2013 : League 1




2014 League 2




2015 League 2

Let's pray its a bell shaped relationship and this year is the nadir.

Don't go all Six Sigma on me! I once had to do the black belt course and I'm still trying to wake up. Naw, it looks a bit more straight line decline to me.

You're right about Black belt Six Sigma just doing mine now

Nah next season even with an IOR shaped ball and chain Ronnie will manage 19th in the league. By then the trust will be in a position to take over then onwards and upwards.

OK still might be a little giddy from yesterday.

When you get to the exam, it all revolves around DMAIC and reporting. Get a colour printer, produce pretty graphs and you'll be fine!

Maybe a little but without doubt the decline will continue without investment from one quarter or another. The Ronnie Moore factor is certainly worth something but even the best managers can't do it without a war chest.

I'll keep that in mind

Interesting to see Wycombe survived on goal difference last year and they're up near the top end this season.

I'm going to be honest here (on behalf of others who are probably thinking the same) I've looked at this three times and am struggling to see the trend apart from Pools being shite!

Me too

Think the third from bottom teams maybe need looking at more closely

I think the trend is simply this:

Table 1 shit
Table 2 shittier
Table 3 Shittiest ever

If the trend continues:

Table 4 Non league and oblivion.

Hopefully, new owners, ones that can handle honesty and admit their mistakes, and actually communicate, and the trend will be broken.

What he said. The trend is one of continual decline. Don't be fooled either that the fluffy bunny rabbits are out in force. We have been extremely lucky that Cheltenham and tranmere were worse than we have been. In any other season we would have been down with this points haul.

Without substantial investment the trend will continue next year.

I've no doubt if IOR are still around next season we will see no significant investment. But Ronnie has worked wonders on no budget both here and at Rotherham ( read in the times today he only had a 1.5M playing budget in Championship), plus he is well connected and liked (useful for decent loans). I think we should survive again next season(if he's in charge all season, obviously), though I'm not predicting a play-off charge like some on here.

Obviously any future real ambition depends on new owners, trust ownership or a partnership between fans and new owners. But league survival this season should at least increase the chances of one of these outcomes happening.

This is the important fact here. Even Jonny, with his Ultra optimistic crystal ball said we needed 48 points. Even he didnt predict we would be safe by 4 points with a game to go with only 44 points.

Fair play to Jonny mind. That is some belief that bloke has.

But back on topic, 44 points is an awful, embarrassing total, even with a game to go, and there is a huge amount to be done to turn this around.

Party all you want, but for me, the work should be starting now. Not next week, or after everyone has a break.......only Ronnie Moores is a hard earned one by the way.

I saw Watford saying they were preparing for the premier league now. Not after their last match.

Thats the sort of professionalism needed now at pools.

Compton has already said that Saturday was his last game at the Vic, so he's on way. So just maybe the planning has already started. And the professionalism you say is needed is there thanks to Moore.

The fact Compton has said it was his last game doesn't mean we're planning for next season now, the fact he was going at the end of the season has been blatantly obvious for months now, however I'm not saying they haven't started planning already and, I reckon ronnie knows most of his targets for next season now.

The fact Torquay finished bottom last year with 45 points and were still 5 points of safety shows just how lucky we have been this season!

Don't think I'll mention that fact to my Torquay fan mate, he just said how pleased he was for us.

He was really looking forward to a trip to the town as well.

I'm not sure how you make that leap Bob. One player Compton saying he's off does not in any way suggest that others are making plans and that those plans include losing one of the best players. The only thing it suggests to me is that he's got a better offer.

Last season, Bristol Rovers went down on 50 points
2012/13 Aldershot were bottom on 48 points.
2011/12 Hereford went down on 44, Barnet just survived on 46.
2010/11 Barnet were third bottom on 48, Lincoln went down on 47
2009/10 The season Darlo went down, Cheltenham survived, 3rd bottom on 48 points.

The point is that 44 points, or even 47 assuming a win at Carlisle is hardly ever good enough to stay up. Ronnie Moore has done a wonderful job but once we've put down the champagne glasses we have to remember that this club proved to be the third worst in the football league and to turn that around needs investment.

I think a little realism has been lost in an understandable wave of euphoria. We stayed up partly through great management and very much through shitiness around us.