A new deal.

Shit on it!

Will we ever get away from the spectre of Cooper???

I dont mind him in midfield and with the recent signings, im guessing thats where he will be asked to play.

I thought he had stormed off in a honk when offered reduced terms?

The caff must not be doing so well...

Im not to keen on bates but as back up on reduced wages can't be bad

As a defensive midfielder or back up Centre Back I think he's decent enough

The squad needs back up players.
He is only 28 and quite experienced.
Im sure the army lads will help him lose weight! eh

Happy with this, but concurring with above more as a def midfielder.

i'm presuming the 4 have been offered ridiculously low wages and told take it or leave it.

noise certainly sounds like franks and flinders are gone, not much said about austin but would he get another club closer to home at his age?

a left back/left wing back and keeper situation sorted and imagine defence is more than fine.

I imagine if Flinders has gone then that will have a knock on effect on Austin as people say they car share etc? So less wages and more on fuel etc.

Bates will be the only one to stay imo.

I think it's a Win/Win situation for both parties involved. Bates gets to stay in the area to run his bar and a bit of pocket money each week from the club (Doubt he's short of a few quid) and Pools get a bit of squad depth on no doubt reduced wages. He can be a decent player on his day, sat in front of the defence.

yeh think we will lose the other 3, no great deal if we able to replace them.

Although that will mean 9 players left, so we would need at least 9 coming in just to replace, and even then we are still short of depth

This.

Yet i read some numpty getting excited cos in his opinion IOR were now spending money and throwing the Baldwin and James money about

9 leave, 4 come in and that equates to IOR splashing out

Not sure IOR are splashing out but the quality of player seems to be higher. Instead of has beens and never weres we're bringing in players who could be.
That could well have less to do with IOR though and more to do with Ronnie's connections.

Compton and Harewood or Bingham and Oates? Bates and Parnaby or Magnay and Worley?

I doubt Bates is playing for pocket money, more because he wants to. Fair play to the guy if he's taken a substantial pay cut and still wants to play for Ronnie/Pools.

Like others have said, I think he'll be competing with the likes of Featherstone for a defensive midfield role as there's already plenty of cover at centre-back - Harrison, Worley, Jones, Richards and Magnay.

Very few of the squad Ronnie is building have much league experience. Bates has played 180 games, most of it at a higher level than League Two, and he's still only 28. Yes, he's injury prone, but 27 starts for Pools last season ain't that bad.

Don't disagree that he looked like an accident waiting to happen in the last line of defence. He was loads better in front of the back four and could get the nod over Featherstone - either way it's great that Ronnie is looking to create competition for places in every position.

Now for a couple of goalkeepers...

From Ronnie's blog today on the OS:

"We’d like to try and get seven, eight or nine in if we can and the work is still going on –"

With 4 already signed up by the 8th June is anybody going to bet against him doing it?

No doubt he is a decent footballer but he needs to get himself in decent shape, if he does he can play a part. He was embarrassingly unfit in those games he played played later in the season. Heaving and wheezing after 20 minutes like a bloke on a Sunday morning who'd been out the night before, with a kite to match.

Hopefully his new contract is performance/appearance related.

Wouldn't disagree but to be fair he'd been out for two and a half months with that dead leg/internal bleeding thingy and wasn't going to be fully match fit.

I accept someone being not match fit after a period out of the team injured but he was as fat as butter. He must have put 1-2 clem from the start of the season. Like he thought 'fook it I'm not going to play again this season anyway'

IOR Splashing out!
spending the Jam es n Baldwin money

Ronnie has to say hes being backed its called the gift of the gab.
Hes a wise old fox and an excellent manager who knows how to get the best out of players and work to a budget.
Im sure there will be a promotion bonus in these contracts to entice new players in.

To be fair the first 4 signings on paper look decent and if another 4/5 of the same calibre arrive then fair enough.

At the moment there is no sign there will be extra money or indeed of the James/Baldwin money being spent.

One plus like is the fact we have signed players early for once and not held them on trial for over a month paying their own way to save us a few quid.

Sounds like Ronnie has been working day and night to get things sorted early which is great to see. Wonder if he is bothering with a holiday??

At first I think he said he wasn't bothering with a holiday card but looks like he's having one now - Ken must have signed his holiday card. Lets hope he's only going to New Brighton or Southport...

Was talking to Bates on Friday night in yarm, he told me he agreed to the deal 2 weeks ago. He also told me that the three others were unlikely to stay as they are speaking to other clubs.

Not my most favourite player but like others have said, providing he plays in midfield he might be a decent enough squad player.

'In Ronnie we Trust'

I have a feeling Ken and Russ will have had something to do with this in that they were quite vocal about Cooper letting so many experienced players go at the end of last season.

Let's hope he isn't taking up too much of the budget

Ronnie wouldn't take any shit, he often played Bates when fit. 100% ronnies decision IMO.

If that is so, he must have seen something in him to add to the squad and I just feel it's too great a risk unless he is on a very basic wage with a ' pay as you play' bonus.

As I said, In Ronnie We Trust I guess.

I think we'd actually need to see them playing for us before giving a sensible answer. Let's just hope they are good.
But yes, at least Ronnie is visibly shaking things up.

Bates deserves a second season he was superb in mid before his injury. Far and away the best of the expensive four ie Harewood Parnaby Miller and him.

If Ronnie's happy with it, I see no problem. If.

A lot of people, in my view are judging Bates (quite rightly) on two things his form and his injury record.

Firstly his form, well, when he came here he must have got the shock of his life because I'm sure he was expecting other signings arriving and he ended up playing with Austin as makeshift central duo which was never going to work and as we all know the confidence in the team just spiralled downwards very quickly. Bates looked awful, but who didn't, the confidence was gone in a very short space of time.

I think from an injury point of view, what can I say he gets into the team in a defensive midfield roll and shows real promise and he gets an injury which in most cases you might miss a game or two but in his case results in an operation.

I think under Ronnie we'll see a totally different Matthew Bates and I wouldn't be surprised if he ends up captain.

A confident Matthew Bates in a good team injury free will be like a new signing.

In fact I wish Matthew Bates all the best for this coming season hope he stays injury free along with the rest of the squad.

Ronnie knows what he's doing.