Moore's a goal machine so how can you drop him?

it pains me to say it chip but i agree

F-o-o-k off Timmy earlier you said you just wanted to cause chip some pain.

Barker was poor today, im not sure he has enough pace for this level. For strikers to make it without pace they need to have anticipation and positioning skills but im not sure Barker has these. He also needs some creative players alongside him. Moore is not such a player.

They dont compliment each other in the slightest. Barker looks low on confidence right now and im convinced that Porter can play the target man role. He holds the ball up pretty well. I know Porter will not win as many headers but having seen the misses that Barker has been guilty of the last few games it may not be such a bad thing.

I would sooner play Porter with Moore or Foley than with Barker at this moment in time.

Moore - I'm sorry to say - is a waste of a shirt. He was DIRE today, wouldn't pick him to play for Darlo

Antwi is getting found out too - tends to panic & make mistakes when the pressure is on

The rest had fairly average days

As regard Barker though - his strength isn't as a striker anyway, he is there to receive the ball with his back to goal & distribute it, which he does very well - yes he is a bit slow but he is strong & takes a huge amount of punishment during a game

Starting to agree with those who are saying we should have re-signed Boydy, he scored again today & had a great partnership with Porter (in this league) until Scott pissed him off & ruined his motivation

Now you're talking Chip

Fully concur with the above statements

Barker's game is all about holding up the ball and flicking the ball on.

He doesn't combine well, thus there's nobody for him to hold the ball up for and flick the ball onto.

Barker's is finding it hard to gel and is struggling to score from open play...and it's knocking his confidence.

For a short-ish bloke, Porter still manages to win his fair share of headers, I reckon!!!
Although it's obviously his speed, skill and strength running with the ball that are his main assets. He was taking two and three men out of the game at once yesterday, and doing it almost at will. That run which ended up with the ball being scrambled away for a corner set the tone for his performance. He changed the game.
Moore is not capable of doing that to one defender at the moment, let alone two or three.
Moore is starting to look like a few people on here said he was- a last minute signing for the sake of it - and he's keeping the best forward at the club out of the team!!!

it's also known as intelligent running!! He thinks about what he is doing, not just running into channels for the sake of it!!!!
And having that extra injection of pace is obviously the clincher.

I don't want to go back to our relegation season but...

When Porter played Forest towards the back end of that season it was one of the best holding displays I've ever seen by a Pools striker.

Porter certainly can hold up the ball.

it also showed, even though we were gash for most of that season, that we CAN beat a big club in the league!!!!

Someone said, in another thread, that DW is not starting Porter because he is not match fit.
Well surely the only way to rectify that is to start him (with Barker). If he can't do the full 90,
then stick Foley on, when he tires.

Also, and again this has been said many times, we need the Clark and Nelson partnership
restoring, we are not Liverpool's feeder side, Antwi must wait his chance.

Finally, I don't get to see the boys to often, but how his Liddle performing.
He doesn't sound to be running games as he once did.
Is he missing Boland or are we overplaying him, after all he his still only a kid
in his second full season.

I have heard that Porter is actually carrying an 'niggling' injury that requires surgery if he is going to get back to 100% fitness. Its apparently not stopping him playing tho (looking at yesterdays goal!)

Liddle didn't have an awful lot of possession of the ball, but he keeps working hard to close down the opponents, and it is this kind of attitude I like in players when it's one of those days when it just isn't going for them. There are players who start sulking or stop putting effort in when they don't see enough of the ball, well you certainly can't put the lad in that category!!
He'll get the chance to shine again sooner rather than later, he's too good not to.

I didn't get to yesterday's game, but he has been one of our most consistent players of the season up to now along with McCunnie and Browny.

If thats true then I hope its a close call with Ben Clark starting.

Liddle had a quiet game yesterday, but that’s one average performance from the nine games he’s played this season.

Up until yesterday he’s been superb, definitely one of our most consistent players. He’s set a very high standard since he came to the club, it’s only human to slip below that level once in a while

Agreed about Liddle, he is fantastic and is one a few Championship standard players we have at the club. I thought he would have nicked a few more goals though, pre-season apart; when did he score last?

Liddle was certainly quite, if not totally out of it, in the first half. Much better in the second, with McCunnie alongside him. Coincidence?

Well come on, anyone would struggle carrying Ritchie alongside them!

I couldn't possible say that. But we also played better down the left when Ritchie returned to his rightful place in the team. Don't forget he was the best left back in league two last season.

Porter was actually blowing out of his arse late in the game yesterday, I don't know whether it is that he has some sort of injury or it's was just a while since he played 45 minutes of competitive football

Barker BADLY needs a goal, he struggled big style yesterday and the problem appeared to be confidence. He was pulling a train at times. He was totally on his heels when Joel cut that ball back after his run second half, a goal from open play will do him wonders.

even blowing out of his arse at the end, Porter has more pace and incisiveness at the top end of the pitch - imagine what he'd be like firing on all cylinders.