A massive game on Saturday, 3 points a requirement now. With Dodds & Umerah apparently back, how do we think we'll line up?

Stolarczyk

Sterry Dodds Foran Pruti Ferguson

Sylla

Kemp Cooke

Jennings Umerah


Murray wasn't too bad on Saturday & may well get the nod over Foran. On paper, not a bad team there at all and can't see Askey risking his favoured 4-3-3 just yet.

If everybody is fit,I'd have the same staying 11 as Saturday,apart from Umerah for Hamilton.
Dodds is a good player,but I don't think any of the defence deserves to be dropped.

In what world would you play Murray in front of Dodds if they were both fit!?

Probably because he doesn’t deserve to be dropped after his performance on Saturday.
Just stuck to the basics on which we have been talking about for ages. Put it this way he is in front of Hartley!

being as good as your last games still holds water for me. a clean sheet away from home if the officials had got it right was something we dream about. keep the team as it was and if josh cannot do 90 minutes i,d start him on the bench bringing him on at half time. not start with him and then bring hamilton on as he is far worse a sub than a starter.

Yup, I’d go with that team, but you’re right about Murray, it’s suddenly turned into a dilemma whether to play him for the right reasons…who’d have believed it

dropping a player after they had a decent game because of a previous bad reputation is worse than playing someone who is a fans favourite but has gone off the boil just in hope he,ll get his form back. just hope askey is a much stronger person than the last few doing the job.

Remember Murray went off injured so will we see him again who knows.

Because Murrey played well & you shouldn't really be dropped after a performance uts for a world beater.
Unless it's by a world beater.

not sure where you got the information on Umerah being back as confirmed today Askey said his injury is more long term than they first thought and hes still out with knee swelling. massive massive blow to us ! he will no doubt be out for all this month and we may see him when the fight is over and no matter what the result we are doomed ! (but lets not hope for that and all pray for Umerahs right knee).

on the other hand - Murray stays in that back line for me - Northampton are a different beast, although tapering off slightly to their earlier season form... but im sure the Homework will be done on who can handle their front line and ill leave that to JA to decide whats best.

also Murray didnt go off with an injury as such - it was cramping (probably due to lack of actual game time)

i very much suspect Hamilton wont start - Probs be Grey up top with Jennings

Thought Grey would've kicked on this season but has been disappointing in the limited time he's had on the pitch, I mean that golden chance he missed on Saturday at Tranmere, you've got to convert those at this level if you want to earn a regular start in the team.

Northampton red card appeal rejected(surprise) , So three of thier regular back 4 Missing as well as the others think they have about 8 missing now. GOOD.

It's coming up to a year since Joe scored his only league goal. He's only had 3 starts and a dozen sub appearances in the league this season but it's chicken and egg. If Pools hadn't been in such a mess all season he really should have gone out on loan to an NL or NLN side and had the chance to fill his boots.

As it is, he's got another 2 years on his contract - till summer 2025 - and we still don't know if he'll make the grade. If we manage to stay up he has to go out on loan next August to get a chance to prove himself.

Do we think there’s any risk of Saturdays game being off?

Only be off if Pools want it off.
Maybe not a bad idea if Umerah is as brilliant as some make out on here.

Or do we get it on and get a rare win.

Postponement gives our injured players a bit more time and time for Askey to work on them, or we get on with it against a stuttering Northampton.? Anyone got a Crystal ball?

Lets play and beat them i don't think there will be a better time than this Saturday.

I don’t want postponements having to play 2 games a week probably involving travelling and possibly picking up more injuries, the injuries we have are long term so a postponement doesn’t really give us any advantages.

agree. doubt anyone is bothered if crawford and lacey are out for the season.

well he has 2 more seasons to prove he is up to it or not no matter what league we are in next season. it would not be that bad if any manager knows what his best position actually is. wish i could work that out myself.

could be the time to recall mcdonald for one last time to see if his flashes of good play actually come off again.

What’s it like there weather wise and short term forecast. I’m in Thailand now as some of you may know

if you mention it often enough we'll all get the message

The biggest chance of snow is supposed to be tomorrow. Temperatures are mostly staying the right side of zero through to Saturday so unless the forecast is miles out there's next to no chance of the game being called off.

Whilst I’m not a big fan of Grey I don’t think he has been handled very well. Owing to us not having a reserve side he’s hardly had any game time over the past three seasons. Surely he should have been sent out on loan to gain experience.

It's hard to be a big fan of anybody who keeps getting by passed. I fully agree that by now he should have been loaned out to a club prepared to give him regular game time. At his age he needs to be playing regularly.

2 days of snow followed by - 4 during friday nite sat morning.
Some bbc forecasts have been known to be wrong.
Id say 50/50.
Ticket sales are decent so that mite outway the injury(s) in whether Pools want the game on or off.

No need to be Sarcy! Even living in Harrogate big difference in snowfall. As we are higher up.

if you mention it often enough we'll all get the message

don,t you mean the massage.

up above keighley we only mention snow when there isn,t any. surprised there are not more husky type owners around like me.

Haha passed through Keithley on the way to Haworth. Bit of a nightmare to get too

worst part of my journey to pools is from there to the outskirts of harrogate no matter if you go through otley or blubberhouses and takes up nearly half of my journey time. main reason i do not do night matches anymore.

Don’t blame you I would be the same

Blubberhouses…very bad memories for me that place.

Always thought that Blubberhouses sounded like one of the cars on Wacky Races

Josh Umerah and Tom Crawford are back in training this week. New Askey interview on the OS now.

This Pools fan on Bbc tees fans panel views on Pools are brilliant n honest.
I totally agree with his views of why we are were are now.
If anyone has missed the start or tonight's episode then well worth a listen on the Bbc sounds app.
UTP.

John Wall.
About time the panel dident have a yesman.
Respect to him.

Below an extract from a Northampton fan post on another forum.


As most of us are aware our away record at Hartlepool is one of our worst on our travels. In 35 games we have only 5 wins, 6 draws and 24 defeats, our last win was in February 2008 and with Hartlepool exiting the EFL for a few seasons we have only been back 6 times and lost 5 of those scoring just 1 goal while conceding 11.

"I totally blame Raj. It's Raj's fault." Could be you talking... Maybe it is

You know i refer to your Messiah as sing.

Severe frost forecast tonite puts the game in doubt.
If on then a 2 1 win v Northampton reserves due to their injuries n Suspensions.
Hope thats not the kiss of death.

UTP.

personally i hope its off. bought my ticket as well. woke up to 6 inches of snow this morning and if it does stick i doubt i,ll get out of my estate as it never gets gritted. not risking a bump for 90 minutes of football.

Any views from locals as to if it will be on - am sitting in the sun in rural Northumberland but the BBC is showing photos of us in the snow some days ago - so I have no trust in the forecasts.

With our luck it will be off - allowing the Cobblers to get a full team out

Bit of slush this morning and walking in the Burn Valley the ground is just normal so if pools have had the covers on as a precaution the game should go ahead even now the sun is out and the slush is just melting away.
I suppose we will have to see what happens over night but fingers crossed we want to play this game and get the 3 pts we desperately need.

No snow here in Hartlepool, temperature goes down to -2 tonight but returns to above freezing Sat morn.

Very similar conditions to when we played Rochdale at home in Jan.

Alot of concern game would be off, 9 other games called off in league two that day, our game was fine.

I imagine same will happen tomorrow and game will be on.

Virtually nothing looking down my drive in South Blackhalls....

Well thats put the mockers on it. 3-0 to the cobblers.

Glorious sunshine now, the ‘snow’ has gone and even when out with Ratboy this morning the bit of snow there was was just slush.

Forecast - 5 during the nite on a wet pitch.
Depends if theres covers on the pitch now.
Rochdale game passed a 11am n 1pm inspections.
A prediction just as hard as the scorecast.
UTP.