https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7hekUiIVHuE

Not a lot to argue with there? And look at all the comments from Rovers fans.

Heads up - go again at Carlisle.

I always did prefer Rovers over City. Seems the club with the more realistic people.

Feel exactly the same with the two Nottingham's.

We have played really well the last game and a half, keep playing like that surely results have got to turn?

they have but it tends to be the knock out cup games where we have had our rub of the green. unlike the cup games i cannot remember a single league game where pools were lucky to come out of it with something. always got to remember that lucky teams do not ever go down and unlucky ones never go up or win trophies.

Raj’s target for this season was a push at the play offs and was certainly of the opinion he had supplied the tools to deliver this job. Pretty on the eye but poor results unlikely to cut it.

Carlisle and Stevenage - 2 big games for Lee!

Did Raj really think we might push for the play offs with no strikers? Surely not. I always thought the plan was to ensure survival and see what happened next.

Can't see where Raj supplied the tools for a promotion push. Surely ensuring survival was the objective - and a realistic ambition given the limited close season.

Spot on Mr Left Foot, but we know the strategy of survival does involve investing in the squad and mainly on salaries. His strategy is going to take us down

He has said on a few occasions around a budget that’s worthy of a play off push. Holohan also referenced play off targets.

Nobody knows the exact figures in relation to our budget. What we do know is there’s at least 6 or 7 players currently draining a wage from said budget which Challinor green lit during our diabolical summer transfer window.

We have quite a few ‘strikers’ albeit ones who don’t and have pretty much never scored goals at our level.

Again, Fela and Fondop - two strikers Challinor signed off on who have been tripe.

Yep, it is unarguable we have our fair share of dead wood.

When I said, "no strikers" I actually meant no effective strikers: i.e. strikers who can score goals.

They were Dave’s parting present.

I'm as annoyed at Challinor naffing off as anyone, and strongly suspect that him knowing that Pools would be found out when they started playing the top League 2 sides was one of the reasons he went when he did.

That said, because of the ridiculously late NF play off final he had next to no time to find proper replacements for Armstrong and Oates when he realised they weren't going to stay. He also didn't have a massive transfer budget because the first League 2 payment wasn't due till halfway through the season. All things considered, the signings he made weren't total rubbish.

At the back, Byrne and Ogle are decent and Hendrie not far behind. Cullen has scored some goals and I think we've been very unlucky with Jordan Cook - he looks a threat on the rare occasions he's fit enough to play! The same could be said of Burey of course, and Daly has been a good loan signing.

Of the ones who just haven't been good enough, Fondop sticks out like a sore thumb but it's worth remembering he was a real emergency signing - brought in after the end of August when Burey and Cullen were out and uncontracted players were the only option. Signing him was a gamble in the last chance saloon, and has gone the way bets like that usually do.

Jordan Cook - when he’s fit to play - which is never!

You raise some valid points. I do know Oates and Armstrong were recommendations to Challinor, as was Burey who was sorted by Parkinson at the time he first signed. His signings have either been roaring success or complete dismal failure.

I noticed yesterday the keeper roll to Liddle and keeping the ball on the deck was very much back. It was only really Byrne who was hitting balls over the top into the channels Carver and Molyneux were taking up. I think we are a couple of additions away from a good side!

I’ve said before when it comes to free transfers it is a gamble and if you get two decent outof five you’ve done well. Any more and it’s a bonus.

Yes totally left Sweeney in the shit Challinor, we had 5 tough games on the bounce and probobly jumping ship knowing those games were coming probobly in turn cost Sweeney the permanent managers job.

I'm sure he signed fondop as some sort of joke as if to say if that's all your giving me to spend this is who your going to end up with.

If that were true, it would be the actions of a spoilt child or an immature social inadequate, more like proof he can pick a donkey instead of a racehorse with the best of them and he wasn’t the Messiah.

There is always that one game where Pools play the team off the park yet the results dont show it by the end of the day - thats the shit side of football isnt it - we had it a few times in the national league, games against Woking and Kings Lynn stick out for me where we pressed them to death and squandered chances yet they went up the other end with one chance and scored.

just hope games like this dont come back to haunt us.

im not worried in the way Pools are playing as we have shown we can beat some very good teams in our back yard. Carlisle will be a tough game again but we drew with them in the cup in their backyard with a B team so lets get the win with our full team.

the exact same with loan players as well. we hit lucky with armstrong last season and burey this and at times daly. however for every one of them there is another parkinson about. same with signings lads two divisions below where we are. it would be hard enough for them to get up to speed and shine in a side doing well. in a struggling side its asking a lot of them.

Let’s be honest you can shell out good money for a proven player and end up with egg on your face. He mightn’t settle or get on with his new teammates, there are lots and lots of reasons, but signing any player carries no guarantees.

true but they will still have some re sale value.