Always knew in my heart we would lose this, Still we can't moan we have done good so only far only losing 2 if we lose this tonight. A win against Aldershot on Saturday and a point against Wrexham wil do me fine, 3-0 now to salford.

I hope it's not going to be one off those seasons where a few points will cost us something hence the Braintree 96th minute goal, The 90th minute Harogate goal, The Eastleigh draw last week at home.

Don't even like football me. Sounds like 3-0 is a bit harsh on us so not too downheartened.

Pull Luke James out of that England C thing if Nico ends up out for a few weeks. Can’t afford risk him getting injured in a game like that

Do we have any decent youth strikers to put on bench if Muir out for a bit?

Presuming Williams will have a spelk or summit.

Also we are out off the playoff places I have just looked at the live standings, I hope this doesn't dishearten the players and have a negative effect on us. Looking at the league there is some big clubs for the national league also there are some clubs who "know" the league more than anytbing, I'd be over the moon if we end up in the top 7.

Still got to be aiming for the play-offs. Arguably won’t have a harder game than tonight.

It’s the home games against some of the so called lesser teams that we need to improve against

3-0 to the champions I reckon, let’s take 6 from our next two home games and get back up there.

Orient for me will win it, Without a doubt if we do get to the playoffs wel draw against salford and lose probably. I still think where lacking that one creative midfielder who can pick a killer pass, Yeah we have Featherstone who can make things tick, Noble who has to be calmed down now and then and Aggresive, Woodsy who loves a 50/50 but where is that killer passer off a midfielder we have been lacking this for years.

Williams - if he ever gets fit!

That's my point lol, As in we already have one but he's injured if he gets fits our strikers will be getting a lot more goals from his crativity, If I remember rightly from his loan spell with us he used to drift past players with ease, Hence it will create more space but who will Bates sacrifice to fit him in? Does Williams even have a squad number lol?

No he has his own special shirt with a Green Cross on the back - #jobsfortheboys

What to make of that... we weren’t terrible by any means, midfield kept possession well but a few worrying signs. We lost it up front - they were very good on the break, we were poor, particularly Dinanga. Needs to go to Boston asap. Muir hobbled back on to clap fans at end so hopefully just a knock but even Cassidy would have helped today.
Out wide Kitching works really hard but he’s a defensive player really and cut back in too often. We’re definitely missing Donaldson.
Davies was immense in the air as always but lacked pace against their forwards - money has bought Salford goals.
We had half chances but forward situation needs addressing now Cassidy is gone - maybe a loan is the answer.
Fans stayed in numbers at end and applauded team, which says everything you need to know about the effort.

Also, their first goal changed everything because we had a period on top just prior to it. Frustrating because it came from a ball that was a foot out of the sideline, which should have been a throw in to us. Lino was about 3m away.

Tonight we were taught a lesson on how to score goals and defend for a clean sheet. To me the better team won.

They were undoubtedly better. We’ve also played a lot worse and not been beaten by three. Difficult to see where a goal was going to come from though.

Salford have thrown serious money on a push to secure an FL place and were bound to be a cut above a Pools side that is most definitely work in progress and currently punching above its weight. Matty Bates has done well to date in getting anywhere near a playoff position but tonight is a reality check Im afraid.

We are not going to be in a position to seriously compete with the likes of Salford, Wrexham and Orient just yet I fear but I recall that a feature of Pools previous promotion campaign was ‘bouncebackability’ and the side needs to demonstrate that on Saturday and not allow Aldershot to leave the Vic with anything but the prospect of a lengthy coach journey home.

To many balls lumped forward in the air for the big defenders to win with ease. Cassidy would have made a difference tonight but they attacked with pace and determination which we couldn,t match.

Tonight we matched them for long periods how ever we would not have scored if we played all night i think the only shot on target was a 30 yarder from magnay we have problems up front.
So simply tonight salford will score alot of goals this season and overall a good team.
Did not see any trouble but when we came out there were loads of coppers with the road blocked of with the amount of cop cars

Our problem is simple. we are piss weak up front, to progresss we need to score more goals, our defence and midfield are o.k. but when wee can,t keep the ball up top it puts the rest of the side under more pressure. We need to sign at least one more forward, it,s a pity we can,t afford to sign a Rooney type of player like Salford have.

thats true. as good as them in the first half or maybe slightly better. second half some of the mid field went missing and they slowly took over. only chance we had was a goaless draw. never looked like scoring and without a goal threat i really cannot see pools being more than a mid table side who attempt to play pretty but inaffective football.

Still, look on bright side, we're a lot better than last season. 2 defeats in 13. I can take all day. Tougher games to come now, will test our strengths as a squad and team.. What was last season under Harrison after 13 games. So bad I can't remember.
Does anyone know where Lewis Hawkins is?

Probably at home having just got up after sitting on the bench at Salford last night.

It is easy to get dragged into the rose tinted brigade with the current position we have however we will not get promoted playing hoof ball to Luke(runs his socks off)James, Dinanga is not the striker we need, we need a target man/proven goalscorer, not a kid from someones reserve team.

Rose tinted? It's just realistic, we are where we are on merit... not based on fantasy.

According to the very fair home commentators on mixlr, we matched Salford for an hour but the inability to convert chances into goals and second half goals for the opposition proved to be our downfall. Despite our great run against lesser teams than Salford, these shortcomings have been evident all season. Having said that, a playoff spot is still there to be won as we have a decent squad just missing goal scoring strikers at present.

We will not go up playing hoof ball to Luke James FACT.

Muir scored 40 last season, Dinanga 25, James 7 in about 11 games for Barrow. Are our strikers that bad or are they doing a lot of donkey work outside the box for the team and system that has been effective I terms of results doesn’t get the best out of them?

Before the season no one expected to go up. It's hardly rose tinted to say we're happy where we are. A flirt with the play offs come the end of the season would be awesome compared to the last few years.

Just relax and enjoy it, we win way more than we lose these days, can't argue with that!

We dont look like scoring at home, so it shouldnt come as much of a surprise when we go to places like salford, wrexham and orient and come unstuck. We have done remarkably well to get to where we are from last years shambolic team, but to reach the next level we need a proven scorer at this level for starters.

Expectation is the mother of all frustration.

Where we magicing Mr Proven Scorer from then the magic money tree? Maybe we could get a pay day loan?

How many chances would we have created for him last night? If we aren’t creating chances at home how will he score?

It was our first defeat in 10 against a strong team over a season you lose games. We maybe lack a bit of creativity and end product but that always and quite often doesn’t lie with the strikers I think they are getting some unfair stick. Did anyone expect a complete finished article team at this stage? If they did a bit of realism is required. We have shown we have enough to be competitive at the top end of the division in the first 13 games that in itself is a start.

Whatever the next 7 months or so brings in terms of results if things remain stable off the field then we will progress and that doesn’t always mean a glut of signings players already in the squad can click. Don’t forget where we were at in January.

[quote="dstanley". Having said that, a playoff spot is still there to be won as we have a decent squad just missing goal scoring strikers at present.[/quote]
its so obvious for everyone to see but the problem is they are like gold dust to find and to get one from our league would cost big money and that could be the problem. a loanee from a football league side who is out of favour with a new manager is our best bet but please not a kid from sunderland or the boro.

Im not sure anyone is expecting the finished article. What people are saying is we are lightweight up front. A good striker gets in positions to get goals not spends half his time playing out on the wing.

We are playing 5-3-2 if the strikers don’t work hard and run the channels then you don’t have an out ball. It’s not really a case of them ‘standing on the wing’ is it really!?

No but if there not in the box there never going to score. We are having to work the forwards exceptionally hard,no wonder we seem to run out of steam late on in games.

Until last night though especially away from home it’s working so I see no need to panic over one defeat and changes the way we set up. If they are working hard for the team and it’s getting results what’s the problem?

We have dropped frustrating points at home though maybe it’s time to look at changing to maybe 4-3-3 at home at reverting back to 5-3-2 away? Chris Turner used to do it with success, the home/teams were settled but set up differently from one week to the next.

Now that we lost it is time for Mutley to return to the prediction thread starting


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End of the day it was probably our toughest fixture of the season last night, we were missing one of our most creative players (Donaldson) and one of our best centre backs (Kioso) and playing with a centre mid at right wing back, we also lost our main striker who basically dictates all of our attacks after 18minutes and brought on a player who probably had 30 minutes in this league till that point. We had chances and apparently matched them for 45 minutes.

Were never going to win the league as we simply dont score enough, the play offs are our aim and we certainly wont be playing a team like Salford every week.

Kioso is back next game, maybe Donaldson, maybe Muir and maybe, just maybe Williams might feature.

Nothing to panic about.

We are weak up front, we have do not have anybody to replace the shot shy as it is, we have scored 5 penalties which has helped us win games, we are playing the long ball to guys under 6 foot, do you not see anything wrong in this picture going forward?

Loach is hoofing the ball forward, tactics?

Not going until Loach turns into David Silva.

Dont see anything wrong with how we play to be honest. Loach sometimes rolls it out and sometimes goes long, usually to Kitching. Sometimes we play football and pass it about (we have played some great football this season at times) and sometimes we go long. You get the best out of James by long balls into the channels etc and you get the best out of Muir by football into his feet and it allows the midfielders and wing backs to get forward.

If you simply pass it about all game then their defence will just hold a high line and we wont have as much space to pass it about, if you go long sometimes then their defence will be wary of it and stand 5 yards further back giving us more space.

You got to mix it up, playing non stop football wont get us anywhere as Hignett often found out.

1 defeat doesnt mean the system is suddenly shit.

If anyone wanted to separate people who understand what they're watching from people who don't, this is a great thread.

I can’t imagine who you are on about

Alexander said they had to work as hard as they have in any game last night in terms of pressing as they had watched us and knew we were passing team. His scouts must be wrong!

Bit more consideration needed. Some folk have waited over a month for a bit of 'I told you so' on the back of a decent defeat.

The ever increasing, by the week, goal difference between teams above us is the telling thing. Not a lot wrong with conceded, apart from the 3 last night, which was possibly due to rejigging defence for the suspension of Kioso, but in my opinion the team and tactics, Bates needs to have a rethink. I do believe Muir IS a goal scorer and is capable of 20+ goals in this league this season but NOT the way he is being used now. He is sharp and instinctive, but in the box not outside creating for the non existent striker in the box. I think the midfield is biased towards defending, i.e. Featherstone and McLaughlin resulting in Muir dropping into a little bit deeper role. In my opinion Woods is a better forward thinking midfielder who will drive forward and is capable of scoring, allowing Muir to play in his more natural predatory and instinctive role in the box. Unfortunately it would mean leaving out McLaughlin, but as Bates signed McLaughlin I feel he is reluctant to leave him out.

I guess you had to be there to evaluate, which I was, how many of the others on the thread went?

I was there. Travel up from London for the night. Enjoyed the game. As said better team won in my opinion. Not upset 2 defeats in 13.

We won't be playing a team like Salford every week! Where did it all go wrong ?

"We won't be playing a team like Salford every week! Where did it all go wrong ?"

They had a striker hungry for goals and we didn't. Muir going off didn't help but the work our two put in every game could make them not so sharp in the penalty area. I agree with PJ that maybe we should try attacking more at home with a 433 setup and have a 'poacher' when on the attack.