I was baffled by Cooper's comments in the Mail earlier this week when he said he had few options open to him to change the team. This is the guy who gave contracts to young players like Richards, Johnson, Hawkins, Holden, Rowbotham etc. Now if these guys are not ready to knock on the first team door he's got to question why they were given contracts in the first place

It's not that baffling really he wants funds releasing to strengthen the squad, he's not going to tell the press he feels he has strength in depth.

I'm sure he'd be willing to start any of them in fact apart from Johnson I think he has played the rest in the first team but he's not going to say that now when he's desperate to add to the starting line up.

If we don't sign anyone tomorrow I'm officially worried.

Why sign 6 kids who can't step up to the plate? It would have been better to let them all go and sign 3 experienced players who could challenge for a strarting spot.

Because one or two might become first team players and I doubt any of them are on much. I'd rather see young kids with aspiartions of making it in the game rather than a squad full of journeymen. What's the point in a youth set up if you don't take a punt on a few.

I somehow doubt that 6 kids wages per month would equate to 3 experienced players. what will their combined wages be. 1st year pro's, wouldn't free that much up in my opinion.

The fact is that none of them are ready to hold down a first team place. They should be knocking on the door at 19/20.

How do you know? Had you heard of Luke James this time last year?

Luke James has at least proved he is capable of producing the goods but none of the other younger players have. They all played in the Ressies against Chesterfield this week when we got stuffed 4-0.

I would like to see some of them get a chance. I don't know how any players can really reach their potential playing for the ressies...

If we'd had released some of these kids there'd have been hell on from Mr Fireball.
He still hasn't got over Gary Rowell!!

Cooper has played the kids before.................but not when the team is struggling.

Putting kids in now is just likely to destroy them, unless they are exceptionally good.

I doubt our kids are THAT good.

Who's Gary Rowell??

How Holden is constantly over looked for left back shows me cooper is saying what he believes. He obviously thinks horwoods form is better. Evan must be awesome in training or Holden trains poor is all that I can think of to back cooper up because on a matchday he's been poor for some time.

You have just answered your own question. Case closed.

You only had to be at the reserves on Wednesday to see why Holden isnt starting !! Worryingly awful.

Gary Rowell

Playing in the 1st team and the ressies is far different. He has never had a bad game when selected if horwoods been unavailable. Watching horwood get a game every week at left back for me is worrying!!

So using that logic a player who has worringly awful game against reserve team players should get a go in the first team?
I remember Horwood having a reserve game after injury, he was head and shoulders above the rest and went straight back into the proper side.
Thats what Holden has to do to get a crack at it.

Comment from O'Neil;

Martin O'Neill says he wants Connor Wickham, Ji Dong-Won and Fraizer Campbell to fight for their places after turning down loan offers for trio.

Hope we can get Nobel then.

What the peace prize??

Maybe that's his level then.

What Holden has to do to get 1st team action is probably ask for a transfer

Hero for the mackems, then I think his career nosedived when he signed for the smoggies!!

And end up playing his Home 1st team games at Billingham Town because on the performances i have seen (especially the one on wed) Thats the best he could hope for.

Ok well tell me how players like horwood can get Motivated when they don't perform but still remain in the side. A bollockimg is all well and good but the best kick up the arse would be to drop them and show them they must fight for there place. Holden has done nothing wrong for the 1st team to date.

Ah, you mean drop players for the sake of it when others who aren't impressing in the ressies or in training can play the same position??

Good call.

I totally agree,

I walked out of the game on Wednesday and said to my Dad "No wonder the 1st team are so poor, when thats the competition they have for their places"
Im not saying the 1st teamers shouldnt be dropped because the majority of them deserve to be on current form but why replace poor players with players putting in worse performance against a L2 reserve side ?

i would imagine infront of 4000 poolies at the vic, the entire ressies team would perform better than infront of 2 men his dog and of course you and ya dad.

if you think our 1st team should remain the same then thats your opinion, mine is if they do well be relegated

I find it hard to believe that when the 11 go onto that pitch they aren't 100% up for it.
It's every blokes dream to play football league and to get paid decent money for it as well!!
Average players and silly mistakes though isn't a good combination!!

i dont watch training and i dont attend reserve game however i spend quite alot of my time watching the first team play all over the country. i base my opinions on what i witness and not on what i read or hear. i dont think horwood is good at left back and is way below the form he showed when he 1st joined and i do think holden has the potential to be good. i have thought this for quite some time. why he hasnt tried horwood on the wing and holden at left back is coopers decision but imo that would be a step in the right direction.

also spender id say half the team need a kick up the arse and if that means a spell in the ressies then so be it. beleive me what we replace them with cant be much worse on current form and by that i dont just mean the opening 3 games.

So drop Monkhouse then??

Horwood has been tried on the left wing last season and he struggled badly it's a completely different game playing directly against a full back rather than over lapping from deep.

Our problems don't stem from left back, especially at home it's our midfield that struggles. We lack creativity we don't seem to have a player in the middle of the park who can dictate a game, like someone like Mark Tinkler used to. Until we have that spark we're going to struggle to entertain, so I reckon our best option is grinding out results with the five man midfield again.

Dropping Horwood and replacing him with a kid who's seemingly been poor in reserve team football for a while now isn't going to make a jot of difference, plus Horwood is a decent player who I as a fan who have a lot of time for. Seems a real honest lad who never hides, he's had plenty of good games for Pools if he didn't have bad ones he wouldn't be playing for us.

Managers dont normally put player in on a hunch they might be good, they watch them closely in training and in reserve games.
If Holden was fulfilling his potential, one of the last few managers hes played under would have put him in regularly by now.

Where have i said it should say the same?? I said if you got nothing better to replace them with then you got to deal with it. If we dont make a couple of changes(get a couple of loan players in) then i also think it will be a hard scrap to stay in League 1!!

As for singling out Horwood, a good 7/8 of the 1st team should be replaced at the minute, so should we bring in Holden, Johnson, Richards, Rutherford, Hawkins, etc in, because they Might play better in front of 4000 home fans?

id drop horwood monky walton and collins.

my team is on another thread.

out the 4 iv mentioned i beleive the horwood/holden swap is the most crucial as the murray inclusion has already been confirmed. this is just my opinion though.

i honestly cant see what darren holden has done wrong for the 1st team and i beleive we are extremely weak on the left.

if he hasnt then why did he get a contract?

So swapping our left back means we are going to start creating chances, getting better services into our forwards and start scoring goals?

Because that is what we don't do at home.

Holden only got a 6 month contract, which means he nearly got released, they see something in him but he by all accounts had poor season last year. I'm not sure how you've come to the conclusion that this kid is the answer, I've got a feeling it's got more to do with Horwood than Holden.....

Well that's three of the left footers gone then. Should we swap wingers?? Seems like the only option.

ill say again i make my opinions on what i see. maybe in asia our left is fine, in england its currently awful.

Holden isn't league 1 standard. hth

i see the swap being positive, iv never said its the answer but i think its a good start.

as for creating chances, it wouldnt be hard to improve would it??

how can you possibly know that?? whenever he has played hes did fine and is horwoods current form league 1 standard??

So we don't field anyone on the left?? Except right footed players??

holden and horwood are left footers, you arnt making sense

so back at ya

No, Horwood, Monkey and Walton are left footers. You want to drop all three. You've got Holden in. Who else plays on the left apart from the young Holden??

Monkhouse has been garbish for a few years. Too right he should be dropped.

Well who would you put in there??

Spender, Cooper has been playing Monkhouse on the right and Franks on the left so i dont think what footed they are matters to him.

on the left wing id play either ........

james
poole
horwood
luscombe
franks lots of options but monky on the wing and horwood at the back isnt working anymore and we are suffering there, this as iv said numerous times is just what i think though mr spender

In the last two games Franks HAS played on the left wing!

who has said otherwise?