In the programme caused comment among our group yesterday as we were having a pre match pint; "It's like a cup final for us. We are going to be playing in a great stadium against a good team. But there's no pressure on us"

Reverse psychology or the wrong attitude?

We weren't going to the Walkers yesterday as plucky underdogs in the third round of the cup, it was a league game against a team with only three points more than us. Leicester are in league one because they weren't good enough to be in the Championship.

In the two seasons we finished 6th in this league you had the feeling that we were going to 'have a go' wherever we went away from home and achieved some cracking results, now it's like the excuses are made before a ball's kicked. I'm not accusing the players of lack of effort yesterday because they competed well but did we really have the belief that we could something yesterday? If we'd being playing at say a Cheltenham yesterday and they'd created as little as Leicester and put in a similar performance as the Foxes we'd see a totally different reaction to the one we're having to yesterdays game as I don't think we were very good. It's like we even as fans expect to lose because we are playing at a big ground and somehow only losing one nil is acceptable.

I don't really see that Mr PJ.

I mean, maybe he was on about the opportunity of playing in front of 18,000 Leicester fans and 800 Poolies and acknowledging that that DOES put on the backfoot somewhat. We'll play in front of that size of crowd three times this season. Leeds, Leeds and Leicester, barring some luck in the FA Cup.

But I can't make deafeatist talk out of what you wrote although I haven't got the programme so I haven't read the full article.

I'm not really suggesting he's wrong in what he's saying because he isn't, it is a bigger game than a normal league game, but to say "it's like a cup final" is a bit over the top. It's a league game and we have a job to do. The players were clearly giving it 100% but did we have that real belief and confidence to take a chance to get a result? We should have got a point yesterday it was a bad loss.

Aye, well, point took, as long as the team didn't reflect the 'beat before we turn up' attitude.

From my limited viewpoint it seems we came out asleep and then had a right go, whereas when we come out and grab them by the throat we'll probably fare better.

I a simple lad, I think you should play you best team in the best formation. Yesterday wasn't it. I would love us to revert to the Turner theory of 4-4-2 at home and 5-3-2 away.

I agree with PJ Poolie here. I think there's a psychological problem with some of Pools' players at big grounds. That's why they play for Pools, and not Leeds or Leicester.
Nelson, Brown, Porter are major players at Pools but would not be at either of those aforementioned clubs. Maybe they need some type of psychologist to get them over their inferiority complex (including the manager quite clearly) -and oh yes they all have one of those. Otherwise they wouldn't lose every single solitary time we play league matches at Hillsborough, City Ground, Elland Road etc etc ad nauseum. We can seem to get a result at the Vic against anyone, but we have "little club in awe of playing in big stadium syndrome." If we ever got promoted again, we would get ZERO away wins with this attitude.

That, Mr Parmo is the wisest nutshell full of information that anyone has ever expounded in these humble portals.

I knew there had to be something saleable in that huge head.

I was disappointed when I read Wilsons comments because it harks right back to the sort of stupid, cap wringing, forelock tugging crap the clubs being trying to sake off its image for the past ten years. If the managers making comments like that, don't be surprised if it filters down to the players ..as for reverse psychology, I doubt he could spell it never mind formulate a way of implementing it.

Wilson must know his hands are tied firmly behind his back when it comes to spending on new players. It’s not Wilson who is making Pools a mid table team because he has no revenue to use to make the team better. The squad over the last two seasons has been reduced for what ever reason.

We now find ourselves looking at a scenario of a couple of first squad players being out injured during the season?
The squad has no depth to cover this problem and we will go into free fall. Mid-table team, we finished 15th last season. The warning signs are in place for all to see and yet we closed shop over the summer in the transfer market? As KH said – you cut your cloth to suit, what that means in football terms?

Please don’t use the size of the crowd as a point for not building the squad. The club has taking this stance and now they see the home crowd is down to the second worst in the division. Its not quantum physics

Wilsons can not be happy because he won’t get the chance of another job unless he makes Pools a winning team. The only way he can do that is by giving the chance to build one.

Danny Boy has been given just as much money as previous managers under IOR


Wilson helped to make us a lower/mid table side last season by constantly pissing about with the team, 4-5-1 at home against a woeful Millwall side ring any bells???

He has been given somewhere in the region of £120000 since taking over, not a massive amount, but not bad really.

It's up to DW to continually pick a balanced side,something which he struggles to do

I take them points on board, he has never been my first choice of manager. But the problem won’t go away and we will drop down the division if we get a couple of injuries to first team players. Point being - If Wilson is not the man for the job, why is he in charge? If KH won’t invest in the playing squad for what ever reason? We are looking at another season of what, low gates etc.
Am l missing something here or is this the way not to attract more supporters to the games

It's because we don't own the ground

IOR have pumped around about a million pound per yer into the club and want to take it a step further, but without the ground, they can't increase the revenue on a match day, but the local wankstick of a council won't budge

You talk the biggest amount of bollox ive ever read!!!!

Jog on..... rarf

And there lays the problem ... we are not here to watch Wilson get enough credibilty points to move onto something 'bigger and better' while Hartlepool United supply the cast and script.... that appears to bve the trouble, we're marking time till the next manager, preferably one who is not looking to the next horizon.

.....if you can't debate the point without giving a credible reason and not resorting to comments like that, don't bother.

with us having a director of sport, does wilson or turner make the signings?

Some of the comments on here are spot on.

Referencing again the cooper years, he sort of used the small club mentality to an advantage, we went to big grounds, had no expectations of winning at all and just got at them, now it's like we're just lucky to be there, like we're a YTS whose been given his chance on the bench and doesn't really expect to get on.

We are at the same level as Leicester and Leeds, and that is for a reason, yes they can go out and spend 2million on a player or whatever, but there at our level for a reason, when you cross that white line on a Saturday afternoon your equal, at the moment though we're playing as if we're not.

Chips comments are spot on if you ask me. But then, I apparently talk bollox all the time too

As if he said jog on.

I bet he rented football factory last night and has been saying it all day to his mates thinking he is cooooooooooooool.

when Cheltenham go to Leeds and Leicester, somehow I don't envisage Martin Allen talking down his players chances full stop. He is a man who gives even the most limited footballers the greatest amount of belief in themselves.
That is the key here - Pools didn't and still don't believe they can go to Elland Road or Walkers Stadium and win.
Whether Cheltenham win there or not, they at least will go into those games with the BELIEF that they can win, and that is down to the manager.
I had them for certainties to go down, but I would back them to stay up now.

[quote="parmopooly"]
That is the key here - Pools didn't and still don't believe they can go to Elland Road or Walkers Stadium and win.
quote]

If we went to them stadiums in 2004/05 we would have done a damn sight better im certain

proof of my theory if ever I needed it. Cheltenham did the double over Leeds last season - it's psychological, full stop.

I'd already decided Leicester was the "last chance saloon" for Pools and my future attendance at such grounds (unless it's a first time visit in which case I'll go) but as for Hillsborough, City Ground, Elland Road, Walkers Bowl, Stadium of Shite etc, I've already watched Pools at each of those for the final time if it's a run of the mill league match, or early round cup match etc. It would have to be a major fixture, such as play off semi finals to get me back inside one of those aforementioned grounds to watch Pools.
I prefer to go to Orient and the likes in any case

one common demominator there - Neale Cooper!!! However we didn't actually "win" as such at Sheff Wed, it was a shoot out victory, which still means we haven't won at any of the big grounds during normal/extra time!!!!
We can't do it, and with a record as poor as ours, it means this football club needs a radical rethink on its attitude towrds such games. Many things have changed at Pools for the better, but this is one area where we might as well still be applying for re-election. Until I actually SEE an improvement, then I shan't waste any more money on "unlucky" defeats at Leeds, or such as the last minute of extra time loss at Hillsborough last season.

Why do some people on here get apologies and others not?
Is it this sort of practise that leads to charges of Bunker elitism?

Well, not apology but slight grovelling.
You have never once grovelled or apologised to me and neither has Cornelius

Matty is not a plonker. I like him. He only wanted a friend to go to Leeds with

I certainly have done. Several times.
I don't get appreciated round here

Never watched it in all my life. Im not a wannabe hooligan am i. fool

apologies MRC, it seemed that comment spiralled for about 3 months after that film, when people said it trying to look 'ard, but failed, and just looked like idiots.

Good too see you didn't look like an idiot by saying it.

Not in the slightest! You are one.......

Cheryl Cole is a quality looking woman and Camilla Parker Bowles she is a hagg. no comparrison at all mate, where is the connection? Doyle.

There we go. No actual answer to what I said, but nit picking a double hit on R with camparison. What a fooking tool you are.
Little scroat

Oh-oh, shoe shopping, chocolate, tears and wine in front of the telly alert......

PJ is spot on .There is an inferiority complex at pools , not just players the majority of supporters as well. The headlines in the mail after leeds "Wilson praises lads" " Gallant United" Good grief we were playing a team in our own division( didnt stop Hereford going there in the cup and winning or Donny doing them at Wembley. We need to develop an attitude and arrogance as a club and a town, not just be content to be invited to the party and spend all night in the kitchen drinking cheap beer. We should be upstairs sh*gging some bird.

And in case anyone doesnt know what I mean , its this , instead of going through the motions and been content with div1 mediocrity and grateful for having a league club we should be winning titles, going for a few seasons in the championship and going to Newcastle and beating them in the cup. Other clubs do it why not us. The leeds result was vintage pools, we make an art form out of snatching defeat from the jaws of victory.

Possibly the best post i've ever read on here.

P.S. I'm always upstairs sh*gging the birds at parties, come join me pools, free for all!

When he said 'shagging a bird'... he actually meant a bird... he's seeing a bisexual herring gull by the name of Sandy. Funny old world.