Do you think it's in his contract to take all Dead balls? For 20 odd games now I personally think he's getting worst.
Why not let someone else take a Free kick or a Corner. It's painful watching and I don't get excited any more when we have a corner or free kick. When was last time we scored from a corner or free kick?
Donaldson can and has scored from free kicks in past and other clubs.
This is how excited I am watching this crap on a fresh afternoon in Hartlepool.
Why do we do it

He isn't consistent enough for me. That applies to his dead ball kicks and his general passing.

It's his Free Kicks & Corners that's gets on my tits. I know he has scored goals. Not denying that.
It's just every dead ball with in 25 yards, thy must give to Noble. We got Donaldson, Hawkes and possibly James who could take some dead balls or try something new. Just saying while sat again pissed off I spent an arm and a leg on train fare and sat East Coast train heading home to London to be in work for 05:50 tomorrow morning. Rant Over... Sorry

Nothing to be sorry about.
Good post.

Nobles delivery from corners and free kicks is terrible, gets it right about 1 in every 5, but I doubt there is anyone else in the squad who could do any better, and that's our problem, players who cant do the basics, win headers, take players on, put in a decent cross.

Totally agree - but more importantly, what take-aways does he let the youngsters now have?

Season over as far as I'm concerned, made an 80 mile round journey to watch that shite today with a bad back and a cold. Was like watching 10 year olds tippy tappy passing it slowly up the pitch with no invention or defence splitting pass.....awful.

Depressing isn't it ? What we need is more penalties and more opposition players getting sent off, that seems to be the only thing we have done well this season, though even the latter has dried up of late

Are you allowed to forfeit a set piece and get yourselves in a nice solid shape to defend the goal kick?

Can't agree with that Mr phil - that's exactly where Bates went wrong for me. There was absolutely zero penetration. Our possession stats were great but we did precisely fuck all with it because the opposition had more than enough time to get men behind the ball and we couldn't work an opening because we're not good enough.....which your last sentence says....so I agree with that bit

We got Donaldson, Hawkes and James all of whom can strike a dead ball cleanly and dependent what type of dead ball it is and from where depends on who takes it. The opposition currently know whats going to happen before it happens ie fails to pass the first defender at corners.
Money needs to put Noble in his place.

Fair point Mr Streak - is this symptomatic of the problem within the club. Noble thinks he's in charge with regard to all matters football and catering?

Looks like Noble believes he’s bulletproof.

Are all professional footballers heads so far up their arses that they can't realise they're having an off day? Noble should have admitted it wasn't working dead ball wise and asked (not 'allowed') someone else to have a bash, or the bloody manager should have. They only decent dead ball was the one he put round the defensive wall for Hawkes to run on to, just about the first evidence I've ever seen that they may actually practice free kicks during training.

Catering, catering dont get me onto catering!
At the intermission there was a massive queue of people at the food kiosk behind the mill house stand (town end side) with no chance of getting served before the on pitch entertainment restarted. The nearby bar ran out of lager and when the staff went to connect a new keg the whole dispense system went down.
Does the management of this think this is acceptable or is it just the case that if all is ok for the Cyril Knowles elite its all ok.
Mill House fans get a raw deal of it with shit seats, shit bar and shit catering not to mention the pot holes in the "track" outside behind the stand.
Anyone mention "matchday experience"?

Maybe that's why they don't try to entertain too much on the pitch, so you don't miss anything?

Oh yes never thought of that.

They ran out of bottled lager, keg lager and cider - the Trophy, before the whole system went down - was pungent. The staff had no idea - perhaps not their fault - but the 'experience' was beyond unacceptable.

And my reference to catering was directed at the take-away management group - Mr Noble and his ego.

As one of the few players we have who knows where the goal is, I would rather have him at the business end of corners and free kicks.

In the few times i have been in the Cyril Knowles stand i find the facilities far superior to the Mill House side.......could this have anything to do with the directors and management being on that side?
Are we the forgotten ones?

Yes.
Mind you, we moved over there a couple of years back and the leg foot in the seats is shite. There, it’s off my chest now, ....but not my knees.

It`s part of a 3 year plan

I am one of the CK elite.

Half-time (intermission) I queued up 'cos the lad fancied a hotdog and chips. Waited dutifully for 10 minutes while the queue didn't move - they seemed to have just put the chips on at the start of half-time or summat. Intermission over, said sorry to the lad and went back to the family enclosure. Took him for a (far superior) McD's after the game.

Don't waste too much time envying the CK elite ...