I'd fine him after that performance today. I'd rather see Humphreys in the middle than that little useless twat in there again.

he didn't have a good game did he?

So, ONE bad game, now he's shit. EH??!!

Please clarify where I said he was shit. Thanks in advance.

Maybe he's realised that no one else in the team gives a flying..... so why should he.

Wen was the last time anyone had a great game???

Thing is, we didn't play through him today - it was more over him. Humphreys, Austin & McSweeney were the only ones to emerge with any real credit today. Sweeney did okay, but hitting the bar from not that far out is sign of the pressure on us.

My buying a season ticket depends on what IOR do now. If we start next season, in which ever division it is, if Turner is in charge - I'll go game to game, depending on my mood.

Turner has the rest of the season to try and repair the damage he's done to his reputation with the fans. I thank him for the big role he played in getting Hartlepool United out of the doldrums and giving us hope of success, we are all very grateful for that - but that was a long time ago (especially in football terms).

I'll give all the support I can to him and the team until the end of the season, and see if we can keep our League One status.

There is a long history of players (at all clubs) coming into a team, being fired up, motivated and playing well, only for this not to be sustained. This goes for youngsters getting into the 1st team squad, players on loan and players brought into the club.
As I've spent a fair amount of time in Southern Ireland I'd like to add that the Irish league is not that good, football is not that countries most popular sport Gaelic football is.

He sat about two yards infront of the back 4 all afternoon inviting pressure and meaning our midfield was virtually anonymous, he missed every tackle, his control was crap and his passing was atrocious. 1 out of 10 and I'm not really sure what the one is for.

It's a bad state of affairs when the ref actually played a more telling pass to one of our players than our 'key' midfielder did all game.

Thats just what i thought might happen it spreads like a disease

Only goes to show how differently people see the game. I thought Sweeney was desperate. No impact on the game other than hitting the bar when it was easier to score.

Rowell played one good pass and bottled out of three tackles. Not good enough for this league.Neither is Power.

I thought Sweeney was our best midfielder today and our best chance of getting a goal.

If you really thought he played better than Humphreys then you need to adjust filter of bunker bile that you watch the game through.

I've watched Rowell a bit this season in the reserves and he has got a good turn on him, but to me he tends to play a lot of 'safe' sideways passes.
A prime example of that yesterday when he had time and space to move/play the ball forward but decided to turn and knock an easy ball back to our centre half and he got booed for it.
Sweeney does make a lot of 'useless' runs in the hope that something might come off for him, which it nearly did when he hit the crossbar. How many goalscoring opportunities did the rest of the midfield get into?

These are all opinions of course which is what a fans forum is for.

To suggest people are 'mentally retarded' for having a different outlook on a game/player is a bit childish and err sad really.

Agreed Klinger, you cannot fault Sweeneys effort, although a lot of it wasted, at least he has the gumption to make these runs. What boils my p-ss is that I would love to see him for once dwell on the ball, try to hold it up, maybe run with it, rather than this hot-potato game he always employs.

But maybe it's too late for him to change.

I have to agree with pde as I thought Sweeney was annonymous and even got in Clarks way in the box to allow Austin to turn and score. He has been poor now for 3 seasons but still some how is a fixture in the team.

As for Gamble I think he is a terrific player and he has shown this over the time he has been here, he is just off the boil at present and who can blame him playing along side that bunch of dispirited gutless spineless toss.

I am the most depressed I have felt for a while after that display ( I was going to say performance but... ). With the correct team selection Flinders
McSweeney Clark Collins Austin
Brown Gamble Jones Monkhouse
Boyd O'Donovan

We could have had a right go with players playing in their best positions and not having to think twice about what to do next. Turner that selection was abysmal.

Swindon were there to be taken and if we played with tempo, commitment and purpose we'd have won that game. We gifted it to the Robins.

Rowell for me did absolutely bot all to suggest he is ready or worthy of selection he was gash losing out in tackles if he accidently got involved in one and his distribution was woeful.

We should be well away from trouble as the spine of our best team should be more than good enough the trouble is the spine is spineless.

I only hope the rumours of CT leaving monday are true, so long as w put the right man in place...........Wayne Sleep could get more out of them than that gimp

Gamble didn't play very well but given the overall team perforance wasn't very good it seems somewhat churlish to single him out. Furthermore I think the only difference between us and Swindon was that they have a sh#t hot striker. I said to my mate at the game that if we replayed the game only with us having Charlie Austin upfront and them having our attack force it would be interesting to see how the game finished.

I could hear people around me moaning that we were playing too many long balls but to be honest with the midfield that is being selected I'd probably try to bypass it as often as possible. There was absolutely nothing in the middle of the pitch to offer an effective link between defence and attack. Indeed a couple of our most promising attacks came from hopefull hoofs from the back. I think that says it all.

Having appeared to happen upon a good midfield set up Turner has gone back to the tried and tested (and subsequently failed) method of picking a completely unbalanced midfield in which players are not complementing one another. One thing Pools always appear capable of when Monkhouse is in his best position left of midfield is generating purposeful attacks down the left with balls into the box. I can count on one hand the number of times we managed anything of note down the left of the pitch.

Turner's refusal to pick the team that earned handome wins over Carlisle and Southend is simply incomprehensible irrespective of the defeat at Yeovil. I was quite confident that comfortable survival was well within our grasp. But if Turner continues to pick the team that started yesterday with players being seemingly assigned positions by virtue drawing lots I think Parmopooly's prediction of the Exeter game being the match that decides our fate may well be spot on.

For what it's worth I think Gamble is playing with a knock.

Did I not read about a hip injury and him not training much? You could tell yesterday, his mobility looked hampered while trying to twist and turn.

It's was either that or the fact he was just shite.

I thought Rowell did ok when he came on. Some nice touches and put himself about which was nice to see. Nothing outstanding but in an otherwise mundane team performance I think he did his chances of getting more game time no harm.

My main gripe is with the continuous picking of Monkhouse upfront. Its somewhat typical that he had to go off injured, something that wouldn't have happened had he been playing out on the wing. Having said that it doesn't look like the injury was particularly serious.

'retards' and 'thickos'?
Mr Fireball, you do seem to have issues with people who disagree with your opinions on players, particularly with the young man Rowell.
The truth is I have seen Rowell on quite a few occasions now and don't think at the moment he is the answer to Pools' midfield problems, hopefully he will develop into something special.
In fact from what I have seen, Power seems to offer more going forward and has also got bite in his tackle.
Only my opinion of course.

Chip it is nothing to do with crucifying a young player it is my opinion which everyone is entitled to and free to air on a forum site without being concerned about differing from the opinion of the seemingly almighty Chip Firewall sorry Fireball. Your opinion is as valid as anyone but don't call me a thicko or a retard. Your bang out of order.

Rowell didn't make a difference yesterday and no body opened up the Swindon defence and if he was so good he would be in the side because none of the other midfielders are enhancing their CV's.

Monkhouse can create the most space it is possible to create on a football pitch for the left winger but sadly Humps, as hard as he tries, isn't the man to take advantage of it as he isn't really quick enough.

Agreed re the mind of a mad man.

Not necessarily the case mate. We had Brown and Boyd on the bench at Southampton yet Turner decided that Mackay would be the best best when needing a goal!

Similarly how Humphrey's has managed to get back into the starting lineup, despite the team looking like it knew exactly what it was doing without him in the wins over Carlisle and Southend, is anyone's guess.

Do you think Turner had forgotten we'd won our last two home games scoring 7 goals in the process when he selected the team yesterday?

Boydy had clearly said something to him which he hasn't liked, I reckon after the Yeovil game. So he's punishing him. By doing this he's upset the balance of the whole team by playing a left winger up front. So this spat is to the determent of the team and the whole club, this while we are hovering precariously above the bottom four. It's called cutting your nose off to spite your face.

Humps played ok yesterday but what did Turner expect him to create on the left wing? Did he envisage him beating a man and whipping over cross? I don't think he really got into the final third and we were playing at home. How anonymous does Sweeney have to be before he is dropped? Why does he take off Richie Jones every single fooking time he plays? What does that do to his confidence? Why does he never play in his proper position?

In summing up I just wish Turner would fook right off, now.

At the moment I dont think Rowell or Power are good enough for this divsion.
Likewise the way the current midfield are playing I dont think they're good enough to keep us up.
I dont go to matches In the hope of seeing one 'killer' pass which leads to nothing.
If Sweeney's shot which thundered off the crossbar had been a few inches lower I'd have been happy.

Do you think Turner had forgotten we'd won our last two home games scoring 7 goals in the process when he selected the team yesterday?

Boydy had clearly said something to him which he hasn't liked, I reckon after the Yeovil game. So he's punishing him. By doing this he's upset the balance of the whole team by playing a left winger up front. So this spat is to the determent of the team and the whole club, this while we are hovering precariously above the bottom four. It's called cutting your nose off to spite your face.

Humps played ok yesterday but what did Turner expect him to create on the left wing? Did he envisage him beating a man and whipping over cross? I don't think he really got into the final third and we were playing at home. How anonymous does Sweeney have to be before he is dropped? Why does he take off Richie Jones every single fooking time he plays? What does that do to his confidence? Why does he never play in his proper position?

In summing up I just wish Turner would fook right off, now.


I agree with the above and couldn't believe that he didn't start with the Boyd/O Donovan partnership up front . That partnership seemed to Gel at home and if Turner has had a fallout with Boyd , he should put it to one side and put the club first. I have seen Rowell play quite a bit and believe me he is a lot better than the likes of Sweeney etc. Lets remember he was only on the pitch for about 20 minutes, and i don't think any of the other midfielders we have, could have played that pass (lets also remember its the other players who have got us in this mess not Rowell).
Just wondered if it was me or has anyone else noticed that Sam Collins doesn't open his mouth, some captain eh
Oh and ive got to say well done to Humphries yesterday (im not a fan of his), but if only others had put in the same effort he did, we may have got the 3 points as i don't think Swindon where anything special.

I agree rowell offers something different from sweeney and gamble, but so would other players ie Friedrickson, Power etc,
I dont think rowell on his own is the answer, yes he played a couple of good passes but didn't put his foot in when it mattered. Compare his performance to Swindon's Mcgovern and it was man and boy.
Also sweeney has been getting praise recently for his attitude and commitment especially away from home, yet he is now being ridiculed as a fan clapping headless chicken.

You have to give the lad a chance some games he's worked his socks off.

Wow!!! I am almost tempted to change my opinion in the face of such a well reasoned and persuasive argument. However I should be ok as i can cope with someone disagreeing with me without pissing my pants.