While this is still pre season and still a decent amount of time to go there were certainly worrying signs. Don't want to read too much into it however we certainly seem to be a lot weaker and lower in numbers than last season.

My thoughts on tonight.

Can't understand why more players didn't get a run out firstly, it's not the end of pre season so as many players should be getting minutes where possible surely!

Flinders - mistake for the 3rd I presume. Did seem to be trying to play it short a lot more.

Duckworth - good player. Think his position is safe.

Bates - think if we keep him fit, he'll be a very good signing. May need someone a bit more dominant alongside.

Austin - not a long term cb alongside bates. I'd be worried about the height of them for a full season although didn't do that badly tonight.

Holden - looked lost. But don't think he got any help from Compton at all.

Walker - please, please, please stop persisting playing him on right of midfield or diamond. Get him in the middle and build team around him.

Parnaby - didn't look comfortable in what seemed to be a flat midfield 4. Surely a player who has been a defender vast majority of career has not been signed for our midfield?

Miller - didn't actually think he did too bad with the short passes but don't think it's enough. Clearly we are lacking central midfielders but is probably worse than Walton. If this is all we can attract I would be worried. Need someone a bit younger for position alongside walker.

Compton - very frustrating. Didn't seem to want to go for any challenges which may be to ensure doesn't get injured but extremely inconsistent. Worse than monkhouse I would say!

James - looked lively but needs better service. Bit less involved when moved out wide in change of formation.

Harewood - think he will be better for a full pre-season however will he score enough goals? Does seem to help James out and is willing to work.

2 subs used tonight in franks and the young lad smith. Smith showed glimpses and might be one to use from bench this season and has promise. Franks seems to be playing as the 3rd choice striker. Don't mind this, but he needs to get himself involved more.

We didn't do too badly against their first 11, but once the young lads came on, we got thoroughly outplayed. Few signings needed in key areas and hopefully we can have a good season

you presume incorrectly.

Opinions eh? I thought Compton was our best player.

I'd be more concerned if I was a Sunderland fan, their senior players didn't look sharp or fit, their kids were on another planet. Saying that 11 pairs of fresh legs after an hour is hard enough for anyone to deal with. Overall a pretty standard pre-season game.

One thing I'd like to see cut out is short corners, or at least have a plan when we take them.

Marlon's dragback pirouette manœuvre in the first half was worth the admission fee alone!

I'd imagine more players didn't get a run out because Cooper wanted to get 90 minutes into people's legs as pre season is most importantly about building match fitness for the start of proper games of football. You can't look into a game were a team changes entirely after an hour; that is not a proper game of football.

My post game thoughts were, I think I`ll leave early and miss the rush!

Thought we did okay against a premier side for 60 minutes, the kids made us look a bit tired and took advantage of it, hope we get to loan a few of them, quick as fuck they were.

I dislike Cattermule

Adam Johnson was really poor I thought.

What happened with the 3rd goal? Sure the lad crossed it and mandron was only one in box and he wasn't credited with the goal?

But everyone needs minutes in their legs, it's a squad game after all, something we don't really have mind

He looked a bit heavy I thought.

The Octopus 11 versus the Cuttlefish `A` side, now that`s a squid game

Put aside the fact that we were playing (part) of a Premiershit side - the facts are that CoCo has somehow managed to fashion an even less impressive first XI than we had the dubious pleasure of watching last season. So lets have a reality check here - forget this pre-season talk/hype/shite - the only game that matters is the 'for real' opener at Stevenage just over two weeks from now. Unless CoCo is about to pull several rabbits out of hats in the form of decent loan deals or quality permanent signings we can shortly expect to witness bigger embarrassments than we saw around this time last year. I will be very surprised if the bookies don't have us down as one of the top 5 favourites for relegation - and those guys are rarely very far out in their estimations.

Only one side in it, Sunderland, though from their point of view they were shi*e. Pools defended well for 60 mins but were looking tired before Sunderland youth team came on. Some Sunderland fans actually thought their youth team was better than their first team because they went 3 up, not taking into account our tiredness. Walker looked dead on his feet, which is probably why he is with us, fookin hell at his age I would of wanted to play another game straight after. No way is Franks a forward. Good defensively but without a goal in us, things look bleak. On tonights showing long seasons ahead for both clubs.

Another ray of sunshine. It's a friendly man!

Had a look on their forum and some of them are comparing their youths to the Man U class of '92.

I assume 92 is the alcohol % of the vodka they're drinking. Their kids came on and ran the legs off a tiring League 2 team in a pre-season friendly.

I was quite happy with the way we played in the first half, we kept the ball down well and looked to play it out wherever possible. Marlon did better against O'Shea then James and Franks ever would!

Good to see players lasting a full 90 and the fitness levels increasing. Walker looked tired mind even at half time, wasn't getting much time on the ball and the chasing really took it out of him. The myth of getting more time on the ball against Prem teams was well and truly busted tonight, Sunderland pressed right up to our back four and had us chasing shadows for long periods.

Think the deflection had a lot to do with the 3rd goal

Slow, laboured performance. Only Miller who could control a ball and pass it in one or two touches. Parnaby needed 2 to turn and 2 to pass, Walker needed about 15 to control it and rarely actually got a pass away. That changed slightly second half mind when he went into the centre. If that's our likely midfield next season, I can see a lot of 0-0's and 1-0's. It's not going to be easy on the eye, and god forbid James gets injured or sold. Or Duckworth for that matter.

Franks probably our best player when he came on.

Franks has had a VERY good pre-season.

Parnaby was similar at Billingham. Looked a little lost but then its not a position he has played very often? Cooper keeps saying he wants players to pass it really quickly, I really dont think we have the players capable of the football he wants us to play. In his terms maybe not the "technical spec" to allow us to play that way.

Nothing a couple of high calibre loan signings wont sort mind.

If he wants us to play narrow then I don't think we can start Compton, I'm not sure why he wants to play narrow like.

Did you see our crosses yesterday?

if we are going to play same formation as last season though (the diamond midfield), we simply don't have the personnel.

We have no-one to play at the top of the diamond, seemingly a defender who will fill the bottom of the diamond, and playing a winger in one wide position and probably one of our best players out of position on the other.

Got to be a flat midfield 4 surely once someone has been signed to play alongside walker? This then allows compton to play as an actual winger, and get an actual winger for the right side. Or franks/richards could maybe play there if we are unable to sign anyone?

4 4 2 WITH WINGERS?

Jesus wept. Is it 1984?

And if thats what you want you might as well let Luke James leave, and bring back Steve Howard.

"shudders" at the thought of it all.

no it's not 1984, it's an opinion on the diamond formation and it's downfalls.

wingers doesn't have to mean lump it high into the box, there are other types of crosses you know? Also, this can help us stretch the play a bit more instead of being cramped in the middle.

You would of said the same last season, before we got thumped at Rochdale on the opening day.

Same thing will happen at Stevenage. If it doesn't I will suck your cock! If it does you suck mine!!

I'll suck my own thank you very much (well I used to be able to lick my bell end but haven't tried for a while)

And if we do lose at Stevenage will you come on here doing the tiresome 'told you so' routine?

If it is a draw does everybody suck everybody else's cocks? I'm not entirely convinced that all this oral sex is the best way forward for a football club but I'm trying not to seem old fashioned.

You're way behind the times Mr Louse, these days any self respecting League Two fan will perform a sex act on themself at the final whistle, whilst taking a selfie which they upload to the football rumours website.

Surely you don't want us to lose as notts would have to blow you?

Then again if we win you have to blow him?

I really don't know what's worse. Maybe a poll


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Poll would certainly be worse. Not even a Poolie and a referee as well. No oral sex for him even if it is all the rage in League 2 nowadays. Although if Horden is keen it might get us a few more penalties.

It's the strangest bet I've ever seen on here I must say.

I was presuming a mod had altered it?

I am no rocket scientist but I suspect Horden hasnt thought this through.

What's he gunna do if we draw? Just a straight up hand job?

No idea but I have a question:

Which one would look the gayest depending on the result?

Not relevant. Fans of lower division football are almost all polysexual now. For someone with such a deep love of modern football tactics you're very slow to respond to change in other spheres of life. Defining fans as gay or straight is like arguing for a strict 442 with two nippy wingers and a big lad upfront.

You're the Sam Allardyce of sex.

Bet? I'm not a betting man so I'm not having any of this. It's not every day I get the offer of a blow job, but I'm afraid Ron isn't really my type and I'll have to turn him down if Pools do the business.

Fussy twat.

Bottled it like ?

Take his bet up come on!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

edited for accuracy

You'll all be getting a knock from the chaps flat Yewtree if you carry on like this.

Can you imagine if every poster on here got threatened with a sex act every time they tried to shine a light in the dark? There'd be some aching jaws if nowt else.

This thread has really tickled my fancy!