Whats the panic been about

The second half was the best we have played all season.
Very well done pools.

Turner in.

i think we are good enough to be a top half team. We aren't good enough for the playoffs though.

Yeah I think ultimately a playoff place is beyond us, although I would certainly like to be proved wrong. Plus we've managed to get into the playoffs before when chances were remote. Mind back then we didn't have teams like Leeds, Norwich, Charlton and Southampton to contend with.

I would like to know what you base your statement "we are in a false position"

Look at the current table. We have played 4 of the top 6, that will be 5 next week.

Of those top 6, only 2, Leeds and MK have won more away points than Pools, only 1 Colchester have scored more away goals than Pools , while Charlton's away record is exactly the same as ours (W3 D3 L2 F12 A10) Now even if we give Southampton their 10 points back we, still sit a point above them. Our 3 home defeats are against teams above us. 1 of our away defeats is against Colchester who have a home record of W 6 D1 L 1 F15 A 7 and the other away defeat (Exeter) there home record is W 3 D4 L1.

So 3 home defeats against teams in top 8, 2 away defeats to teams who have both only lost once on their own pitch. That does not say to me we are in a false position.

5 league games unbeaten also says the opposite, well to me, of it being a false position.

Yes the fixtures coming up , look difficult on paper but as I have said on many occassions football is not played on paper , it's 11 men against 11 men on grass.

On a post on here prior to the season starting and some saying how difficult it would be I wrote.....................................

Oi, You! Pools players

Tomorrow sees the start of a new season, and you as players and us as supporters are in this together.

Some of you as players, all of us as HUFC supporters have suffered relegation, and it's not a nice feeling.

From tomorrow you begin a 46 game league season. A season that will give us hope and despair along the way. A season that we as fans don't want to end in DESPAIR and the thought of visiting some of the stadia that grace League 2. As Im sure none of you want to visit.

In your huddle prior to the game someone take charge and emphasise the importance of coming out of the traps quick, not just tomorrow but every game that takes place. Charlton, Norwich, Southampton, Leeds Huddersfield etc are in the same league as you because they weren't good enough to stay in , or go up to the Championship, teams like Yeovil, Stockport and the so called lesser teams are in the division because they are on par with you. Regardless of the opposition,whether a big name or a so called "little" team, they can be beat, or they can beat you. all we ask as supporters is that once you cross that line you give 100% for the shirt.

We were dimissed by many in 2003/04 then again in 2004/05. Those sides proved 99% of the so called experts wrong.Many are doing the same now and having you(us) in the bottom 4. PROVE THEM ALL WRONG AGAIN.

Yes we will lose games, but give it everything you can so supporters walk out of grounds at least saying, well we lost but not for lack of effort.

Start tomorrow, no one knows what type of season any club will have, dont let reputations go before you, CREATE your own.

COME ON POOLS.

Simply because we have most of the "big teams" coming up over the next 3 months doesn't mean we should PRESUME, as your doing that we will drop down the league. A win next week sees the gap on the last play off team narrowed to a maximum of 2 points, possibly 1 point.

Lets not right the team off simply because of who we have to play, as I said they are in our division on credit, they no better than us, like football is not played on paper, previous seasons achievements doesnt guarentee you a win simply because you WERE ONCE BIG.

I think his post was based more on how we have performed in general this season. Certainly today was very good but if we can only do it every so often we will eventually slide down the table.

But hopefully, with Brown upfront, and other players starting to come up with the goods performances like those of today will become more regular.

I'll say it again, well done lads on a great win.

our league form shows 3 wins and 2 draws out of our last 5 games, we are one of the form teams in the division.

we are doing it more often than not, rather than only every so often.

Point taken.

Although when you consider that one of the wins (v Tranmere) and one of the draws (v Brentford) were from performances that would have resulted in defeats against most of the other teams in the league I still think a few more performances like the one today need to be displayed before people will start taking us seriously as playoff contenders.

I agree, i don't think many of us consider ourselves to be serious contenders either. But i can certainly see us finishing top half.

Tranmere and Brentford were poor teams, maybe it was the same old story concerning Pools, when the opposition are BAD, they drag Pools down to their level. I've seen it so many times over to many years to mention.

Then the following week along comes one of the teams near the top (or even top), who are playing football left right and centre and beating teams week in week out. What happens?

Yes Pools suddenley produce an outstanding performance and win.

Football is a funny old game. And more to the point Pools are a funny old football team. Just when we expect them to get hammered they surprise us all.

My point is there is no reason why fans should already be saying we will be dropping down the league and that we're in a false position.

We can get points from our next 6 games.

Huddersfield, their home form is good and point would be excellent return from the game.

Southampton away form is so so. Therefore no reason we cant win it

Carlisle lost more at home than won, so why can't we win there

Millwall near top but only 1 away win in 8 , so why cant we beat them

Southend 3 wins in 8 at home so why not a point there

Yeovil 1 win in 8 away from home I would expect a win there

Now that takes us to boxing day and the Leeds clash. Now being as impartial as I can, we can get 13 points from those 6 games, Win 4 draw 1(Southend) Lose 1 (Huddersfield). That gives us 36 points from 22 games. Yes January and February will consist of playing teams in the top 7-10 but with that point return we wont be far off, if not in the top 10. And only 14 points from technically being safe.

Just dont write US off yet, there a lot of football to be played.

I'm not saying we will win promotion or make play off's but to state we going to drop down the league is also not certain.

We just need to keep picking up points, we have a good platform to build on now. If we could just get a Willie Boland style player and we can keep our best players fit then I see no reason why we can't finish comfortably in the top half. One thing that did please me today was that Turner didn't panic when we hadn't scored, something I felt he did last week. Can't wait till next week....

the last 11 games has seen us pick up 19 points, which i believe is 'playoff form'.

With all due respect Chip, if we're going to think about it like that, we might as well go home now.

i am home, where should i go?

Chip is right.

Well that has brought me back down to earth but it just about sums up how our season might be.

Brown asked to come off. One of the players (Collins I think) was signalling over to the bench to make the change. Might have just twisted it. Who knows?

Maybe more people are thinking about the entertainment value they get for their twenty quid now it's being criticised more and more?? It's doesn't seem like the whole matchday experience is the value of the day, it's what happens on the pitch and lets face it, you get Strictly Come Get Me Out Of Here, It's A Karaoke Competition for the price of your licence fee, which you get tasered for if you don't pay it?

S'way it is...

We have managed to lose to a few crap teams, Now as this is a thread talking about our league positon and league games, (not cup) that is a contradiction in itself

We have lost to

Charlton, Bristol Rovers, Norwich, Colchester and Exeter. Definetely some crap teams there.Maybe 1 but their home form is good

You can't have it both ways. All i saying is let's not write off the season already. Pools never fail to surprise.

One of the biggest outrages I can ever remember in the last ten years is Scooty, saying 'this team is overperforming,' which was prelude to him being a shite manager and promptly making a bunch of cack signings and leaving out players who were tried, tested and successful.

Now it seems fine to say we're overperforming and we have to be circumspect and expect much less.

Can't we just see what happens or do we need a guru to tell us when to be happy??

No Kev, we need the gurus to put us lesser 'folk' in our rightful places when it comes to judging players and performances

And for what its worth, I though EVERYONE played well yesterday, but I like to see Pools win

I think CT deserves credit yesterday as people were baying for him to "make a fooking change" but he didn't as, as you say they were all playing well and nobody deserved the hook. His patience was rewarded with the goal.

sorry you cant say that. Lets not forget, to some people, Turner has got us to 9th by complete fluke and can not take any credit for our position. To some, he is a buffoon, an idiot, tactically clueless and a complete 'lovely lovely person'.

Chip is right FACT

Concurring fully with Chip. Was looking at our run in today and if we could stay in a nice position till then then we could be set up for a typical late charge. On paper its a very nice set of games to finish our season.

That average points per game would give us a total of 79 points. Certainly play off form.