Is there a problem in the dressing room, because I don’t believe for one second this is just down to injuries anymore.
They are a team going through the motions and lacking confidence big time.

Simply just not good enough. All the spark has gone, got no legs in the team, kids rarely win you games in this league, we dont have quality experienced players.

Think you correct Snowy I was saying to my lad at half time that the players are going through the motions. No heart no fight no balls no interest Yes we lack quality but no excuse to throw in the towel Raj can no longer hide its time he took the wheel and captained this sinking ship before we end up on the ocean floor.

That's what I said after the Solihull game. I personally think he's lost the dressing room. This it not because of injuries to players. We created chances today, they where harder to score than miss.
Something is afoot here. It's like watching a Bates team at Dover, Braintree etc etc.

Did anyone else notice Sweeney after the final whistle. He remained seated for at least 3 minutes with his head down and unlike him he did not even shake hands with anyone. My first thoughts were he looked pissssed off with possibly the manager and just looked lost confused frustrated . Sweeney is a top professional in whatever job the club give him and definitely not one to sit there for no reason. Body language not good from him and that really worries me. I have a feeling something will come out after that.

Yet the one standout in that shit show today was an 18 year old lad on loan, go figure.

I agree there may be something going on. Askey has had to deal with the lingering effects of a whole load of absolute buffoonery and mismanagement that occurred at the club before he even arrived but is it now possible that he is making his own mistakes?

Some of us were not bothered that our defence was rubbish because we were scoring plenty. Goals now dried up but the defence is still the biggest joke in the National League. What can Askey do? He's already got Pruti, Dolan, Burton and Pattison, warming the bench or sitting in the stands. Can he sign any more defenders? Seaman is a good attacker but cant stop crosses. Ferguson ditto. Does he drop them? Assuming we are OK with Mani and Lacey (when fit) and the Sunderland youngster in the centre what can Askey do? I am trying to maintain a sense of perspective but I am struggling to see any light at the end of the tunnel. By the way I fully appreciate it is not just the defenders who defend but our midfield seem to be disjointed for a variety of reasons, not just injuries.

A few of Dorkings players looked overweight but credit to them what they lacked in quality they more than made up in effort , shame our lads don't put that effort in we look like we have no game plan , just put 11 on the pitch and hope for the best.

Reluctantly..yes.

I feel our problem is actually midfield, it’s like a back firing car, working in spurts and getting nowhere.

More like a pedal car no engine

Because Sweeney knows come Wednesday night, he is going to be incharge. Now thinking of excuses of why we got beat by Boreham Wood

The long distance travelling is catching up with the players who aren't injured. Plus 2 games a week is really hard work.
Must be hard doing a part time job like when ya in ya 20s n 30s athlete age.

Askey looked pretty pu**ed of in his post match interview . He said he has spent loads of time on the defence . The players know individually
what they are supposed to do but they are either stupid or naive or both. Not his words . I have said for many months on here where is the self awareness of players around them. It’s not just about getting tight and man marking but having players who track the opposition players running in to the box. We should also have a marshal barking instructions at the players to get in to their positions. I want to see a leader in the defence , someone tough no nonsense, not nice. I agree our defence are a laughing stock. It’s no longer good enough to be nice now it’s about being tough, determined and resolute. It’s gone on long enough now. I say to anyone who doesn’t step up. It’s time to get out. It’s not rocket science to defend and it’s the responsibility of the whole team. Next match I want to see desire, commitment, communication, man marking and throwing our bodies on the line. Shows the fans how much it means to you. I can forgive lack of skill but not desire or commitment, stupidity or naivety. And if your lacking self confidence, find it by working harder. Either do it or go!

In his recent post match interviews Askey always talks about a change in personnel and bringing players in basically saying the players aren’t good enough obviously some players possibly see themselves on the way out so aren’t putting the effort in or listening to Askey when it comes to tactics.

How many ex managers and assistants would still be on the payroll then, 6 ?

Looking at yesterdays team, there were a lot of Askey’s signings on the pitch.
I think there’s more to this than meets the eye.

Of course but he wasn't the one that set the budget to sign these players. Also a factor.

You’re missing my point, if the players he’s signed are crap, why would he have signed them…..I’m talking about some problem across the board in the dressing room because from his comments yesterday was he saying his players are bit slow on the uptake…?…..there’s signs of low morale and bizarre tactics on show, so unless Raj has cancelled their tea break and biscuits it’s a team v team management conflict.

Askey is a disciplinarian, we’ve seen it with McDonald, Sylla and Umerah. Potentially Dolan? I thought Crawford’s body language was also poor, but for me, another one who hasn’t kicked on like he should. But the players clearly aren’t responding to his methods atm as he keeps bemoaning every game that they are practicing set pieces/defending in training - but keep making the same mistakes. I thought vs Solihull it looked like we grafted hard, yesterday in two thirds of the game I thought we did too. Good managers make average players better, but who has really kicked on? Umerah was a menace in L2… until JA. By no means do I want JA to leave as I thought the football we played at the end of the L2 season was good (putting a lot of this down to Dan Kemp, mind) but at some stage you have to say, is he getting the most out of what he has available to him?

He has had his hands tied with injuries and quite clearly, a different level of budget to some available in the division (let’s be real here - we haven’t spent cash this summer!) However, we retained Umerah, outbid two teams for Mani D, brought in Mani O, another forward in Wreh from a div rival, got an experienced loan from a L2 club in Hendrie, Wallace from league 2, Seamen the same. He has also signed players who he then doesn’t trust, and we’ve seen Fergie as a LCB on many an occasion to fit square pegs in round holes.

Another way of looking at it is - normally Pools have two or three players that we know are being scouted and we fear losing to higher clubs. Who out of our entire squad do you think gets a game elsewhere on current form? Mani D is the only one I can think of. Not only are the players bereft of confidence and incapable of ‘doing their jobs’ as Askey says, but there’s a distinct lack of quality. Nobody will be coming to the Vic to watch our players. Don’t get me wrong, Mancini, Cooke and Dodds are big hitters to miss, they are game changers in this division and you’ve got the feel for JA there.

His interview with Tees was a lot more honest than the one on the official site. He’s certainly throwing a few of them under the bus, which doesn’t always end well in leadership from L2 to PL (mourinho at Man Utd for example). His managerial record is taking a hammering here, so I imagine there’s an element of pride too - because our defensive/clean sheet record is very well known for being an absolute farce - and he was the unfortunate man at the helm for our relegation.

His Macclesfield team wasn’t full of world beaters but he made them hard to beat - and how many times have we seen that over the years, Morecambe, Sutton, Luton etc, outperforming their on paper qualities. He is now explicitly saying it is a personell issue so I would expect a couple of signings and another couple of Pools players promptly frozen out, so the recruitment better be absolutely spot on.

I thought Raj wouldn’t fire him, but if he loses against Borehamwood and then Eastleigh at home, I think he might do. Yesterday was as bad as anything I’ve seen at the Vic since Harrison NL season.

Maybe its all he could afford with the budget given. But even so, yes of course even if they're not up to it ability-wise he has to give them the best chance with tactics and motivation.

Raj has said before he sacks the manager before the fans turn on him. No manager in the country could survive more than 2 seasons here with the crumbs they are given. The position we are in once again for the 3rd year in a row scrambling round for kids is a joke.

I thought he was as safe as the Bank of England, but as you say, we have problems if the next two games go wrong, I wouldn’t be surprised if the axe falls.
Is it a managerial problem of herding cats and pulling them into line to his ways and he’s getting resistance..or are the players confused by his methods, in which case maybe football isn’t the game for them.
Where do you draw the line.
There we were cruising along in a fine sea and now we’re sat on the upturned hull in life jackets.

you are certainly correct there. no matter what goes on behind the scenes even if JA has lost the dressing room it shows really what makes the players tick and the lack of their own personal pride by not putting an individual shift in. as in the recent past some players do not deserve being called pro footballers but will find clubs easier than it would for us finding work if we got sacked for not putting effort into our jobs.

I see the Sing Worshippers are very quiet this morning unless they all having a lie in.

Noticed that former manager who was made out ti be shite a few weeks ago has got Stockport flying up the table.

with about the same number of injured players out that we have. is he a good manager or just hit lucky in finding a formation that works with the ones he has got left with a better attitude than the ones we have. they also must know there is a good chance of them not keeping the shirt once the so called regulars are back fit.

Who said he was shite, comments were made about his liaison with Charlton, not about his ability as a manager.
As scfc1973 said about Challinor’s poor start to the season, he was massing about with the formation and finally put round pegs in round holes, result, success.

Always appreciate your analysis. Many thanks.

Also anyone else noticed, when Darren Kelly left the club, it started to go wrong. So wonder how many players came on his say-so. Then they down tools as he's left and the players have seen what the club is about behind the scenes, it's been toxic for years now. Long before Singh unfortunately. We are rotten to the core.

So how long if it’s even before Raj came has the club been rotten to the core…a date would do.

24th May 2013, Colin Cooper appointed. Haven't been right since. Officially 23 different management teams, including caretakers, in 10 years. 2.3 managers per year.

Sadly Dave Challinor being the longest with a total of 90 games.
Craig Hignett second longest 86 games with 3 spells
Colin Cooper Third longest with 65 games.

Also good knows, what our win percentage is, so 526 games in total, we've won 171 games. 32.5% which is really sad.

Nowt to do with 5 nailed-on starters being out injured then? Dodds, Mancini, Cooke, Wallace and Lacey, unless you've lost count. Even Dolan has managed to crock himself and been sent for an x-ray!

What we're left with is a midfield that literally picked itself (as JA said post-match, Crawford, Finney and Aghatise are the only fit midfield players he has available) - and a defence that is hardly better off. Seaman was woeful yesterday and needs taking out of the firing line, but who is Askey going to replace him with? A kid from the Academy side?

It's no wonder that confidence has drained from the team. Manny O lost his man for the first goal, after struggling all game against their big centre forward Blair. Manni D missed 3 good chances from headers in the first half - he'd have scored with 2 of them a the beginning of the season. To cap it all, he followed in on a shot from Umerah that was going in anyway, got a touch and was ruled offside. I don't actually blame him for that, it's a centre forward's job, but it summed up the day.

Dorking weren't much cop and we should have beaten them - got a point at the very least. Gutting result - but calling for Askey's head is fucking ridiculous.

Nobody said DC was shite, Snowy. It is just another figment of the doomers imagination. I notice the doomers are out in force after a defeat. They actually revel in seeing Pools get beat. I can't comment on yesterday's performance as I didn't see it. Listening to the commentary it sounded dire and listening to the manager we still can't handle the set pieces at either end of the pitch. JA also says they are on overload defensively in training and people are given man marking jobs but not doing them. That of course is Raj's fault and nothing to do with the manager's ability to get his points across or the player's inability to grasp the points he is making. JA has never seen it before he says. Well he's seen it enough since he came here but doesn't seem to be able to cope with it.
JA wants more bodies in who will listen to him and do as they are told.
Why aren't the ones he has already brought in not doing as they are told??? Like Snowy's headline in this thread.....something is not right
If the only answer is to throw money at it, then we are going nowhere because the owner wants the club to be self financing and the fans want him out. Not the ideal formula is it. Will Raj sell? Are there willing buyers? Will Raj give JA more financial support? Will JA get the right players? Will those players gel and play the Askey way? ETC ETC ETC.
Lots of ponderables folks.

Sorry, but as a manager, he should have Plan A, B, C, D, E etc etc. Yes, 5 players are missing. However yesterday we created chance after chance, but couldn't score. It's been 4/6 games now since we lost them really. So why hasn't Askey, Goodlad & Sweeney worked out a plan with what they got. Why are we so arrogant blaming Injuries for, how about Southend, 13 players on the books. Would be 1 point below us with plus 4 goal difference, if they didn't get the -10 deduction, a few of they game with 2 subs on the bench.

Southend's early season form is on the slide too - unsurprising given their plight. As 'for Plan A, B, C, D, E etc etc' - that's a luxury for managers with a big enough squad to shuffle the pack. Which of YOUR plans would involve playing the likes of Hastie and Paterson? No idea why Pruti is out in the cold, but otherwise the cupboard is bare.

I would play Hastie, Paterson, Burton, Pruti and the rest of them, if they getting paid a wage, I'll use them. At the end of the day they part of the team and squad. They'll train and play in my team at this moment. The only way these players will get experience and strength against NL teams. This is the whole point of having a 24 team squad.

If Askey doesn't trust them or like them, get shot of them and mutually terminated the contract and use the salary to get a couple better quality players in.

All managers across the world and board lose good workers everyday and life still goes on. Stop dwelling on the players who aren't available and look at the ones who are. Come up with a plan, even if it's a Ronnie Moore type of tactic, 10 men behind the ball, 0-0 clean sheet.

No one revels in these defeats figment .
Hope ya enjoyed ya lie in.
Did Sing make ya Breakfast.

Seaman started the season brilliantly, he was absolutely outstanding in the RB role against Gateshead who's winger never got past him or got a decent cross in at all. Now he looks as if he's never played football in his life .
We were creating chances for fun, now we create virtually nothing, Fergy was right up there for assists now his crossing is dire, Finney is just out of his depth and doesn't even put the effort in, Josh doesn't look the same player as last season. As far as I'm aware the team is picked,tactics dictated, and coaching is down to JA and his staff or is Raj doing it all? Good players turning into poor ones is not down to Raj.
Yes we look as if we need reinforcements, but we don't know if lack of them is JAs decision or any financial constraint.
Not Raj's biggest fan by any stretch, but the display yesterday was down to the players and manager not the chairman.

The defence of Singh gets more desperate and embarrassing every day.

Good assesment really of where we are apart from these defeats culminate from the top, the total lack of investment is shining through and that is why we are losing to the likes of oxford city, dorking, solihull, we are run like a spennymoor not an old traditional football club that still remarkably is pulling in over 4k to watch that garbage, while we are run like the spennymoors of this world we will continue to plummet to new depths.

Nope. There is plenty of blame at the chairman's door for what is going on right now. The debate is whether Askey is adding to it and should really doing better even considering the rubbish cards he's been dealt.

I totally agree we could do with some better players, but my question is why are what looked like decent players at the start of the season now looking like donkeys?
We can blame lack of money all we like, but there's no excusing what we have looking like a Sunday league team.
I for one can't understand some of the recent team selections, Hendry and Grey in midfield, Crawford as holding midfielder for example. Why do t we play our best players in their best positions? Why do we always have to play out from the keeper, yesterday they left 2 back against our 2vforwards yet we tried to play out everytine when the long ball might have worked.
Our 11 should have been capable of beating that lot yesterday but it turned out they were unlucky not to get 5!

If you don't revel in defeats, you sure don't disguise it very well. Didn't have a lie in and no I made the breakfast. Is that the best you can do.

Nobody revels in defeats. They just don't worship the great leader.

The doomers are out in force we have just lost to dorking at home, dorking let that sink in for a minute? Bloody dorking and before that solihull and oxford united oh no my mistake oxford city. Of course the doomers are going to be out in force and so they bloody should be. This isnt good enough and if fans dont say its good enough we will plod on forever like this if they think everyone is happy.

As for the players they seem to have lost any belief in what they are doing. Can things get any better lets bloody hope so.

The manager has certainly lost his halo their is no doubting as the greatest thing since slice bread and some of the things are baffling dont think anyone could argue, either umerah doesnt want to play for askey or pools in general god knows, shadow of a player. Ferguson as centre back was crazy, dolan not playing, while the rubbish in midfield is, baffling, but no matter what askey does and he can do better, but he has been given an impossible job after the injuries, the chairman is hanging him out to dry, like he has done with every other manager. Even challinor the best thing that happened to pools in years, he managed to royally mess up, whether challinor was playing us or not.

Why would the chairman want to hang his managers out to dry, what does that achieve. It doesn't make sense to give Askey a three year contract and then hang him out to dry and keep starting all over again, except of course in your mind.
Raj gave Challinor a three year contract as well so he has put his faith in two managers by giving them decent contracts. One walked out for a better deal and the other is struggling. What would you suggest he could have done or, in the case of Askey, still do. Askey has a budget that he obviously hasn't fully spent because he keeps saying he can still bring players in. We don't know what the budget is so can't judge it. Although you and the doomers ridicule our budget because it suits your purpose, without a single scrap of tangible evidence to back your fanatical speculation.
Would you put the club up for sale at the behest of the fans and then overspend on the budget just to appease them. Clubs are lining up at the moment to go bust but we aren't one of them .......yet. However if you and your Raj haters get your way and force the man out, we could join the list. Is that what you want, cos that's what you'll get.

RDS.

Exactly. Nail squarely on top of the head.