Wtf do they do? And another dodgy keeper brought into the club. We got what we deserved in an important game this afternoon - F all

You can add Luke Williams to that, never seems to make any impact apart from pre season friendlies.

Agree re Williams. Think he might have played his last pro game. Crying shame for such a talent.

Looked to have picked up a knock towards the end. May well be the end for Williams.

What about DC? Formation, selection, tactics, substitutions.......................did he look at all interested?

Challinor has to take the blame for that, the combination of Donaldson and featherstone has never worked in 6 years or so, why then have we crept into going back to it? Armstrong thrives off balls into the box so what do we do, drop one of the main supplies in a game we needed to win.

They were stronger,faster and a far better all round team than pools end of.

Fair point on balls into the box. Wonder if there was a pitch related reason for Shelton and Ferguson omissions. Back DC all the way but in a game where you’re looking to gather momentum into a play off campaign I’m not sure why you’d drop your reliable starting players. Tried and tested over 40+ games, only to toss it in the bin in the most important of all.

Easy to read too much into it but hope Challinor hasn’t checked out due to speculation around the Tranmere job. If ever something was typical Hartlepool it would be us being brilliant all season and completely shitfesting it at the vital moment.

On the day, yes, but we beat them at the Vic at the end of January.

Plastic pitches don't suit Pools' style of play at all. Too much bounce on the ball and it's too fast off the pitch played on the deck. That said, we didn't really turn up.

Might have been interesting if we'd gone in 0-0 at half time, but the goalie missing the free kick completely put paid to that. Bad as the one Ben Killip parried into his own net.

Two years running
Two plastic pitch promotions.

We were unlucky first half hit the post.
Equalise and without var it gets disallowed.

Fine margins but not masking over a poor performance.

But how anyone can slag DC off is totally unacceptable.

UTP

Keep the faith.

So he is perfect and never makes a mistake? Fair enough but I thought he had an off day today. And his body language didn't look right - and his criticism of Brad Jones was very Mourinho. So I must be unacceptable. But yes, he is the best we've had in years.

Shit line up and shit performance.

Donaldson hasn’t done enough on the pitch but is club captain and does a job the players appreciate apparently. Holohan has weighed in with a few goals. Molyneux doesn’t do a lot. Williams has made it back on the pitch but you can see he is frightened of every challenge. Not sure why DC made the changes. Maybes the pitch. We’d have done well to get a point against them. They’re the champions. We didn’t supply or support the forwards today. Nothing happened for us. But, we’re in the playoffs which is progression after 10 poor seasons and almost losing the club. After the dip in form we had early on in the season I’ll take it thank you.

No one is slagging Challinor off done brilliantly at pools and when he leaves we will certainly be stuck in this league for years, but when it came to the biggest game of the season he made some very strange choices.

Our 'impact' subs have just not worked this season, players you bring on in the hope they'll pull something out of the bag to get you back in a game.The disallowed goal did for us yesterday, too many players were anonymous after that incident.

what i expected really. like games at harrogate. always ended up an under par performance as if the teams lost before it goes out with another keepers plastic error as well. as for sodding donaldson being a captain of anything i wouldn,t wish him on birds eye for their captains replacement.

if a couple of players are out then there is usually no player at the club since gray has been injured who are capable of making an impact or change the game. the subs usually end up a couple who have lost it and one thats never had it.

Elliot came off the bench and scored against Maidenhead, he's a type who at least gets stuck in and is looking to get shots away. No idea why Molyneux got the nod to come on ahead of him yesterday after his 90 minutes of nothing in the same game.

If Pools don't go up via the play offs there's no guarantee we'll go close again next season because the squad will have to be rebuilt almost from scratch. Molyneux, Donaldson and Williams are three who'll be out the door along with most of the signings from the beginning of the season. Stuck in the National League for another year, will Pools have the money to bring in better replacements?

could be a situation where if they fail it could be a few years before they get the chance again. this starting afresh every season has held the club back. need to risk it with longer contracts being offered to players who challinor thinks can do the job. loan players are fine but can end up being back where you start once they go back to their parent club. need a squad of our own, just being supplimented by loanees when and where they are needed. again is all about the money.

Its no good getting to the play offs, for the manager and players to bottle it. Which is what we did on Sunday. I hope we have the attitude of nothing to lose and have a right go at these teams from now on, we should stop worrying bout injuries and saving players and just play like we can. If we lose so be it but to lose in the manner we have been recently has been pitiful.

i really hope we go out with a bang on saturday to boost confidence for everyone connected with pools for the play offs. can see that horrible game management coming into play. only a draw needed to secure 4th place and if stockport are 3 nil up after a hour i cannot see pools going all gung ho for a victory. anyway who forecasted that going into the final game this season that the worst position pools would finish in is 5th. it was just outside the play offs back in september.

As for the team on Saturday I would have Ravas back in goal in place of that clown from Middlesbrough. Shelton in place of Donaldson and Molyneux in place of Holohan. And if Rhys Oates starts off like he played at Sutton I would give him the hook pretty sharpish and get Bennett on who looks like he has a goal or two in him

Bennett who went back to Stockport weeks ago? If we're lucky enough to get that far, Pools might have to face him in the play off final. He'd be nailed on to score against us, obviously.

I’d put Bennet in goal with moyneux left back in the changing room

Ravas
Sterry
Liddle
Cass
Johnson
Ferguson
Holohan
Shelton
Featherstone
Armstrong
Oates.

Elliott

thats my line up if everyone is fit. really e picks itself as i cannot really see anyone else that has shown something where they demand a start. be interesting to see what the team is when announced. going by what challinor said he gave the impression he would not risk players for this game and is looking at the play offs. for me we should give it a really good go tomorrow. i,d hate a weakened pools side just to draw and find out stockport have lost at yeovil. just try to avoid an unecessary game if we can.

Shouldn't we building momentum and confidence?

I really don't think there's much to choose between James and Ravas in goal. Ravas will probably get the nod because of the horrendous rick for the first goal at Sutton, but James made an excellent save later on. He had a good loan spell at Aldershot, but as their commentators on the stream said, he's only young and he's got a mistake in him. Just like Ben Killip!

thats the modern goalkeeper thing. they all have a mistake in them nowadays. fumbling the ball, shots going through em as if they have a hole in their chest and then make what used to be called a world class save. with all of em having a goalkeeping coach now you,d think mistakes would be far less than they once where. could be that keepers are regarded as the first form of attack than the old days where they were the last line of defence.

This modern day management were the full backs don't stay just inside the posts for corners n free kicks is shite.
Basic Sunday morning football at the Rec n Gray's.

Anyway home win today
And. Yeovil do us a favour.
UTP.

[quote="kevin pooles gloves"]This modern day management were the full backs don't stay just inside the posts for corners n free kicks is shite.
Basic Sunday morning football at the Rec n Gray's.

with years of study behind them to obtain various coaching badges instead of just getting back to basics. if a player cannot defend a corner then put em on the post or leave em up field to push more opponents back. sometimes these type of players just get in the way of players who actually can defend.

I've criticised Donaldson this season but I thought he was excellent (after a ropey couple of minutes) this afternoon.

Elliot had a good game too and was unlucky not to get his name on the scoresheet.

To be fair though, Weymouth looked a level below Pools all afternoon, credit to them for keeping going but the real tests start a week tomorrow.

yes agree. fair play to him yesterday. however 45 minutes of football is not going to win me over to him.

[quote="Flying Hogans"]Elliot had a good game too and was unlucky not to get his name on the scoresheet.

he had but for some reason everything goes against him for scoring. the goal he eventually got against maidenhead as after he spurned 3 other scoreable chances. he,s the type of lad i would love to come off with pools. he is a tryer, puts everything into the game he can and never gives up. seems a good guy but good tryers do not always win in football or life for that matter. really hope i,m wrong but goalscoring is his wekness at the moment.