You have missed the point. The players were shite. They would have been shite in any formation.

We need to go back to back to very very basics. Round pegs in round holes, learn how to fucking move as a unit, learn your role and it how it all contributes, learn how to go about things if we go 1-0 up and likewise 1-0 down. All worse than school stuff at the moment.

I don't agree with you at all. Why are you even mentioning Pam what the fuck did today have to do with her!?

I think we have some decent footballers, quite a few who should be very good at this level.

Today showed what we lack though, and it's what's required a lot at this level. Leadership, organisation and doing the basics well. We can't continue with those lads at centre back, they literally cost us the game today, they both two similar and both need an old head next to them. We desperately need an experienced or better should I say centre half.

Harrison has almost got too big a squad at the minute, he clearly hasn't worked out his best team or the best shape to get results.

We are suffering what plenty of teams do when they get relegated, a hangover, it's not easy when you've had a losing mentality just to turn that around with a click of the fingers but that was massively frustrating to watch. If we could have done the basics well it was three points for the taking there was no mystery or quality to how Maidenhead played our defending and the goals we conceded were an utter disgrace though and goals change games, especially the second one when it looked like an equaliser was coming any minute.

Tuesday is a massive game already as we desperately need a win to get a bit of confidence and belief but with one or two tweaks and additions this squad should be more than good enough to do ok at this level.

PJ who is decent?

Genuine question as I didn't see one one today.

Most of the squad should be good players at this level, many are proven to be, we have had worse teams than this but it goes a bit deeper than that at the minute.

One thing we haven't had at this level, or at anywhere near this level is the manager. He's making too many mistakes with selection and setup. It's up to him to get the best out of the team.

FFS give him a chance he's been here for three games!

Players and manager are out of their depth in this league. Frightening isn't it !

The players aren't out of their depth, they aren't doing things they need to do well at this level though especially on a day like today on a surface like that were they thought they could turn up and pass the ball about nicely then collect the three points. The mentality is all wrong, it's like they don't know what to expect when it's glaringly obvious to everyone else. The manager obviously has to prove otherwise and that is down to him but I'm not having people turning on the bloke after three games.

Short term memory is poor then?

I'm giving him a chance, he's played 4 different formations across three games and another one in pre-season. He's signed a fuckload of players who are all centre midfielders then sets us up for wide play.

It's up to him to take his chance and do a good job. If he doesn't I'm a paying customer and I will tell him he's doing shite.

Up till now we've got one point from 9. It's shite and it's his responsibility. He gets paid to take that.

The squad is missing the same players as have been for years. It's almost like it's a rule we can't have a midfielder who wants to put foot in as his main job. No wingers and no dominant centre back

Hopefully that's the last we'll see of Donnelly and Hawkins. Need a proper centre back and some pace.

PJ. There wasn't one Pools player today that would have got in the Maidenhead team. They are out of their depth

On paper most of them would have. Based on the game not many would.

Best start playing on paper then !

We have some very good players at this level. We were 4th favourites for a reason.

We clearly are still short in a couple of areas.

We also need to work out a gameplan and stick to it.

I'll watch it again, see if I can spot one ...

Start and the first player and he would put keeper looked really good very assured made some good saves, he looked way above Conference standard, Maidenheads looked as dodgy as fook if we'd have gone about the game like we should have we would have exposed him. Blair Adams looked better than any other full back on the pitch, I thought Deverdics got on the ball more than anyone when he came on. It's not about being out of their depths it was about defending properly and doing the ugly side of the game better. Both goals were gifted by horrific defending for the first and a ridiculously naive error for the second when we were well on top. Technically one to eleven we had better players but that doesn't mean a thing at this level and we need to learn that fast.

This

Magnay, Amond, Munns, Donaldson and Deverdics have all excelled at this level in the recent past.

....the recent past. Thats OK then. What about now though ?

Pools have been good in the past too.

I'm still yet to see what the point is in signing newton when we have woods Hawkins n fetherstone who do exactly the same job

Deverdics should have been in there we are crying out for a central midfielder to actually attack ffs


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I said when he was appointed that my worry with Harrison is he would be learning on the job, which is exactly what's happening.

I am not saying get rid. I am saying that if we ultimately think he will do a good job, he has to be kept...in the knowledge that we will struggle for a season or two until he gets it right. If we keep him, we back him through thick and thin because we believe he will get it right eventually. It's very difficult for us to make that decision as all we have to go by is what we see on a Saturday afternoon which to be fair has been less than promising.

If he is doing all the right things behind the scenes and with training and we're heading in the right direction then he has to stay and we accept the bumpy ride. I really don't want us to keep going down the route of changing managers every two minutes. IT NEVER WORKS.

That said, someone committing 100% to getting things right is absolutely nowhere near enough on its own, in fact, in my opinion it's a given. He can either do the job or not. I, for example, will never be a professional footballer regardless of how committed I am.

I would've loved a proven manager and I really don't want us to follow York in delaying and delaying before appointing someone capable but again, I'm not saying get rid, I really aren't, it's 3 games......it just couldn't have been much worse a start and that's both worrying and frustrating.

harrison...not impressed when he was appointed....less impressed now....talks a lot but makes little sense.. could be gazza in disguise for me

"We are told we have one of the biggest playing budgets in the League we are playing in,..............."

Pools have just been well beaten by a newly promoted club of part-timers. Our full time professionals must demonstrate increased work rate and commitment to compete at this level. Do they have any pride?

Said it all really. Haven't read anything since that adds anything.

Least of all this:

www.hartlepoolunited.co.uk/news/2017/au ... -comments/

This situation is serious and I mean serious.
The manager is coming across to me as being out of his depth. He just hasn't got a clue as to which is his best team and how to play it.
It's either that or these players he is picking are useless or not up to meeting the challenge of this league.
So which is it????
As for playing out from the back. Does he really think he has got the players capable of doing that....really???
We have not got anywhere near the talent to play a passing game in our final third. In this league we should adopt the policy of playing the passing game in the opposition half, which gives us a chance of getting the ball back when we inevitably give it away.
That is the first middle and last instruction Harrison should be giving to his players. A simple instruction that even our players should understand.
In other words keep it as simple as you can Craig.
Alan Devonshire did his homework and learnt that Harrison wants to play out from the back so he got his groundsman to leave the grass long and leave it bone dry thus making the pitch impossible to play passing football on, especially at the back. if you watch the replay of their second goal you will see their striker was on the move before Laing actually attempted the pass.
Surely in the warm up the state of the pitch was noticed.... obviously not.
Having watched the first three games, the players who I would not give a shirt to are Amond,Hawkins,Harrison, Laing and Donnelly. These players, for whatever reason, are not at it or not good enough. In Amond's case I think his head is somewhere else.

There are others who are suspect but you have to start somewhere.
These players are either inept at what they are doing or the manager is inept in getting them to do what he wants or they aren't capable of doing what he wants.
The whole set up is wanting and I can't help thinking that Sam Collins would have been a better choice.
It may get better, it's got to or we are going to follow Stockport and York.

agree completely.
Bloody hell ive heard it all we have better quality players, we have this we have that. We were tortured by part timers, in an utterly embarrasing fashion. We have signed utter shite. If this team stays up it will be a miracle. That is by far the worst display i have ever seen by any team. This wasnt a one off we do it every bloody week, you think they cant get worse well today says they can. I dont care how strong the conference is that was pathetic.

Absolutely spot on billingham poolie. As I have said previously you can put all their names in a hat and draw eleven out and it will not make much difference.

Players walking past the pub after the match - laughing and smiling. Having a joke with supporters.

Today was an utter disgrace. You can debate tactics / formations all you want but there are some genuinely hideous footballers in that side.

Ok Maidenhead might have had better more skilful players but Pools train all week, Maidenhead 2 nights a week. Our fitness levels should have been far superior too theirs and surely after 75% of the game we should have been running them ragged ?

But you need good players to do that

I was gutted about missing the game thru work.
Sounds like it turned out to be a blessing in disguise judging by the Bunker to ite.
Pre season optimism totally gone in 3 games.
Seems like yet anutha relegation battle beckons.

Ah fuck it enuf is enuf me last season as a ST Holder.

We needed someone to put their foot on the ball and dictate play....Featherstone?!?!?!

Hopefully luke George is the man to kick their arses!

Our midfield today were marshmallow in human form. I agree about Featherstone, we needed someone to slow it down, the passing was atrocious and Harrrison and Laing look like two bollards but without the mobility.

I agree in a sense Chip but you aren't the oracle yourself you called Lewis Hawkins a good player about two weeks ago now he's 'out of form' He's been 'out of form' since small purple patch over a few weeks 18 months ago. What does he add as a midfield player?

The obvious worry with Luke George is, have we signed another crock? He got his magic insoles that were going to cure his injury problem, played one (good) 45 minutes at Whitley Bay and hasn't even made the bench since.

Hawkins spent about the last 15 mins of the first half trying to kick the oppo' off the pitch (thing is he doesn't do aggression so gets pulled up every time for it)..... because he's so slow you'd think he was dragging a milk-float behind him. I could dress a clothes horse up in a Pools strip and slacken all of the screws and it would still be more effective in a midfield role than that bloke.

Also why is it that every Pools player looks 5 yards slower than any other footballer..... at any level of the game, do we actually plan to coach the pace out of them or summit?

I can't understand the negativity. Pools went up out of the relegation places to 20th top this weekend, surely an improvement by anyone's standards...

Can't agree with that. The midfield is currently as bad as the defence, which is saying something, but I can at least see what Newton and Donaldson are supposed to bring to the team. Newton is a box to box workhorse who is prepared to graft - he's made a poor start but is at least willing to get on the ball. If Donaldson continues to be played out wide he is going to get grief all season for not being a true winger, but he's reasonably good on the ball (at this level!) and will make chances for the forwards - apart from maybe Adams and Deverdics who else among the senior pros is going to do that?

I can't even work out what role Hawkins is supposed to play in the side. He's like a facsimile of a professional footballer - he certainly looks the part and will jog about for 90 minutes, but what exactly does he contribute? He doesn't get involved, isn't a ball winner, creates very little and has scored twice in 50-odd games.

That said, I'd happily see Featherstone, George and Deverdics start on Tuesday if they're all fit.

Last season we had probably the worst midfield I can remember, Featherstone, Woods,Deverdics and Hawkins and they are all still here. Supporters have different views on individuals but the fact is they were all very average or poor.

What I don't get is we apparently played a lot better second half on Tuesday playing a basic 4-4-2 and could have won the game, a lot of the Macclesfield supporters said we looked the better team and like one that would be up there come May. So why did we start the next game playing a completely different formation? I think Harrison is possibly trying to be too clever, we need to get back to basics and start doing the ugly side of the game well if we do hopefully a bit of extra quality we see us more points. At any level you can't concede goals like we did yesterday and expect to do anything.

If people think this team is capable of challenging at the top end of the league they are completely deluded, the team is weak and unbalanced. has a poor spine, and hasn't the players currently in the squad to correct that. I'll stick my neck out now and say that this team will do very well to stay out of the relegation spots this season.

Craig Harrison is definitely trying too hard to live up to (his own?) hype about him being a progressive coach at the minute.

The commentators on BT sport yesterday were not the first to say there are some basic rules in National League - the pitches and officiating are crap, so clear your lines quickly and play your football in the opposition half. Great advice for defenders as limited as the ones we've got!

Also, bombing high balls towards the opposition box is the basic tactic of most of the team in the NL - so come on Craig, how many more goals are we going to concede like the first at Maidenhead?

Finally, all the 'little' teams in the league are going to raise their game against Pools - so pick an 11 who are up for battling for 90 minutes. Might need to do a bit more recruiting on that one!

I use to have a theory that if you sign five or six free transfer players you might get three successes. Well I think that's out of the window this season.
I fully agree with Paulus above and I know some of the midfielders were on contracts but that does not get away from the fact they were players in one of the poorest midfields I can remember.

So hoof it but don't hoof it?!

I agree with you like, except we've not really got anyone to challenge in the air up front so in all likeliness the ball is going to come straight back, particularly as we don't really have a midfield. Our defenders have proved they're not up to playing out from the back, Laing tried but was well and truly found out by Maidenhead's quick closing down. His long balls also were hopeless and and nowhere near anyone in a Pools shirt, I'm hoping he's just a bit behind fitness wise otherwise we've signed another dud.


I'm starting to think it's us that should be raising their game to the opposition. Every other team we've played so far have looked more organised, more likely to create chances, stronger and worst of all had more heart.

The new formation was to combat the the long grass, which they then forgot about when passing to eash other
Maybe 2 of them should be put out to grass!