Just me or was it a lot of ummimg and Ahhing?

Talk of being overloaded by a side a league below
Is worrying

He’s no fool but wonder if the penny is dropping about the overall quality of this team vs the league they are in…

Big Game Saturday…

Must admit his body language didn’t enamour me with confidence. Think it’s going to be a long season

The whole , some of the lads aren’t up there fitness wise cos we signed them late, sounds like the pre-cursor to the ‘judge us in October/I don’t even look at the league table for first 10 games’ sort of comments…

He might just of miss judged his excellent Budget.

Er why we still waiting for the Icing on the cake signing ng

The excellent budget will be downgraded by him when he is sacked in December like everyone that's gone before him. Only a friendly though nothing to see here, apart from my squad isn't ready for competitive football.

Seen it all before, already starting to age, stutter and stammer, after only a couple of months in the job. Was probably suffering from depression anyway, hence why no one else wanted to take a punt on him. Pools to the rescue, a retirement home for players and managers past their best, and those journeymen with nothing to lose and youngsters whose careers have went off track.

NOT impressed one iota by Grayson"s post match comments. If he has waltzed into the club thinking 'its only the National League' then we may well have yet another Harrison/Hartley on our hands. We may as well have kept Skippy who had sussed this league and introduced players of sufficient fitness and ability to make an impact from the off, not 10 games in. Or is Monks solely responsible for recruitment? Who knows in this basket case of a club.

what i,d like to know is what he actually means on getting to know his players in games and on the training pitch. has he inherited or signed some who might not be giving everything he wants or expects. Fans and possibly him will accept a team of real grafters but not ones who play when they just fancy it.

Well he reckons the 11 he's brought in are mint.

Judge in October.

I didn't get the impression he was as confident about some of them yesterday, though let's be honest the same clown that's overseen all these transfers is still heavily involved so why do we think things will change. How Joe monks is still at this club or any footy club is beyond me, must of picked up a record number of duffs in the time he has been here.

Monks a complete waste of a wage.
We should revert to the old school method were the manager n assistant did the scouting as part of being called a football manager.

does he get off his arse and watch games and players or just sit in an office reading circulars that clubs put out saying which player they,ll listen to offers for either to sell or to loan out.

Considering it was our last friendly,I was a bit puzzled why he picked a team,with probably 5 players who won’t start next week & play 4-4-2,when he admitted,that wouldn’t be the formation if it was a league game.

There are lists of free agent footballers circulated, particularly as the summer transfer window approaches. These lists highlight players whose contracts have expired and who are now available to sign with new clubs on free transfers. I think Monks looks at it then sticks a pin it a few times.
I doubt he would ever attend or has attended a game to watch players, sits in chair watching videos of players.

that seems the modern approach though but some are better at it than others and are at clubs who can throw money about like on a wedding day. you do not need an ex player doing this with a few hundred games behind them but someone who really understands the game and listens even if the could never kick a ball themselves.

that's what I picked up on, and that's why I'm not getting overly worried by yesterday. There's no way he will be starting with that first half side, the two wing backs who were looking impressive previously will be shoe ins.
It was disappointing to lose to South Shields, but it's all about fitness levels and trying things out. Does anyone seriously think Folarin will be starting next week?
No need to start getting menstrual over it

personally i,d have thought a week before the season is a little too late to try things out and experimenting. i,d have expected the first half team to be the one he,ll play next week and then start pissing about in the second. thats if he actually knows himself what his best 11 are for an away game and thats not knocking the guy either.

It was probably for the benefit of Yeovil, And Mr Cooper.

Prepared to give Grayson the benefit of plenty of doubt at this stage. A similar no- show at Yeovil would be a different scenario. Yesterdays team selection etc could also be a clever ruse to convince Raj that he needs to dig deeper into his pockets and allow Grayson to sign up a creative, combative midfielder and another striker. In addition to a decent keeper of course.

Very possibly

Think we've definitely wasted a wage on signing walker back, we already had sheron,hunter,Featherstone who play a deeper role, should have been after a more mobile attack minded player or at least something a bit different in the middle. Also think we need another wide player, don't really have an out and out winger available. It's just a shame we couldn't get shot of some of the deadwood.

Me FC Gray fields st holder pal said he was quality against them.
Maybe been found out v better opposition.

Could be dropped for the Alty game 3.

As for Grayson hes certainly lost his Skysports pundits patter.

Soon be Saturday.
A good piss up with me big brother.

Like I said, he runs like he’s got his legs in drain pipes.

After Saturdays performance I would be in for Paul Blackett as striker option we could do a lot worse.

there must be a problem somewhere with him. after his goalscoring exploits over the seasons you,d have thought somebody would have taken a punt on him by now.

I'm surprised someone higher up hasn't made him an offer, unless he's one of these part-timers with a high paying job which combined with footballing income means full time football isn't for him? He's got a great goal scoring record and is a decent age still.

If a manager does not make a decent GK a priority then to me that casts doubt.

doubt there are many about like that anymore given what clubs pay in wages right down to our level. its not the days of the maximum wage or the dark days of the 70,s and 80,s anymore where players actually borrowed money off people they knew who only worked in an ordinary job.

I'm sure that's the reason Glenn Taylor at Spennymoor never went full time. I remember the Turnbulls that were at Pools ended up far better off financially playing part time with decent jobs too.

Blackett is in his comfort zone.
Seen loads of players over the years who could have played higher.