Would you like them to:
Stay up, go down, or not bothered?

I'd like Sunderland to stay up (but they won't)

I'd like Middlesbrough to come down (but I think they will stay up)

Like them to stay up because I know decent people who support both and neither club has that horrible arrogance that Newcastle specialise in. Can't see that either doing OK has any negative impact on Pools either, any overlap of casual fans that I've known seems to depend on us being worth watching rather than what division they're in.

Agree with the above, Newcastle have a big sense of arrogance which is strange considering they have won fuck all.

Just a side note... When Gibson finally walks away from Boro.. (retirement or shuffling off) Do you think they are an interesting proposition for a rich owner or will Boro plummet down the leagues?

Put simply, are boro living the dream due to massume investment or are they more like a stable financial outfit who have the ability to become self sustaining at the level they are currently at?

For what it's worth, I think they're screwed when gibson walks in a similar way blackburn and wolves have dropped and may continue to do so.

I think it depends on what league they're in when Gibson eventually decides to leave. If they're a Premier League side they'll undoubtedly attract someone to come and take over. There's too much money and exposure in the Premier League for someone not to come along and snap them up. They'd be a cheaper investment than most sides in the league too.

If they happen to be outside the Premier League, then they may struggle. Best thing Gibson could do for the club is look to sell/move on when the club is doing well. Whether he will or not is another matter.

They were in talks to sell to Chinese investors early this year but Gibson backed out. He makes enough money to keep them running steady without affecting his lifestyle. They're unbelievably lucky to have him and he pay tax bills on time.

I'm not overly bothered what league they're in as their fans are easy to wind up whatever league they're in. Boro are boring as fook, Sunderland are always shite and Newcastle always embarrass themselves.

Aye, no slurs on gibson, he's earned some serious cash and ploughed a chunk of it jnto Boro.

Just wish we had a similar fan following pools.

Jeff stelling must have a good wedge... are you reading this Jeff?

I actually quite like Sunderland and don't mind any success they have.

Boro are just dull as fook. No actual disrespect intended to the place or people who live there but from an outsider looking in I can't understand why anyone would want to spend any time there. If Karanka came out and said 'I can't sign players' I'd fully understand.

I've listened to him say a few things and you probably wouldn't.

Boro itself is grim but there's far worse areas places to live than up here if you have plenty of coin. They had absolutely no problem attracting players when they were paying big wages, than likes of Mendieta actually stayed after football not sure but he might still live in these parts. Gibson and the club just don't have the financial clout they did back in the day it will probably take them surviving for a couple of seasons or going down and straight back up before they start making bigger signings again. They have bought terribly thought, that Gestede is a donkey in the Championship and Bamford is Championship standard errrrr errrrrr errrrrrrr Karanka might as well have given Rhodes a chance.

Taking all of that into account I hope the get relegated the Conference North never mind just go down this year. Sunderland I'm not too bothered about but surely (much like us) they can't keep just surviving. You can't see them bouncing straight back when they do go down either unless they get new owners.

I must've read this 10 times and still don't get it....could you elaborate please Mr Toulouse?

Aye, like I said - outsider looking in. There must be a lot of decent places in the area just appears to me to be really pants, but it's a big place so it can't be all bad. Juninho was no mug on the pitch and he loved it there...

Every club should have a Gibson as chairman.....well, a Steve Gibson anyway

Would love them both to stay up and Toon to win the league, I never understand the arrogance label. The fans just want them to take cups seriously and the players to put a shift in for their obscene wages like most clubs and not to ponce around aka Owen, Luque, Viduka, Flavin etc. Every fan knows they should do better given the size of club, income, fanbase, sponsorship and investment.

The 'Toon' ...says it all. I don't care!
We have enough problems ourselves with the Loan Arranger and a misfiring team to worry about those wannabes.

I'd like to see all 3 teams doing well.

Watching the it local news in the early 90s we had boro, Sunderland and Newcastle doing well, hartlepool darlington and York all seemed to be doing well. The North east had a good base.

I'd love to see darlington and York back in the league. York is and cracking day out.

Can you put into words what you get out of seeing the do called 'Big Three' doing 'well'...? Do you jump out of bed, slap you're thigh, push open the bedroom windows, sniff the roses, tell the wife you love her and shout out to the passers-by that sky is blue and the sun shines, the children are happy all because the 'big three' are 'doing well'... It's a golden era,etc, etc, because if you do, you need sectioning.

I have a team, .... and sympathy for Darlo and York, but the rest, and I wish them no harm, mean absolutely nothing to me. Let's put the boring old myths to bed and worry about Pools.

In terms of the north east I can see benefits of all rhe teams doing well.

In hartlepool, the council? Ran an audit a few years ago and established that hufc brought a few million into the town. This will drop if we drop down the leagues.

This figure no doubt increases as you move up the leagues. This extra cash floating around the area has to go somewhere, simple economics.

So in terms of me wanting the likes of boro etc doing well is purely down to the benefits it would bring with it.

In the same way bringing infrastructure and jobs to the north east will also bring investment and money in too.

[quote="Snowy" Do you jump out of bed, slap you're thigh, push open the bedroom windows, sniff the roses, tell the wife you love her and shout out to the passers-by that sky is blue and the sun shines, the children are happy all because the 'big three' are 'doing well'....[/quote]

Good grief, Snowy. Is this what you do when you're pleased about something? I'd no idea. I'll have to revise my picture of you completely now.
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Sniffing roses......who'd have thought it. I'm afraid I'm going to have to report you to the Colonel for displaying inappropriate happiness......

I think he's replying to your comment, "If Karanka said (whatever) I'd understand".

They're football clubs ffs, if the money wasn't spent on them it would be spent on something else. They aren't industrial giants, they're in the entertainment business and they want their share of the leisure market income which is why we see mugs walking round the town in Premiership shirts.
They're not religions, they're out to make money and quite happy to flog their 'brand' in this town and Hoover as much cash out of you as they can.
How Newcastle winning anything affects job prospects in Hartlepool is beyond me.

Good grief, Snowy. Is this what you do when you're pleased about something? I'd no idea. I'll have to revise my picture of you completely now.
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Sniffing roses......who'd have thought it. I'm afraid I'm going to have to report you to the Colonel for displaying inappropriate happiness......[/quote]
C'mon, you know I'm a registered cynic

I'm talking about the extra cash that is brought into the region by visiting fans. It's not that hard to grasp surely?

Or if you want me to be as cynical - as I don't live in the area anymore, then screw it. Hope all the teams crumble at the expense of teams in my area - that way all that extra revenue enjoyed by pubs, hotels, places to eat can go to someone else's pocket.

I may have been wrong earlier, it may have been IOR who looked at the cash the footy club brings to the town when aiming to take the Vic. I'm sure thr council would disagree over the loss of revenue generated, or they could just increase your council tax.

Fuck the Boro. Went to school down there and their fans were wankers back then. They piss and moan on the phone-ins about managers, chairmen et al. Fuck em. Hope they go bust.

The best scenario for Pools is to have 'the big 3' all struggling, as far down the leagues as possible. Then some of the next generation of kids coming up might decide to support Pools instead of becoming a plastic.

Best post ever

Second best post ever

I'll try again...... they're three football teams with champagne fantasies and lemonade realities. A visit once a fortnight from a load of visiting supporters is hardly going to boost the regional economy, pubs aside.
The reason I don't give a shite about them is because they want everyone to join there own brand buying their shirts and watching them on the telly and in their world clubs like Pools are an irrelevance. They're there to make money, it's what the Premiership is about.

Pools, Gateshead, Darlo etc are all competition to them that they would prefer wasn't there.

Yup away fans won't make any difference to the local coffers at all.

Premier league rules state clubs should offer 3000 away tickets - 3 teams in the premier, 19 games at home each season.

If each fan only contributed £10 locally (I spend more at games with the kids). It's merely £1.7 million into the local economy.

If you factor in people staying over etc obviously the amount increases. I'm not here on a 'big 3' love in, just trying to point out how the local area can benefit from something as simple ass the football teams doing well.

Yeah, I thought so Ms Grabec but.....just like that situation at school where the teacher asks the class a question and everyone knows the answer apart from you (or in this case me), I just don't get it

Never mind, I wouldn't bother wasting any more of your time trying to explain to me Ms Grabec, you're fighting a losing battle

Are you seriously telling me that we should get on our knees and be humble and grateful for the money pubs and hotels make in other towns and be concerned, what planet are you on.
Try seeing the bigger picture, they're there to make money for themselves .

The only benefit I care about is for this team and this town.

The more money they can make from being in the premier league the less chances their youth will get. That's the only real benefit to the three being up there, Pools getting loans and cast offs.

Snowy

I can see I'm wasting my time trying to explain simple economics but I'll try anyway - again..

Businesses in the north east - middlesboro Sunderland and newcastle, earn cash from visiting fabs - extra cash brought into the region from outside.
If the owners of that business have some extra floating cash chances are they will need to take on extra staff etc. At some stage the people working jn these towns spend their earnings - usually in the local economy too, which will include places like hartlepool etc too.

Here's an even simpler question, are you the regional director of the CBI or a football supporter. You appear more concerned about the sub regional balance sheet .
Even simpler message I don't give a toss about whether a few bars or hotels make a profit, I go to watch the football.
Just like the Premiership your obsession is the balance sheet.

If away fans are like Pools fans they'll buy a few pints in the town then save themselves for fish and chips in Wetherby on the way home.

Just pointing out the knock on effect.

Left hartlepool years ago, everytime I come back I'm shocked with how poor some parts are. Church Street was fairly thriving when I left, now it's a bit of a mess (trying to stay positive).

Anything that may bring a bit of extra cash to the area gets my vote, that's pretty much all I'm trying to say.

Looking at the exexeter fans view earlier, he seemed quite impressed with his day out. If pools stay up he'll be back next season, he may decide to stay over in the travel Inn or premier Inn. Money into the town on the back of yhe football team.

Shot your own arguement down there. "May decide to stay over in the travel inm or premier Inn". They are massive chains and the money will go anywhere but the town.

That maybe a positive from when we played them in 2009 and a few were impressed by the marina and cheapness of drink and am sure when they are playing Sunderland Newcastle and boro we get a few staying


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I passed as the Exeter fans were getting off a coach from Tiverton, they all headed to Morrisons. Honest truth.

There was at least 50 in the Centenary bar with a gang 20 lads getting rounds of Jaeger bombs

It must have been after Morrisons then if they were on the coach.

Do they employ people from London to work in the Premier Inn and then drive them home after their shift then?

Or are the people working there doing it for free to ensure every single penny spent is bagged up and sent by armoured car back to the South east?

I think we've established two things snowy, we aren't going to agree and you really can't grasp economics.

Sorry, if we're being silly, I forgot that these national chain hotels are only kept open in Hartlepool because of footy fans. They would be forced to close and put people out of work if it wasn't for Premier League fans staying there.
I understand there's a benefit to the area but the difference you're suggesting between the 3 clubs being premier league and championship isn't that big. It certainly doesn't warrant wanting them to be in the premiership for that reason alone.

Never said just the premier league. But as has been mentioned on previous threads, in the days when pools were top of league 1 - we had a ground with 5500 crowds. A chunk were away fans.

This has dropped since we are fighting for our lives.

If the likes of boro, Sunderland etc experience a similar slide, theit crowds may experience a dip too. Hence the effect.

You really need to read my posts back. I never said the likes of the premier Inn opened solely for footy fans, but the area will gain from having a group of visitors turning up to a place they wouldn't normally consider, or is that too hard to grasp?

Something you've said hard to grasp? I doubt it!

My last post started "Sorry, if we're being silly..." In response to your daft suggestions about staff being driven in from elsewhere.
I was simply saying that the hotels you mentioned wouldn't be affected by such customers on the whole. The employees would still be employed by the hotel whether or not there was a few extra customers from football.

I understand with a dip in crowds and smaller away following there will be less people visiting the area, anyone can grasp that. But I reckon the difference to those visiting the town while supporting other sides would be almost negligible.

Answering the original question. I like to see all the north east teams doing well. I suppose a bit of that comes from being an exile. I also like to see anybody from the north east doing well, in other sports as well as life in general.
Backing up Chip's point.........I know a few people from my area who have been up to Newcastle this season and stayed in Hartlepool because of past visits to the Town when their team played us. I know a Norwich fan who has visited the area a few times since his first visit when we were both in the same league. A lad I know from Rotherham moors his boat in The Marina !!!
It has always been said having a team in the Football league puts a Town on the map.
Maybe it does and maybe it doesn't.
We will all do what we choose to do and I like that.

The only thing we've established is your apparent belief that without those three in the premiership we'd be enduring an economic winter.
My belief is the Premiership is a vacuum cleaner.