Lets assume that Danny Wilson knows at least something about football and that Butterworth has a rough idea too. Wilson has managed at the top level and has taken teams up. I know he's not the most demonstrative manager but that doesn't mean he's clueless.

They must see that the defence is Keystone Cops standard and we have to further assume that they don't much care for us conceding two or three daft goals every game. We need at lease three good signings to make this team challenge further up the table, most of them in defence. Wilson/Butterworth have to know this.

Accepting all that I ask myself why we don't see any loanees coming in and I'm confident that we won't do much signing in January. We certainly didn't last summer when the comedy defending act was well known. It has to be down to cash.

Lets then say that Wilson has no money to spend and no budget to increase the wage bill. We don't know the deal on Kyle so leave that chestnut aside.

That leaves him with enough players to fill the shirts and subs bench. He's even started to break his duck with including the young 'uns so that for me confirms that cash is a big issue. This square pegs in round holes says to me that he's not allowed any new pegs so he has to hammer what he's got into the square holes hence the Sweeney at RB / Clark in midfield selections et al.

In short I suspect that the problem is further up the food chain than Danny Wilson.

Can't disagree with that Mr I and things are only getting worse with falling attendances. So the question is, with no major influx of new blood, - how do we organise the defence? I thought Nelson was poor yesterday (from the highlights on ITV) - every Fleetwood shot on goal seemed to come from Nelson giving his striker too much room and letting him get a shot away. Is it time for Nelson to have a spell on the bench? Is Butz due a recall? Should some of the youngsters be given a first team start?

there isn't one of these so-called favourites that Wilson hasn't dropped at any point, so your point, like always, is shite

I would definitely be looking to bring in a couple of the young players and giving the likes of Nelson and Humphreys, who for me have been the main problems in defence, a spell in the reserves, particularly Nelson. Goalies............ Budtz/Alb which is the less poor? Neither can lace Jim Provett's boots.

i think a GK and a left back should be priority. With a CB if Wilson cannot sort out the 3 we already have.

I can't believe Rotherham have signed the ex-loid GK on a months loan......we should be looking at signing him for the rest of the season.

Mr B, my point is that I suspect that there are lots of players Wilson would like to sign but he has neither the funds nor the flexibility on the wages budget to sign anyone. On Kyle, we know how stubborn KH can be and I bet Kyle has been signed with Coventry footing most of the wage budget with a view to putting him in the shop window for January.

Come to think of it, with JB injured for the season doesn't that mean that his wages are covered by insurance? If so we can expect to see one player coming in.

not sure, but i seriously believe we may only see one signing in January (in an addition to the permanent replacement for Barker)

it's going to be a long hard season.

I Forget about Barker. Barker / Kyle - maybe on the wages its one out one in. It certainly reinforces the theory that there is a very strict wage budget.

But who do we sign?

Someone from league 2 with a proven record AT THAT LEVEL
Someone from the Championship who struggles at that level, but may do well at this but hasn't played here a great deal
someone from the championship/prem who has been a sub every now and then but has in general failed when tried but is 'great in the resevres'

Barrett and Budtz are the worst two keepers Pools have had since the days of being bottom of division four - even then the keepers were better than these two.
How the f-ucking hell has this been allowed to happen at our club in this day and age, when we've got more resources than we've ever had? I am not happy about this situation at all, and I'm getting more frustrated by the week.
Yet this will have been the case for two whole years by the end of the season.
People can see how bad they are and are refusing to be short changed for their admission money( i.e. staying at home) - and unless something changes it will only get worse.
An attack on our goal = goal conceded it seems, I bet we have the worst percentage of chances to goals conceded by any team, anywhere. Two goals against at Fleetwood, and in all honesty if they had a couple more attacks they would have scored more.

On the plus side I hope yesterday makes Wilson realise that Sweeney has to be played in midfield, not at full back. He showed why with his marauding runs forward all game, and we look much more like it when we attack with Sweeney getting forward.

I'm almost positive ALB was signed as 'one for the future', but due to the sheer lack of incompetence by Budtz, ALB has been thrown in at the deep end.

signing Budtz was the mistake, nothing we can do about it unless we can get rid of him, which we have tried. looks like we will have to wait til the end of the season.

And with regards to the people 'staying away' then they want a fooking slap unless their reasons are financial. We have served up some fantastic games, some quality come backs etc and as far as i'm concerned the Home football, overall, has been well worth the admission fee this season.

but - it's their choice, personally I wouldn't ever do that, but it's been the case since football began that folks who are not hardcore supporters are the fans who come when the team is winning and stay away when the team isn't doing so well.
This will always be the case, for every club.

i didnt say i would slap anyone, i said they deserve a slap. There is a key difference there porky.

And if i attempted to put my hand anywhere near your face you would probably attempt to eat it....

cannibal

Yes but it doesn't matter where he stands or sits in the ground he'll be next to you anyway

no but i know of you. You have a rep!

I stopped going cos of financial reasons.

I wasn't a student anymore so couldnt afford full wack.

Uncle is down this week so am tempted to go this saturday, it's simply justifying the 20 quid out of the remaining money i have left, is it really worth it? can i spend it on summit better?

If it's just a daft tenner or 8 quid you dont mind, but the 20, plus drinks, plus a pie etc, it all adds up.

thats without the worry of sorting out the youngun getting watched.

Is it really worth it for 2 hours on a Saturday afternoon?

3 years ago i wouldnt have even asked myself them questions, i'd have been there.

I couldn't afford it a few years back, so I got a part time job. Couldn't miss a home game like. Its unthinkable.

i used to be like that lightning tree, the thought of missing pools was unimaginable, but things change and as much as i'd love to go again every week now, it just aint gunna happen.

Bollox... people are staying away because it aint entertaining, the way you talk you'd think we were top of the league ... all this fightback bollox begs the question how did we end up behind in the first place ... the publicity machine has been making a virtue out of incompetence and it appears some people have been swallowing it.
It's Pools job to attract the crowds, the alarming drop in numbers indicate that they aren't. When I last checked, Pools were not a religion, it's football, there is no compulsion to go and saying someone desrves a slap for not turning up is ludicrous.

Why stop at Hartlepool, the entire poulation of the world don't go either...in fact why stop at 'deserving to be slapped'..i f you aint gonna actually slap anyone you could threaten to 'launch a nuclear holocaust' at those who've stopped going, after all it's only a saying.

But it's just a threat that's never gonna be carried out, even so, the thought of the lads from the b2001 firm coming round to sort out some pensioner who's missed a couple of matches.... is ..... fookin comical.

KNOCK ON DOOR...
Pensioner...Who is it?

Mr B... We need to have a chat Grandad.

Pensioner...What is it?

Mr B ...OK you slag, you aint been going to Pools lately, so me and the lads have come round to tell you deserve a slap.

Pensioner...please ... don't slap me ...please?

Mr B... Well, er, no,.... we just wanna say you desrve one, that's all. we aint gonna actually do it, it's just a saying like ...y'know worra mean like?

Pensioner...welcome to the board yer fairies.