But those with busy lives cannot expect to.......ah bollox!

Not one of snowy best analogies.

You get a train cos you need to. To be somewhere else.

Pools and sage need to bend over backwards to attract new and old customers.

Especially ones who decide at the last minute to give it a try.

And that is usually the case, with around 3 trains leaving within a 15 min spell , for example 9am in the morning at Hartlepool station. I have had a lot of problems with that self service machine lately as well, which defeats the object of cutting jobs, when you then have to go to the ticket office to get your tickets the machine wont give you.

And from your report and others there was a hundeed or so struggling to get in, not 3500.

It's £20 to get in as well isn't it?

So unless someone turns up with £50 note there isn't even a delay whilst someone gives change.

It's all too stupid for words.

That ticket machine is hilarious.

It doesn't accept cash now either. So don't go without a credit/debit card.

This is the modern world.

Due to the wife being ill this week I had to mind the kids so couldn't go to the game. I work away and have not been able to justify a season ticket so would need to pay on the day. After reading what happened on the turnstiles before the game I think I would've been one of those to turn around and piss off back to the Mill House if I'd have been able to go last minute.

If you buy a ticket for a train and the train doesn't turn up I'm fairly sure you get your money back and are compensated so can people have their money back when Pools don't turn up?

Just put the tickets on the turnstiles and sell them there like most sensible clubs do, I'n sure I read that Sunderland managed it on Friday night, Cheltenham and various others did this last season.

If we do start winning games it's only going to get worse if crowds pick up.

It's a very simple solution, just have cash turnstiles open for every game. Give the people who buy in advance a small discount to try and encourage in pre sales and reduce queues on match day.

It's really simple, take the people out of the couple of pointless extra match day ticket offices and put them on the cash turnstiles.

This was only brought in because we were meant to be getting new turnstiles that were self service with you scanning your ticket. Like everything that utter damned bounder Coxall promised they never materialised so why are we continuing with it?

Regarding Sunderland on Friday a friend of mine, a season ticket holder, had problems getting in and had to go to the ticket office where there was large number of supporters with similar problems.As a result they missed the first 10 mins.

Wasn't there also a problem though , with getting trustworthy people on the turnstiles?. I'm sure it was only a couple of bad apples in the barrel , but the club posted a steward outside of the turnstiles towards the end of the 2015/16 season to keep an eye on the staff on the gate.

If only there were enough Mark Tinkler clones to go round. They don't come along very often

I like a good Conundrum Phil !. What would you do if there were a queue for the £5 tickets and no queue for the £20 tickets?

I walked that route for nearly every home last season and and didn't witness that, the only turnstiles open are the ones in use so how would that be physically possible for people to be handing over fivers when people in the same queue had tickets?

It's bollocks.

If people were queuing at the ticket office how were the turnstiles free of people going in the tickets to not notice people slipping fivers.

This could be the biggest pile of horse shit since hat cam.

No, that's what you think we think.
Mere supposition on your part.

For a long time if you paid at the gate, you got a ticket stub that had a child's price on it. This was happening in the last few seasons of IOR. There may of been nothing in this , but maybe it was the club who were syphoning off the gate money. It wouldn't be the first time this sort of thing has happened in life, and those employee lowest on the food chain get the blame for stealing.

Hordes, there's a perfectly logical explanation for there being a child's stub left on you're ticket. Have a think about it

I'm not going again until I can buy train tickets at Pools

It's the future.

A week today we could be nine points off the top - can I start panicking then?

No need to panick but maybe a little concerned.

http://www.hartlepoolmail.co.uk/sport/f ... -1-8689231
Same articles as last season only with a change of personnel, hey we all know we are weak as P*** but none of the previous Managers seem to realise we need a couple of 'thugs' for want of a better word in midfield, they must be some cloggers about.

if it's any comfort to you there's only nine places between Pools and Darlo...

Have you still never been to Darlo game since they restarted?

I bet you think Darlos best player is Ron Greener.

Didn't we sign George who by all accounts is that type of player?

Why don't we give the new manager a proper chance? FFS he's been here for one game. Some of the stuff I've read across various forums is more depressing than Saturdays result. People saying the manager won't be here long and they aren't going to go unless he stops playing one up front, fuck me Correct me if I'm wrong but did he not abandon one up front at half time!?

Why does a Manager who has said he likes to play attractive football then watch as the ball was hoofed up the park over the heads of the midfield has had Dover watched 3 times elect to play one striker up front, a weak midfield against a team of very powerful players, tactically got it wrong from the KO. 8 players we have signed and judging by their control of the ball appear too be no better than we had last season.I can understand the fans frustrations.

Nothing like giving people a chance eh!?

How long did they get 10 minutes, 20?

None of the new signings can control a ball even the ones who didn't play.

I can understand the dissapointment yes, but frustrations!? We have played one game.

People have every right to vent their frustrations at Saturdays game. Yes it was only 1 game. Yes he changed it. Yes not all of the new signings played.

But, having only watched 3 or 4 pre season games, it was obvious that 1 upfront wasn't going to heed attacking football. It wasn't going to create chance after chance. It is a defensive formation that I would expect us to play away at Tranmere. Not at home to Dover.

The fact that Harrison thought this was the way to go, when it so obviously wasn't, is quite baffling for a professional manager.

I'm guessing he opted for that to avoid defeat in his first game...

Lessons will no doubt have been learnt.

Which, if true, is worrying in itself is it not?

Five in midfield can be a very attacking formation if you're on top. By all accounts we played badly and weren't even close to dominating so it looks defensive.

I'm not a believer in the idea that tactics don't matter but a team that has basic, predictable tactics and plays well will usually beat a team with fiendishly cunning tactics that plays badly. I can't think of any formation that works if your passing isn't accurate and your defence isn't organised.

Dunno if it was already posted but another option for ticket sales.

https://www.hartlepoolunited.co.uk/news ... ine-sales/

All these new fangled ways to get people to pay up front.

Whilst just blatently, and it seems, deliberately missing the obvious.

That people like to rock up at the last minute and take in a game.

If this isnt rectified before the next game, then I can only assume that those running the business at HUFC are idiots.

And they could make it absolutey simple. If you rock up at the last minute its £20, regardless of age or circumstance. Then you dont even have to give the turnstyle operator a bag of change.

I dont want an award or anything for this piece of ingenuity, just someone at Pools with at last a half working brain to make it happen.

There. Said it.

Laughable isn't it?. £ 20 pay on the gate , about the same amount as it would cost to employ someone to operate a turnstile for around 3 hours.

Hate to say it because I quite like paying for stuff with cash but the system where you download what looks a bit like bird shit onto your phone and then they read it on the turnstile works well. Takes about a minute and you don't even have to print anything so it works fine for the free spirits that Mr Butt despises. The hand-held readers can't cost much because they're turning up all over the place and they'd work fine alongside the old turnstiles.

Most gig tickets I get now are on my phone like that


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And another thing. I surely cant be alone in not having a printer at home?

I dont even have a laptop other than my work one, and I cant think of a single reason I would need a printer.

Well I cant think of a single reason now. Thanks Pools.

How much are printers?

Another option could be a dishing out cards which you can top up on a website or even an app. I understand it wouldn't be for everyone but somebody sat in a pub at half 2 who decides to go to the game could top up their card using their phone then be able to walk up to the turnstile no fuss. Might be a bit fancy and pricey for the club but we are in 2017.

Fuck off.

Let me guess "What's an app"

Dont be silly, I am down with the kids, music and technology.

But I am rare.

Most people older than me, and there are many who follow pools of that ilk, will say, whats an app.

So on their behalf:

Whats an app?

I've now entered the 21st century. Downloaded my first app last week. Now TV app now on my desktop, watched the Sunderland v Derby game for free , an offer I posted on here a few weeks ago. Was worrying how difficult it might be to activate it. but it was a doddle. Don't know why anyone would want to watch a footy game on their phone like , I can hardly see the phone these days , never mind a game of footy on it.

The next time that many pay on the day fans turn up will be on new years day..
Surely that gives the club time to sort this out.

if we lose tonight by more than 1 goal then is it time to panic??? good job there isn't a transfer window.

also id be hoping we start making some illustrious loan signings from the 'Big 3'. Another Jackson from the Boro would be nice and maybe Nelson from sunerllanndddd.

plus I wonder if Franks and the 2 released boro lads sign on this week ???

Hold on PJ - one game? What about the pre-season games? Yes, results may not matter (Lord Neale Cooper would argue otherwise) but haven't we seen worrying signs? And, having been quiet about Saturday, I thought that it was shocking - I saw nothing to give me confidence. Did you?

I have already said I wasn't at the game so can't and won't comment on it.

Generally I'd say pre season went ok. We narrowly lost to an SPL and Championship team and beat Boro U23's. That doesn't matter and counts for nothing though, we have played one competitive fixture I wouldn't get carried away way in either direction yet. Saturday could be a good wake up call we'll find out tonight.

the 5 games in preseason we played our strongest teams saw 3 wins and 2 narrow defeats, both against a much better standard of teams than we'll find in the National League.

It went fine.

Fair enough PJ - not sure how wet we'll get tonight but that Whitley Bay debacle worries me. Our second string against ................. and they were better...........tactically, fitness, etc. Second string our strength in depth.........

Pre season was shit , we only beat Boro under 18s

Team tonight

Loach, Magnay, Laing, Harrison, Donnelly, Newton, Donaldson, Hawkins, Munns, Cassidy, Amond.
Subs: Adams, Featherstone, Deverdics, Woods, Rodney.