...that we are going to smash this season?

I keep having these positive feelings. Like, we win the first 9 games and stuff like that.....

After so much shite in the past decade, I have no reason to feel this way but I DO.

Little pace, strength and height in the team in my opinion plus I imagine it will take us time to adjust to a new manager and the new surroundings.

I expect a mediocre start to be honest.

I miss Nathan Thomas and we haven't even started playing yet.

I miss the Nathan Thomas before his injury and bad attitude kicked in. He was bloody awful last few games he played....

I really don't think we will do as well as some people think. Look at the likes of Tranmere and Orient and how well they have strengthened. Even Fylde might be the surprise package this season as they have kept hold of their key man. I know we still have Podge on the books and last time he was in this league he did the damage but I still think we need another quality front man/winger. Oates might prove his worth at this level but I feel we are really light upfront, after watching the Sunderland game I think one or two noted that we needed more in the final 3rd.
Could also be valuable for us to have some absolute nuisance in the midfield, a Cattermole type. Interesting to see if this George fella once fit is any good.

The new play off system gives us a lifeline for promotion.
Not even thinking of automatic promotion.
No team that loses more home games than it wins for ablut 6/7 seasons in a row goes on to smash a league.
Hope Elvis is right.
Still expecting promotion via play offs like.

Who have they signed that's better then we have?

Don't forget we have no transfer window now. We can sign players all year. The squad that starts the season may well not be the one that finishes it.


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Jay McEveley

I think Orient will smash it personally. We have made some good signings in Laing, Munns , Donaldson and Adams, some who are a gamble such as Cassidy, George and Loach. I think our problem could be lack of goals. I think a lot of teams will come here and put 10 men behind the ball. I believe our midfield will struggle to provide the service to our forwards or FORWARD to be able to unlock a lot of these opposition defences. A lot will depend on Amond getting the goals, but I hear he wants to be away , cant see Oates setting the league on fire, though I reckon Josh Hawkes could break into the team and make an impact. If we are looking at 90+ points , we need a great start, the first month wlll tell us all we need to know I reckon. I hope we do well, I hope I am proved wrong, but for me everything points to a finish of between 8th and 11th position , a season of transition, and in the long term, that may not be a bad thing.

Well, I'll just write the season off and join the Colonel train spotting .

I'm expecting nothing. I am however actually looking forward to a season for the first time in years. So why not just cut out the doom and gloom, turn up and enjoy it and get behind the team.
Clean slate for me, yesterday's gone stop looking back.

What about Rodney ? Hope he's given the chance to do what he did against Doncaster.

Weren't they all though?

Still think we need a pacy attacking player and an experienced centre back. Happy with the 1st choice back 5 and the options in centre mid though.

Haven't saw much of Mondal, but the fact he's been on trial for about 4 weeks suggests he will be signing. May add that bit of pace we need, if he's any good.

I think Scott Harrison will be our weak link in defence, as he's guaranteed one howler a game that leads to a goal scoring opportunity. Would prefer Donnelly to play there, or even better another decent centre half to play with Laing.

If teams do come and stick 10 men behind the ball, then the creativity of Deverdics (and hopefully Munns) is going to be crucial.

I'm hoping we're going to be more attacking, the signings do suggest we will trying to be. Deverdics, Munns and Donaldson should create plenty of chances for Amond and whoever plays alongside him. I'd be disappointed to see us play a lone striker, certainly at home anyway.

I just hope the fancy dress day is a cracking day out.

To paraphrase Bill Clinton, " "It's the manager, stupid."

It looks like Harrison has made some good signings for this level, but we won't know how effective they are till we're a couple of months into the new season. This time last year, it looked like Craig Hignett had made some decent signings at League 2 level, and judging by the fact that most were sold on for a profit they probably were.

Unlike Hignett, Harrison set out his stall to recruit a balanced side and looks to have done it. Higgy couldn't seem to see weaknesses that were staring him in the face and didn't cut it as a manager.

If Craig Harrison is a proper manager, we'll do well. We've not had one who wasn't a novice or way past his sell-by date since Danny Wilson (Mick Wadsworth, by his own admission, was a coach). And Danny Wilson taking over the side was the last time Pools had any success.

... who is apparently absolute pish.

Anything less than top 7 and I would be disappointed. To think that we can walk it would just be so wrong though and put too much pressure on the team from the off. Many good, and bigger teams, have struggled for a long time in this league and some, York and Stockport for example, have gone further down.
The signs are good but lets keep the expectations under control - for now at least!

Lincoln had 99 points that equals 33 wins out of 46................it means winning virtually every home game..........can er do it????

Said it the other week, we look stronger this season than last. We're going to dominate this league.

I'm with Elvis on this, I can feel it in my water. So much so that I've stuck a bet on. I think CH knows very well how to manage at this level and mould a very good hard working side.

In between thinking about breasts and buttocks, I repeatedly fantasise about the delicious position Pools find themselves in during March, where we are something like 20 points clear with only 8 games left.

Surely karma owes us something after all this time?

20 points clear of relegation? That would be an unusual end to a season, wonder what that's like.

It feels like after years of stagnation, someone's gotten hold of the club and had the clear out at all levels that was needed but no one had the will to do.
The clubs been bumping along for several years, the lethargy was affecting everyone connected with the club and I realised how bad it had become when we started celebrating survival again. You don't achieve anything by just surviving.
I'm not deluded enough to be expecting us to walk this league, but I'd like to see us up there challenging. I am however, actually looking forward to a season for the first time in years and it feels good.... for a change.

Too much positivity will surely drive all the regular posters away.

should do ok. better standard than a lot think though. looking for a top 7 finish but some will regard playing at the vic. their cup final. took luton with 8k gates a few years to get back into the league.

Pam's breasts and buttocks? I admit they do look rather comfortable.

A squad that smashes the league looks something like this.

1 Dimitrios Kostantopoulos
2 Micky Barron
3 Matty Robson
4 Mark Tinkler
5 Michael Nelson
6 Ben Clark
7 Darrell Clarke
8 Richie Humphreys
9 Joel Porter
11 Eifion Williams
12 Gavin Strachan
14 Michael Proctor
15 Anthony Sweeney
16 Lee Bullock
17 Willie Boland
18 Gary Liddle
19 John Brackstone
20 James Brown
21 Jim Provett
22 Carl Jones
23 Darren Williams
24 Ali Gibb
25 Jon Daly
26 Steve Turnbull
27 Philip Turnbull
28 David Foley
29 Michael Maidens
30 Michael Rae
31 Tony Davison
33 Graham Low

Bring in a couple of players like say Ronnie Barker and Bob Monkhouse along the way, and I reckon you'd be guaranteed at least 2nd place in league two.
How does the current squad compare with that (minus one division)?

Even that Squad never smashed it

Show me another Pools squad that came within 1 point of being champions then.

That was 10 years ago. This is now. Time to look at the current squad.


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That's the whole point though isn't it. I'm looking at the current squad and asking if it can rise to the same heights.
It needs to do if it takes nigh on 100 points to go up. If people think it can, then sure, go ahead, be optimistic.

We're currently closer to the league leaders than one point, let people dream. It's probably as good as it going to get all season!

I am hoping it's going to be a good season, the signings look to be decent for this level. I am hoping we can get in the play offs.

It's a bit of a daft question considering none of us have the first clue about the majority of the club's in the division, as well as how well the vast majority of our own players will perform.

Let's just try and enjoy the ride

Think we might get a shock. The top 10 National League clubs could definitely cut it in League 2. There's actually a fair bit of money knocking around too.

7th I reckon.

I bought the Non League Paper for the first time today and they had a pretty comprehensive review of the National League including a section where they asked several pundits the same questions.

All of the NLP Writers have us in the mix up for the title. They were all asked for the singing of the summer at this level, Jacks Munns was mentioned by two of the five Jake Cassidy and Ryan Donaldson also got mentioned. People who have watched a lot of football at this level seem to think we have recruited well.

Keeping Amond could be the difference. We've no doubt done some okay business let's just hope they all gel in time so we can hit the ground running.

There will be more established teams up there and inevitably it'll take us time to gel. That'll probably be the difference this year. If we can get to the play-offs we'll have a decent chance... hopefully.