I hate to be negative but we weren't that good.

Lee-Barratt was by far our best player.

We played like we do for a lot of reserve matches, without a tempo and a bit casually.

Rotherham played well and played like it was a league game.

During the second half we looked a bit better when Liddle and Robson came on. Also, Monkhouse didn't do too badly when he came on. Otherwise- not great.

We never looked like scoring.

Clumsy tackle for the penna and poor marking for their second (although it was never a free-kick). And Liddle took his goal well.

Pretty pointless turning up then really, eh??

Might as well not bother........someone give MK Dons a ring and tell them we'll swap places....last one out turn the lights off and put the milkbottles out.....

Kev - You have a tendency to be completely silly sometimes. Chip is not saying that Pools are relegation material - he just has concerns. I know it was only a friendly but Pools I'm sure Danny expected at least a draw against Rotherham....

Lee-Barratt was by far our best player

oh dear i have to disagree there, he reminded me of Bruce Grobbelaar with them two punches what he could of easily caught. i agree with chip like re goals i reckon we need to start with either porter or mackay next week to inject some pace into the forward line.

To quote myself,

"Just letting you know that after seeing Lee-Barratt keep a clean sheet in the half he played against Newcastle (Martins and co) and his peformance today against Rotherham that so far he's been extremely good.

Only slight concern is that he's been punching the ball when he could have caught it but other than that he's been really good."

Anyhow quite a few Rotherham fans have been praising him as well.

Weren't bothered about the result, just expected us to play at a bit at a higher tempo, be a bit stronger in midfield and create a few more chances.

a bit of bacon just went down the wrong way!!

Completely different subjects Mr Costello. That's another thread.

What positives are there from a 2-1 defeat at Rotherham?

We all want Pools to be successful, but to be successful you often have to be critical - not negative. We aren't going to get into the top 6 with the 'it will be alright on the night' attitude'. Danny Wilson will have to make some tough decisions. I remember a Scottish manager that we had before, he was quite critical and often slated players in the press BUT he was successful......

Positives:
1. We looked a lot better when Liddle came on.
2. Arran Lee-Barratt's shot stopping.
3. Monkhouse looked lively when he came on.
4. Robson continued his good pre-season.
5. Apart from the two silly goals, the defence looked quite organised. It didn't look sharp but it looked reasonably organised.
6. If we'd have treated the game in the same way Rotherham did, we'd have won. There were times when if we'd have gone for it a bit more instead of playing it safe then we could have penetrated them.

But the main one is that nobody got injured.

Rotherham went for it and set out to impress, we treated it like a casual friendly/reserve match. That's the main reason why we didn't play well apart from lack of tempo (which is to do with how we treated it), weren't strong in midfield (formation, organisation) and created few chances until the last 20 minutes (again formation, organisation).

Let's judge the team against Luton....might be a better idea. I wish I'd never started this thread now.

Mr Costello,

i won't be at Luton unfortinutly as I have uni stuff to do. However whenever i am at the match i am 100% behind the team, screaming and shouting as you put it. Many people seem to have the impression that anyone who criticises Pools in any way must be one of the moaning gits off the mill house terrace. I do go on the mill house terrace but i never shout abuse at the players as i think it shatters players confidence.

i want Pools to do well, I never want to be in shitty Division Four again and I sulk for the weekend and some of the week when we get beat like most Poolies. I will be massively surprised as well as gutted if Pools do go down. I expect to finish mid table.....

Pools have a tough start to the season and i really hope we are at the races, like everyone else I want the play off excitement and something to play for against these bigger teams. I want the Vic to be bouncing like it was against Bristol City and a trip to the new wembley. I don't think any fixture is trivial whether it be LDV, FA Cup, League Cup or whatever. Why can't we win the LDV or at least take the competition seiously? or be the lower league team that gets to the semi final of a cup like Wycombe and Chesterfield have in the not too distant past. I want Pools to win every game, even the youth and reserve games.

i am critical at times because I think there is a fine line between success and failure, whenever I have concerns I like to think I justify those concerns with some sort of argument.

We have some really good players, and I believe we have the right man in charge to get the best out of them......

Somebody's logged on as Jonny..........

lol jonny - "rose coloured spice boy"

For what it’s worth I think your summary of the match is just about spot on Dan.

One slight disagreement, we did create two gilt-edge chances in the first half after Rotherham’s first, Foley and Joel were both through on goal with only the keeper to beat.

We were casual in our approach a lot of the time (especially in the first half) we tended to overdue it a bit when in possession, but hey it’s pre season and the main thing is to come through a game like this unscathed, a point that Danny Wilson emphasized on the radio after the match.

The real business starts next week.

You mentioned in another thread Chip, Joel Porter and his importance to the team, I agree, he too is one of our better players, he has that flash of brilliance, the ability to unlock a defence at a vital time in the game, a potential match winner. keeping him fit and well will be very important.

What have I said now??



Anyway, I hope he's in the staring line up as well......