Joined Pools on 25th January.

Played 15 NL games under Kevin Phillips, 3 bookings, no games missed due to poor discipline.

Started 4 NL games under Darren Sarll, sent off twice, will miss 4 games due to poor discipline (1 for the 2 yellows. 3 for the straight red for violent conduct)

So, what's to blame: the player or the style of play Pools have adopted?

Totally down to the player. None of this season’s red cards have been about the style of play. They are all about indiscipline. Waterfall should lose the armband.

It's a mix of both surely? I'm sure Sarll isn't telling Waterfall to go out there and get a red every game but surely his emphasis on aggression is encouraging him to do this - he shook his hand as he walked off so must be pleased.
Believe 2 red's in a season adds an extra game onto the ban so we won't be seeing him for another 4 games...
Luke Waterfall Played: 4, Games banned for: 5.

Indiscipline has got to be down to the manager surely. He sets them up to play a certain way, it cannot be down to coincidence, three red cards and 18 yellows in six games is ridiculous.

Southend 2nd you could argue was style of play as he is being asked to
Press higher and higher and has to fouls players when beaten as few people behind him

I agree with that. I had a listen to Sarll's pre-match interview on Radio Tees last night and he still wasn't prepared to criticise the first two red cards of the season, other than saying Hunter had been "a wee bit silly" to get himself a second yellow so soon after the first.

He also said his was "a hard team for a hard town" and that the fans he spoke to all said they wanted that too.

Sure, he can count me in on that too - but we'd also like to see Pools finish at least 90% of the games they play with 11 men still on the pitch. Getting through the next 30 games without another red would be just the ticket

Being part of a ‘hard team’ is no excuse for recklessness and/or sheer stupidity. For a player of his experience, Waterfall’s two blatant self-inflicted and needless dismissals are inexcusable I’m afraid. In my view he needs to be the subject of a public dressing down from Sarll, not protected like a raw youngster would be. He should also be fined by the club, stripped of the captaincy, made to make a public apology to the fans and not be selected for the starting XI until such time that he has had a long, hard look at himself and fully considered the error of his ways.

Pessimist view of waterfall

He’s lost it and this year is a year too far exacerbated by this high press he’s being asked to play
Happens to all players and tho never a fast player at a certain age it catches up with you, the first sending off a result of that, the second from general
Frustration at it all

Let’s hope that’s overly pessimistic but he doesn’t look the player he was last season

Waterfall’s first red was avoidable. Going in for the break most around me thought he wouldn’t come back out, Sass-Davies was warmed up and called in. He did come back out, one minute in committed a ‘yellow card’ offence, in front of the dugout, got away with it and should have been hooked immediately, two minutes later he’s gone. Out of the first 9 games he will have appeared in 3 & in 2 of those he saw red.

If he behaves like that off the field or in
Murray St. He goes to jail.

But we a hard town.
Absolute pathetic from player n manager.
Under these tactics Promotion well n truly over unless ya believe in fairy tales.
Only 6 games away from quarter season assessment were the tougher fixtures come into play.
UTP.

I’ll contact the club and put him on a choker and take him up the sand dunes with Ratboy for some ‘house training’ for the duration of his suspension… if he thinks he’s that hard it’ll give him a chance to experience being on the receiving end.

think age has caught up with him like it does to all players and giving him the armband only adds more responsibility especially if you are struggling with your own game. funny how the time off the game between seasons see so many being a different player once they are back from what we remembered the season before.

add a muzzle to the choker as well.

its harder to see a team harder than tamworth or braintree but they can play their way but keep 11 on the pitch. we do not know what goes on behind the scenes but waterfall should be facing a heavy fine with one for hunter also. without the situation they put their team mates in i feel we have thrown away at least 5 points by their actions and if we come short by that number at the end we know where the blame lies. thats if thats it and we are having no further repeats of this stupidity. there is a big difference between being the mr.softy,s of the league to becoming tough and hard to beat but reckless in becoming that.

Dont be surprised if we see him walk away from the club - His heads gone ! i dont think he wants to be here.

DS wants another CB in aswell im hearing (this was before the sending off) make of that what you will !"

It was a dumb thing to do that requires some action from the club - hopefully one that hurts him in the pocket.

But I'm not buying any of the speculation that his head or legs or both have gone, or that he wants away.I expect him to get his head down and play smart when he's back - and expect Sarll to be giving the same message to all the players.

I’ll drive him wherever he wants to go…he can sit between the Baskerville’s in the back seat

I've just watched the pitch side angle of the incident, and it was fuck all. How on earth that constitutes a straight red absolutely baffles me. Seriously...

I’ve watched it repeatedly to the point of madness and can see bugger all of consequence.

We’ve had 19 players booked in our 6 games so far this season.

In those same 6 games, 19 opposition players have also been booked.

Granted, 2 of ours were stupid enough to keep on fouling after being booked, but my point is that we’re no more dirty than the opposition, a couple of our players are just less smart about it.

Look I have no problem about being physical. But, if you mistime a tackle or lose your head and get booked you need to restrain yourself. No supporter is going to have a go at a player who pulls out of a tackle if your on a yellow card. For me Waterfall and more importantly the manager are to blame. As regards Sarlle saying that the supporters expect a level of toughness I agree but not at a cost of losing the match. Last season I was always biting my nails after we scored as I knew we would concede. This year I’m biting my nails every time someone is booked! I thought we played well with 10 men against Braintree in particular Grey who is playing the football of his life. The problem Pools have now is that teams are going to deliberately antagonise us to persuade the ref to be hard on us. Sarll needs to be smart now. I’m still on his side for now but I and many others will not but up with Ill discipline for much longer. Poolies spend a lot of money supporting this time and Sarll needs to respect them or he will be turned on. Am happy to see where we are come end of September and maybe 1st October we can all give our opinions.

The problem apparently is one or two individuals who need taking aside and reigning in.
If we can sort that out, problem solved.
Personally in that situation I’d give the player a rest from the team to show no matter how much I need them on the pitch, being 10 men down to avoidable actions negates any positives they bring and can’t be risked.

Not defending Waterfall but to lash out the player must have said something which could have been very personal, family, partner etc ?

Waterfall did absolutely nowt :D I don't understand why people are getting upset with him. There was nothing in that challenge, never a red.

has anyone got the footage or a better one than the highlights as no matter how i try i cannot see the incident as its on the corner of the screen and just sees there lad going down. thing is nowadays you do not need to land a knockout punch to be sent off just raising your hands with a girly slap is enough. all i would say that unlike many incidents there was nobody really rushing in doing much pushing and shoving. at the time i thought it was a bit of play acting to get a free kick to relieve the pressure. sarll did say he was going to watch the incident over away from the ground. if he did and as far as i know the club have not appealed over the decision. that might give the answer.

The thing that gets me. five minutes before waterfall was sent off, effiong went up for a challenge with parkes, leading with his elbow and proper swung it in parkes face. To me that was at the very least a yellow, then he's off. I can't understand the inconsistencies in judging violent play.

Slow motion, it’s almost a chokeslam.

https://vimeo.com/1004926671

I can't view that, is it proper blatant?

I watched in on the highlights and kept stopping the footage. And to be honest I didn't expect it to be that blatant but it was and 100% a straight red card.

Oh well, worra doyle then

Absolutely brainless especially for one of the most experienced players in this league..... oh yes the Captain and leader and example setter to younger players. But don't worry it's only 2 red cards for him in 5 games or 4 games ( if you consider how much time he missed of two games. ) infact under 4 games.

If Sarly doesn't get a grip sharpish then the oppositions tactics will probably last all season to tactic n play our mug players into ill discipline.

Plus refs will pick up on our bad reputation of being a hard but not very brainy team.

Well Aye.
But if he did then it worked.
Time to sort that out would be after the game of the pitch.

he certainly will not be the first player at the fag end of a long career starts to struggle with form and fitness and if they have an aggressive temperament does a bit ott in games. been there done it and decided to become a gamkeeper instead of a poacher as it was costing me money everytime i played.

At least Waterfall was bright enough to do it in their penalty area.