I dont know what coopers thoughts are but I agree completely he needs to do something to change things. Hopefully that involves Paul Murray and horwood on the wing instead of full back.

I agree again, either Cooper couldnt see what we were lacking or he couldnt get the players in he wanted. But with the current squad, i cant see much football being played. Until we have midfielders showing for the ball and able to control and pass it then it aint gonna happen.

What happened to that Porritt kid? Sounded like he was the kind of player we needed.

Seems like he signed for Marske United.

Maybe Franks and Monkhouse were swapped because the Swindon right winger was a bit pacey and maybe Cooper thought that the extra pace that Franks has could have helped Horwood out a bit *shrugs*

Someone said the same thing to me when I mentioned why they were playing on opposite flanks!!!

i know this seems logical and could be correct tactically but I just think play to our own strengths and try to win the game, not prevent the other team. apparently franks was only one to come out of crewe game with any credit yet he was moved to a different position, makes no sense.

personally think the issue with our team is they are quite daft, they have no idea how to take advantage. the 3 v 2 we had when poole miscontrolled it would only happen with pools; every other team would at least get an attempt away. and not one player seems to gamble and run past howard when he goes up for a header...this needs to change

finally, our set pieces are appaulling and have been for a while, what exactly do we practice?

What about the one in the first half when Monkhouse fell over!? That was a great position.

I was really dissapointed in Poole yesterday, in fairness he didn't get a lot of pre season time but I'd like too see his work rate improve and him chase a few lost causes. He seems to cruise through games.

OK, calm down Mr Angry.

I wont bother with the last bit, you arent worthy of a response there, but I will answer the first bit.

What style of football do I want?

Well, I can only apologise for having aromantic view of how football should be played, and I must stop this dreaming. We are a league one club afterall, and I should remember that, and I should stop having these fantasies about how football should be played, and remember this is a good as its been for the 40 years I have watched Pools.

So i will try and block out imagining we have a fantasy manager called Neale Cooper, who had a fantasy forwrd line of imaginery players called Joel Porter and Adam Boyd.

Silly of me, it could never happen in league one. I do apologise.

By the way, did anyone answer my question in my original post? You know about the first 75 minutes, that I didnt comment on?

Nobody likes you enough to reply...

It's such a tepid, plodding pace at which we play at times.

We lack impetus and any discernible intention - it's almost like we never planned to be in possession and find the sensation oddly anxious.

Maybe because we don't have players which are quick and can play a telling pass.
These type of players don't come cheap, as I said previously Swindon have spent a lot of money and their chairmans expecting results!!
Apparently Notts County also offered Liddle a third more than what we offered.
That's what we're up against.
We have average league 1 players with no one in the team really standing out.
A lot is resting on young Luke James but apart from him do we have anyone coming through who could significantly improve the team?
Money talks most of the time and unfortunately if you want very good league 1 players you have to spend and we ain't got no money!!

We have professional, paid footballers who have experienced playing with that white spherical thing they continually get confused by...

They look utterly perplexed and terrified depending upon whether or not we're attacking or defending.

I'm not expecting BARCELONA every week. But some form of acknowledgement that this is a game we've played before and have fine some training for might be a start.

I'm not Roberto Carlos, but I can pass to someone stood static 10 metres away...unlike some.

Sorry you're wrong about Pools not being bothered about keeping him though you are right about the fans not being bothered.
You referring to Luscombe. He's under contract. Cooper has publicly condemned him and it's obvious this is his last chance to impress.
He's under contract until end of season so he still has to be paid.
Stevenage yes, they looked very good which is why they finished in the play offs, similar to the couple of seasons we had first time under cooper
But for every Stevenage there's another 7 or 8 clubs just like ourselves who'll serve up a feast of attacking football every 5 or 6 games.
The rest of the time will be spent grinding out results just like ourselves with not pretty to watch but sometimes quite effective football!!

Even the best teams get a spanking from time to time, Cooper actually threatened to transfer list players after last weeks performance
If it had happened again v Swindon then I'd have been concerned but I think the performance showed we can battle against teams with better individual players though until after the first 6 games or so we should get a clearer picture of how the season might pan out.
Not after the first league game!!!

We don't tire because we are not fit enough. We tire because we work hard without the ball, closing down etc. That is tiring work and it takes it's toll.
If we were able to keep the ball a bit longer and play the game to our tempo and make the opposition do the chasing and closing down, then we would see a difference.
It's not fitness that we lack it's ability.
Just an observation like.

From what I witnessed from Micky Barron in the last home game of last season then yes, they are expressly instructed that they must launch the ball forward as soon as they get it regardless of whether or not we even have a player in the opposition half.

Of course it will be but I've seen other teams launch it numerous times when they've played against us.
We are not unique in this and as Derwent said, the tiredness was probably not due to lack of fitness but the effort put in hassling and closing down when Swindon had the ball!
It's been a long time since we saw direct fast football, probably the last time was Coopers spell in charge although the Wilson season in league 2 saw some great footy albeit in a lower league than now!

Sorry I don't believe that's the case this season.

After last weeks drubbing Cooper has decided to go long to Howard and be more long ball generally, that could of course change week to week as allegedly there have been no team or individual sessions through pre season about pattern of play etc.

Sorry for those who will think I am being negative or disruptive, that isn't my normal style but this season I am concerned by the quality of the coaching set up. Copper appears to have always just been the man motivator

I don't know what they practise in training. If they do practise ball retention then they don't seem to have grasped the concept yet.
The only things that they do with alarming regularity take place in the last quarter of the game and that is, defend deeper, defend in numbers and boot it anywhere.
I think the reason for that is they have run out of legs and therefore can no longer chase and harry further up the pitch.
We have to reverse that trend, especially at home, and put the opposition in that position.
Easier said than done I know but until we learn to keep the ball a bit better, pass it a bit better and dictate the tempo of the game, especially at home, then we are struggling.

Couldn't agree more.

I too am worried about the coaching set up.
I think we need a coach from outside with fresh ideas and, above all, a football brain.

Good ball retention tends to start at the back and as with last season, understandable given there has been no change in personnel, our back 4's distribution skills leave a lot to be desired. That needs to be worked on in training. If it isn't then God help us!

I think restoring Murray to the team is a good idea although, as others have pointed out, I don't think a 4-4-2 can be used if that is done. Murray is good at holding deep infront of the back 4. He can't really play as a central midfielder in a straight 4-4-2 if he's going to do that IMO.

A return to some sort of variant of 4-5-1 is probably the best solution. I don't know whether that should be a 4-1-4-1 or 4-2-3-1. With the latter you could possibly put Baldwin alongside Murray as the the other holding midfielder. His passing skills should be OK and it would at least mean we were passing the ball forward constructively from the back of midfield. Assuming the back four can locate one of the two players infront of them!

Howard is probably worthwhile persisting with as the striker with Franks and perhaps Poole as the two wide forwards. We would really want, IMO, our most creative player as the centre forward/attacking midfielder but it really is anyone's guess as to who that might be. Monkhouse?

I was happy with a point on Saturday but ultimately if we can't build on this then we will struggle and will get battered by teams who have forwards who know how to give defences the run around. Austin was regularly out of position although he wasn't alone in that department.

It will be interesting to see what happens tomorrow. Think I might go. I'm off work and I've got bot all else to do.

I dont that that's actually correct chip. Under wadsworth last season we played the top ten teams and won once. We hardly went out and did it as you say. The sole victory comimg at 8th place carlilse.

Charlton (0-4) h
S wed (0-1) h
Huddersfield (0-0) h
S utd didn't play
Mk dons (2-2) a
Stevenage (2-2) a
Brentford (1-2) a
Carlilse (2-1) a
Colchester (0-1) h
N county (0-3) a

6 pts from a possible 27. That's hardly going out and beating them is it??

Just re read and i see you wrote early days!! I'll give you Brighton but apart from that who else?? Peterboro were shite before you say them and yes we had a good Xmas with a few 1-0 wins but that isn't going out and doing what you said as we were up against it.

Still only 1 game in and in all fairness to cooper he hasn't had the squad of players that wadswrth had in terms of numbers. Hopefully a few loanees will come in and the
free flowing football will come back.

Also I wish he did have some tricks up his sleeve, notably During The 10 at home in a row we lost

I'd say that Peterborough counts given they ended up being promoted that season. Ditto beating Huddersfield away. Given we gave them a good game and could easily have won I'd put Southampton in the bracket too.

Wadsworth did have a big squad in terms of numbers but it was all shite left over from turners second spell

Who said dog shite manager??

For me he just lost the plot towards the end. The home form was a disgrace and that's what cost him his job.

Only a top 6 finish for me is a great achievement

It's been like that for years and I agree it's wrong. Kids break into the team then seem to disappear just as quick for the regular players.

The snaith release pissed me right off also as did the hassan 1. Surely wernt on much wages and bagged for fun at ressie/youth level but that meant nothing. If we were banging goals in then fair enough but last seasons tally was awful and 0/2 so far this season.

Cooper was always one for playing the kids and I'm sure if they are good enough they'll get their chance, although if we get any injuries their chance might come sooner than expected!!

According to some we are lacking a quality midfielder and a striker, not sure where these are going to come from with the ressies!
We do have Holden, Baldwin and Rowbotham waiting in the wings but they are all defenders but someone tells me Nathan Buddle is an exciting prospect, unsure what position he plays!

We are lacking a quality central defender, IMO, too.

But ultimately, yes, I would say that another midfielder and a good striker are more of a concern.

Crewe basically exist because of there youth policy. They have produced player after player for over 25 years. Chances are given very regularly. We are cash strapped and in all honesty always have been but we never ever seem to want to cash in by playing the young uns from the start and regularly. We could have easily produced some good players but for some reason manager after manager seems to prefer experienced players at the club who arnt in form. Thing is there's only 1 way the young uns will get the experience but it dosnt happen. 20 min cameos every now and then with the exception of a minority. Cooper played some kids 1st time round but since that how many youngsters have started say 10 games? I bet it's not many at all.

Would help if the young players when they do play are not constantly screamed at and made scapegoats by the bench and allowed to be bollocked in training by new overly confident signings!

When Luke James started he just seemed like a free spirit full of exuberence with no fear, this seems to have disappeared it could be for many reasons some of them maybe physical in terms of growth and injuries. An alternative theory is that he is now being coached and told what he isn't doing in his game rather than going out to play.

At the Crewe game, can't remember if it was the 3rd goal or not, we had a corner and it broke, James chased back tried to put a tackle in which didn't come off and break continued ultimately Crewe scored. Our new centre midfield player who was positioned on the edge of crewe's box but didn't manage to get back anywhere near to making a challenge subsequently gave James a massive mouthful for a significant period. At half time the scapegoat was found and James gets hauled off. Ok he hadn't been brilliant but that incident turned my stomach in all honesty

Another great post by chip, to be honest a few people are criticising him of being negative I think he is looking at the bigger picture and it's hard to argue with the logic. For me Neil Cooper this time around came as a guy desperate for a job not a hungry guy with a vision, I vividly remember his press conference when he came back and basically said that he had not yet had the discussion with the owners about what his brief was!!! It smacked off an appointment of a guy who would accept the existing back room staff.

I honestly hope I'm wrong but it feels like this loyalty to certain people is more important than the new broom and fresh ideas required.

I am going to be less able to comment as the season goes on as I am exiled from now on but surely we all want whats best for the club in the long run which I would imagine is exactly what ior want.

Not sure apart from Crewe who these teams are 'cashing in' on their youngsters, apart from the odd one I haven't seen many clubs this low down cashing in on young players, sadly a product of the bigger clubs hoovering up all the best talent.
I do agree though it would be nice to give more a chance.

This is key.
I read somewhere about the amount of analysis Allardyce and people used to do as well to get advantages, ie positioning players in the most common place % wise a certain team used to clear corners etc..
Now I don't expect everything but I am confused what the players do all day. surely staying a couple of afternoons a week and going through stuff non-physical would improve us....even just everyone analysising DVD's or trying to work on little things that might improve us % wise.

Also was a little irked that they were treating a 0-0 against swindon as though it was a brilliant result and 'normal service resumed' as Austin said, and cooper.
I was worried before the season started..........and I still am now.

Thankyou Mr Fireball.

So maybe there is something to hang on to then?

My youngun thought we played quite well until the last 20 minutes.

What I saw though looked pretty desperate.

I suppose we will get a better idea after tonight.

When are we at home again?

I would look on the official shite, but it just makes me want to smash the pc up/ Has it not ben sorted yet?

Thats bang out of order.









There is no way that Chip is 100 years old.

Hasnt the game moved on in all of those 137 years?

Bloody hell man, we even get our younguns team to pass the ball on the floor as often as possible.

Those saying me and chip want us to sign AC milan players etc are just a little thick.

I want to see us playing it the floor to league one standard.

With league one standard players.

Are you all really saying that at league one level you must hump it through the air for 90 yards to the big bloke...........ala Cambridge and John Beck, early 80's?

Tackling is almost banned now, so there is no excuse for players not being comfortable on the ball.

And they cant use the old bobbly pitch excuse like those from the 60's and 70's could have.

No tackling, and a perfect pitch, yet you lot still want to see the long ball game?

Weird.

Talking about the long ball game...............did anyone watch Barcelona on sunday night?

The beautiful game is still there.

Dribbles a coach for Jossys Giants now.
He's an expert now on passing, tackling and selling programmes.
Always give them out with your left hand first

Jossys giants what a programme, up there with the the thundercats back in the day

I too enjoyed the game, and its a shame Muttley didn't go to the quiz cos I have been in a quiz with him and he is a man of knowledge.

Yes Formally Dugoutpaddy but I left for a year or two and couldn't remember log ins etc ha ha

Your passwod was "checky fooker that owes me a pint"