From Sedgefieldpoolie, from the 15th

As expected the message boards are straight on Turner's back after yesterday. We've all followed Pools for long enough to expect that. But lets wake up to some reality. We didn't drop two points due to the manager's decision to sub Brown and Boyd. We dropped points because of two poor bits of defending, a misplaced header by Collins and a failure to react to a second ball into the box. We also surrendered territory and possession in the second half by our back four dropping deeper and deeper, despite constant urging by Turner and Wadsworth to get higher up the park. Part of why that happened was the complete inability of Boyd and Brown to hold on to any kind of possession.

At present Brown is patently unfit and unable to last beyond the hour mark and Boyd likewise. Even before they went off ask yourself what they had done in the second half. Correct, absolutely nothing. Our problem is simply that we have no other striker to come off the bench and offer us any quality.

Lets give credit to Murray, Gamble and Sweeney for a really good shift in midfield and to the back four for the first 70 minutes. Murray may prove to be an astute signing.

Our problems are still there for all to see. No pace in wide positions and no target man of quality. Turner knows that. The board aren't going to give him any money. Result is we are where we are. A solid, at best, lower-end Division 1 team with limited resources, sub3000 crowds and a shallow squad with absolutely no capacity to change a game from the bench. Yes I know that maybe 70 minutes into yesterday's match we were thinking that we might not actually need the play-offs at the end of the season. That our greatest-ever season was here despite the pre-season negativity. Then a weak defensive header, no challenge on the Swindon midfield player and a less than powerful shot beats a poorly positioned keeper. We all woke up at that point. Our plan A had come unstuck and as we all know Mr Turner has no plan B. Depressingly, we lost our shape, Sweeney stopped bombing forward, Swindon showed a wee bit of quality, Monkey disappeared on the left and the ball kept coming back just as quickly as we were aimlessly hoofing it up the park. It was a disappointing end to a match that had started promisingly

But I'm not sure that I'd be laying blame at Turner's door. Not yet.

Now Mr Hodcroft you do have some explaining to do. Your company's contribution to our club has been transformational and sustaining. Now you need to wake up to some reality here.

You are a successful business person, who repeatedly tells us that the club is run on strict business lines. We have seen the rise in the professionalism of the club off the field.

It is very easy, possibly cowardly, to use the privelige of your column in the programme to give us a sanitised and rather patronising telling-off.

In your day job your company operates in a highly competitive and cut throat world where openness and transparency may be regarded as a weakness. But this is a football club where your stakeholders, me and a few thousand other people, seek your openness and a level of transparency about the future of our club. You must recognise the need for the club to be accountable to its stakeholders. Without your recognition of that accountability we will become disaffected, look at the declining gates, and simply stop caring. We want to understand just where our club is going. What's the truth on the takeover/investment stuff? What is the true story about the buy-back of the ground? What is the strategic plan for the club, looking three to five years ahead? Why are our sponsors and business alliances all oil companies offsetting their involvement against tax, with virtually no local connection? and why are the fans of our club not involved in the day to day operation and, more importantly, in shaping the club's future.

I also suspect in your business that you don't tolerate failure, inefficiency and sub-standard performance in your management teams. Why allow it here? Liddlegate cost us £15k and nearly caused our relegation yet it was tolerated. Your manager offered two year deals to nonentities and signed an array of Northern League standard players, showing poor judgement. Declining gates as a result of poor performances are costing IOR hundreds of thousands per annum but you haven't acted.

If an IOR customer contacted you and complained about one of your staff or managers I'm sure that you would act swiftly, provide reassurance, go on a charm offensive and ensure that the offender wass not on your payroll for much longer. Many thousands of your 'customers' are complaining week in and week out. Wake up and act now!

If you don't want to act now, tell us why. Open up real dialogue with your stakeholders. Share the vision for the club. If its a money thing, tell us. Just don't patronise us and run the club into the ground.

I'm keeping the faith for now. RSVP

Canny post, but I despise the phrase 'shift' which is creeping into the game, its worse than 'two banks of four' or 'up top' weak journalism, week grammar, weak as pish all in all

And the squad is weak beause of the duffers Turner brought in last season

Quality rather then quantity would of sufficed

I'm sure that if Ken has read that he'll be changing his way of doing things and writing a reply as we speak.

We would like to know all sorts (me included). We have a right to know nowt. That's life and that's just the way it is and I don't personally think that any amount of ranting and demanding is going to change that.

And of course, judging by that post, CT is blamless for last seasons team selections, tactical cock-ups and all round cackness

I've got no problem with the post, they are his opinions. But what the hell is the point of posting it on a 606 message board?

Send it direct to Ken Hodcroft c/o Hartlepool United FC. He's hardly going to pop up on the 606 message board and respond is he?

I concur BUT, while we may have a right to know nowt the great secrecy at the club and distance from the fans may be the very reason why the support is dwindling. Maybe some of the blame which Ken likes to lay at the feet of the fans/council/everyone but himself should instead be dropped on his own doorstep?

I dont support Pools out of a need to see a succesful team. I started suporting them religiously when they were bottom of the league and greatly cared for the club. Im not ashamed to admit that i simply dont care about the club as much as I used to. Why is this? I still love football, I still feel bored on some Saturday afernoons without football to watch. I really think the lack of support which the club are getting these days is at least partly down to the way the club is ran.

Its a great shame Ken wont se that letter on 606 as it makes a great deal of sense.

I thought it was a decent post and mirrors in some areas the way I feel. One area that wasn't mentioned is that what Pools have to offer is a form of entertainment, and above the hard core of 1500 supporters or so that is exactly what going to Pools means to many people. if Pools fail to entertain, then people aren't going to go, which is clearly demonstrated by the current gates.

Secondly IOR run Pools as another part of their business and apply those business rules to the football club, this generally is fine and ensures a certain degree of discipline in the running of the club. The IOR business model however is probably not an exact fit when applied to a football club and perhaps IOR should look at the way the entertainment business promotes itself, stimulates interest and communicates with the punters.

If you want entertainment all the time go to the fillums

If people are pissing off because of the lack of entertainment the matches gives they are morons, you can't guarantee every match will entertain, some matches will be cack and you win, some may be fanybloodyfannytastic and you lose

Too many watch the premiership and expect champagne on lemonade money

Can't argue with that.
No club in the football league will provide entertainment every Saturday.

I seems obvious to me that the missing 3000 have stayed away because what we have been served up at Pools for the last 2 years has been mostly disappointing and sometimes it has been dire.

There are lots of alternative things to do on a weekend, people are fickle and plenty have decided to stay away from Pools and possibly do other things. I'm surprised you can't see the connection between the two. Some of them as you suggest undoubtedly will go to the fillums.

Secondly, if IOR thought about their customers a bit more, as the more enlightened members of the entertainment industry do, then maybe they would entice a few more missing fans back.

IOR care enough the tune of a millions snodgers per year

That is enough entertain me

It might be enough for you but the missing 3000 seem to disagree.

Missing 3000? Slightly exaggerated figures?

No, reasonably accurate considering peak seasons average to now. However if you substituted 2000 for 3000 the argument would be exactly the same.

I agree the argument will be the same, however the attendance (of home fans) has dropped by something like 1600 average compared to the playoff final season. Still a big drop like!