But the comings and going’s leave us with a much weaker team than the one that ended last season as poor as it was.

I honestly feel recruitment wise we are looking at a relegation team or at least one struggling in the bottom half, certainly it’s hard to keep a straight face when Grayson hints at promotion and playoffs with the team we have, poor players still under contract, good ones released or telling us to thanks but no thanks and recruitment that seems either unproven at this level or clearly injury prone based on past few seasons.

Add to that it seems likely the goalkeeper position is going to be Smith again, and the midfield is on track to be the most one paced in our history and it’s hard to see anything to get excited about.

As I say I hope I’m wrong but feel like it’s taking the piss or extreme naivety to put us anywhere near top half..

You ain't wrong

He isent.

Agree 100%.

With the loss of Mancini, Mani and more than likely Joe Grey I think we’re looking down the barrel of an awful season.

I’d take just not getting relegated before we’ve even started.

It was going to be like this from the off.
When the fans are kept in the dark with just about everything, you have to start wondering about the outcome.

It's ridiculous to assume we are looking at a bottom half finish as it stands. I'll wait and see how pre season pans out and who else we sign. The signings so far look pretty decent, not overly convinced by Brad Walker, but if he's fit he's a very good player at this level and I'm assuming he'll be playing the featherstone role.
Simon Grayson has been round the arcades, he's not daft, I'm sure he can build a team that can compete.
I can't be boshed to get into the grimfest this early in preseason, the fact Sheron signed up for two years says a lot more to me than Mani fucking off (again) for a bigger pay packet.

Agree with some of it but to me the signings look no better than they were in previous years and we all know what happened (or did not). The difference with Mani and Sheron is that Mani was much more likely to have head turning options. A very calm and balanced post though Mr Lemonade.

Agree. And anyway I'm not going to judge players I haven't really seen play till I've watched them several times in a Pools shirt. Walker is the odd one out for me too. I wasn't that much of a fan of his the first time around apart from his breakthrough season, and his injury record since then is really off-putting.

Pre-season games aren't any sort of a guide either. Pools looked in great fettle up at South Shields last July, but by 10-12 games into the real season we were really struggling.

I reckon.
Gray fields FC. 2
Larrys Lambs FC 3 on Tuesday night.

We have lost mani, mancini madine and probably grey, brought in a lad that's hardly played in midfield an ageing forward on a downward spiral and a lad from the conference north, if this is not concerning to some even if its July then no wonder raj singh can pull the wool over the eyes of some. Nailed on bottom half unless miracle of miracles happen. The squad is far weaker than last season in fact its embarrassingly weak.

But yeah let's watch a few games before the penny drops.

Of course the squad is weaker at the moment nobody is denying that. I don't doubt that everyone is worried about the way the season is going to go at present, but it is about 5 weeks still to the start of the season so things hopefully will improve and soon.
Mourning the loss of Maxine then criticising the recruitment of Johnson is a strange one though?
Predictions count for nothing, it's league and cup results that count though so all we can do is wait and watch when the season starts.

Nailed on relegation and/or administration. Cheers Raj.

Mid table again, but unlike last season, probably in the relegation mix somewhere along the line, before eventually pulling clear

so we lost them so what. all part of a bang average mid table national league side where the only high spot was rias cleary at the back end of it. its not those names who will be missed its the thoughts many have of the team being even poorer thats the worry at the moment.

Talking to Francis at the moment.