The Mail today 12 March 2018. "I have not had access to the club's books." There you have the words from an honourable man and a true Poolie. So jeff basically is prepared to invest a sizeable amount of his own money into a proposed consortium on the say so of others presumably and wishes us to do the same? The stakes get bigger. And as I said in another post CONFUSED AND CONCERNED, who is pursuing litigation against Pools. I would want to know this before parting with any money and can't believe Jeff has jumped into this without being aware of the full facts? It smacks of desperation and fair play to him for not wishing to see the club die. So if a consortium is successful, then does that which would include The Trust then become liable for any successful litigation against it?

Nick Igoe has seen the books on behalf on the Trust hasn’t he?

Surely ongoing litigation is the ongoing Police investigation? Remember the current owners called the Police.

They have a 36 page review of the clubs books and have also been taken through the review by supporters direct.

Jeff Sterling has not seen the books personally but he’s not accountant or expert in Football finances the person who has forensically analysised the books is.

Litigation could equally be Coxberg suing Pools for moneys owed for contracts + loans.

Totally in agreement with ToTheHartlepool2-0

The Trust needs to keep a sizeable bunce in reserve for the possibility of liquidation.

How likely does that seem!?

As Jeff says in the same article "“Business deals are not really my thing..." He also repeats that in terms of his own investment he is very much the junior partner to Raj Singh.

I think it's safe to assume that Singh has had access, otherwise there would be no basis for the ongoing negotiations. What he's mainly saying in that article is how frustrated he is at slow progress towards a deal with time running out. Nothing he hasn't said before.

How likely does what seem?

There have already been stories about Goldberg suing Pools.

Liquidation is still a possibility.

You choose.

If this takeover fails then liquidation is close to a certainty.

They are two separate issues:
The Police are are investigation theft and fraud alleged committed by Coxberg. ala TMH modus operandi of Murrel and Harris and the connection of Coxberg with those people..
The litigation refers to disputed invoices totally around £250k received from Goldberg or associates of Goldberg for consultancy and introductory fees.

So you have answered your own question then?

So why say it again ? Why give The Mail, something else to stir the shit and add fuel to the fire , and put doubt in fans minds.

TBH it looks like a lot of quotes from his original story 2 weeks ago added together with maybe 1-2 new ones to try and beef the story out.

What The Mail SHOULD be doing is a massive rallying call.

The Mail should be doing a lot of things, its a p*ss poor excuse of a paper. Seem more interested in playing devils advocate and stirring than getting behind the club and town. At a guess, I imagine the few people they have working for them, come from out of town as well , which probably wouldn't help , that's out of town as in Washington not Blackhall for you insular poolies.

The Mail has been a waste of time for years it’s not even today’s news and they have done this for years when they get an interview and recycle it all week in various guises.

As the Towns newspaper it’s role should be to do everything possible to help save the club but it appears to be more of hindrance here adding to the confusion. I don’t blame the few people left who still work for it but I’m amazed anyone still buys it.

Both Steelling and Trust as well as Musgrave have said several times that the deal to buy the club will not go ahead until the litigation issues is sorted out so I don't know how many more times they have to say if before the penny drops with some people. The other thing that is needed is money and it look to me like people don't want to put money in because they don't want Singh running the club or they would rather see the club die than the Trust have a small stake in the club. Still seeing the same people day after day attacking the Trust on Friends webpage or on the Facebook Supporters group and looking at the attendance and lack of atmosphere at the match on Saturday it seems like most of the town doesn't want a football club probably more people in the pubs watching Man United Liverpool on Saturday.

I think The Trust are doing remarkably well on the Fundraising front..they were up to 44k before the weekend, and I know for a fact they've had several big donations as well as the money raised on Saturday..could well be 50k plus so far. Maybe a bit more even...it's a good amount considering most people had already donated to the Just Giving Page several weeks ago to pay John Blakledges tax bill for him.

Think its circulation these days, is nearly as low as pools crowds. The free paper Hartlepool Life is nothing special , but appears to be improving with every edition , certainly no worse than the Mail.

Fair play to those involved and who have donated. Even if it proves to be not enough, at least its banked for use in setting up a Phoenix Club should the need arise.

Spot on ElvisC

And don't forget the complete silence from the ones that were up Coxalls arse to the end saying there was no proof he had done anything wrong have been masterminding a Fuck The Trust campaign all season and using a Whats App Group to tell people not to support the Trust so they have been trying to raise money with one hand tied behind their back all season. Reading some of the posts elsewhere they seem terrified the Trust will have a stake in the club and I think they would prefer the club to die rather than that happen as like you say they were falling over themselves to promote a Fund used to pay a tax bill for a millionaire though !

Agree with most of your post but not about the supposed lack of atmosphere at the Vic. It was a lot better than it's been recently, helped by the fans being wound up by a clueless ref and some unbelievable moaners in the Boreham side constantly trying it on. Very few people left the Millhouse before the final whistle - Pools fans will put up with mediocre players as long as they get stuck in, and on Saturday they did.

Atmosphere was better than it has been but only thanks to the ref if that quick forward had scored when he got cleaen through two lame attempts at tackles 15 minutes in then I think the crowd would have turned on the players again like the y did at the least home game but that's just my opinion though. I go in the Town End and loads of people I used to see every game don't seem to bother any more and I know quite a few that said they weren't bothering going on Saturday they were just going to the pub to watch the Man U game then staying there on the drink so it certainly doesn't feel like most people in the town care anyway.

Does that include the £6K odd on the Hartlepool United Supporters Trust Fighting fund on the Supporters Direct page, ElvisC?

2500 on Saturday, so clearly a lot aren't putting up with mediocre players , nearly a thousand down on start of the season

After the Ebbsfleet game (and a fair few other real stinkers before that) 2,500 is about 1,500 more than Pools deserved.

If they keep battling and picking up points in home games more will come back, That's assuming there's anything to come back to by the end of the month.

[quote="horden"]The Mail should be doing a lot of things, its a p*ss poor excuse of a paper. Seem more interested in playing devils advocate and stirring than getting behind the club
cannot even use it for chip paper nowadays.

Get more exclusives on here over the last few years than the mail.

Aye ! and that's despite the Mail having a journalist permanently stationed outside Morrisons salad bar, Matalan and Venezia

Would love Jeff to own the majority off the club, Would be good for the town and a true poolie bleeds blue and white!

Totally agree with the stuff about the Hartlepool Fail going down the pan. I see that you have to register now after reading a few articles each month online. The next step will inevitably be the application of charges to read the dross therein - just like the Northern Echo. It used to be a great little rag back in the day of Sentinel and Arthur Pickering - not any more - the last straw for me was when they stopped readers passing comment directly online. As someone mentions above you find more detail about Pools - and much earlier - via this board.

Mail reported Donnelly called up for international duty,
Please do not go, the thoughts of Laing and Harrison together in 2 important games
does not bear thinking about,

Is that for the senior squad to? Good on the lad if it is can't imagine him sticking around longer if he's getting capped by the senior squad.

No it's just the u21s. The thought of laing and Harrison together makes me feel sick as does the thought of fylde putting 5 past us on Saturday. It's unbelievable to see the likes of Halifax 7pts ahead of us now, life as a pools fan really is shit just now!

I was thinking the same I'm making the trip up to Fylde on Saturday and staying the night after the match, I've promised in a earlier post that I'll have a pint for every goal we concede Seen as how they thrashed Aldershot 7-1 over the weekend, God knows how many they will put past us, Anyway won't Harrison be suspended with his red card?

Ideally we have to beat Solihull at home and Barrow away, failing that at least avoid defeat. In Holt and James, Barrow have the experience and quality we have lacked all season. In Darren Carter, Solihull have one of the best players in the National League, a real old skool midfield presence, again something we lack.

Holt has made Steve Howard look a good signing for us. He’d get absolute pelters from our crowd. I don’t think he’s scored since his return (yes I know what’s coming )

He’s as fat as fuck though which is something we lack, a real fat knacker. Fearherstone is a pretender with his little kids kite, if you want to go places at this level you need to be one or the other. Not just have a potential wok under your shirt.

Barrow are Solihull are fooking dreadful, so we are we, but we tend to do ok against the real dross so fingers crossed.

Holt and Carter and exactly the type of signings if we made you’d gripe like fook about I wouldn’t mind Luke James work rate at the minute though.

I know Barrow and Solihull are shite man, just not as shite as us. They will both beat us and I'm telling you why. I wouldn't of signed Holt and I never liked James, but at this level he will stand out. If we had signed Holt and Carter there is no doubt they would of been shit, that is what we do to players, but other clubs get the best out of them. Holt and Carter are keeping Barrow and Solihull in the National League. We will find out when some of our players leave , that they will go on to be better players as well. Carter is exactly the player I would of wanted us to sign, so you're wrong there, in fact im sure I touted him as a signing many years ago, but he is Solihull born and bred.

Horden is correct in pointing out that we have not got a good track record in improving players, rather the opposite. Deverdics was a highly successful player at Dover, came to us and was slagged off most weeks, moves to Wrexham, starts every game, scored last Saturday and well on the way to re-establishing his reputation as a good NL player with a play off standard team. What did we do to him?

To be fair the Wrexham fans have not been impressed by deverdics, he may improve for them but so far he has apparently been poor. It is amazing how many players have looked poor for us then move on to clubs higher up the pyramid. I wouldn't be surprised if some of our current lot did the same.

Just watched the Wrexham goals from last Saturday. Deverdics' goal was really well taken after he picked up a loose ball in the penalty area. How often did he enter the opponent's penalty area when playing for Pools?

Just watched the Wrexham goals from last Saturday. Deverdics' goal was really well taken after he picked up a loose ball in the penalty area. How often did he enter the opponent's penalty area when playing for Pools?

He never played in the position that brought him so much success when he was at pools so that is down to management. When he was at Dover he was a number 10 not a winger or left back so obviously we never play him there. Mind you they were playing Chester who are dreadful.