Down the years you have been just like Pools, upto 10 years ago. You have had some fantastic sides that at the time we could only dream of........the Gabbiadini team for example. You did us in the play offs, pipped us to the title and had a few great cup nights.

So tell me, after reading the above, Is winning the Jumpers for goalposts trophy, REALLY your greatest ever day supporting Darlo? Really? Are you all brand new?

OK for the pedants there are three questions there.

Its just that almost to a man you are saying it was/is.

First sign of madness talking to yourself, is it?, yes it is!

tbh it is a pretty sad state of affairs down the road.

I would much prefer to have Darlo as a genuine rival as they were 10 years ago. To see them sliding away into non league obscurity is a bit of a shame, same with York and Scarborough.

I have some cracking memories of Pools v Darlo games....................also some fooking nightmares.

But ain't that what derby rivalries are all about? If it was a choice between Darlo and the Boro going bust, I would always chose the Boro!

Middlesbrough are a well run club chaired by a passionate local supporter who has done them proud over the years. I dislike them, but they've done bloody well since 86!

Darlington are a badly-run club, have been for 30 years if truth be known, and non-league obscurity is exactly where I like them.

I have mellowed over the years and wouldn't like to see them go bust (mind I laughed my cockoff when they did the previous twice) or go out of existence...no, the current situation (Pools in top half of League one, the Gloids near the bottom of the JFGP League) is ideal. Thank You.

Would much prefer a genuine rival locally. The passion I used to feel around the derby games is probably never going to be replicated for a long, long time if ever whilst watching Pools. Who do we now class as a genuine local rival? Carlisle, Sheff Wed? Not the same and never will be.

Derby games are all about the balance of power gradually shifting in one camps favour, just look at the weekends results to see that. I am sure fans of Newcastle/Sunderland, Liverpool/Everton, Arsenal/Spurs would be gutted to see there rival disappear, even though they hate each other.

Lets face it when both teams where in the same league, what is the fixtures every Pools fan looked for first? anybody who says any different is a liar.

As for the Boro, the thought of Brownlee and Gill commentating from Braintree does make me laugh my cockoff!!

F*** 'em.

Concurring fully with Monsieur Bandage.
Bit quiet on the Sussex front today...

As an event the trophy final will take some beating, its on a par with winning the GMVC the first time round with a last minute goal.
I've seen promotions and play off finals and none really compete with the above for sheer enjoyment.

Also ElvisC, we were a badly run club, very badly in fact, but now we arent badly run, we are just shit on the pitch.

By the way since you have a hobby of seeing how much mould is on the stadium framework, you will be pleased to know its all been cleaned off again.

As for the derbies, I dont miss them since they were awful games to watch due to the tension, even when we did win!!

Dave, let's get real here. The FA Trophy Final is an event for non-League clubs, and with respect is nowhere near on a par with winning the Conference. It's the non-league equivalent of the Carling Cup..and the "attendances" prior to the Semi-Final bears this out. I would expect an average Premiership Side to lift the Carling Cup...and so it panned out that an average BSP side lifted the FA Trophy.

I stand by my statement that Darlington FC is a badly run club. Mr Singh..is he a billionaire? A millionaire?? How's his businesses doing? He's pretty clueless from where I'm standing making basic errors on a 6 monthly basis, and as for his football acumen in choosing Managers....

I'm pleased the mould has been cleaned off the WES, as Severfield Reeve will at least have some nice fresh steel to re-sell. The price of base metals has gone up so much since 2002 they MIGHT even get their money back, about time they got paid after ten years!

One thing is correct in your post, yep, Darlo are shit on the pitch. I feel for you.

I can only conclude that if the loids think that win was their greatest ever moment then they have accepted their non league status with pride.

I know that if Pools ever fell that far I dont think I would even go to the final, if we got there, due to the massive embarrassment that I would feel. Maybe I am arrogant, and think we are too good for it, or maybe the loids have no shame.

Personally i am staggered that so many of them have revelled in this win. I find it quite bizarre.

That is the last straw they have left to clutch at, having realised that they are not the big fish they hoped they would be in the stagnant puddle that is the Conference.

I guarantee the town would be buzzing if we drew them in the FA Cup 1st round, at either ground.

Yes well, no going round the local bee keepers and releasing his bees, if that is in fact the draw, just to try and prove your point.

What evidence do you have of this?

You go through managers at a rate of knots and are in the bottom half of the conference.

Your chairman has threatened to pull out twice in the last six to eight months, the last time in April if you didn't shift 2,000 adult season tickets, did you even reach half of that target? The only thing that's kept you going is shifting a couple of young players, and the way you've done that smacked of desperation. That kid Smith went on a tour of the country on trial. Gary Gibson used to do stuff like that because he didn't have the funds personally to keep the club going.

Honest answer - it was the best day for me . . . though the two play-off games against you were close (and I wasn't at the Welling game when we gained promotion). Easy answer is that you can only compete at the level you find yourself at and as an "event" it was my best day supporting Darlo . . . Wembley, circumstances of the victory, trophy and name written in football history for ever . . . what's not to enjoy?

However, as an achievement for the club, it doesn't remotely compare (in terms of importance) with winning the two championships or any promotion.

"Name written in football history forever".

You are not serious. Honestly, you arent are you?

I can only equate this to us, maybe sometime, getting to the final of the JPT. And I swear to god I would still be looking for free tickets if we did. It just doesnt register. I couldnt give a hoot about seeing my team play at Wembley. Spending THAT amount of money to see my team play in London at a 3/4 empty stadium, in a meaningless cup competition, just does not float my boat.

I would rather win a league game.

Well, let me throw your question back at you . . . you're not serious, are you?

If you were in the same position as a fan supporting a team in the same kind of position you wouldn't attend Wembley because somehow it would be beneath you? Weird kind of principles operating there. And "spending THAT amount of money"? Just how much did you think it cost for travel and a ticket?

So, you'd be underwhelmed if Pools reached the final of the JPT, too? And "I would rather win a league game". It's not difficult to disbelieve your protestations.

And you still didn't understand the distinction made between the occasion versus the overall importance to the club.

a winning trip to wemberley would be the cake on the icing

Do you guys think Darlo should have lost on purpose??

Its a cup for the league they are in, if we were in there position then id love to win it and have a day out at Wembley to watch my team.

I wouldnt gloat about it granted but im not sure how some people would be embarrased to see their side play at Wembley for a cup no matter what level its at.

Why is it some people seem to miss the point of a thread so easily?

They are claiming that that day at wembley was their greatest ever day. And you agree??

So, an analgoy for you.....Tree and Muttley.

Lets just say Pools have a terrible few years and end up in the Jumpers for goal posts league. Then lets just say we have a terrible season..........the one we would expect to bounce back into the league............but we get to the final of the FA Trophy......and we win it.

You and Tree then claim that it was the greatest day in our history. Really?

Better than losing in the final of a the league one play offs at Cardiff?

All the other play of seasons?

The great cup days?

Beating Darlo 3-0 at the echo chamber?

Really?

I reckon I have a different opinion on who is the better or true poolie.

So, a season of play off glory/misery or a season of midtable boredom all season, and a JPT Win..................I will take the risk of the play offs every time. Ta. And maybe a final at Wembley that WOULD be worth spending £100+ on. See, its not rocket science.

Latest action from the rec;

Brrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!!!

The comfort of that Non-League final seems to be getting VERY cold now.

It is indeed a sobering thought that only a crook with a weave made the difference between our current situation in League ONE, and the dismal surroundings the gloids currently find themselves getting roundly gubbed in

Still worth a however!

Yes but some of our fans would give it all up, to play at Wembley......in whatever cup/trophy/charity game would get us there.

No-one's said that. All they've said is, 'if we happened to find ourselves there, I'd enjoy the day'. A sentiment I agree with. But, I'd rather not be there in the first place. It's called making the best of a shit hand.

I never said it would be the greatest day in our history but would it be better than losing a game at the Millenium Stadium? Yes it would. How can losing a game be the greatest day in your history?? I could understand beating Tranmeme being up there to get us there but a friggin loss?

They won something, get over it. You lot make a bigger deal of it than they do.

Colonel, I don't think any of our fans would give it all up just to play at Wembley, what I think they mean is they would still support Pools whatever league we play in or whatever cup final we get to. None of them are saying it would be our most glorious moment by winning a tin pot trophy like the loids are, but it would still be good to win what is put in front of you wouldn't it? If we were playing in the final of a Sunday morning cup I would still support Pools. I take it you are a Poolie. Remember Poolie til I die?

I don't understand why anyone would be embarrassed to win any trophy..? It may be a bit embarrassing that some Darlo fans think winning the fa trophy gives them one-up on Pools but winning the final itself is a great achievement if your team in playing at that level.

I remember being gutted a few years ago when we lost to (Morcambe..?) in the JP trophy when most of stronger teams in the competition had been knocked out. I thought we had a real chance to win something - all the concentrate on the league stuff is rubbish we should look to win every game.

I'm with the Hamster on the play off final we were in also - that was nowhere near the greatest day in Pools history....

Dont dispute that Fatty, Can I call you that?

But again , I refer you to the original post and what this thread was about. The loids are claiming it was their biggest day in their history. I merely pointed out that it could never be.........surely?

But it seems that some, including Tree with hamster who appears to be saying he would rather win the Jumpers for goal posts Trophy at Wembley than lose a league one play off final at the Millinium.

Just checked.................and yes he did actually say that.

it's about status surely - we are of a higher status so why would we want to lower that status, just to say we won something at Wembley?
I can't imagine a single Bolton fan who would want to get relegated to League One just so they could win the JPT at Wembley, because they wouldn't otherwise win anything at all as a higher status club?

Thank god you put it like that...............I was struggling to make sense of this.

Call me whatever you like, most on here do.

Ere, just because you start a thread, it doesn't mean that everyone has to address exactly what you say. The thread moved on to question whether we'd like to win something (anything) if we fell on hard times. On that point, there are some sensible posts (just not from you!).

I never said, ever, that we wouldnt want to win something. I wouldnt be interested in going though.........especially in the first season of going down, as I would expect it to be all hands to the pump to go straight back up, and not putting that to one side for a circus event at an empty stadium......... and I certainly wouldnt ever claim it could ever be our greatest achievement.

By the way Mr Fat Man.......you and I are very similar in one way..........neither of us is actually fat.

Yeah, right.

This could develop into one hell of a sumo match...!

Gah, I keep forgetting to log out and back in...

How do you manage it colonel?!

And that, Colonel , is what makes you different than most Poolies. 99.9% of us WOULD have their boat floated by seeing Pools do well in ANY competition or by just seeing Pools, whether it be the JPT or the FA cup. You could probably be classed one of our "floating supporters", only wanting to go when it suits you.

*pulls up chair*

Oh I can guarantee that I am different to most Poolies. On saying that though, most poolies I know want us to play a near reserve side in the JPT.........so they cant be too fussed about it either.

No, a play off final or the FA cup final for me only, whichever comes first.

In summary, Darlington FC appears to be off to hell in a handcart, and as such, they have NOTHING i would want. Fin.

Sorry, and at a push the Lague Cup. But thats not essential, as even that gets in the way early in the season.

Yep, that just about sums it up.

For you perhaps, not for everybody.

Yes, Mr Pot.

You leave Ben alone. I love Ben.

Errrrrrrrrr.....................ok then. What have Darlington Fc got that you want?