I know it was the fourth division but last season we achieved 23 clean sheets (HALF OF OUR GAMES!!) I have no doubt that Godwin Antwi is a good player, he's going to be a cracking player in a few years playing above league one I reckon but we can't keep clean sheets at the moment, Antwi and Nelse just don't seem to compliment each other. We have only managed a clean sheet against a woeful Port Vale side and even they missed a couple of sitters.

It doesn't make any sense to me to not try Ben Clark and Nelson as a centre back pairing in league one. Antwi I think could do a job in either full back position or in midfield, he's a good enough footballer.

Or has Dimi been the biggest loss? I don't think that's the case because during much of the run last season he had little to do at times.

For whatever reason Danny doesn't seem to believe Ben Clark is up to league one football, I think he should at least give the lad a chance. His attitude is superb every game even when he hasn't got on he comes on to thank the fans, and he seems as happy as the lads who are playing when we win a game. Someone with a more suspect attitude would have kicked up a real stink by now, as last season he has one of our best players and he hasn't had a chance to do anything wrong since!

Centre Backs, sorry to nit-pick, but when I was at school we used the UK spelling


But you're right; Ben must have the patience of a saint!

I'm becoming more and more wound up that Clark isn't playing.

It's a combo of both losing Dimi and not playing Clark.

Butdz gives me the shits. The defence has no trust in him. He NEVER comes off his line to claim things and gets lobbed a lot. That's how we concede most of our goals. There's no communication between defence and keeper at all.

The centre back pairing does not suit each other.

And McCunnie was dropped, god knows why.

If our defence was like

ALB
McCunnie Clark Nelson Humphreys

I believe we'd have won today.

Alright just for you, the Centre backs are shyte this season

I actually don't think Budtz is a bad keeper. I reckon he got a bollocking at half time today because second half he came out and caught everything, after the goal and a couple of inexplicable punches under no pressure.

He has all the attributes and I think he will improve with patience.

Maybe we are missing the leadership of Barron?

Just a thought like...

I agree except for Humphreys. We need a proper left back but most clubs are looking for one so until one pops up he's the best option that we have.

Tip for Budtz..... you are allowed to catch the ball. Honest, no really, just trust me on this one, if you have hold of the ball the opposition can't score.

Possibly, we're certainly missing an organiser and communicator. Will Barron play again this season with McCunnie and Coles both apparantly fighting for the right back sport? I don't think we will unfortunatley.

Hey, its another one for the mixer. We aren't defending well thats for sure and thats what MB is a good defender.

Something stinks somewhere.

Its obvious to everyone and clearly now even Wilson that there is a problem with the backline, however he has seen it in a different place to everyone else (right back)

We are going nowhere with Antwi at centre back. The more this goes on, the more plausable the idea of him having to play every match seems. I really cannot see any other reason why Wilson cant see where we are going wrong.

And you are no doubt as happy as a pig in shite!

It has nothing to do with Micky Barron, the problem is that Nelse and Antwi dont gel as a pair, oh and the keeper being dodgy does not help.

I find it interesting that the even the 'rose tinted' spec brigade are p*ssed off with the managers player selections.

Maybe its a case of pride, he wants to be proved right.

He'll wait a long time with these two, did you see Nelson and Antwi arguing after the first goal?

You as well, chuffed as a monkey having a wnak

Thats the back 4 I'd like to see.

Nelson could have just put in the stand, he hesitated which was fatal.

It was one of the softest, worst goals, I've seen Pools concede since the days when we were shite!

Neither of them went for it, a lack of understanding you see Mr Wilson. Had that been Clark and Nelson the telepathy would have allowed one to know it was his job.

Is this rivals??

Well you are showing the same traits as you did on there!

Very very very pained to praise, but like a prairie dog the moment it goes a bit Pete Tong

Iv praised everytime we deserve it. I said Antwi is not up to it, every other person has said the same but you only point my post out.

People like you who start arguments and have digs for no reason are what made Rivals so sh**. Shape up.

I don't think anyone has suggested that Antwi isn't up to it, he has a lot of talent, I think the argument is that Nelson and Clark gel as a partnership, our current pairing don't.

Yes thats right, I'm having a 'dig' for no reason.......

You were one of the most negative posters on Rivals, and ironically, you are one of the reasons most people stopped posting on there

Are you still talking?

Im bored of you already.

Shouldn't that be bored WITH you

Why dont you grow up you pathetic little child!? Why use to doom and gloom right now to cause bickering on this forum ffs. Grow up or go and use rivals instead. All I said was that this dip has nothing whatsoever to do with Micky barron and that the 'positive' brigade such as yourself are even having doubts about the managers selection policy right now.

You really should take a good long look at yourself. And btw, im really not at all happy with things right now, im pretty down after todays game, more down than I have been in ages.

If you really want to cause chew then by all means, we can meet up and sort this out face to face, I would much rather do it this way than have the board spoilt by your childishness. Grow up.

Now now girls.

This is worrying - we agree again

Here's a tip for next week's back 4:
Coles, Clark, Antwi, Humphreys.
This prediction based on a working knowledge of Wilsonian Reasoning - see a problem, find a solution that lesser mortals can't see. So far it has worked for him so we can't really complain. We could have been 3rd yesterday and in a promotion place had we won a scrappy game.

Totally agree.

I’ve seen the Nelson/Antwi partnership in action 13 times this season and it’s just not happened, they’ve not gelled and probably never will.

I personally believe Antwi is not too bad a player, in fact he looked a really good signing early on, enough for me to sing his praises on here, but his understanding with Nelson has never developed, they just don’t complement each other at all.

Contrast that with the Nelson/Clark of last season, two players who complemented each other beautifully, they worked as one, as a unit, they had great understanding and were comfortable playing together.

Their partnership was key to our promotion last term, nearly all successful sides are built upon a solid, mean centre back pairing, yet, so far this season, the one which brought so much success to the club has been totally discarded, without a single chance to shine.

If Ben Clark slapped in a transfer request, nobody could criticise him for it.

Last season Ben and Nelson where brilliant together, We should go back to what we know. Mind you I used to think Budtz was a good keeper, but he's not speaking to the defence at all. I reckon he could have stopped the forest 1st goal, if he came off his line to get a cross.
Some of his punches in the 1st half esp put under REAL pressure. If he comes out and CATCHES the ball it'll give us a chance to sort ourselves out. If he comes out and doesnt get the ball it's a foul on the keeper it's a foul nowadays.

It's not just that about him either in the second half he caught some tried to throw it out wide but the balls where miles in the air, really hard for the pools midfield to control.

Mind you it's still early days,

Antwi - good player
Clark - good player
Nelson - good player



Antwi/Nelson - bad partnership
Clark/Nelson - exceptional partnership
Clark/Antwi - untested partnership.

Thinking ouside the box - what about playing with a sweeper with Nelson playing this role, Clark & Antwi in front of him anything that got past them would be stopped by Nelse. The full backs would / should be able to push up more and support the midfield, ideal for McCunnie and probably Humps. Just a thought that would enable us to play all 3 centre backs that I rate highly.

Surely a sweeper would play inside the box

let's face it, we don't seem to catch many teams offside with a flat back four, in the same manner we seem to get caught offside up the other end of the pitch. Maybe playing 5 across the back away from home is the next thing to try.

Oh yes - good thinking

With hindsight, here are two songs we should have sung at Forest:
1.
(To the tune of "Robin Hood")
Hartlepool, Hartlepool, riding through League 1,
Hartlepool, Hartlepool, with a band of men,
Feared by the bad, loved by the gooood
Hartlepoooool, Hartlepooool, Hartlepooool
2.
(Trad. Arranged by Poolies)
We hate Friar Tuck and we hate Robin Hood,
We hate Friar Tuck and we hate Robin Hood,
We hate Friar Tuck and we hate Robin Hood,
We are the outlaw, haters!

I disagree.

Nelson- good player
Clark- good player
Antwi- good prospect

Too many people are judging Antwi on the basis that he's on loan from Liverpool.

If he was one of our own youth team who'd been chucked in people would realise quicker that he's not good enough yet but could be a canny player in the long term.

So why are we suffering his lack of experience when we won't get the long term benefit?

good point Mr RIpper it seems that Godwin HAS to play every game, sometimes we see players at our level and think god this guy is good and could play in the premiership. it seems to me that Godwin is a long way off playing regularly at our level never mind a higher level unless its like a lot of people have pointed out the centre back partnership is too much alike.

I totally agree. I can't understand why Ben Clark isn't playing. Equally though, what did Lee-Barrett do so badly vs Luton that Budtz hasn't since?

Nothing.

I think Budtz dodginess is part of the reason why the two infront look so uncomfortable together.

Antwi is not a bad player, far from it. At the start of the season he looked a great find and a potential star. For some reason he has struggle since. Either its through injury or a lack of confidence. Its so annoying that Ben Clark may end up leaving when im pretty sure we would benefit from pairing him with Nelse again. Its an aweful thing to say but Antwi getting a suspension or a short term injury may be the best thing in the long run. Surely if Clark comes into the side and we start keeping clean sheets then Wilson would not bring Antwi straight back into the side.

At the end of the day Antwi won't be hear next year, Clark hopefully will.

Its a real shame, I truly believe that Nelson and Clark as a central pairing are up to championship standard.

Will he have to wear a hearing aid when he goes though