I have to say that despite the season not looking promising the fact that the Manager has actually said what an awful lot of people have thought for the summer gives me a sense that at least he has a clue what is going on.

If it's were you at the the end of the season that matters can I ask you 2 questions.

1. Why use a league table that still had Pools with 6 games to play and other teams had 7 or 8 still to play that season ?????

And

2. Where DID WE actually finish that season ?????

It does matter as you state it were you at at the END of the season that matters.

Wow im shocked for 2 reasons...

1) I saw Talbot give an opinion about Pools

2) Turners interview.

Fair play to Turner for saying it how it is. He has always been one for towing the party line and keeping the peace, its nice to see some honesty from him. Although obviously it suggests all isnt well behind the scenes, IOR dont want to spend anymore money on us. Are they spitting their dummy out cos the council wont sell them the ground? Or Is it just because talks are well under way over the takeover? I reckon its the latter. Also if the takeover does happen then is Turner worried about his job? Lets be honest under Ken he could do anything he liked, maybe Turner now knows the pressure is on?

I've just read the interview and it certainly is a break from the normal material that Turner gives to an interviewer.

IOR not wanting to spend any more money on us is certainly one theory although it could just as easily be they don't trust Turner with their money. After all, would you after last season's skin of the skin of the teeth survival? What he's been saying certainly sounds like the words of a man who has had a long and frank discussion about his job with his employers. Of course, the counter argument is why would IOR wait this long to tell Turner about funding for the new season?

Whatever the reason is I hope the issues are resolved and soon. As with anything else it's the unknown stuff that causes the fear and anxiousness.

As things stand I can't see anything other than a good hiding on day 1 at Rochdale

if they don't trust Turner with their money then they shouldnt be paying him!

As has been said, it appears Turner was under the impression he would have decent funds available....for whatever reason, these funds havent appeared and it appears Turner is not a happy bunny!

So can we now presume that we never even offered O Donovan a contract?

I would admit that its good to hear Turner saying how things are for a change but it clearly contradicts much of what he has been telling us of late. In other words he has been telling a pack of lies for whatever reason.

As for him moaning about the lack of quality players, who the feck is to blame for that . If he would take a look in the mirror for a change he may see the reason for this current doom and gloom...

This quote of his is priceless:

" im just doing my job but you cant keep providing miracles every season keeping hartlepool united in this division.... "

Keeping us in the division the past seasons was NOT a miracle Chris, you were given plenty of funds to sign decent players and ended up signing loads of dross on long term contracts. The funds are clearly all used up now as you have wasted it on, in many instances, poorer quality players than we had in the first place. We are now pretty much nailed on for relegation without (even) further investment (your words) That is YOUR fault you incompetent to55er, nobody elses. Arrogant fuckwit.

I will now await MJ, Ripper and MrB saying that I am talking rubbish

Spot on Grave.

3 Outcomes

No new players = depressing drag, unless Turner does a Cooper and does it on team spirit alone.

Couple of new players but no new investment = Much of the same.

Good news players and new investment = Potential.

For what it is worth does anyone think he is trying to get a reaction from the players?
Will be interesting to hear the likes of Mad Johns views on the attitude of the players tonight

PLEASE DONT ANY POOLIES FELL SORRY FOR TUBBY TURNER HES F--KED THIS CULB UP ALL ON IS OWN
FACT" DANNY WILSON LEFT OUR CLUB BECAUSE HE COULD NOT SIGN ANY PLAYERS UNLESS" TURNER APPROVED THE SIGNING THATS A FACT" SO I THINK I WOULD BE PISSED OFF TO
5 PLAYERS WILSON TRIED TO SIGN FOR POOLS TURNER BLOCKED AS HE NEVER RATED ANY OF THEM THAT WAS HIS ROLE OF FKIN DIRECTOR OF SPORT f-KIN FACT"
FACT RESULT FROM WHEN TURNER TOOK THE HELM TILL TODAY HAVE BEEN A F-KIN MESS ANY OTHER MANAGER WOULD HAVE BEEN SACKED WAY BEFORE NOW REMEMBER THAT FA CUP DEFEAT LAST SEASON AND HIS EXCUSES AFTER THE GAME THE MANS A F-KIN CLOWN AND A TOSSER
KISS THE POOLS CREST AGAIN TURNER AND GO

Everyone knows how little I rate turner but those claims which crop up from time to time about Tubby being the reason for Danny Wilsons departure dont marry up with the words of wilson himself who said he never had a problem with Turner . Unless of course Wilson had a reason for lying but I cant think of any.

With all due respect Madjohn is not exactly going to come on here and criticise our players attitudes is he!

OK anyone else that is there then, I asked for his views as we new for certain he was there. Although I also think he would give an honest appraisal

Yes he will, if he thinks it deserves criticism!

To be fair about 3 pools players if any would have seen the article and i can't see any of them really being that arsed and thinking shit i better put in a good shift tonight at whitley bay cos of what turner said in the mail.

Most of the players will be in a bigger comfort zone than usual, we haven't even got a decent starting XI, and from what we have I have little or no faith in Turner picking the right team or employing the right tactics. I've been to Rochdale 5 times and never seen Pools put in a decent performance there. At least the fish and chips are nice though according to Mr Darlo Pete...

I think that too Mr M. Maybe trying to set realistic expectation levels and then also if or when we do sign a couple or more players we'll get the usual "thanks to IOR for providing the money" statement as part of the announcement in order to try and win over the anti-IOR fans that are sadly currently in abundance.

What do you mean by perform if needed - surely its a requirement to perform needed or not?

Sorry but thats nonsensical. Why would IOR countance a press interview that shows them in a bad light? That goes against everything they have every said or done before.

Essentially CT is saying that IOR won't put any more money into the club and thats not the sort of negative publicity IOR like.

It does show that Turner cares, but it would be nice for IOR to break their silence and actually tell the fans why there is no money to spend. If it is because Turner emptied the cupboard on shite so be it, but if it is because they have an ongoing takeover, are directing their cash to the ground purchase, or any other issues then the fans should be kept informed.

At the rate things are going, the poor preseason, coupled with the lack of transfer activity, and a potential thumping by the league new boys, then a game against a decent championship side, we could set a new league one record low attendance against Swindon.

Im in agreement with Mr Ripper about something.

Either IOR or the new Investor/owner (if it happens), come along with some cash and are seen as the Knight in shiny armour saving the day.

The fans morale rises a bit and the first home attendance is not as bad as everyone expects it to be, in fact because of the morale being so high it's actually well up, and all that has gone before in the last few weeks is forgotten.

And it all happens prior to the season kicking off.

I said pretty much the same on ITB mate, Turner would NEVER speak out against IOR without it being a calculated risk or fully engineered on their part. These aren't the words of a man driven to the edge with frustration, they are the words of a carefully planned PR exercise designed to get the fans on side with the manager and the players.

It wouldn't be pools if there wasn't a conspiracy theory behind it all!

Is it just a coincidence that I was told this story would happen about 2 weeks ago?

Is it just a co-incidence that you are telling us this now instead of 2 weeks ago

I'd have been banned by chip for posting such words without a nameable source

I think I did post it on ITB though, and believe the source of it was a poster on this very board!

Edit: And to be honest I dismissed it as sounding a bit daft, CT speaking out against IOR? Sounds ludicrous!

Fair comments, Chip. But there must be a rabbit away somewhere. At any other club I could care to think of, any such comments made by a team manager (sic) would normally be met by a swift P45. As things stand, bearing in mind pre-season matches can be taken with a pinch of salt yada yada...we are fooking doomed going into this season, and I am unable to see where we would get the points to better Stockport's paltry total last term.

We seem to be off to hell in a hand-cart. The over-riding question has to be, where the fook is the Management at our club?

I think its about to get a whole lot worse than any of us thought.

i saw a similar one chip. BP said they going to sell loads of assets and come back stronger but smaller, i think it was that dudley fella the new Chief Exec.

Because and / or based on what?

But all of the people who have heard about a takeover (including myself) have heard it from people who work at the club. Now unless there's someone at Pools making stuff up for a laugh I'd tend to think it's still going to happen. The problem now is that the silence is deafening, no one's heard anything and we just seem to be floating towards a season of worry and failure. If it's fell through then we have some very worrying times ahead.

Ripper this positivity is boring now.

Nobody with half an ounce of sense can take anything other than negative feelings from our managers comments in yesterdays paper, the lack of comment from the owners, the fact that the owners quite probably have bigger fish to fry, our lack of transfer activity, the fact we couldn't buy a goal from our strikers, the poor pre-season showings, the fact that the squad is weaker than the one that narrowly dodged relegation 2 seasons on the bounce.

I want us to be going into the new season positive but nothing other than hope will allow me to. I don't want the worst crowds for 10 years next season, I don't want us to be League ones whipping boys, I don't want our side to look like a joke, I don't want Turner to become a hate figure.

But what any of us want is irrelevant because no matter how much I pray for a 5-0 win over Rochdale and a 4-0 win over Sheff united it is no use if the players/manager/general mood/etc are not good enough.

A ginger version for Ripper.

I know when I first found out I'd be busy the first weekend of the season and on holiday the second I was pissed off as I would be missing 2 of our first 3 games.

Now I just see it as saving £100+ (for 2 of us before anyone gets arsey).

For asking a legitimate question?

Are you paranoid or summat?

Correct.

However maybe it's people with more than half an ounce of sense who aren't jumping to the doomsday scenario straight away.

I don't know what's going on at Pools, but then again nor do any of you, it's all interpretation and supposition at the moment. I want to believe that things will be ok whilst being aware that they may not be, a lot of people seem to be wanting to believe that everything is shite and not even considering that it is ok.

It's paranoia then, at least you've answered the question.

Unless you think that it's a pre-requisite to logon to there before I'm allowed to log onto or post on here.

Or perhaps people are more interested in discussing the facts that are available ni the public domain, none of which point to anything like OK and no amount of positive spin or optimism is going to change those facts.

I hope you are right, I really want you to be able to post a thread on here gloating at the doom merchants.

I just can't see when you will be able to start that thread.

I wouldn't gloat mate, it's not my style. I'm not here to try and score points against people like some posters appear to be.

Taking your logic I get the impression that some people (not aimed at you by the way) are hoping that everything is going to go tits up so that they can gloat at the people who retain an air of optimism.

I may be a gormless fool, but how can an oil comapny actually loose money?

OK, I know BP have posted record losses for this quarter, but they will make it back

IOR have interests all over the world as far as I can remember, including Iraq, so unless they have a bad crack/coke habit, I can't see where the cash as gone

Perhaps they are just fed up of football and want oot

You know why I was saying you're paranoid, you're just trying to change the subject now.

As for you trying to question or judge my standards I just find that laughable.

Cliquey Cliquey Clique

If Chris Turner has any love for the club he would walk away his actions and statements over a long period have turned pools back into a joke.
Fans of long standing are turning there backs on the club they have grew up supporting and unless things change and soon the gates this season will be terrible.
Chris Turner has had more money and time than any of the recent managers and blew it just leave Mr Turner.

Talbot,

My understanding of the oil industry isn't vast but as I understand it a lot of IORs work is in the infrastructure that surrounds the actual oil companies, if exploration/extraction/new investment in sites is tempered as a knee jerk reaction to the BP incident then it would have a huge knock on for the companies that live off the back of companies like BP.

IOR not making as much money in the short term may not spell trouble for them or for HUFC but it would certainly temper any investment in the company toy.

It depends mate. Company my mate works for is doing better because of the BP fiasco as they sell stuff that prevents that kind of thing happening and which is becoming more popular. There's a lot of oil work going on elsewhere around the world, the slowdown is only around the US area at the moment and that'll only be temporary.

I understood most of IOR's business to be far east and former Soviet areas, but not sure as I can't remember where I got that info from.