Well just watched Ron Martin talking directly to the Southend fans protesting outside his mansion. I then looked at Scunthorpe / Morecambe & Dover all in deep sh*t. Raj has made plenty of mistakes over the years but he is still supporting JA in putting together a proper squad for this season despite wanting out. I personally do not think he ever intended to sell up but I am not really that bothered anymore because we are in a very good situation when you look into the clubs above. At the end of last season I wanted him out but having witnessed the improved squad we now have plus keeping the youngins I think its time to give the bloke another chance if he fails to sell up.He is never going to be everyone's cup of tea but be careful what you wish for cas the grass is not always greener. Tin hat firmly on fire away ...maybe I am losing my mind or maybe reality is kicking in.

No, you’re talking common sense. IOR made some managerial cock ups, they also had their run ins with the press and bans were imposed, but no one gave a hoot. Odd that….or do people have short memories?

Yep some folks should be careful what they wish for.

Game 4 at Southend away banker then.

Won,t be a game 4, Free weekend.

If Raj was so great, why does he go through so many staff?

Castles built on sand spring to mind...

What do you mean by was?
No one has said he was great, only YOU,….we’re just suffering from cold, hard realism.
If you have a practical alternative that doesn’t involve wishful thinking and shallow answers please enlighten us., because I haven’t got one.
Thanking you in anticipation.

I get what you are saying but are having to reach pretty low to make Raj look good in a comparison. Having said that, Raj is definitely running business as usual (credit to him) so although the engine is running on elastic bands and hamster wheels, it's still running.

but they did not have previous connections with darlo. think many had it in for him from day 1 and he must have made them smile over the last few years. there are plenty worse than raj and plenty better. at times he does himself no favours once he opens his mouth or his programme notes. heart ruling head in football. i,m sure i have heard that before.

IOR kept Pools afloat for 10 years with some great memories, some good some not so good, I was a critic at times but in hindsight I wish they were still running Pools.

I had a car like that and it got me back from Duxford in January….but the drivers window stayed half way down all the way back regardless.

I agree with Jamie we were kept going by IOR and we could do with some of that now.

I agree with Jamie we were kept going by IOR and we could do with some of that now.

lets all look forward instead of backwards. it will not get us anywhere now as that ship sailed years ago.

Surprised they didn't buy it as an exhibit

It was the longest take off run in history, the lack of wings also proved a bit of a drawback.

its only a matter of time before we end up like them if the numb deluded idiots keep hounding Raj and pushing this motive of wanting him OUT.

im sure most are on minimum wage if any and wouldnt have the money in an actual million years to keep this club a float.

yeh lets be thankful hes still here and doing his bit regardless of how little it may be which for now seems to be just enough given the incomings and backing of JA.

be good to hear from our new COO aswell - all silent on that front.

takeover or not lets just be glad we starting the season with what looks to be a half decent side and someone still paying the bills

Deluded idiots on mimimum wage who dont have the same views as you.
That will be the majority of our fanbase who live n work in our Hartlepool.
But the Bunker allows us to friendly debate different views.

Thats if Sing dosent get it banned or shut down.

Got to agree Kev. No one needs to call anyone deluded for having a different opinion.

they are more than deluded - there was a group of lads who i dare say may have been to about 5 games all season hurling all kinds of abuse those are the kinds im talking about - not bothered by peoples views on here as we are all die hard fans - divided opinions are welcome on message boards - im talking about a minority of idiots.

these are the morons who go on twitter and send vile messages across - those are whom i am talking about

yes have your own opinion on Raj - we all dont agree with everything he has done but for now hes in the driving seat and keeping things nicely ticking over - even if hes still here this time next year i guarantee we are still a football club pushing for promotion

Chill out fella.

Anyone can make mistakes, but the scale of Raj's are insurmountable. The problem is, out of all of Raj's appointments, how many have been successful?

I count 1. Challinor. Askey is possibly a second but its too early to judge.

The cold, hard realism is that Raj is quick to employ on the cheap and quick to terminate when they're found to be wanting.

You can maybe get away with that in a care home, but at a football club? Well that's just asking for trouble.

Can you list all or any of Raj's recruitment that were on the cheap. Names, salaries, contracts will suffice. if you can then fine but if you can't then the cold hard realism which you talk about will automatically be turned on you. We can't allow this forum to be accused of false representation of the football club's activity.
You have to realise and accept that the club employs people on a mutual agreement basis and that employees are not press ganged into service.
Your co operation in these matters will be very much appreciated.

Not sure a forum can be accused of anything on the back of one individuals opinion?

Unless we're all a hivemind? Sorry, I'm not aware of the etiquette.

Welcome to the Doomies n Loonies Asylum.

Some think there opinions can affect results.

If that were the case, every fan of whatever opinion would be wrong.
Opinions are just opinions, they change nothing, it’s just expressing a personal viewpoint.

You didn't go and see the ground vehicles bit? You missed out!

So either they were on a good wage and were incompetent or a poor wage and were incompetent. There's a pattern here.

talking about green grass, anyone else thought the pitch looked a bit rough again on the JA interview after the boro game.

They were employed by the club on a wage they obviously agreed to. The club has demonstrated in the past that it favours probation periods, which the employee has also agreed to, unless that clause is mutually ruled out. That is the way which the club favours to operate, if you don't like it you don't join or negotiate a better deal and/or conditions. Don't forget that a person is also free to leave if he/she subsequently considers that the job is less attractive than it originally appeared.
To judge clearly on the ins outs whys and wherefores we would need to have the details of each contract before us, but even then what appears to be a fair contract to some people may not be so attractive to others. Then we would need to see the employee's employment record during his tenure of the job to judge whether he was competent or not or whether his dismissal was due to disciplinary reasons.
Saying things like "the cold hard realism is that raj is quick to employ on the cheap" need to be backed up with evidence or stated as speculation or opinion or simply guesswork. The OP has been given the opportunity to clarify and/or back up his statement.
Anything which could be interpreted as defamatory has to be treat very carefully.

I'm new here and don't want to get on the wrong side of anyone, so yes, it is/was absolutely an opinion.

Defamation is probably pushing it though

Mores the pity…..always wanted to drive a tank, dunno why, but I did.

Because it would be a right hoot! Found the Russian tanks interesting. Really low profile and you had to be a proper short arse to crew them (you could tell when you sat in them).

Funny that, I detest flying, on the principle there’s no hard shoulder ot 30,000ft.yet the sea holds no fears for me even when your pitching and rolling….but as you say, tank must be one very satisfying experience to drive….if you get the chance try Bovington….I entered the building and the wife said I was like a kid

will not fly, cannot sail because of bad sea sickness but would love to try to drive a tank or anything else with tracks instead of wheels. keep thinking about doing the steam train driving thing on my local preserved line that you can do for the day. problem is its going up every year and should have done it when we first moved here when it wasn,t as bad.

Thanks for that. You're not on the wrong side but it is important that there is a definition between fact and opinion, especially when it involves an individual person. Some people will read opinion as fact. Whether defamation is pushing it is a matter for the experts but we, as moderators on here, have a responsibility to protect the forum from anything that suggests attacks of a personal nature.
We miss the forum when it goes down and all we really ask of our members is co operation when it comes to protecting it.

Understood

Been. Over 20 years ago but I remember it was good. They had a SCUD launcher and SAM systems at Duxford which were good n'all.

RAF Cosford is definitely worth a visit and the air displays exceptional, Southwick House at Portsmouth is where the D Day landings were controlled from, the wife booked me on for the lecture at HMS Dryad and it was really good.

Never had a problem with flying, long or short haul. It's about as exciting as catching a bus, but far better at going a long way in a short amount of time.

I’m in no rush to get anyway

Always makes me smile when the pilot says enjoy your flight, it’s one of the most boring things I have ever done being stuck on a cylindrical tube for 13 hours some times trying to sleep sitting upright, occasionally the person behind you kicking your seat, the person next to you wants part of your seat as well but a necessary evil if you want to travel.
Business Class is the way to go but it’s helluva expensive for the additional cost more or less just for a lie down bed, not bothered about the free champagne either as I don’t like it. If I could afford it though I would fly in Business Class all the time.

we will all have to think that way with possibly even lower speed limits that might be coming to all roads. looking for somewhere around thirsk to do an overnight stop for a pools game at the vic in the future.