I watched the game tonight on the stream, first half with no commentary which was a bit weird but meant that you took in every misplaced pass, every hoofball, every ferguson occasion giving the ball away. Sloggett terrible in everything he tried to do.

Boston to their credit looked like a team that tried to play football and I think that will be their downfall in the end.

2nd half Mancini coming on showed his quality, the commentary team appeared and they talked straight away about the quality of mancini and fair play to them mentioned on a number of occasions how good Mancini looked and the differential in quality between the two sets of players.

Summary

When pools get the ball down and players move around Mancini we will be a force in this league, the movement and quality of mani for his goal showed that. Sarl now has to forget hoofball and get the wide players mixing with mancini and mani. We have so many quality forwards now, the local commentators mentioned that Campbell wasn't even involved. The depth of players we have compared to most of this league is stark. I think when Dodds comes back in he will get us playing more from the back, we know he has the quality to do that.

Defensively Sarl has it sorted, I think even midfield defensively its there, he just needs to be braver now against all these teams.

To be fair they have assembled a quality squad for this league, I hope now that things will settle down, Sarl will be less safe, I mean he can be a little bit knowing that with dodds, parkes and waterfall he has a defence that when tested will come through, come on lets see us stretching teams with the quality we have further up the pitch.

UTP, PTID

Agree

So Ferguson is good enough in his position?

Who tonight said Ferguson is good enough in his position

Our defence is very strong but Ferguson is the weakest link at the moment when moving forward and losing the ball unnecessarily

Parkes was excellent again tonight btw

Ferguson was supposedly marking the bloke who scored, how many times have we seen that already this season.

He is immense and a real professional pro and leader. I said last week make him captain because that's the sort of leadership required at this level if you want success. He reminds me of a rougher John Mcfail

We 100% need another left back to at least push him to being consistent or taking his place. Can I politely ask which other goals against do you attribute to Ferguson.

All of them.

Oh well that's interesting to say the least. I have every single goal scored for or against on record so it will be very easy to either agree with you or prove you wrong.

Said in jest but it is noticeable how many times he is the last person on whoever scores for the opposition and fails to get that final block/tackle or clearance in, I actually like Fergie as I think he gives his all, unfortunately I think his race has run. Hope he proves me wrong though.

From what I have seen of ferguson tonight and this season is that his distribution is shocking. If there was a any other option at left back then he would be out. That said if confidence grows within the team then he can benefit from that. I think the hoofball pinball play we have seen has not helped him but I think he will come good in a progressive team. I am not slagging him off needlessly, just what I have seen if he doesn't go backwards his forward passes are not what mani or his wide men need, it always seems to me that he is rash with his pass. That could change if he has more movement. I haven't seen it yet this season.

I understand where you coming from and he really needs to find his form or lose his place when D.S. brings in a another in coming week. He started the season really well but after a few games in he started to lose his confidence and its showing, he really needs a break to get his head together. He is probably not a first option in a successful team but still more than capable of being a good back up. And like you say he gives his all and maybe that's part of his problem he tries to hard to help the team and his game suffers. He loves Pools and does his very best but he lacks consistently

Just from watching the game on streaming tonight - their goal came from a brilliant (perhaps flukey) ball in which was met by a brilliant finish.
Maybe Fergie should have been tighter and on the other side of the attacker but this is national league. There aren't many defenders or wing backs at this level that could have done anything at all about it. The main thing is that's all they did all game to bother us - and we won.

Mani and Mancini UTP!

Their goal looked offside but no excuse for not dealing with it

It was offside ….but that’s life.

It was offside and I therefore not Fergys fault at all 100% the lino at fault. Fergy did his job of playing the guy offside.
Other than that they didn't create anything that really troubled the defence or keeper. So defensively Fergy actually did OK imo. His offensive play was very poor by the high standards he has set himself in previous seasons.

yeh it was miles offside - that Hazel isnt good enough to split our defence, i used to watch the kid at Whitby and he was shite.
but it doesnt matter we came away with a win and our striker did his job (gladly has he missed a sitter in the first half).

agree fully with that summary 100% - Ferguson needs to be dropped and better brought in. Its evident hes slowing down and just isnt producing the goods at this level anymore. Against better sides he will get killed !

still think we have not yet seen our best 11 anf formation though - Sloggett is mr hot and cold i reckon. Dont think you will see him being consistent (hence the reason he has dropped down so far and didnt get his game in L1).

I got the greatest pleasure beating them in revenge for my awful 1971 FA Cup defeat and the horrendous journey home in a windowless coach December.
A town of six fingered inbreeds

actually i thought fergie improved in the second half when we got the ball on the ground, moved it about and played positive football. is he that bad or the victim of the managers tactics we have seen seeing. still like to see a replacement lb though.

Statistically the defence has improved immensely and Fergy is part of that improved defence. Last season we were shipping goals at an alarming rate currently we've conceded 5 in 8 games. Of the 5 one was a mistake by Stephenson and one was blatantly offside so not a mistake by a defender. Of the other 3 how many are directly down to Fergy?
His biggest failing at the moment is his distribution which as I said has deteriorated remarkably. If he can get back on track supplying balls into Mani as he once did I doubt there'd be much criticism of him at all.

if my memory serves me right at least 2 of wokings goals came from down their right. somehow we seem more able to cover the right rather than the left side of our defence.

[quote="Leggie43"]He started the season really well but after a few games in he started to lose his confidence and its showing, he really needs a break to get his head together. quote]


Agree. He's not in his best form at the minute. The fact is Pools have competition for places all over the pitch now, except at left back. That's no good for our chances of promotion and not good for Fergie.

If Sarll only has room to bring in one more player, it has to be a left back.

towards back end of last season Fergie was getting mauled off any player with pace - there was even pensioners in the ground going for a half time pie with quicker reflexes off the terrace. His lack of right foot also is worrying, although he decided to use it last night few times. He wants the loop switch down the line all the time - there isnt anyone ever there and its always a wasted pass. He also had a stinker against Braintree when we where pushing up the pitch - loose balls and bad footballing decisions ! I like him but i think we need better. He is part of a better back 4 but i think if there was a lad pushing for his position we might even see better from him too. Food for thought but i guarantee we see more mistakes and bad football from the lad in the coming weeks. Id get Dodds in there.

can he play on the left though. its nothing to do with being left or right footed but the side of the pitch players are most comfortable playing on. do not think there are many rb ho can play lb and vice versa. however a number og mid fielders have dropped back into defence and been succesful doing it.

sarll must know this himself and have a plan if ferguson got injured and became unavailable to play. be interesting what his plan must be and which player would do the job. next saturday must be a big game for fergy after braintree and the first half yesterday as the team is carrying him.

Yeh the very good players can adapt to either side of the pitch - Dodds being in that category and sure he filled in there before should have no bother adopting his game plan and way of playing to that side of the pitch. He would link up well with Charman too. Both good on and off the ball and clever with it too. Thats the thing now we have footballers who can not only play with feet but with head too. Many a time ive seen lads who can do enough but its their technical footballing brain that makes them shine. Hence why Mancini is so good.

Personally I'd hate to see Dodds on the left, he's surely one of the best attacking right sided defenders in the division, why dilute his effectiveness by playing him on the wrong side. Better to play Dodds in his best position and bring in another LB or play Freeman there (sure when we signed him they said he can play either side), I'd even play Parkes there rather than Dodds (he played there last season in one game and was good even in the attacking duties).

Saw the title of this post and most disappointed to find no reference whatsoever, anywhere,….. to spirit levels…..deeply disappointed.

Dodds on right and freeman on left maybe way to go, he has the experience to shift positions

whoever did play at lb its not as if they had big boots to fill is it.