Pools v Brackley

[RichyHpool]

That was just an absolutely dreadful match to watch,some of pools football was shockingly bad. Could barely string 2 or 3 passes together and looked completely void of any ideas going forward. I feel sorry for the defence and forwards because everything in between was rotten. The 3 at the back are good and cartwright is cracking but how many seasons do we have a non existent midfield who crete sod all, everything is slow and sideways or back. Our most creatures spark today was a bloody centre half in kuoagun!, that tells you everything. We have 3 forwards on and nobody to supply them so they just looked isolated and looking for punts up to them. Some really really poor performers today,Benn,sheron, francis,daly all terrible. This side is crying out for some width and creativity.

[Grayhoundend]

Just got back from the game, it was very uninspiring. Too much sideways and backwards passing, one shot on goal at home is dreadful.
I normally try to be positive but I'm struggling today, I could say a clean sheet but that was very fortunate, brackley must be disappointed not to have come away with a win.

Hopefully just a blip, wasn't good though.

"...just a blip...." Four points from the last five games is relegation form.

Draws are 2 points dropped which is not much better than a loss. Today was against a part-time club.
Grayson has done a great job with the defence but it's goals at the other end that create 3 point wins.
To concede a mere 3 goals after nine matches and not even be in a play-off spot says it all.

I totally agree, and hope we aren't slipping back into last season's habits of drawing too many games.

Thing is Bobby, 5 draws in 9 is worse than last season, That may seem harsh on SG but football is a results game.

[Flying Hogans]

It's becoming increasingly apparent that this version of Pools is a good defence looking for a half-decent midfield and attack.

Really poor game. Pools were outplayed by Brackley in both halves. Their movement and passing was streets ahead of ours. At least we made one decent chance in the first 45. The second half was just garbage. Grayson chucked 5 substitutes on and none of them affected the game positively.

Pools look to be going backwards as they lose confidence in their ability to score. McNally going off injured at the end just put the tin hat on the display.

I really hope that Pools still have the headroom to bring a couple of decent loan signings in, otherwise it's going to be a long old season. Oliver might turn out to be a useful addition when he's fully match fit. Reid badly needs someone alongside him who is good in the air and can hold the ball up.He's no use at that stuff himself.

Meantime, here's a couple of ideas for Grayson -

Get Benn off taking free kicks and corners. Doesn't matter what he does in training, his delivery is always hopeless in actual games.

And FFS leave somebody up the field when the opposition have corners! What use is Francis in our own box? He can at least occupy a couple of their players if he's 20 yards up the pitch!

[frankie1951]

What a load of rubbish, sick of all these so called smaller clubs having better players than us. Players who can actually control a ball, pass a ball to a team mate and run with the ball. Brackley must be pissed that they didnt win that game today, by far the better team.

[Smokin Joe]

Can't blame the forwards, the midfield contribution was absolutely negligible today. Too many players didn't even look up for the game from the off, playing lazy, safe, easy sideways or backward passes. Creativity at zero level. Feathers would have thrived in this game but then they went route one which was even more ineffective.The side is crying out for a winger in the Cleary mode which is seemingly outside of Singh's ' equivalent to last season's' budget. Grayson can pass today's shoddy effort off as a 'bad day at the office' only once. What's left of the formerly strong fanbase will walk if today's shitfest is repeated.

[PTID]

Absolutely nothing creative between midfield and forwards. Reid is absolutely abysmal as a target man, lay offs and flick ons are no use if there's nobody on the end of them and he just doesn't hold the ball up. Sheron was brilliant at passing the ball back to the keeper or aimlessly lumping it forward all day, his worst game for us ever. How Miley has been dropped from the starting 11 is a mystery. Charman anonymous, why not just play Francis as a winger?
Defence sound for the most part, but we have to introduce a way of getting service to the strikers, at the moment we'd make Haaland look as bad as Sperevik was.

[kevin pooles gloves]

What was crowd and do the new lads look to have potential to create this Promotion Objective.

[Flying Hogans]

What was crowd and do the new lads look to have potential to create this Promotion Objective.

3,400 and something including 30-odd from Brackley. As said, none of the subs had any impact. Too early to judge Oliver or Ferguson because everyone else has played 9 games this season and they were getting their first minutes in a competitive game.

[Snowy]

Let somebody take over who will put proper investment into the club rather than constantly stifling it and embarrassing it…

The good start quietened things down off the pitch, but, if this continues, it’ll float to the surface again.

[kevin pooles gloves]

Just looked at the league table.
We need to win next 3 just to stay in the mix.
Carlisle n York after that who are bang on form.

From my philosophy.
We needed that summer takeover to of happened.

Do I get a or for having the audacity to mention that.

[accrington fan]

What a load of rubbish, sick of all these so called smaller clubs having better players than us. Players who can actually control a ball, pass a ball to a team mate and run with the ball. Brackley must be pissed that they didnt win that game today, by far the better team.

they have actually scored less goals than us. looking at the whole 100 minutes it was like train spotting on christmas day. we has no width and looked as if we had played a game on friday night. somehow you get a performance lik that for no obvious reason. i certainly pick my games to attend and was glad when the whole thing was over. the only positive is we cannot be as inaffective as that going to aldwrshot next saturday. when the highlights do come up it should be blink and you miss them. even the gulls were in short supply as it would have been something else to watch to break the sheer monotony of that.

[Bluestreak]

What a terrible game. I have had more pleasure eating a stale kipper.

[accrington fan]

What a terrible game. I have had more pleasure eating a stale kipper.

yes. possibly the most boring game i hav seen that pools did not lose. when they have lost you could think well the opponents were good. doubt anybody could get excited about them either being as bland as a modern day politician.

[Bluestreak]

I was not impressed when Brad Walker bottled out of a tackle then attempted a worldy pass which did not go to anyone.
Is he match fit or frightened of an injury?

[Bluestreak]

Anyone know the matchday lottery number..............cant find it anywhere?

[Grayhoundend]

What was crowd and do the new lads look to have potential to create this Promotion Objective.

You are funny Kevin.

[Grayhoundend]

Just looked at the league table.
We need to win next 3 just to stay in the mix.
Carlisle n York after that who are bang on form.

From my philosophy.
We needed that summer takeover to of happened.

Do I get a or for having the audacity to mention that.

Kevin i,ve said for the last 3 games they were MUST win games, Some did not realise IF you have serious intentions thats the name of the game. Its a results business NO matter what the level.

[Bluestreak]

Anyone know the matchday lottery number..............cant find it anywhere?

I have tried looking everywhere but i cant find the winning number. I invested £1 and i am really pissed off with the club that this is not posted somewhere.
Was it 0394?

[Stocksfield_Poolie]

785

https://www.hartlepoolunited.co.uk/matc ... y-results/

They have the wrong date down though!!!!

[Bluestreak]

785

https://www.hartlepoolunited.co.uk/matc ... y-results/

They have the wrong date down though!!!!

Cheers.

The date about sums the club up at the moment.

[kevin pooles gloves]

Just looked at the league table.
We need to win next 3 just to stay in the mix.
Carlisle n York after that who are bang on form.

From my philosophy.
We needed that summer takeover to of happened.

Do I get a or for having the audacity to mention that.

Kevin i,ve said for the last 3 games they were MUST win games, Some did not realise IF you have serious intentions thats the name of the game. Its a results business NO matter what the level.

Serious intention promotion clubs put their squad together during the summer.

We get the usual shite.
No transfer window.
Still quality free agents available.
Have to wait for the EFL window to shut.

Excellent loanies still available etc

January Loanies

We already in the last chance saloon.
Win next 3 or it's all over.
But I 100% expect PTID to say there's enough games left to turn it around with false hope.

Them opinions a admire but they don't get Yoy Promotion.

[PTID]

Of course there's enough games to turn things around, you'd have to be an absolute moron to deny that. Can we turn it around, I don't think so unless we get Francis playing as a winger or bring in a winger or creative midfielder - goals win games and our goals for are a reflection of the opportunities we've created, not of the strikers themselves imo. We've got 3 attackers in Francis, Johnson, and Reid who all have decent scoring records but were creating zero chances for them. 1 shot on target against Brackley is a joke.

[Smokin Joe]

Really poor, like pools of old, boring to watch and they have had the better chances. We have defended well, but a better clinical team would have beat us 2-0

Agree worst game of the season . Total shambles . Grayson needs to spend more time on the training pitch. Better teams would have put us to the sword . Team looks like it’s lost its soul

With the benefit of hindsight it appeared that not just a handful of players underperformed on Saturday but virtually all of them, including the subs. It was almost as if something had happened behind the scenes - or perhaps Grayson and the coaches simply hadn't done their homework on the opposition?

[kevin pooles gloves]

Of course there's enough games to turn things around, you'd have to be an absolute moron to deny that. Can we turn it around, I don't think so unless we get Francis playing as a winger or bring in a winger or creative midfielder - goals win games and our goals for are a reflection of the opportunities we've created, not of the strikers themselves imo. We've got 3 attackers in Francis, Johnson, and Reid who all have decent scoring records but were creating zero chances for them. 1 shot on target against Brackley is a joke.

So by putting a player in a different position or bring anutha player in can turn it around.

I truly admire your strategy of hope.

A combination of easy start n beginners luck let off a bit of false hope. Which I was also guilty of.

Like Grey keeps saying it's a results business.
End of.
Different opinions and false hope don't win games.


Freedom of Speech.
Reform will get it back unless the Labour Party can overthrow Starmer which is the word on the political grapevine for next May.

[accrington fan]

Really poor, like pools of old, boring to watch and they have had the better chances. We have defended well, but a better clinical team would have beat us 2-0

Agree worst game of the season . Total shambles . Grayson needs to spend more time on the training pitch. Better teams would have put us to the sword . Team looks like it’s lost its soul

With the benefit of hindsight it appeared that not just a handful of players underperformed on Saturday but virtually all of them, including the subs. It was almost as if something had happened behind the scenes - or perhaps Grayson and the coaches simply hadn't done their homework on the opposition?

must be a number of reasons for that display but we,ll never know why it happened. could be that grayson really did his homewotk on them and the players just did not fancy yet another scrap. think as players at any level we have been guility of feeling like that thinking christ not that lot again.

[derwent]

I hope it is just what SG suggested, a bad day at the office, and nothing more sinister.

[PTID]

I'd say a player in the mould of Cleary or Dan Kemp would definitely help turn draws into wins. I thought Francis was a winger when we signed him but he's not playing on the wing?
I don't believe we're a million miles off being capable of making the play offs, finding a way to supply the forwards with chances could be done without wholesale change being necessary imo. Surely we must be bringing more in this week?

[Grayhoundend]

Of course there's enough games to turn things around, you'd have to be an absolute moron to deny that. Can we turn it around, I don't think so unless we get Francis playing as a winger or bring in a winger or creative midfielder - goals win games and our goals for are a reflection of the opportunities we've created, not of the strikers themselves imo. We've got 3 attackers in Francis, Johnson, and Reid who all have decent scoring records but were creating zero chances for them. 1 shot on target against Brackley is a joke.

"We've got 3 attackers in Francis, Johnson, and Reid who all have decent scoring records but were creating zero chances for them"
They were enough chances against FGR for 2 of the forwards to score, Infact we had enough chances in the 1st half to wrap the game up, But the forwards missed them.

You,d have to a moron to believe dropped points can be regained.

You would have to be a moron to believe, Rochdale, FGR, Southend, Carlisle, York, even Boreham Wood and Scunny are all going to slip up.

You would have to be a moron to believe this side is good enough, The Money has dried up.
If by some miracle we are near the PLoffs come christmas, The owner may splash the cash, If not he will not.

Bottom line the squad needs quality, And leadership more than ever.

[PTID]

Who said anything about regaining dropped points or other teams slipping up?
The accusations was that I'd say there were enough games for us to be competing near the top by the end of the season, and the answer is clearly yes. Will we do it is a totally different question.
Do you seriously believe we're creating enough chances and the forwards are missing loads of opportunities because if so I must be watching a different Pools. 1 shot against Brackley, first shot on target in the Boston (I think?) match was on 70 odd minutes.

[kevin pooles gloves]

Opinions are opinions.
Results are fact.

We an unambitious shit run club.

[accrington fan]

we talk about bringing more players in. how many do we need unless we can shift others out first. compare the numbers of our squad to the opposition and we always seem to have more than them.

[Smokin Joe]

we talk about bringing more players in. how many do we need unless we can shift others out first. compare the numbers of our squad to the opposition and we always seem to have more than them.

You don't need a huge squad to succeed in this league as replacements can be recruited at any time throughout the season. However, you do need 5 or 6 decent players who can actually make the difference between a realistic challenge for promotion or mid table mediocrity. Average players who have regularly featured in the EFL do not automatically become game changers in this league - Monks must surely be aware of this by now even if Grayson lacks NL experience.

To be honest I am beginning to fear that between them Grayson and Monks have repeated the mistakes of previous seasons and - with one or two exceptions - have recruited poorly.

Hopefully I will be proven wrong - but after 5 games without a win, very few chances being created and even fewer goals being scored the signs are not good at present. Saturday's debacle will be one that the fans will want to forget - but one that the players need to remember and ensure that was the low point of the season.

[accrington fan]

you can say that grayson has done half a good job. thats in defence where the results have shown it. apart from francis the rest are a bit wanting including reid who is more od a flair type player who is no manny d even the post christmas one. just lets wait to see what the two new lads are all about but i,m not expecting them to be world beaters.