Humphreys!!!

Oh My Days...

Maybe a bit of an exageration, but I don't see why he is getting so much stick

It isn't his fault that he is getting stick. But at times Ritchie has struggled this season and for him to be named fans poty ahead of Brown and Porter who have scored and created important goals this season is a bit daft.

i agree, maybe some people just come on for a moan

It's a default vote. In the absence of a 20 odd goal striker they give it to an integral part of one of the worst Pools defences of modern times.

On the award for player of the 100 years I wouldn't argue at all against Ritchie getting recognition but for getting awards based over the 2007-8 season - maybe they are a little undeserved....?

Watty Moore

Tommy McGuiggan,s daughter works at our bairns school

I'm not old enough to remember him, but we named a street after him so he must have something

Anyone old enough to enlighten me?

these type of votes always go to someone fresh in the mind

for me it would have been fletcher or edgely from 1908

real men

To award anyone an award for the best player in the past 100 years is completely daft and meaningless. Who the hell can cast a meaningful and realistic vote.

What about the West Hartlepool team that won the FA Amateur Cup in 1889, were none of them as good as RH?

er 1905 although they did win the durham am cup in 1900

who wants to embarass him first?

Yes I know its more than 100 years Tom but the point is still valid.

Wasn't he a skillful winger that was supposedly very close to an international call up during his time at Pools....?

Don't know mate - that's why I asked

His daughter was chuffed to bits when he got the street named after hm though

Her son is now a league linesman - guess football is in the blood

Well I am obviously not old enough to remember Tommy McGuigan, i can only just remember Barry McGuigan but a great uncle of mine reckons that he was brilliant. At least I think it was him that he was talking about. Apparently in the 50's and early 60's it wasn't unheard of for 3rd and 4th Division players to get picked for England and the other home nations. Despite the sound of his name i am sure the McGuigan was English and very close to a call up but i will have to check.

Just back from the POTY night and for me the player of the century vote is absolutely spot on.

You have to put these things into perspective. The last ten years have been the clubs best by a country mile, Ritchie has featured in seven of those years. If you compare to other players of the decades like Bob Newton for example, who was a good fourth division striker, like Richie Barker who in the current era is lamented by sections of the crowd. We have been largely shite for 100 years, this is the best state the club has ever been in but every fooker moans including me.

They played a montage of just about every goal Humphreys has scored for the club and 90% are superb strikes. He has played just about everywhere apart from in nets and given the same in every position and what people forget is that he is a quality player.

Throughly, throughly deserved an absolute credit to Hartlepool United, I wish the people who don't rate RH seen how much that award genuinely meant to the lad as well he was almost welling up.

I challenge the detractors to give me a better candidate for the award?

In a similar vein, how about Eric Wildon? Who, I hear you ask?

http://www.thefootballnetwork.net/main/s84/st83358.htm

87 goals in 200 games, and according to someone who emailed me after reading the article, he stayed a part-timer for most of his career which meant Fred Westgarth didn't always pick him.... despite him being an entertainer - and there was apparently a measure of disappointment in the crowd if someone else (such as Richardson) was picked in his place....

There are players like this that are barely remembered, pre-war ones that you need to be a real student of the club's history to have even heard of, so how do you pick the best of the century? Watty Moore, Brian Honour, Ken Johnson, and even those are just names to many - even Jackie....

Richie Humphreys - best player of our 100 year existence?

Surely this is a fooking joke? where's the punchline?



No Adam Boyd, Robbie Mac, Baker, Joe Allon, Tommy Miller, Watty Moore, Kenny Johnson, Brian Honour, Paul Dalton etc etc etc

Yeah lets give him player of the century on the back 17 games in a season we finished in the bottom third of the fourth division.

100 years contribution. Paul Smith was unbelievable for half a season with Gordon Watson and we actually achieved something on the back of that run but you wouldn't consider them, why Pedersen? He was different gravy, but the award is for overall contribution to the club.

How many of those players featured in two promotions and 3 of the clubs 4 highest finishes in the league of all time.

Any of them other than Humphreys?

(don't have proper internet but...)

Could have been between 6 players. Ritchie won and credit where it's due.

3 POTY awards, 2 PFA team of the year. 2 North East FL player of the year awards....he's done pretty well and deserves all the credit he gets.

The stick he is getting is unwarranted.

It's not his fault he won and people must have seen something in him to have voted. I certainly can see what they saw in him.

As for him getting the Fans POTY as a defender...he has been our ONLY defender that has had a decent season. The rest either haven't played enough or have been gash. The midfield wasn't great and nor was the attack if we're honest or the keepers.

There were about 3 contenders for me and Humphreys was one of them.

So what's two promotions and 3 of the clubs highest finishes in the league of all time got to do with Humphreys getting that award? Wasn't Barron part of that as well?

I'm losing the will to go on as a Pools fan after that fooking farcical award.

Had James Brown not been injured for a quarter of the season he would have romped it and rightly so, but the next on list has to be again Humphreys. I still think Brown should have got POTY, to argue with the player of the century is daft.

What people choose to forget as well when he has had the opportunity to actually play in midfield he has been outstanding, Leeds and Carlsile away for example....

I didn't vote cos I didn't have to. Sir Ritchie Humphreys is quite simply the greatest ever Hartlepool United player and just cos three or four doyles on here disagree makes no odds. Well done Ritchie - you are my hero and a Poolie legend.

Yeah Micky Barron rightly came second in the player of this decade.

Can you name anyone else who was part of that, or in fact a better period in the 100 years? I won't hold my breath.

Lets get this straight; because someone disagrees with your opinion you classify them as a 'doyle' is that how it works then ?

Oh, and kicking a ball about isn't heroic be it RH, Wayne Rooney or anyone else.

You can't, which makes arguing strongly against it all the more ridiculous.

I think he deserves a bit of credit for an award which was voted for by the fans, as was Joel Porter's goal of the season award

John, let me put it simply. I don't see how anyone can criticse Ritchie. I don't see any other player who gives more, or cares more than him. Your stance against him is wholly unjustified.

To be honest the whole thing has become a caraciture of opposing positions. I've become as extreme as those who fawn over the bloke. He's a decent player for sure (but not a decent left back) and I wouldn't argue against the overall player of the 00's but the 'away player of the years' and the 100 year awards are just plain daft.

Whoever the 100 year award had gone to there would be people disagreeing,there are a few players in my time (22 years) watching Pools that are contenders & Ritchie Humphreys is one of them.
I have no problem with anyone who thinks it should have gone to someone else,but to say that Ritchie is a ridiculous choice is grossly unfair.His contribution during his time here is up there with the best of them.

Just to clarify: my view is that to give anyone the award for being the best player in the last 100 years is daft, nobody alive can give an opinion on at least half the contenders.

I don't want to comment on who won what but I can tell you what is what I know about Tommy McGuigan.
First of all he was Scottish, so all this twaddle about him playing for England would have him turning in his grave.
Secondly he was not a winger he was an inside left and wore the number ten.
Thirdly I have been watching pools since 1952 and in my opinion he was and is the best footballer ever and I mean ever to pull on a Pools shirt. He played well over 300 times for Pools.
At that time the maximum wage stopped people moving on as they and their families were settled. Other than that, Tommy could have played anywhere. It was however a different game and prima donnas were very rare. Even Matthews and Finney stayed put as did a lot more.
There has never been a Pools side that would have lived with that team of 1957, well not since 1952 anyway. I can't speak for what went on before 1952 but there has never been a Pools player to match Tommy. That is why, after all these years, he still got enough votes to name a street after him.
Poolie legend first class.

There you go, a realistic contender who nobody on the board had witnessed except Mr T. There was also 40 odd years of players before him to choose from.

right its not rocket science

most of the people who will have voted will not remember 100 years of pools

so are basing their vote on the recent past

in the last 8 years mickey barron. richie humphries and mark tinkler will have made a lasting impression on them and will be represented in the voting.

in the respective decades all of the old favourites were mentioned

but i suspect chip wouldnt be complaining if joel had won

Chip, I agree Robbie Mac was a better left back, but Ritchie is righlty our best-ever player. He can play defence, midfield or attack. Could Robbie?

Exactly, it's impossible for there not be other candidates as chip said earlier it's an impossible thing to judge and let's be honest it was always going to be a modern day player as the voters are in the main modern day but to say things like 'I am losing the will to be a Pools fan' is down right pathetic.

I bet even Ritchie doesn't class himself a left back, I don't see him moaning or not getting on with the job though and he certainly doesn't pick himself in that position.

Chip, Rob Mckinnon is a great call and I wouldn't disagree with it if he had won the award he was a superb player, my reason for stating Humphreys being part of a successful era is just to suggest the reasons why he has won it, in no way I am I disrespecting players from other eras. With an Internet vote 9 times out of 10 it will be a recent player who wins, but why the outage at Humphreys win? Just give him some credit for his contribution.

Humphreys playing 'attack' When was that?

Adam Boyd - by far the best of the 00's and light years ahead of Humphreys who's only claim to fame apart from playing the guitar and writing a book, is megging someone and waving to the millhouse.

Andy Linighan played about the number of games for Pools that Gary Liddle will be approaching by the end of next season all things being well. Don Hutchison played about 15, I'll give you Mckinnon.

I think the idea is that it's Hartlepool United's overall player of the century what they have done for other clubs is irrelevant surely, it's an award for an overall contribution to the club? If the former was the cas John Mcgovern would walk it with two European cups.

Oh heck - I must be getting some of my uncles stories confused......

He spoke quite well actually and seemed a bit emotional, thanked all the staff and seemed frustrated about how the season had gone. He also backed the club to go and achieve greater things. He ventured towards excuse a couple of times saying how are competing with bigger clubs and that 15th wasn't THAT bad but he got a decent reception and came across as what he is, a decent bloke.

He was the only member of staff not wearing a club suit and tie in the Borough Hall.

Why wasn't he wearing a club suit / tie then?

What did Ken have to say?

Not sure, he made no real reference to next season and what he was going to do but seemed alright with Turner and Hovercraft.

It won't be tomorrow anyway, Thursday is the big day by all accounts

That is exactly the impression that I got Mr Fireball, exactly.

They were all being cordial and talking of planning ahead for next season.

Uncle Ken even used the bastad word "consolidation".

DW waffled, he didn't get a clap from me all night either. Especially seeing as though his speach was as much a trotting out of excuses as owt else and no mention of it anywhere that he might have made any mistakes whatsoever during the season.

I enjoyed the night immensely but left there less heartened about our immediate future than I had been when I went in.

I heard Hodcroft finished with...

"and by the way tigro is right again "

Anyone who doesn't think Ritchie as a player is among the top 5 contributors to Pools of all time has lost all sense of proportion or else has been on the happy juice.
Like someone said, do a poll in ten years time and ask for Poolie legends. It's inconceivable to imagine Ritchie won't be on most people's list.