Was talking to Davy Ryan's wife today for those who do not know Davy he was pools through and through home and away every week never missed but now he does not bother at all goes and watches local rugby.
She said he just lost the passion for it felt the club was not like it used to be.

And while there's some truth in that it probably is as much personal as anything else I imagine. I think there just comes a time when you wonder if its worth all the money, time and emotion. Your expectations get raised and they are usually unfulfilled. I'm sure Davie was excited about the Cardiff season, but maybe its been a slow descent since then.

Unfortunately a lot of people feel like that these days.

I can't believe anybody would think that after 5 play-offs, 1 play-off final, 2 promotions, 2 Cup giant-killings and 2 successful survivals of relegation in the last decade.

Alright we've also had one relegation and two mediocre league campaigns, but how anyone can say that the club isn't what it used to be, absolutely mystifies me.

Maybe so, but you can't believe that the Eurovision song contest is a load of toss or that it isn't really the tooth fairy who leaves 10p under your pillow.

Before IOR in the bad old days there was a more fan/club relationship at least i always thought that.

That hasn't got anything to do with what this lady has said about 'Pools.

In my opinion, if you lose your passion for things, then great things won't be achieved with that type of attitude.

I think the Club know that and they've tried to rebuild that line of communication that they had in the past few years with the fans.

But I still think this Club has got one of the best groups of supporters in the Country, because I've seen that we can be passionate etc, and that must continue.

fuck him, who cares

Good bloke is Davey. I was thinking I hadn't seen him at the games for a while. It is an indication of the last few years, plenty of people, including members of this board were feeling disillusioned and not part of the club. Thankfully CT seems to be doing something to regain the fans trust.

I think that even the owners feel there is something missing and what we have seen and heard lately they are making inroads to getting back that club/fans feeling.

I never thought I would agree with POK but he is right when he says, " I can't believe anybody would think that after 5 play-offs, 1 play-off final, 2 promotions, 2 Cup giant-killings and 2 successful survivals of relegation in the last decade". After last season being the 100 years and all and how it ended I was on a downer for a while but now I can feel my passion rising again.

Bring on next season.

surely the new signings are instilling some passion
I mean... who cant get excited about flinders!!

Or his wife/bird according to Mr Chip.

Nice bloke is Dave he let me come home in his car after i had been twatted around the knee at Lincoln for no reason by a facist bully boy pig, the c@nt.

I wouldn't have said it if I thought it wasn't true, Mr Poolymad.

Looks like a few do Rocky.

I love going to pools, have never felt disillusioned about not going even in the bad old days, and there was plenty of them. I agree with POK, and if ur a true supporter you'll always go through thick and thin.
Its not about IOR its about Hartlepool United. I couldn't care less what IOR do as long as we still have a football team in the town.
So don't go blaming foooking IOR!!

well if he has decided to watch egg-chasers so what!
there are plenty of people who wont give up on pools because the commercial boss doesnt sup in the manor club etc.
the club has moved on it is not the amateur ran outfit it was under curry gibson barker etc.
he may have lost the passion but many more of us still have it

yes but seriously though, Bullwinkle, if the bloke has stopped going to Pools, then thats his loss/gain. The club isnt what it used to be and after watching 2 years of relative rubbish, i think we can all say that we have lost a varying amount of the desire to go/enjoyment. However surely the last 6 weeks have shown a massive improvement in things (all thanks to your arch nemesis, Mr Turner!) They are working their nuts off to try and get things right and there are still some who are trying their best to put obstacles in their way...

Some people won't be happy until the club is how it was in the 70's/80's and early 90's again, the shit unfashionable team from the north east with a shit ground where you could sneak in, players in the social clubs on weekends, chairman on first name terms with every single one of the 1 thousand fans watching, cloggers for footballers etc etc etc

It's not just pools that has changed it is football in general it's just not that type of game anyway, clubs are owned by companies and ran as a business.

As for what POK has said i have to agree with this, god that hurt, if someone loses the passion after 2 years of not much happening then maybe they weren't that much of a fan anyway.

Im pleased to say ive watched pools since around 1966 watching the likes of workington and newport in our league at the pits of going out into the mickey mouse leagues thank god we didnt but tried to in them days and wonder how we survived but still have the passion to this very day because of where we are

Who said 2 years not me he has not been for 5 or 6 now and i find it very funny that you and POK never go to games anyway.. and the next time we play footie i'll kick you if i can catch you.

8 - 1 win over grimsby was a pretty passion inspiring match

so you felt the need to comment saying he doesnt go any more 5 or 6 year later, he has actually in fact missed our most successful period.....the play off final season! bet he went to the playoff final though didnt he?


Part time fan.....

I don't go to pools through circumstance not choice

No idea if he did or did not but he has payed his dues for over 30 years not the last 10.

Over the last few years there seems to be more people with the passion for the club (even at these prices and detachment from the "normal" supporter). I myself have been watching pools for 30 or more years than and I'd far rather have the pools we have now than the one I watched in my yoof..

to be bemoan the losing of an old friend is fair enough but look how many we have these days.. and long may it continue

I did go to Cardiff with the rest of Medway branch. We drove to Newport and then got the train to Cardiff from there.

And I've gone to games traditionally in the past that I've been able to get to to near here.

That will be different this season though with the amount of Southern clubs in the division.

Hear, hear.

1998/1999 when we survived relegation from the League after beating Scarborough at home in one of the last matches of the season - the year they went down after Carlisle's last gasp goal from goalkeeper Jimmy Glass kept them up, which was when Turner first became manager.

2008/2009 in his second reign after getting beat away at Bristol Rovers on the last day of the season in League One.

ahem MadJohn, you forgot to blame Man Utd

i have to say i dont enjoy going to Pools as much as i did between say 1999-2005, that was just the most wonderful rollercoaster type ride i have ever been on, some of the football and the feel good factor was unbelievable. We used to go into games expecting to win 4-0, and more often than not it happened.

at the minute we are experiencing a dip, but you cant go down and down forever...

Exactly, the relationship in the 'olde days' was like the relationship between a shipwrecked sailor and a raft, hanging on, but not a lot to look forward to.
I think the trouble has been since the departure of Cooper, we replaced him with a footballing theorist who appeared to think the fans were a irrelevance, he failed and we replaced him with another in exactly the same mould. When you have managers who appear to endure the fans and have no rapport with them whatsoever, you do start to question your worth. I think Turner, or any manager with a talent for getting the fans behind him and including them in things was a necessity.

Every club has a golden period, i think ours was between 1999 - 2005, the football was unreal during that time and like mister b said you just expected to win and win with style.

Back then mind we didnt have leeds, southampton, leicester, norwich etc etc in our league.

Yes and teams didn't get relegated from the champoinship then either... FFS leeds, southampton, leicester, norwich where in OUR division cos they wher crap and got relegated ... THere will always be bigger clubs (support wise) in our division but it doesn't necessarliy say they're better!
BTW you forgot to add Bristol City, Notts Forest, Sheffield Wednesday and QPR to that list of big clubs... see the division is not as hard as you think it is ...

concurring.
Look at our home form that seaon we got to the playoff final and it was as good as Leicesters & Peterboroughs last season. Thats the key, we need to get the Vic back to the 'fortress' it once was. That means the fans have to back the team, even when things aren't going well

Back then we didn't give a shite who we played, fans, players, staff etc etc, everyone thought big club, my arse!

And we rolled them over, sheff wed at home 3 nil, we had no fear, we played 2 amazing seasons with a mentality that said we don't give a fuck who you are or where you've been, we'll beat you!

Now the players get scared when we play a big club and show them too much respect.

Thats why having these bigger clubs in our division makes such a difference now

Christ. Im not questioning we stayed up twice rather your use of the word "successful" to try and make the fact when were utter utter shite that it was still a success?

it just prooves the case that PoK doesn't think before engaging his fingers .. maybe he should've said consolidation in league one..even if it was by the skin of our teeth

(edited so it made sense)

Maybe he thinks before each season starts we nominate that we want a relegation fight? God knows what a mid table finish is to him.

We got hammered by QPR, and Plymouth at home, and still made the playy offs. So your wrong.

Just because there are 3-4 "Big" Teams doesnt mean we wont compete and be successful.

Pierre is spot on.

And just because YOU think i'm worng doesn't mean i am

I can understand why people have lost passion POK, having seen some of the s***e performances put on in a Pools shirt over the last two seasons, I often walked out of some away grounds thinking , what the F*** I'm I doing spending good money following this parcel. Look at the home attendances over the last couple seasons, they have fallen, and that has to be blamed on the performances on the pitch. (yes the current economic climate may be a factor but I will say it mainly on the performances)

People lose passion for many things in 1989 I got married I had passion for the wife then in 1992 I got divorced, I lost my passion for her , great things aren't achieved from passion, because passion is a heart felt reaction,its an emotion or strong feeling, name anyone who achieved great things from passion.

Beethoven probably had passion for music but he had the intelligence to write it, passion may have made him put feeling into it but it wouldn't have wrote it.

I have a passion for Pools, can i become manager with that passion????

Of course not.

Fetish, I believe that passion helps and that it can only be a good thing.

Otherwise some people turn into some of those aforementioned fans in the Mill House who seem to do nothing but moan even at good moments.

This passion thing is just another newspaper cliche, like 'link-up-play' i.e. passing the ball. What you actually mean is enthusiasm. It's just another in the line of superlatives as embraced by our transatlantic cousins. First they had stars, then they had superstars, now they have megastars. Nanostars anyone??

Aye me too, I enjoyed it much, much more when the ground was crap, the pitch was shite and the best we could sign was Russell Doig & John Trewick

Mind you back then, a lot of the boys could say 'clique, clique, clickty click

Just no pleasing Hartlepool folk....

'Dockfest, fecking shite'
'Trains direct to London for less then GNER?, fecking shite'

And so on and so forth

Mouldy old dough - I remember that lovely club/fan interaction we used to have with Gibson and Vince - not!

Mouldy old dough - I remember that lovely club/fan interaction we used to have with Gibson and Vince - not!

Maybe it's cos his two lads play rugby for Old Boys?