Any Pools rumours which Hartlepool player he has had talks with?

~ Dave the Cardboard Box

Im hoping its captain fantastic featherstone

Appears to fit the Cowleys brief for a player.

Ta.

~ Dave the Cardboard Box

There's strong rumours up here that he's looking at Jordan Mellish. I really hope it's not true as he's become synonymous with Pools.

I genuinely don't get this quite large dislike for Featherstone amongst a lot of the support (mainly the Facebook group and the Friends board) rather than here.

Obviously the team collectively just wasn't good enough last year but he seems to be singled out for criticism much more than plenty of others who I think performed worse over the season and contributed less.

I can only conclude that the things he is good at, passing the ball, being aware of what is around him, keeping things ticking are not appreciated by a big percentage of Pools fans. Whilst what he is weak at, tackling, pace shouting and running around like a headless chicken are? I would guess the people who don't like Featherstone rated Simon Walton for example or think Walker is a better midfield player?

Like I say, the whole team collectively over a season were shite but he seems to attract overall the most criticism which I don't get (woods for example contributes far less but he goes in for the odd reckless challenge so he is seems as 'up for it'

You do have a point, but you haven't mentioned character. He was in absolutely wretched form at the back end of the season, when the skids were under Pools, and couldn't even raise his game in the Donny match. He's certainly not a leader on the pitch; more like one of the the first heads to drop.

Not sure I fancy him for the long haul next season, though if he's still here and we make a good start I've no doubt he'll look like a very good player - for a few months at least.

Agree but im not just singling featherstone out though he is abysmal at tackling or leading those around him and offers no protection to defence, woods and walker can go too for what they have contributed over a long period of time

All fair enough and there are many aspects to his game which are lacking like you point out. I also think it's probably time for him to move on as well.

My post was more about how he seems to get the vast majority of criticism on other social media vs other players.

The point on character is interesting, I think you could throw that accusation at the whole team more or less apart from the Donny game. They might have all hated Dave Jones but to a man seemed to wilt and go into their shells rather than stand up and raise themselves despite him

It's just one of those things in football almost every club at sometime has a player for one reason or another the supporters just don't take to and I'm afraid the majority of Pools did not take to him.

Featherstone would not be missed. To say he can pass a ball should be a given since he earns a living as a footballer.
He's a safe, steady player that offers little more than a man to pass the ball through, he will rarely win the ball and rarely set up or score a goal, just keep possession ticking over.

Sorry like Mr Crab, and this isn't a defense of Featherstone directly but I think this hits the nail on the head. People who can regularly pass the ball well and find a man is seen as 'to be expected' yet we have have a majority of English players at all levels who are actually quite shit at it. So why don't we appreciate players who can do it well? Our football culture is about getting stuck in and perceived passion.

Look at someone like Magnay, universally very populate amongst Pools fans yet for me has been pretty average, doesn't have great quality and has missed a lot of games for various reasons since he signed. Funny really what people expect and see in the game.

Scored more than Woods, Walker and Deverdics last season.

Rumour amongst Lincoln fans down here is Walker or Amond.

I reckon Amond, they will have seen first hand how good he was for Grimsby.

Walkers been on holiday so unless they meeting his agent can't see it been him




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I can't see us holding on to Amond. Would love to like.

Where you's gone like?

Featherstone I think is no great shakes, ok he can pass a ball a few yards but he is hardly Glen Hoddle esque, his passes are 95% max 5 yards as I have said many times surely even at this level your game should consist of much more.

Ok, he can hold his head high then....

To be fair I think he can, compared to some of the others claiming to have put a shift in.

We all have different opinions. I'd be hanging my head in shame if I was involved in getting a club relegated out of the league for the first time.

To compare him against other players in that same team to justify he's worth keeping is counter productive.

I agree, to be honest I'd have released the lot and started again about 4 years ago.

It just seems there's a class of fans that see Ronnie Moore as the messiah, hate Featherstone, loved Fenwick, loved Coxall and genuinely thought we deserved to stay up that year... the type that tweet #justice4buster for instance. Seems ludicrous to me but what do I know, my opinion is my own.

I think the point is he's as worth keeping or more so than most of the others but people seem to be delighted if he's scattered more so than some of the others.

Anyway he probably should move on and good luck to him.

On the other broader point backed up again above, simple 5 yard passes blah blah. I repeat myself so many players in this country can't even do that and don't read the game, it's a skill that is so under appreciated keeping the game ticking over. A big majority of the Pools support probably think that Spain team that won everything g for about 10 years were shite as well. I saw Spain play Live a couple of times in that period and Xavilight/Fannyxavi is probably the best football player I have ever seen, totally controlled, dictated and made an international game tick. Not sure he made many passes more than 5-10 yards all game either. Piece of piss.

Now before anyone accuses me of comparing Featherstone to Xavi I AM NOT just saying I appreciate the skill in that type of player and I don't think it's so widely appreciated in England and especially at Pools. People like Willie Boland, Tommy Widdrington et al had plenty of knockers and Boland in particular was a class act.

I'd have said Fanniesta there, but yeah Xavilight ticked me

I'm very much with mr haircut. I do think there are a reasonable proportion of fans who don't appreciate all aspects of the game and / or what makes a team. As I have posted in the past, a winning team is not made up of 11 Nathan Thomas's.

I would be happy to keep Featherstone. He just doesn't panic when surrounded and usually manages to wriggle his way out of trouble before playing an accurate short pass.

I would much sooner Featherstone had the ball facing our own goal than, for example, Donnelly

Willie Boland was indeed a class act. Shame he didn't have a bit more footballing time left on the clock when he got to Pools... same goes for Dean Emerson and Eric McMordie.

Nobody in last season's midfield came anywhere near to the standards set by those players, more's the pity.

Tommy Widdrington - OK, you can compare Featherstone to him if you want.

As in, Nicky Featherstone is like a poor man's Tommy Widdrington.

rightly or wrongly, a lot of Pools fans always prefer the players that do crunching tackles or fist pumping rather than ones like Featherstone who in my view is a good footballer. Can understand why he can struggle in a two-man midfield, but at least he wants the ball and is calm with it, which to me shows some more subtle leadership skills.

For me I would prefer Woods to leave out of any remaining midfielders - goes missing so much and I can't really define what he actually is

I'm glad you saved me the bother but if you're even comparing him to Boland or Widds I'd strongly disagree with you. I'll add Tinks and Paul Murray to that list. They made simple passes but had so much more to their game.

It does depend on the style of play of the team as well and keeping the ball is all well and good if you've got the players in front of him who have a bit of magic in them. We had Thomas and Allesandra, one was injured the other was inconsistent. Both of them I'd say looked more likely to create something on the break, not after several sideways passes slowing the pace down.

Not disagreeing that it has a place but bottom of league two probably isn't it.

...I suppose we're not bottom of league two anymore so that invalidates my point on releasing him. He may look like an Primark Pirlo if we're dominating the NL!

Like I keep trying to say, (but obviously not very well ) I'm not advocating particularly that we keep Featherstone or that he doesn't have limitations as a player. It's more that he gets singled out/disliked more than most, probably unfairly, and I think it's because what he does well is something that's undervalued and unappreciated (even in general some of the better types of that player we've had above had their fair share of unnapreciation).

You've always been able to feel that massive growing unease at Pools if the ball is being knocked around 4 or 5 times at the back or in midfield before there's a groundswell of people shouting 'get it forward'

So you think Featherstone deserves a 10 year contract and should be Humphrey's player of the century successor?

I think that unease you mention comes from a complete lack of confidence in a Scott Harrison type centre back thinking he's Bobby Moore. That's obviously just an exaggerated example as I'm aware we've had much more technically talented centre backs over the years such as Gary Strodder and Scott Walker.

You've just described everyone from ITB and the Facebook page and the town end and loons at 2am last night


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Haggy


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Football is an easy game do things simple. Granted I haven't seen him play much but my dad has and you need a midfielder who can just pop the ball arounxto another player even if five yards that draws others in for space to give it to more others who can create something