As any one who went to Braintree will agree this ground,the playing surface, you could hardly see the lines and the floodlights were terrible. Yet this ground is up to Football league standard. What terrible support of the total 606 between 150-180 were poolies. The only decent player they had was the keeper who was named their man of the match.

They are up here (SSS) on 26th January 2019.
My prediction is 25 fans from them.

Yet we still couldn’t beat them - little wonder that so many contributors to this board are already pissed off and concerned how this side will fare against some of the decent teams.

Spot on Joe. I will not be happy until we are not only beating part-time teams at the Vic but thrashing them. Andrew Davies is an EFL standard player and makes most of the others look like what they are, namely non league footballers. At this time, if we were going into div 2, I would only want Loach, Davies, Kioso and Noble to be kept on. Clearly there is time for the others to improve as the season progresses but playoffs can be forgotten this season.

Agreed dstan, I originally had no intention of renewing my ST but eventually did so on the strength of several promising signings i.e. Noble, Davies, James. I anticipated a better overall performance than last season on the basis that it could not possibly be worse. However, I regard this side as a work in progress primarily due to the continued presence of several players who have proved time and again that they are either technically inadequate or simply not man enough for even this moderate level of English football but remain in situ under ridiculous contracts. They and we know exactly who they are.

Unlike the usual suspects who regularly get carried away with the fairies by pre-season optimism and hype, I have no expectations of the current side realistically challenging for the play-offs without significant further surgery - and that ain’t gonna happen under cash-strapped Raj. Conversely neither did I expect yet another season of struggle with the side persistently failing against poorly supported, part time outfits such as he likes of Braintree.

The opening four results have therefore not filled me with confidence that even mid-table mediocrity can be achieved but it is fair to say that it is still early days and hope remains that the few decent players within the squad can inspire the rest to regularly put in performances above the norm. However no breath is being held amongst the smoke rings here.

Win saturday and things wont look as bad. Bates changed the team probobly 3 games too late, at least he changed it though. We should of hammered braintree but we didnt, things will click eventually.

Why is raj cash strapped? He’s fronted big money to buy the club, due to his love of local football. He’s admitted he’s put in more than he intended.

He’s trying to run the club sensibly.

Cash strapped is not a word I’d use to describe someone who saved us from going out of business.


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Cash strapped yet bringing in the likes of Davies and Noble who presumably must be amongst the higher earners in the league. Obviously not on the same level as Salford.

I wouldn't describe Raj as cash strapped either. Just a reminder that Raj has saved our club from virtual oblivion. We are attempting to regain football league status from a much stronger position than most of us expected. He has laid the foundations for what might be a long way back but he has done that. The club has now people in place that are far better qualified to offer us hope as against the previous "bunch". The playing staff is looking much stronger but there is still much to do and I have no reason to doubt that Raj will do it. However it will take time and a bit of patience from us. Bates has demonstrated that he is wlling to change things that aren't working and, from all reports, Braintree should have been put to the sword. Although we didn't win, the signs are there that it won't be long before we're cheering wins. The club, the Board, the staff, the players and the fans are at the dawn of a new beginning and I, personally, am prepared to give them all a chance. Some good clubs like Luton, Grimsby, Tranmere, Doncaster, Lincoln etc have been in our predicament and took time to "get back", and others like Wrexham, Chester, Stockport, Halifax, Torquay, York and us are still trying. Keep the faith.

Well said Mr Derwent!!!!!!!!!!

Tell me someone who actually did that was involved with Pools...

The entrepreneur and saviour of our club Sir Gary Coxall, who kindly passed the club over to Pam and subsequently Raj so he could focus on his highly successful venture.. Punjabi Records.

Other than the fact he fucked it up elsewhere of course.

Ah I just have been mistaken in thinking he just imagined up some random address there. Didn't see any sign of JPNG on the outside of the apartments. Certainly nothing as clear as the photocopied ones in the window at their Essex branch. But then it wasn't clear there was multiple businesses being ran from above Mario's either.

I am basing my comment on the fact that "he fucked it up elsewhere" (as you put it) and has recognised he made mistakes and is determined to get it right this time to prove a point to all the people like you. I believe he genuinely wants to save our football club and restore it to it's former football league status. You, on the other hand, are bitter and twisted over what happened to your club and genuinely wish he falls flat on his face and that we suffer the same fate as you.
Raj Singh was the only serious player available to us and therefore we had no choice.
So far he has not given me any reason to doubt him. Quite the contrary. All the signs and noises are positive and until that stops, if it ever stops, he has my backing.
I am sorry that Darlo fans suffered as they did but that is not sufficient reason to refuse someone another chance, especially as Mr Singh appears to have learned from his experience at Darlington.
You have made your point ad nauseam and there is always the possibility that you may turn out to be right, you don't have to keep harping on about it.
We are just fans and are under the influence of every owner, whoever he or she may be.
I will continue to back the current regime. I have no reason not to do so at this point and I'm certainly not going to start sniping just because of what happened to Darlo.
Sorry mate.

The day you say Coxall deserves another chance is the day I'll stop sniping about Singh. Both men lied to the fans and screwed our respective clubs over. I'm bitter and twisted over Singh as you put it, just like you are over Coxall.

You're seriously comparing Singh, a businessman with a strong track record, with Coxall, an out and out conman without a penny to his name?

You're comparing someone who got involved with a club with the best intentions with someone whose only intention was to get out what he could?

You're comparing someone who needed more help from the community and fans with someone who only looked to rip the fans off in any way he could?

You're an idiot.

It has been pointed out to Loan Star on at least a couple of hundred occasions now.

I was talking to a mate the other week who is an accountant who’s worked in football finances at a high level as well and he agreed that the Darlo experience with Raj could actually be very good for us as he has people he wants to prove wrong and for own reputation wants to be seen as a success which is I’m sure a big part of his motivation in getting involved in the game again.

Even beginning to compare the bloke to Coxall is pathetic though. If Loan Star can’t see the difference in someone who is prepared to put his own cash on the line (which however it ended is what he did at Darlo as well) and an outright conman who is out to take what he can for as long as it lasts then he has nothing to add on the issue it’s just not worth reading.

You also can’t even really compare the situations, Darlo in the Arena were a completely unsustainable business who’s fate was a matter of time, Pools financially managed properly are. We only ended up where we did last year due to being mismanaged and abused by utter charlatans.

I suspect you may have broached this topic before. About 5,564, 286 times the last time I checked.

If ever the day comes and I want to end it all, I'll click onto one of your posts and jump off the cliff just for the joyous relief of never having to read another one for eternity. Oh dear, oh dear

Don’t worry he stops posting when we win


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If anything that's why we should be worried!

Raj's determination to put things right is and will continue to be an advantage to us. That is central to my point and it cheers me that PJ and his accountant friend take the same view.
Mr Singh's pride has been dented. He is obviously proud of his professionalism and wants to restore his reputation as a reputable businessman.
Mr Loanstar is entitled to his opinion but he continues to demonstrate the large and ever increasing chip he has on his shoulder. He knows deep down that Mr Singh has a fair chance of succeeding in this venture and it galls him that part of that success could be put down to his bad experience at Darlo. Ironically what Mr Singh learned at Darlo has a fair chance of helping to achieve success at Pools. That is what is getting at Mr Loanstar, that Darlo could be indirectly responsible in helping Pools. This sad situation that is obsessing Mr Loanstar is underlined by his pathetic and feeble attempt at comparing Mr Singh with an out and out crook.
I would remind Mr Loanstar that Darlo have a track record of having an ex convict in the hot seat and the Darlo fans were ecstatic over that appointment. What was the cry again.......we are so rich etc etc. Based on that record, it could be argued that there is more chance of Coxhall getting charge at Darlo than at Pools.

Thanks for the history of former Darlo Chairman's Derwent..But what do really know about PJ's accountant mate?

Hit it on the nail there..

You claim Singh is different to Coxall because he had money. In my view that makes him worse as he had the money then tried to claim it all back as "loans" even though he claimed they weren't loans. Reynolds also had money but that made no difference, he made a mess of things too.
By all means, take his word that he wants to prove people wrong, but don't ever take your eye off him because he's proved just how untrustworthy he can be.

For the last time because it’s like banging your head against a brick wall with you and I will try and put this in simplest possible terms;

1) Whatever regrettable stuff happened at the end Raj Singh lost a decent amount of his own cash on the back of his involvement with Darlington FC, he left out of pocket and with damage to his reputation. In some respects rightly so.

2) Gary Coxall made a substantial amount of money as a direct result of his involvement in Hartlepool United, in salary alone, in a role he had no aptitude for. Him and his mate were utter chancers who hit the jackpot acquiring a business with a turnover of a couple of million quid. He had no reputation to damage as he’s a conman

3) We are not daft, we do not need patronising.

If you had Cockup in charge you'd be playing in the Middleton in Teesdale Tuesday League, struggling and a bit of debt to top it off.

Raj singh has done more good at pools in the short time he has been here, than previous owners have in the last 5 years. All were missing is a few wins.