Obviously disappointed with the result and the performance. Saturday was the perfect contrast to Peterborough - where we had a committed effort to press forward throughout the game and keep a passing game going throughout on a very hot day and despite not totally dominating proceedings and a maybe neverous tense finish to the game (would it not be Peterborough without it?), we held on for the three points. However in the depressing drizzle of smoky South London, we seemed to be a different side to the one that saw out an extra time win against Premiership West Brom and then the Peterborough result, no fluent passing, they apparantly wanted to try and not concede early and score themselves - they did that. Millwall were there for the taking, their aerial passing out to the flanks was awful without the amount of crosses that ended up out of play, if the Peterborough/WBA side + their commitment had showed up, we would have made their side look very much like a League Two side. Our passing and set pieces going forward weren't too good either.

It needn't be a case of having to have a go at them for this bad performance, they should know that as long as they put in as much effort and work as they did in those two games as well as a solid defence, then they should have no problems competing in this League whatsoever. We have the ability in the side to press for promotion, we've had that many times and if we have it now, we can go for promotion again.

It's still early doors yet. If there was anything I need to remind fellow Poolies it's that this is a marathon not a sprint, we were not doing that great in the early days of the 2007 promotion season, but then the unbeten run kicked in and the rest is history - we nearly could have won a title (I know, how many times have we said that about Pools).

It's keeping that positive philosophy in mind when I say that we shouldn't be doing like some Poolies were doing yesterday and chanting "welcome to the board Wilson" and "Wilson out" after ONE bad perfomance out of SIX games and it's still early on in the season.

How can we take that attitude towards a person who led this club just two weeks ago to what will be described (even if there are some people who aren't interested) to the club's most famous result probably in the modern era of the Club and second most historic in some 16 years.

Before this season and in my short life, I had never seen Pools top of the 3rd tier of English ootball or beat a [bPREMIERSHIP[/b] (and I can't stress that enough) Club.

Some people need to remember that the journey that we have made together since the Bad Old Days of re-election, relegation and possible bankruptcy !!!

there are plenty of fans who have fell out with Wilson (rightly or wrongly) because of last season. And they are simply waiting for a chance to start kicking off again (rightly or wrongly).

Wilson simply has to make sure the team improve on last season and try getting the crowds back through the door. If we carry on playing like we have started at home then i can see the crowd increasing again.

Looking at the first half dozen games, it seems we are in for an up & down season (always the way with Pools). I imagine we will finish somewhere between 10-14th which i would be satisfied with.

i think we have similar deficiencies as last season (GK, Full backs, striker, general strength in depth) although i think we will be stronger defensively overall.

hopefully a couple of clever loan signings by Wilson might, and i stress MIGHT, push us a touch higher, and give us aspirations of the playoffs.

we will have to wait and see!

Millwall fan here.

It was a very gutsy and passionate display from us yesterday. Being the traditionalists that we are, a 100% will-die-for-the-cause attitude is more preferable to the majority than the tippy-tappy stuff we have been playing recently. Our change in style on Saturday was not pleasing on the eye, but it was what was needed considering the extent of our injuries at the moment (Spiller, Kandol, Senda and Laird all first-teamers, and all sidelined currently).

The game itself was a very turgid affair, exemplified not least by the constant head tennis in midfield, and both sides' inability to pass the ball successfully out of their respective defences. We grabbed a goal very early on - something we're not used to doing - and looked visibly surprised. We often look a better side when given an impetus to drive us forward, be that an equalising or winning goal, and the prospect of grabbing another on Saturday seemed an alien prospect to us if our general aimlessness going forward was anything to go by - indeed, our only real attacking threat in the first half was the pace and skill of Lewis Grabban, who incidentally looks a very similar player to your very own James Brown.

As for Hartlepool, it's hard to say really. I was impressed with the movement of Brown, despite him not having the best of days in the finishing department. The way he hangs constantly at the shoulder of the last defender, and switches sides every so often, shows a footballing wisdom beyond his years. But it's fair to say that he was not very well supported by Porter, or indeed any of your attacking players, who all made the right moves, but looked on different wavelengths to each other. I'm struggling to give any credit to your defence though. Nelson, who was excellent at our place last year, looked lost, and was arguably at fault for both of our goals. Humphries also comes in for a lot of criticism as well I'm afraid - continually skinned by Grabban, and very lucky Alexander's general forward positional play is so poor, as there were several excellent crosses which went begging in the second half.

I predict lower-midtable for both our sides. Anywhere from 12th-14th, I feel. We both have a few decent players, but are let down by quite a few mediocre ones who should have been shown the door ages ago.

Good luck for the rest of the season.

Jockney.

Saturdays game was a poor showing by all recent standards, we were unbalanced, unorganised and seemed as though they didn't know what their jbs were on the pitch.

Our defensive frailties at fullback were as clear as ever yesterday as both were given a torrid time by the opposing wingers, the only reason the score was only 2 was because of Millwall's lack of a decent final ball, both goals came from crossfield balls into our left back area, when monkhouse plays on the left he is comfortable and works hard and as a consequence humphries gets a lot of protection, on saturday both fullbacks were not protected, monkhouse always seemed to drift infield and robson can't defend for toffee.

In midfield we lacked the drive to get forward and the imagination and creativity from the home games were non exsistent, we seemed to be unable to give the forwards a decent ball into feet and opted to play high balls into brown and porter which were mostly deallt with, with considerable ease by the Millwall defence.

Overall a poor game featuring two poor sides who lacked a cutting edge in the final third, this was our first POOR performance this season and hopefully wilson will not tinker as much again and we won't see a repeat of saturday.

Last season i was one of the wilson out brigade, his constant changes to the team and the lack of tactical awareness, we seemed unable to turn the game in our favour after going a goal down on most occasions (against weaker teams a lot of the time too), and the persistent selection of cockfingers and antwi.

This season i said i would back him, new season/new start and all that, with obvious lack of funds it seems he signed 3 decent players and looked to be building for the future, we have a good balance of youth and experience and the younger players will learn from the likes of barker and boland.

This season so far i have been happy with the home form as we've dominated games and created chances, kept the ball well and played it into feet in the final third. I have been to all 3 away games so far and have witnessed the inability to keep the ball for any reasonable amount of time to allow the pressure to be taken off the back 4, play long balls into both forwards when both would clearly love the ball into feet or balls through the channels to run onto, brown and porter are both quick skillful players who are at a loss challenging big burley centre halves in the air for scraps to play off. Away from home we seem to panic on the ball and want to get rid of it asap.

One last point is about our strength from the bench, (puts tin hat on)

Rowell : looked half decent when he came on against WBA and could do with a few more chances.

Mackay : always willing to put a good shift in and probably the only natural finisher we have at the club, flatters to decieve sometimes but chances are becoming few and far between.

Robson : an excellent impact sub who will run at defenders and cause problems, but has little effect when he starts games, should only ever be a sub.

Power : looks to be a bright prospect and a one for the future, is a good passer of the ball and not afraid to get stuck in, will need games to gain experience.

Barker : Still a good squad player, an ideal sub for the last half hour of games and good cover should brown / porter be injured, will give everything for the cause.

Foley : i think everyone on here knows my stance on foley, simply isn't good enough, in the league he has come on as a sub in all 6 league games and has probably had 6 touches, gets pushed off the ball far to easy, passes the ball back to the fullback as if wanting a ball to run onto down the line and then stands still, there must be players in the squad wondering what they have to do to get a game when watching foley getting in ahead of them. the kid probably gives it everything, but he's just not good enough.

Wilson needs to get the balance right, get a couple of fullbacks and a right winger. stop this long ball crap when its not going well after 20 minutes, give some of the youngsters a chance now and again.

Heres to a better season than last time around, Up the pools.

Did you get somebody to write that for you?

Which is half I was trying to say in the Brown and Porter thread.

Is it just me or are Millwall fans a lot more friendlier than their reputation suggests? From the match at the Vic on the train back home last season from the match I was expecting them to be kicking off...but they were the complete opposite.

Never judge a book by its cover.

I dunno about that.

Massive Mammaries Vol IV was exactly as it says on the tin....