Last night was woeful, to the extent that some of the players didn't look interested and the rest weren't helped by the manager.

Ratings?

Budtz- 5- some good saves but still gives the ball away and kicks it into touch too much and still doesn't give me confidence
Gibb- 5- not the worst by a long shot, but not good enough
Humphreys- 6- one of our better players on the night cos he tried
Clark- 7- Man of the match for me. With a seven.
Nelson- 4- Playing like he doesn't wanna be injured before a transfer in January
Brown- 6- like Humphreys, he tries, and looked like he might be able to create something
Monkhouse- 3- stood and watched their guy cross for the first goal and never broke into a sweat all night the lazy disinterested get.
Liddle- 5- we lost the midfield
Sweeney- 6- as above but he tried a bit harder to do something about it
Barker- 4- he tries but it isn't good enough yet still stayed on the whole game. Must have photos of the manager
Porter- 5- We're not playing to his strengths which is a shame, I hope he had a knock to explain Wilson's substitution
Subs? Made no impact. Foley looked like he could have had he been given a bit longer though.

Now I don't have seriously high expectations, but I do expect better than last night. We were really bad and not at the races at all. The most infuriating thing is knowing that they can do better and wondering why they're not looking bothered.

I'd still settle for a mid table finish with anything else being a bonus, but I feel cheated when I go and spend good money to watch a (non) performance like last night.

That was the worst I'd seen us play since Yeovil, two seasons ago. Nelson was dreadful and he capped it off with a gift for Beckett. IMO he needs a spell on the bench. What has happened to Monky this season, he's a shadow of his former self. Clark, Humphreys and Brown were the best of a bad bunch. To me Brown is wasted wide, I'd love to see him doing his stuff in the danger areas. The link between midfield and attack just isn't there at the moment and we look so devoid of ideas in front of goal. We defo need a proper "striker". I'm sure that DW can turn things around though, we were in a worse position than this at this stage last season.

Anyhow, on the plus side, it was a new ground for me and a canny one at that.

That's all fine and dandy, but if it's true then I wish you'd told me before I spent about £50 trailing down there if you knew that it was on the cards and we were gonna be crap.

Last time I went to 'Uddersfield was an early season match under Scotty and we were absolutely dire that day.

Last night we were even worse.

It was that bad last night from where I was sat.

Last night could have been much more than 2-0.

We were even lucky to get nil.

I have to do a bit of a speech at the Rememberance service in Nottingham on Sunday and up until now I was going to rush over to Gainsborough straight after. But if the players can't be bothered I'm not sure why I shoud be.

We have some proper full backs.

Elliott. Yes a couple of poor games but its his natural position and he needs a run in the team to show himself.
Barron. Surely a better option at right back than a winger.
Antwi Fairly rapid on his pegs, gotta be worth a try.
McCunnie. Looked solid there early doors.

I know our players are paid professionals, But i wonder if Michaels funeral today was playing on the back of their minds last night?

Just a thought.. but still shouldnt perform as bad as they did

I won't be there Sunday, it's my nana's birthday so I'll be out for Sunday dinner with her.

I was previously disappointed to be missing it cos of it being moved from the Saturday, now I'm much less arsed.

ADG - Everyone will be over the moon with that, but remember Pools were third top not long ago. hopefully we will stay within 4 or 5 points of the play offs and then improve the squad in January and then push on......

And hands up those that think we will be 4 points outside the play offs come March if we continue to play like we did last night...

Last night wasn't the poorest performance of the season, it was the poorest away performance I've witnessed for a number of years. Am I correct in think we didn't have a shot of target?

The substitutions baffled me as well, our ONLY threat was our wingers yet he hooks Monkhouse, also why the fook does he keep playing Brown on the left and Monkhouse on the right? It's works for 5-10 minutes sometimes like it did last night when Sinclair got booked but Wilson persisted with for the rest of the match even when Foley came on for Brown.

What does Barker have to do to get subbed? He was totally ineffective last night, he was doing nothing the for team. He was giving the ball away not holding it up. Our crossing was woeful all night so he was hardly going to get on the end of something.

Where was McCunnie

If we play like that on Sunday we'll get beat, hopefully we won't play like that again for a long, long time. But Danny please start picking your best starting XI. I must admit after recent home performances and then last night I am a little concerned.

Yeah after four games Johnny, no one surely takes the table seriously at that stage??

Leeds and Forest were in the bottom four and Leyton Orient were top. Okay we've scored 3 in four but we've won two of those games. We've still got a plus goal difference as well.

If we resurrected Mr I's promotionometer we'll finish on about 67 points at the going rate, bit of a push on in the new year and we'll be there or thereabouts he said quoting from Football Cliche's 1982, page 47, Manager Speak.

BUT Mr PK- our performances are not as good as they were at the beginning of the season, the creativity from midfield / wings has dropped and the goals are drying up with it being hard to see where they are going to come from.

Like somebody else mentioned, hopefully we'll bag a hatful on Sunday and rebuild their confidence and set us up nicely for a good run of form.

We can but hope at the minute.

Maybe we are finally being found out!
When was the last time we really battered someone?
How many times this season have we really battered someone?
How many times this season have we really battered someone and come away with the points?
Brown IMO is not a winger, he is not a provider of crosses, he is a striker and if played up front will put the ball in the net.
Is Moore a winger, he sometimes is a provider of crosses and occasionally puts the ball in the net. Find his best position.
Barker is a target man, i.e. Bob Newton, Joe Allon, Keith Houchen etc... if we are not getting crosses into the box for the big man, he will not score!
Mcunnie is a right back - put him there and leave him there, he's done nowt wrong.
Try Clark and Antwi together, we are still conceding goals, worth a try.
We lack an attacking aggressive midfielder, bolland is aggressive but not attacking, sweeney is attacking but not aggressive, liddle is too defensive, get him back to what he did best last season!
Budz is fine, he'll be great when he masters the act of kicking straight!
Porter is fine, but he needs someone skillful to play with, brown could be the answer.Try them together!
Leave richie at left back, he's been our most consistent performer this season.
Monky is not a patch of what he was last season, maybe he has found his level, if he cant do the bizz get a left winger who can, on loan!
If Wilson cant find someone suitable for the right wing get someone in on loan!

Thats my rant over.

Who can you see scoring a hatful, from open play.

Brown, not from the left wing
Porter, not without the service from midfield
Foley, not in a ten minute cameo.
Barker, not without decent crosses (or a string of pens)
Moore, not from his performances so far

Also remember we will be playing on a crap surface
against a team who will be lifting their game.
(It will be their Cup Final, to dip into the cliche pool)

...and when they win there'll be back slaps all round and the world will seem a better place. We lost. It happens...football's like that. Roll on Sunday.

So clearly, we aren't supposed to be happy, lurking a few points off the play offs with a positive goal difference about a third of the way through the season?? I accept that you see lots of games and I see none. But I do see the bigger picture, and perhaps you're too close. There's always another side to the story.

I can't really get a grip on why we have to have all the goals scored by a couple of players, we scored shed loads last year and the top scorer got 10 or so. However the team got lots. Does it matter who scored them?? No not really as long as someone did. Or how. All this bollocks about penalties not being important goals is ridiculous. No, ludicrous, no, just what I said, bollocks. Yous till have to put them in and sometimes it's a bloody sight easier in open play.

Now does it matter this year if a midfielder nicks us a 1-0 against a team that just came down from the Championship?? Are scared to lose?? Of course we'll lose. Are Swindon, Walsall and Bristol Rovers doing better than us?? No not really. Who should we be doing better than? Do you think teams are going to let us play them off the park or are they better consummate players than last years opponents??

FFS paste a smile on and be happy at where we are and what we might achieve.

Even from here I know that Cadamarteri and Kamara battered us from the wings last night. O'Hara tormented Ritchie on Saturday. Carlisle did us off the wings, twice, Swindon once.

The reason that Wilson swaps Monky and Brown is so they can cut inside on their favoured foot.

And I have never played at a reasonable level.....

I agree Monkhouse and Brown are good, I just don't understand Wilson swapping them over after 25 minutes then not swapping them back again at some stage They both played on the 'wrong' side for the majority of the match, I understand that means they can both cut inside and shoot/pass with there favored foot but after while this can become a little predictable and easy to defend.

Joel blows hot and cold.

There I've said it. He is not the answer to the relentless quest for a twenty goal man, He's never even got anywhere near it so why people think he will now is beyond me. Even in his best season he got 15 and we've got people well on target for that. I know he's a favourite and he's a favourite of mine as well but he shouldn't be the fulcrum. History does not support the idea.

good points made.

Humphreys isn't good enough.End of story.

He can't pass a ball coherently, ffs he can't even beat the first man with a pass

We need a left-back.And sharpish.