You heard it here first!

He is a decent player on his day but last season proved him and Noble cannot play in the same side, we look gash and slow, if he starts the both I will send him that stamp he bangs on about!

Great news, presume the postage stamp lot are in meltdown on Facebook and Twitter

Were going to have a fairly big squad again by looks of it....

Imagine 1 or 2 still to come in so going to have around 10 pros competing for 5 seats on the bench? Have they raised it to 7 yet?

----------------Killip------------
Kioso-----Kerr-----Raynes-----?
----Holohan-----Featherstone--------
--?------------Hawkes----------James
---------------Kabamba---------

Subs from:
Catterick
Cunningham
Muir
Richardson
Bale
Kitching
Anderson
Noble
Williams
Donaldson

My Kurdish barbers won't be happy.

Agree with Mr. Butt it should be an either/or between Featherstone and Noble in central midfield.

It will be interesting to see if the manager brings in a genuine ball-winning central midfielder - or gives Bale a run in the side in that role. Last season Featherstone did better than I would have expected in a defensive midfield role, considering that in his first couple of years with Pools he wouldn't make a tackle if his life depended on it. But it's not playing to his strengths.

Only those with multiple usernames holding conversations with themselves

Catterick will probably be loaned out.. Kitching LB in your team.And I'd have Donaldson on R once more in your teams

Has Hawkes signed???

Get impression Hignett not a big fan of Kitching tbh so part of me think he will bring a left back in. (although I thought Amos looked a cracking player but Hignett didn't really play him either)

I would like to think he will bring in a pacy attacker for the other spare role in the mould of Molyneaux etc although Williams could well be there I guess, if he proves his fitness then he has to start imo.

Loan star said he is on peanuts so maybe he is a luxury we can afford

Well, that's my excitement ahead of next season gone.
Did he not say he'd changed his thinking about the required style of play to get out of this league?

You after ,laugh.

It’s looking increasingly like Groundhog Day yet again I’m afraid. Either a) Higgy is struggling to attract quality players to the club with a limited budget, b) the likes of Williams and Featherstone have signed up to significantly less lucrative contracts or c) Higgy is withholding his war chest in the hope of securing a couple of key players including a decent goal scorer. Whatever, my personal ‘Renew-o-meter’ has been notched back to 50% after a promising few weeks. Lots of positive talk as usual not reflected by new signings who will make a difference.

I hope he's relegated to the odd cameo appearance as substitute when we're hanging onto a one goal lead with ten minutes to go. Then his ability to keep possession without advancing the team one iota may come in handy. With him in from the off the chances of us being a dynamic, attacking team whilst in possession and a hustling, pressing team when we're not are nil, zero, nada, zilch and feck all.

I've never quite understood this he never passes forwards or tackles stigma with Nicky Featherstone. He constantly wins the ball back and plays the ball forwards.

Look at the 3rd goal against Salford for 1 example.

It's as if his tackles don't count because he isn't flying in. One thing that he does need to do is get in better shape though.

Anyone heard if he's looking lean this pre season?

Who has said Featherstone 'never' tackles? I'm the only one who has even mentioned the subject on this thread and that was to say that it's an area of his game that has improved!

A long time ago he tended to bottle tackles- there was a home game back in about 2015-2016 when he was the last man and pulled out of a tackle near the touchline that he was 60-40 to win, that led straight to an opposition goal - a bit like Newton's howler this season when Hignett was caretaker.

These days he does get stuck in and is a better player for it. You're right that he times his tackles pretty well and doesn't go in for Michael Woods-style suicidal lunges. I still don't think he's ideal as a defensive midfielder and would rather see him further up the field trying to control the play with his passing -where Noble played for most of last season.

I'm not convinced that Pools need both of them in the squad but it's the manager's call.

Agree. I would have kept one of them but not both, they need someone with energy and legs around them. Maybe Holohan can be that man and got to presume he wasn't really match fit when he eventually got on the pitch for us, could be better next season.

ok having both in the squad but not playing together is a must. think he,s a player who does not stand out like a lot of others who seem to have more energy up and down the field. do not think he goes into many full blooded type of tackles but certainly wins a lot of ball though. not a bad player but just not my type.

I'd have to agree, we need more players with legs.

Unless you mean the players have legs all around them, spiders are a bit small and octopuses' tentacles are more like hands than feet and, given the new handball rule, would probably cause problems.

Only those with multiple usernames holding conversations with themselves[/quote]

The fake lass he made the other day made me laugh

How many fake accounts does one man need?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

YoU, afTER, laUGh !

Well the Featherstone haters will be apoplectic with rage when they read that Pools achieved a major coup by re-signing him! (Non league paper)
Tantrums & hissy fits by our footballing experts ! Lol

I for one am triggered. We were actually going to sign Lionel Messi but apparently we now can't because Featherstone's wages are too high. I know that's true because someone told my cousin in a pub in Darlington.