There's plenty of people moaning about Chris Turner being defeatist, it's been listed as one of the reasons people aren't attending games. Is this better then?

---Northern Echo---

“We all know how tough the division is this year, certain teams could run away with it,’’ said Turner.

“We blitzed Millwall here 3-0 and they haven’t lost since and drew with Derby in the FA Cup. We can match them and compete with anyone.

“We need our squad fit and ready to beat the boys at the top and I think this division is getting like the Premier League.

“At the start of the season you knew who would be up there – Southampton would be without the minus ten points, and there’s the top few and as for the rest of the clubs we are as good as them when everyone is fit and available.

“To say we had 12 signings in at the start of the season like we did I’m quite pleased, I always want more, everyone does.

“If we can get 35-40 points in the second half of the season, that should ensure top ten and I would be delighted with that."

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That's exactly the type of shite people aren't happy with.

conccuring

He's getting it half right, but we need more positives...

I wanna hear him say i dont care if we playing Southend or Southampton, we will try to win the game.

We've been in this division before and beat the likes of Sheff Wed and Notts Forest, so we can compete.

FFS, some of you lot boil my piss. You selectively criticise parts of what Chris Turner says to back up your own pathetic rants. He doesn't say he'd be happy with 10th, he says he'd be delighted with a top ten finish, what the hell is the problem with that statement? We had less than 3000 fans in our last home game.

Come on then, somebody twist this comment....

"We can match them and compete with anyone."

It's not what he says after we lose to these teams though is it? He spends more time talking about other clubs.

I'd be happy with tenth!!

It appears he's damned if he does and he's damned if he doesn't.

"I think this division is getting like the Premier League."

What do the people who think he is being positive in those quotes make of that comment then?

I'd settle for 10th at the end of the season. Its a tight division and a poor run could see us fall into the relegation places. Obviously it would be better if we finished higher but I'm being realistic based on our performances this season.

It would be great if he left it that quote and maybe talked us up a bit, but he doesn't, what have Southampton for example got to do with the price of fish. If it was Wycombe who had been docked ten points and were now in the same position would he mention them?

So apparently what Turner should do is build up unrealistic expectations by saying that were going to win the league, 'premier league in 5 years' that type of crap. That would be really helpful.

Anyone who doesn't think that coming top half in league one for a tiny club with conference crowds is an achievement has got rocks in their head.

It has now reached the point that no matter what Turner does or says people aren't happy.

We lost our best player because he wouldn't sign. Our great young prospect is injured again. We had a team last year with an awful back four and joke goal-keeping. Turner addressed all of those. There is a hole in the midfield that he tried to plug in the summer - it should now be sorted.

We are heading to stay up for 3 seasons in a row. We are heading for the third highest finish in 101 years. We have a promising team that has been 50% rebuilt and can only get better.

I just don't get this outbreak of cynicism and negativity. As far as I can see the problems that have been obvious to all have been attended too - isn't that good management?

The sad, twisted negativity of some posters on here is so far detached from reality it's becoming madness. I just hope the people at the club know how utterly unrepresentative it is.

You make some very good points Mr Pde, however you've completely lost me where you say that we lost our best player cos he wouldn't sign?

Porter

I personally don't have any of that I'm just sick (like a lot people) of Turner bulling up this division and other clubs. He doesn't have to say we are going to do anything in terms of league position, we are all happy with our current league position but why couldn't it get better? Why couldn't we go on a run? It's what being a football fan is all about you never know what is around the corner. We're Pools we roll our sleeves up and have a go and see where it gets us, I couldn't give a fook what big name clubs we are playing against I want to hear our manager talking about us.

If you think about it perhaps he meant that Charlton, Southampton, Leeds and Norwich are traditionally top level clubs, playing in front of 20,000 crowds.

By having 4 former premier league teams the division is 'like' the premier league, perhaps.

That's what I understood it to mean. But hey, I must be delusional because I mostly think rebuilding a team and taking it to a top half finish in a division that we have rarely aspired to is some sort of achievement. Silly me.

Phew.

From the ambiguous comment I was fearing that he might have meant the dognoncingbaldycootcan'tdefendforshitnappyrippinghorsegobbling rarf that played centre half for us last season!

Besides, Porter's knees were gone.

i think the deluded fools are the people who think turner can increase the gate by saying we can win the league or we can make the playoffs.

They are only words after all.

The only way to bring the crowds back is to start winning regularly

They get big crowds, but they are in League One on merit as we are.

They have players who weren't good enough for the Championship that is why they ended up here.

With our current mentality you just can't see us ever turning over one of these clubs, if the state of play was dictated by tradition and size of club you might as well just print the final league tables in August and save the hastle.

in that case chip, we should be referred to as a lower half league 2 club then

Show me one example of anyone suggesting that he should be saying anything like that

I feel you are missing the point, it's what he does say not what he doesn't. He just needs to stop bulling up our rivals more than he does us.

and i don't deny that he should choose his words more carefully and concentrate more on Pools rather than the opposition, however ADG said

"will his comments attract the missing fans back?"

and

"Again though a lot just completely miss the point. On Monday the club were asking for ideas of how to improve the crowds, and on Wednesday we have CT being postive about the possibility of finishing 10th.....but admitting we cant compete with the top clubs.

Thats just an own goal scored as far as I can see, if trying to get the missing fans back is the aim"

My point is that i don't believe talking more positively will affect the crowds. winning matched more consistantly and playing a better style of football will

and i don't deny that he should choose his words more carefully and concentrate more on Pools rather than the opposition, however ADG said

"will his comments attract the missing fans back?"

and

"Again though a lot just completely miss the point. On Monday the club were asking for ideas of how to improve the crowds, and on Wednesday we have CT being postive about the possibility of finishing 10th.....but admitting we cant compete with the top clubs.

Thats just an own goal scored as far as I can see, if trying to get the missing fans back is the aim"

My point is that i don't believe talking more positively will affect the crowds. winning matches more consistantly and playing a better style of football will

Turner actually said before the Leeds game that we didn't fear them and that we were going to have a go.
He is bigging up the big four but so does everyone else.
Prior to the Huddersfield game we were saying that the next eighteen games were bloody difficult. How many people have declared their dread for our Jan and Feb fixtures. That is also a form of bigging up the so called better clubs of this division.
I criticise Turner for his tactics, or lack of them but is he really responsible for the bad weather?? Maybe he is.

Oh and while we're on. These big clubs still charge big prices cos they still think they're big. Everyone who pays these prices is condoning that policy. Think about it.

Here's me thinking they just want to watch the match.

Personally I like the sound of that, he's obviously taken note and acted.

As for the Charlton's, Norwich's and Leeds of this division; theres one statistic that seems to be important.

3000 x 23 x £20 = £1.38m
20000 x 23 x £20 = £9.2m

Knock off say 30% for consessions and there is still a £5.5m difference so no, we can't compete financially. On top of that the TV revenues are greater for those deemed to be a 'big club'.

Yes I know theres concessions & season tickets to alter those fairly basic figures but we don't have those numbers. These numbers still illustrate the point.

The other thing worth mentioning is that Hartlepool the town isn't an attractive proposition for many players. Compared to London or Norwich for example. I don't include Leeds because its a complete shithole but it does have good communication routes to better places. Most good players would put 'its grim up North' Hartlepool way down their list.

Anyway, you asked for a battling midfielder - he gave you one.
You asked for more positive statements - he's given you that.

As for top ten, yes we're 11th now but if we can maintain or even improve on that then its a real achievement given the games we've got coming up.

So we are no further forward then, we will continue to disagree on this one, CT talks positive, the piss pots on here read between the lines and twist his words to back up their own beliefs.

No no no, we went to Leeds expecting to be beaten, taking the lead was just an accident.

Well said Mr I, Mr Bap and Mr Elvis.

That's a good start.........now try to keep thinking.

http://www.urbandictionary.com/

Piss Pot

A guy who likes the tits of cows! often refered to as a farmer who is lonely and cant get a date!
Get that piss pot away from my cows!

Concurring.
Except that £20 is our maximum adult price whereas £20 is nowhere near the maximum charged by the big clubs.
The financial gap is huge.....a bit like the premiership.......which is why Turner referred to it.

its simple.

There are 3 types of people

1. Those that don't like Turner and will twist every little thing he says

2. Those who read things as they are said without any 'spin'

3. Dibble

oh i completely agree, i wasnt having a go.

But some people do need to realise just how big the financial gap is between us and the top clubs. Thats what turner keeps pointing out, maybe he will stop now everyone has kicked off about it.

Their median ticket price is £23.

5000 @ £23 = 2.64m
3000 @ £20 = 1.38m

I don't think I would refer to Charlton or Norwich as massive. In terms of this division they are two of the bigger clubs, which is what I see them as.
Good on Colchester for having a go, like Scunthorpe, Rotherham, Gillingham etc.
Until this season Norwich had been in the top two tiers for about fifty years, whereas Colchester have mainly been in the bottom two for that period. Same can be said about Southampton and, until recently, Leeds.
These clubs have got more support, financial clout and therefore more potential than little clubs like Pools. We will always struggle to compete with them in the size stakes.
We can compete on the pitch though.
Turner is his own worst enemy here. I am slowly understanding what the man is trying to say. I think he is actually saying that teams with the financial clout to generate big squads( by league one standards) are always going to be difficult to compete with when it comes to attracting above average league one types. A perfect example of this is Lambert to Southampton for a million. We can't even dream of competing with that.
However on a Saturday afternoon we are in the same league and as such are frightened of nobody and will give it a go, which is what he very much said before the Leeds game.

As an aside, last season Turner bigged up ALB and was slated for it. This season he is stating that it is difficult to compete with the likes of Leeds, WHICH IS THE TRUTH, and is being slated for that.
He obviously is missing in the tact and diplomacy department, as he is in the tactical department, but some of the criticism is way over the top.

The best thing about Turner was always had was the ability to say the rights things and actually sound like a manager. Sadly that has now also gone.

If the club dont act soon and get rid then i can see even more stop going and once they stop going, who knows if they will ever come back?

I don't know who funds Colchester but I would suggest that those 5000 crowds are not paying for the transfers of Clive Platt and Steve Gillespie (£700,000 just in fees) or the wages needed to bring in Kevin Lisbie.

IOR slightly more than double the gate money at Pools. At the moment that gives us the same war chest as someone with 5000 crowds and no assistance from their board.

The only example of a club of our size ever defying the finances for long is Crewe. That was done by finding someone the board trusted and leaving him as manager for a long time allowing steady building and continuity.

Cue someone accusing me of BEING Chris Turner again.

Turner seems to have lost a lot of things since he left for Wednesday, apart from the absolute trust and backing of IOR.

Crewe also produced a string of talented youngsters which they were able to command sizeable fees and sell on fees.

Colchester are very much a 'selling' club - Chris Iwelumo, Greg Halford, Neil Danns are just a few fairly recent examples.