What a goal

It was a beauty....I can never understand some of the criticisms levelled at him sometimes
Not interested?
Not committed?
Dont you beleive it!

Ritchie Humphreys is my favourite Pools player and can do no wrong in my eyes. Why can't other people see his qualities as well as his often trendy hairstyles?

richie has done since and before his loan move he is poolie all the way.......

move over the boss is back and danny the arm band is richies

Is that you poolpower

I like Richie, he has some special qualities and what he has given this club is superb but even the biggest Richie lover can not deny that he has played a lot of below average games for the last 18 months

He's one of our best signings. He's done so much for the club and long may it last.

People are always looking for a scape goat and they've decided to pick on Ritchie. When he plays average, some people get on his back. When he plays good, those people never praise him.

I've seen him in recent games and he's done good.

I agree but I don't think he's been a scapegoat, I feel his perforamances have been under what we expect (and what RH himself expects)

To say he doesn't get praise is rubbish, he swept the board at the POTY do, didn't he

I did say some, and there were some still having a go at him after he'd won POTY. This season, before a ball was kicked I read some people on Rivals saying we should get rid of him.

you can be in my gang Spin

Richie despite playing out of position for two seasons did clear the board in the poty and deservedly so
maybe that is why he attracted so much stick form some quarters
covering the left back position for Robson and Brackstone and still got slaughtered at the first mis kick or poor cross
he has more than proved himself at this club and the passion he shows is there for all to see but some even see that as a fault
first player on my sheet but some believe commitment is a quality we domt need in players

I've always like Ritchie, he has been a brilliant servant to the club, he had a bad spell there for a while & got some criticism from me & others, deservedly in my view, but he now seems to have regained his focus & his passion, the break at Vale seems to have done him a world of good & more power to his elbow for it!

Have to be honest, I hope the lad finishes his career with us, & could well end up as much of a Poolie Legend as the great Joe Allon, I hope so anyway!!!!!

Ive never ever questioned Richies commitment and first class attitude to Hartlepool United.

Just his performances over the last 18 months.

He hasnt been good enough.

End of story.

But saying that if he keeps playing like he did yesterday(especially the goal) then he more than deserves a place in the starting 11.

we will agree to disagree and i will agree with the fans and the players that voted him two awards

3Quid, Ritchie is a Poolie great. The man is talented and committed. His only problem is that successive managers keep asking him to play left back, and he doesn't have the mentality to defend for 90 minutes. So we keep getting stuffed on the left and Ritchie gets the blame. Stick him back on the left of midfield and he's fine. He can't beat anyone for pace any more, but he has a fine range of passes and a good brain.

But he didn't get my vote for POTY - there is only one Mickey Nelson. If it hadn't been for Nelse and the goals conceded column last season, we'd have been bottom of the league, cos heaven knows we couldn't score at the other end.

Jesus, talk about getting carried away. Prior to going away to Port Vale he was simply awful. Has everyone forgotten the games where time and time again he simply could not cross a ball? However his time at Stoke seems to have been a wake up call and he appears to have found his motivation again which I'm sure everyone welcomes. If Humphreys is playing at his best again which he apparently is then it cannot be anything other than a good thing.


Pre Port Vale comments:

Nobody in the squad if he is motivated and performing. At left midfield he is undoubtedly our best option when on his game. Playing him at full back is not a good thing, he is the weak link. Now I do not blame RH for that he is playing way out of position and he does the best he can but it's unnatural, we need to bring someone in urgently.

Bollox!

Can't believe there's a full thread about Humphreys when we all know our problems are on the other wing.Gibb is without a doubt the worst player I have seen at Pools,
Did anyone else pizz themselves last week when late on in the 2nd half at Rochdale when he jumped up for a header with the defender laying on the ground.Needless to say the defender won a throw in.
Absolutely cringeworthy .

Any player playing at 60% is not worthy of a place, the question is silly.

You haven't reworded it,you've just changed the percentage. I wouldn't play anyone at 60% or 75% fit. In midfield a 100% or 95% fit and effective Humphreys would always get in the team in the absence of anyone better. As a left back and until we sign someone better, I would play Barron or Brackstone, thus releasing Humphreys to the left midfield.

A defence of Barron / Clark / Nelson / Williams should be able to deal with most attacks in this league. Similarly Humphreys experience as a defender gives us the flexibility to go into a five man defence when the situation demands it.

A contradiction perhaps ?

So he controls and moves the ball well but his passing and free kicks let him down.

Have you considered professional psychiatric help?

Have some more!

he is better than Brackstone and Robson, but none of them seem to be the answer for me. We need to sort out the left hand side for next season, as for the right side of midfield we should be able to get at least one member of the playing staff to play consistently well over there (I can't see it being Gibb that's for certain). Hopefully Darren Williams would stay and produce the form he has shown earlier this season. Nelson and Ben Clarke are solid. I think a new keeper should be on the agenda, it's no good denying that there isn't a problem in this area.
Bolland and Liddle might yet produce a good midfield central pairing, with Sweeney and Strachan in the mix for a place. Plenty of potential options there. Up front Foley seems to have an eye for goal in the reserves, if he can transfer that onto the pitch at first team level we may have an ace up our sleeve and give us something different to conventional fourth division strikers (did I give the game away there that I don't think we are going up this season)?
Brown also needs to develop, this season should see him get out there to learn more about his trade and how to get the better of big defenders. Eiffion really does only have the rest of this season to stake his claim otherwise it's bye-bye. We are crying out for a greedy, rough and ready, experienced forward though - and we need one now. Daly is not on the whole good enough, he is easy to mark and he doesn't link up well enough with the other players often enough. Paul Baker wasn't quick, but he always knew how to lose a defender and find space, and he knew how to finish when the chances came his way (in the air or on the ground) - that is the standard of player we need. Daly's finishing both in the air and on the ground is generally erratic isn't it? Take that one week out of his total for Pools and you are seeing the real measure of his ability at this level.

have we started to vote for goal of the season yet?????

only one problem Parmo Wilson won't take any notice
it will be wholesale clear out after a poor season and even next season the problems will not be solved by this feller

Ian, you do realise that you are guilty of exactly what you accuse me of don't you?

You believe that I think Humphreys can do not right and I believe that you think Wilson can do only wrong. Give the bloke time FFS, we really do not have an alternative there have been far too many managers recently and we probably already have a reputation as a panic sacking club. No proven manager will come to Hartlepool until we've had some stability.

just to please snowy, grudgingly this is the conclusion i'm coming to an all.
I'm still worrying about relegation,but i'm big enough to admit that it probably wont happen cos there are shi tter teams than us in this division.
but thats the only reason why, mr wilson is no saviour!

he'll know himself that he's on thin ice, cos were sh it and he's sh it too...he'll know this in his heart.



Ritchie is a good solid player who has good days and he has bad days....dont we all?

this isn't to say that he should be infallible and a permanent fixture in the side, but if theres no-one better than him....play him!! FFS its not difficult!


you're only as good as your last game right?!

well put, Mr Salty.

oh my bleeding heart
i got enough stick in the past from you
but that is not where i am coming from
i dont say sack him
just not confident he is the man for the job
and there is always am alternative

look at darlo for instance Penny came in and in four games after they played us and they were garbage he has turned it round without bringing in his own men
that is what i expected a so called experienced manager to do not make excuses

the panic sacking theory won't wash as there seems to be legitimate reasons other wise the club would be paying out to those sacked
don't kid your self that any manager who was offered the job would not come to what is classed in these times as a solid foundation club and one of few that are