do any of you think it will be happening now?

Maybe in January?

Just as crucial is centre midfield.

no, i think with the defenders we have at our disposal we should be fine, if Turner is going to be looking to improve one position, it should be a leader in Central Midfield

Silliest question of the season so far. Which as it only 8 days old takes some doing.What do you base the question on. One performance, when the current LB has probably not put a foot wrong in the previous games.(Did you see any of them). Or is it lets pick a position and simply have a go at whoever is playing in it.

I should have just moved on and ignored it. As I said silliest post of the season so far and will probably still be it when the season finished.

Just realised use name Poolie95 it probably means your 14. At least I wasn't abusive.

Even for 14 it's pretty stupid.

Spot on Bob.

I dont suppose the critics have taken into consideration the fact that Hartley is young, will have been nervous on his home debut, and will have been trying too hard. Oh and was probably jaded from wednesday, like all of the looked.

Oh, and I forgot to add one very small minor detail:

Charlton were bloody good.

I don't think it was a silly question. Of all the positions that should or could've been strengthened in the summer, left back should've have been third on the priorty list behind a goal keeper & a right back. For the simple fact, we should not have players playing out of position as they have done for the past two seasons, because it has really hurt us!

Granted, I had not seen the two previous performances, and Charlton did have a very good right winger, but the sooner we are able to play Hartley at Centre half the better. Defensive confidence on yesterday's performance still looks very very fragile. If Hartley plays in his proper position, he certainly looks as if he will be a good signing.

i was not having a go at anybody but turner named the left back position as one of his main priorities and signing a centre back is not going to solve that.

personally, i would put Hartley as 4th choice centre back at the moment behind Collins, Clark and Liddle. He can and has played left back several times before and has impressed there. He will play well in 75% of games in that position (which is 60% better than last season).

I think yesterdays performance highlighted where our main weakness lies...

As Bob said what a stupid post. Hartley played well at Mk and as fantastic at Coventry. He was a bit off the pace yesterday but i would rahter play him left back then centre back! He played there at York when Collins went off and at Gatshead and in my opinio he is a better left back than CB! I think he will be a good player for us! Why the go at Hartly??? Why not Mcsweeny???

I'm mates with Peter and I'm sure he was nervous as hell playing in front of his home crowd, watched by all of his friends and family and hoping he wouldn't put a foot wrong. He didn't play well yesterday, but he was up against a tricky winger, Monkhouse gave him barely any cover and, as ADG said, he was trying a bit too hard. He's not a left back, but I feel much more confident with him there than Humphreys.

i was never trying to have a go at Hartley! i was saying turner said he needs a left back and he has not signed one. Hartley is a center back and that is what he was signed as so we still need a left back.

but we dont need one as Hartley can quite competently play there. If Hartley got injured, then we may need one

I don't think the lad has posted something 'silly' to be honest.

Hartley is a centre back doing a job at left back, he is still a square peg in a round hole. Fair enough he's done a very good job in a couple of games and can clearly play left back but we still need an out and out left back in the squad. Sweeney did well at right back in some games last season it didn't mean he was the answer.

To be totally honest he did not look like a left back (although I admit to only having seen him play in yesterdays game). He looked like a centre half trying to play as a left back. If what Kolley Kibber says is true about him being nervous etc then maybe it is unfair to judge him on yesterdays game. Hopefully if he gets more comfortable playing there he will improve.

it obviously would be better to play a left back at left back. But from Turners point of view, if there isn't a decent enough left back to bring in, then wait until one becomes available. Hartley or even Austin would be able to do more than a decent job at it.

I wouldn't call them square pegs in round holes, more oval pegs in round holes

As Chip rightly said, central midfield is our main issue at present.

Check the close season signings , we did sign a left back................... Neil Austin, played more games at left Back for Barnsley than he did at right back. Perhaps that was Turner's idea all along and hence the signing of Haslam,for right back. As Austin was still getting over a slight injury he has played Hartley there because he had no other option open to him. Hence Austin coming on yesterday to give him some match practice, with maybe Turner thinking the game was beyond us. and not making a more attacking substitution when he had the chance. Just a thought.

Are you mates with all the players?

Austin was signed as a right back because he's right footed and is a right back! He can however fill in at left back.Turner was on Radio Boro talking to Ali Brownnose long after the signing of Austin stating that he was still on the lookout for a left back. We don't have a specialist left back in the squad and haven't since Hugh Robertson left the club and before that Mark Robinson.

I am guessing they are a similiar age so would have played football together when they were younger or went to school together maybe

But idiot wouldn't realise that would he?

Or the other way round

He was a striker and I was a left back in our younger days, though I never played against Peter at academy level. He's a school year younger than me.

How silly of me not to realise people who are guessed to be a similar age all went to school together

Dont you know anything

Why are you talking to yourself.

It was a terrible game for the kid to make his debut. That winger was superb, and Monkhouse was not at the races either. I felt for him. A hartlepool lad who will have been desperate to have a great game. I hope he keeps his place tomorrow, he deserves another chance.

Just for once you would hope the MH terrace would have looked after one of its own. Sadly some didnt. Lets just hope his confidence wasnt dented.

He is a better left back then centre back with what i ahve seen! He should play tomorrow as he has only had one bad game! At coventy especially he was superb!

no one ever said he did absolutley crap did there?

To be honest, I felt he REALLY struggled on saturday but hopefully it was the nerves to blame and he was up against a very decent player. I certainly didnt booern him or anything. He is new to competitive league football if he is used to playing in the reserves/youth teams so it may take time. At least we have Austin as a back up.

i thought he was average at best on saturday but have no doubts that he will develop into a very good player over time. He is already better than what we had last season and the defense overall will concede less goals. We just have to start scoring now!