside he needed, all well and good. Challenging players to be better is what good managers do.

Agree , he wasn't at his best as you say, I would go even further and say he wasn't at his best towards the end of last season even. Footballers at all levels have peaks and troughs in their performances, even more so at this level, hence why there at this level, and sometimes a kick up the backside is needed, but at other times, maybe a bit of loyalty is needed, and just let the player have the 4 or 5 below average games and get it out of their system as opposed to dropping them, that could lead to a complete slump.

every player is different. some need their arses kicking others need the arm round the shoulder approach. dropping players or letting them play poorly week in week out to regain their form works for different lads. lets hope challinor has got it right with shelton who has it in him for sure.

Yep, agree with that. That is certainly where us as fans can only speculate. The manager will know the player better than us, and its up to him to apply the right type of approach , drop him to teach him a lesson or have a word in his ear and stick with him for a little longer. I think DC got it wrong with Shelton, don't think you would drop a key player for as long as he did, its not as though things were going well without him in the side, but hopefully no long term damage was done, and Shelton stays in the side and improves as the season progresses , because like Featherstone, he is far from perfect, just one of those generally consistent players, a successful side needs at least 5 or 6 of.