He was badly at fault for the goal like. Basically Budtz rolled the ball out to him, Gibb dallied on the ball and tried to turn an attacker who simply robbed him of it and slotted it nicely past Budtz.

A good performance all round though.

ps, did you miss the goal because you were buying pies?

I was impressed with the performance tonight, it is the first chance that I have had to see the new lads and to be honest they all impressed in their own way. Antwi cool as fooka nd reads the game excellent, McCunnie has a great engine and got up and down loads, Moore ran his socks off and was unlucky not to score, Elliot calm which is what you would expect from an ex premiership player and Budtz I thought did well, he organised well and made an excellent 1 on 1 save in the first half.

Their number 22 who I think scored the goal was excellent.

Ben Clark also had a good game in the middle of midfield so maybe him Nels and Antwi all can play in the same team then.

Also spotted was Gordon McQueen in the Victoria Lounge pre match

I think Mccunnie looks pretty decent although I agree that Elliott doesnt look up to much.

It is a sign of how far our team has come that for the majority of tonight Elliott was our weak link.

I wasn't there tonight but from what i can take from the radio commentary, Elliott had a steady game

Was he up against a top winger?

Did we concede a goal while he was on the pitch?

I've just got off the train 15 mins ago...so I'm a bit tired and the taxi driver thought I was drunk...

Anyhow, first things first I was the most impressede with Brown and Porter.

Butdz did well as well, especially to stop that one on one.

Elliot and McCunnie were steady but weren't amazing.

Clark did well in the midfield anchor role, which suggests it may be Antwi and Nelson at the back and Liddle and Clark in midfield. Only a guess mind you. Anyhow, Antwi and Nelson looked good.

Moore had a frustrating night, not frustrating for me but frustrating for himself. He really worked hard and ran around a lot, trying to get into the game but he never got much off the ball. Like Moore, Barker didn't get much of the game.

Humphreys did ok, as did Mr. Robson who looks to have improved.

Foley did quite well when he ran at defenders but he kept hold of the ball a bit too much at times and got tackled. But he still did well.

Gibb isn't a right back, he got caught out for the goal. Did put a few crosses in though if I remember correctly.

I didn't notice Sweeney much for some reason...and I only knew that Boland had played when I looked on the official site...so I can't have noticed him.

I liked how Alkmaar had their own specially designed umbrellas to match their club colours...we should have some as well. Russ Green get it sorted!

Err where was Monkhouse???

He must have been like Boland cause I can't remember Monkhouse playing.

He didnt play hence me asking. Anyone watching the game with a clue about Pools will know Boland played and did ok.

I seriously can't remember Boland, I'm not having a go at him like you do with half the players. Just can't remember him.

he came on late on at the same time as matty and ritchie and foley.
monkey will have been left out as he is due to miss the first few games so whats the point in playing him when danny is trying to decide on his starting 11 against luton

Monkey is playing tonight against consett, we are sending a strong team allegedly. i was gunna go but ive opted for rotherham on saturday.

I thought James Brown looked outstanding, so good in fact that I'm not sure DW didn't sub him to stop AZ from buying him!

Wasn't overly impressed by our front two but to be fair that was probably due to the difference in class of defence they were up against. That's why the Premier League teams pay so much money for centre forwards who can play against those kind of defenders. Similarly I thought Nelson was shown up a bit as a lower league stopper who wouldn't cut it at a higher level but will do another cracking job for Pools this season.

McCunnie looked tidy, Elliot was unimpressive but by no means shocking. Antwi seems promising but looks funny the way he tips his head back when he runs.

As for Jan Budtz He's got Taffy Williams bungee rope fastened round his waist and plays exactly like our ex sheep botherer. Cracking save one on one but generally dodgy the rest of the time. If he's our regular number one this season and plays like that we WILL be in a spot of bother when it comes to competitive games.

The other lads were pretty much as expected, you know you'll get quality from the likes of Boland, Clark and Liddle and they didn't disappoint.

PS. Although Ali G was totally at fault for their goal, you've gotta feel sorry for him that when he played the best cross of the night there was only our little headless chicken anywhere near it who didn't have a clue what to do in front of goal (again).

How can they boo a player who they can't have seen play more than once? And BEFORE kick off too?

If they wanna be negative and abusive why not take it out on the opposition and officials?

I continue to be baffled by two things after supporting Pools for many years:

1. Why some players are given up on before they have really had a chance to kick a ball in anger

2. Booing a player before the start and during a game

The fact is even if a player is not good enough he hasn't picked himself for the team and therefore deserves full support all game provided he is putting the effort in. Do these people really think that this will encourage or help the team or the player concerned? They should put themselves in the player's shoes but then again I doubt whether these people have the intellect to do that.

I remember a game away at Doncaster when Matty Robson got abused all game by a significant number of "fans" who had decided it was his fault we were getting beat when in fact he was one of our better players on the day and other fans favourites were more accountable for poor performances.

It's what they go for. They don't go to appreciate the good things, enjoy the occasion or support the team, they go for a fookin' good moan. These are always the ones you hear on the way out 'Eeehh we were lucky there,' or if we've lost 'weeeelll what do you expect??......'

There's a strong contingent from errr...further up the coast........

Cattle prods.

Every time one of the feckers starts bumping his gums, shove a thousand volts across him, that'll sort him out.
Ee ya fucka maaan...

That's the problem with today's society though Elvis.

Those kind of morons used to get sectioned, but since they closed the asylums and went all Care in the Community us normal folk have to endure their idiotic ways just to please the Guardian reading leftie do-gooders.

Surely 'braykin his dorters art??'

You'll after ave a quiet word.

You'll after be more specific. Witch Yorkshire based Pool's fan? Are you sure your not just using him as an escape goat?

Puff!

The Magic Dragon?

Lived in a land called?

To continue ECG's theme there is a poster on this thread who threatened to rip my head off at Hull about 12 years ago (I've got a long memory) because I had a go at him for abusing a certain Mr Halliday all game!!!!

He has obviously mellowed a little with age (but not so much I don't think?!?!)

Honalee?

Name and shame!

Honalulu (by the sea wasn't it?)

Did you like Steven Halliday JTB?

I was never a huge fan of Halliday, always reminded me of an ornament in that he looked pretty but didn't actually do owt.

You're not suggesting it was me are you? Mistaken identity I would like to think!

I've got it down to three....... and one of THOSE is most unlikely!!

Actually it was when I saw a photo of you on here the other day that it all came flooding back. To be fair it was 12 years or so ago so it could be the biggest case of mistaken identity ever, maybe you just looked like the gadgy, if so apologies!

It was probably one of the loonies I was with rather than me

Either that or you've mixed me up with Mr 3Quid

Get a photo up of him as well, it could be like an identity parade!!!

It's most unlikely that it was Mr Baptist, Mr Haircut.

He's a bit of a fairy.......

and he's got the wand and the tights to prove it!!!

I told you I wouldn't dress up for you again if you told anybody

Here are half of those



Edit: whoops no, one of them is a player!

The person had a point although it was not the time or the place to vent his frustration. We needed to win the game and we got beat, I wasn't particuarly bothered as I was happy with promotion but winning the league seemed to become the be all and end all for a lot of people.

Accusing someone of breaking their daughters heart is so over the top its almost comical, the bloke should of saved his criticisms for the pub or a message board.....

Never a truer word...

Haha I hope you don't imagine for a minute that the pub and message board got off scott free!

Probably not, but telling players they have been useless to their faces at the end of a game after a promotion has been achieved is a little bit silly. Some people seem to have no restraint when they are at the match and others just talk out of their arse for the sake of it......

The thing is I think there is a big difference between the supporters who are just naturally pessimistic and grumbling buggers (I still go to game with my old man who after watching Pools for 50 years plus can't help being a pessimist. He declared to me as we had a corner last season that it was a disastrous situation because we were exposed at the back ) and people who shout mindless abuse at individual players they don't like.

The former might be annoying if you stand near some grumbling old buggers but the latter is unacceptable in my book.

Oh I totally agree Jonny. The only comforting thing is that a player looking into a crowd won't usually notice isolated cretins.
I doubt Ritchie was looking are prize plum in the eyes when the latter spouted his vitriol.

Surely you've got a pair of platform soles tucked away??

If you go on the Millhouse Terrace in the right place, you can't hear anyone moaning for the constant abuse being hurled at the officials and the opposition. It's not just random either it's sustained, very loud and hilariously funny. Unless you happen to be a dog bumming paedophile bounder, which apparently all lino's are.

As an ex Town Ender I can fully recommend it!!

There was a jobsworth steward getting advice last night