I thought Hawkins was terrible, loads of running but none of it actually with/near the ball. Woods and Featherstone were way better today in my opinion.

Great composure from Franks as well for that finish, seemed to take about 3 years to go in like!

[quote="Nelly"] Scott Loach made 2 or 3 top class saves

2 or 3 ? You have got to be kidding me. We could have been 4 down by half time !
How he never got MOM is beyond a joke. Agree Watson was steady away but I lost count of the number of times his headers went straight up in the air. He is several classes above what we have had in there previously, mind !
Never made it to the game last week & was as grumpy as fuck coming away from the Fylde game. A lot happier with that performance !

http://www.thenationalleague.org.uk/round-up-vanarama-national-league-39533

Did we ever rename the ground back to Victoria Ground?

We keep hearing from our resident experts how abysmal Scottish football is, but there must be some talent up there when the likes of Watson can't get a game up there, and Franks has come back a better player after his stint up there.
Daggers are the best team we've played this season. Thanks to resolute defending, especially by Loach (MOM for me) we took the points with a well taken goal by Franks. That's three on the trot and I for one am confident we have a chance. The manager seems at last to have got through to the players what is required to be successful at this level. I enjoyed today's game.
My main concern is the injury list.
Put on yer kilt, Craig and unearth some more Scottish gems

At your service, sir

I thought Hawkins was almost as good today as Woods was last week.

Stick a decent striker in our team and we'll have a chance

Hawkins did ok for me. As did Simpson considering how far off him our other 2 forward we're. Rodney absolutely went through the motions and I'm not all convinced he's got the heart for it long term but hope I'm wrong. Woods worked his socks off
. Loach MOM. Both CB we're solid and I think Ledger is gonna be held in very high regard come the end of season.. Any way excellent result against a very tidy Dagenham.

g
Look at the Action Replay page on the Official Site. Towards the end, there's a shot of their diminutive defender looking well in control of the situation, with Oates in the background. The next picture shows how much Oates closed him down before he was able to release the ball. That seems typical of the effort all these players are now putting in for the benefit of the team (not saying that Oates didn't previously put any effort in).

At this stage of their careers, Simpson & Rodney are not going to put in match-winning performances every week. Both got slight knocks yesterday (maybe cramp for Rodney) & they may be a bit short of match fitness to being able to play 90 minutes. Simpson won a share of flick-ons, but Franks & Rodney were too far away or behind him to be able to take advantage. Against Maidenhead, some balls were arriving at Simpson so he could lay them off to the side or back to midfielders; yesterday they all arrived at the top of his jump, & so were only ever going to go upfield.

Rodney didn't get much service in the second half, & their numbers 29 & 3 were doubled up to nullify any threat. To get the best out of him, he needs to be given the ball in a bit of space so he can run at defenders.

All minor points though, & I'm very pleased with the effort the whole team is putting in. Two Saturdays ago, we could never have dreamed of taking 3 points off the league leaders

Great result , not a great performance imo, probably Dagenham were better team, but gritty and did the basics well. Thought defence were outstanding, particularly Watson. It was a stiff test against top of the league, but hallmark of a good team is to get a point or 3 when not firing on all cylinders. If we have turned the corner and have serious promotion/play off ambitions then I think we need to get at least 3pts out of next 6. The Wrexham game I was dreading a fortnight ago, could only see a convincing home win,now no reason we cant nick a win there, though I would settle for a draw. Still not convinced about the 4-3-3 formation or the midfield, Dagenham full backs at times attacked at will yesterday, but what can you say, when we are still getting the results with it at the moment.

Franks continues to work his socks off , and prove his doubters wrong, myself included , and Loach yet again pulled off a couple of great saves to keep us in games. Long may it continue.

Some of the abuse directed at Rodney is ridiculous, "he lacked effort" the lad subs himself on 60 mins every week as he cramps up and cant continue, Craig Harrison has said he has missed 2 years of football and is at an early stage of development for a 19 year old. This might be the reason he doesn't run about like a headless chicken. If he was any better than he is he wouldn't be here. Enjoy having a player with that pace and power in the team might be a while before you see it again.

Whilst agreeing with unruly poolie I do think he is living on the Doncaster game. To be honest you don't know what he is doing next, he doesn't know what he is doing next and the opposition don't know what he's doing next. However as said he is still a young lad.

With Rodney, I think its just a case of he isn't a very good footballer, rather than being young etc, he may come good, no one can be certain he wont, but I doubt it myself. At the moment probably a handy player to have on the bench, but not in starting eleven. He did make a couple of crunching tackles yesterday, which was good to see, even though a couple were made after losing the ball in the first place.

As for an experienced striker, we probably needed one at start of season, regardless of Amond or Cassidy situations. We never signed one, if we do then great, but don't see point of getting one in for a couple of months ( not that you would get anyone decent at this stage in season ) may as well give Oates, Simpson some game time alongside Franks and see how it goes until Cassidy returns.

They forgot to include our goal in the highlights.....MORONS !

http://www.thenationalleague.org.uk/mat ... eos/114459

Probably the only way to get an experienced striker is a loan of someone coming back from injury. I think most supporters believe Simpson is not ready for regular starts and as for Oates well he is nearly 23 yrs old now so he should start stepping up to the mark.

He is having a career in the game though ! When I hear this he is only 19 crack, I don't know whether to laugh or fookin cry

As been said on numerous posts when the CF wins the ball there is no one close enough to receive it.

Exactly Jamie. As well as the midfield have played the last few matches none of them do much work assisting up front. This is bourne out by their goal scoring records.

But Jamma Easter was only a licckle nipper when he played for us, wasn't he?

Ps

Fwiw, Easter was shite, will always be shite and I was glad to see the cunting back of him, he was a wee johnny borthwick

Hth

https://youtu.be/XzndilERqx4

Goals on this video towards the end

That's not the whole problem. How many times in the game did any of our forwards other than Franks receive a ball to feet with his back to goal, hold the ball up for a few seconds and bring others into play? The main tactic seemed to be bombing high balls up in the hope that Simpson (later Oates) would get a head on it.

On the evidence of yesterday (admittedly I didn't see the Maidstone game, maybe it was better) I can only assume Harrison knows he hasn't currently got a central striker who is good at shielding the ball and making lay offs -the way Ferrier did for the Daggers all afternoon - so has got the team playing for knock downs instead.

Simpson got a couple of good flick ons with his head from long punts, but as you say nobody was running past him to get onto them. To be fair, they'd need to be bloody quick to do that!

The team has got to have an outlet that gives them a bit of time to get forward, otherwise there's constant pressure on the defence.

Cassidy is a big miss, and it's not all about youth versus experience; it's the type of player he is.

Simpson has potential, but we need somebody who's ready now, in my opinion.

We're playing a front three 4 of our last 5 goals have been scored by forwards one of them has scored in his last 3 three starts and we have won all three games the last being against a previously unbeaten team who were occupying first place.

Obviously I wasn't there yesterday and hatcam kept buffering but Simpson was quality last week and Rodney has the potential to be a proper handful. Mr Horden has banged on about tall physical players and lads with pace, Rodney has all of that, he obviously is raw and inexperienced and needs to realise how hard he can be to play against. But he's shite.....

Horden's posts on anything to do with football at any level are a classic example of 'the opposite is always true'. Utterly clueless.

FWIW you can listen to The Smiths and be cheerful and positive Chip

However I agree with your point about negative moaning fans at Pools who always seem to need a few hate figures to fill the sorry void in their own lives

Cheers...

Chip I don't sit in the mill house And I never said anything detrimental about Simpson only that he is still young and learning and not ready to start every game. His goal was in fact a pearler. and I thought it was an excellent performance all round. I also never ever shout out at players even though I sometimes have to bite my tongue.
However I think everybody knows only Chip is allowed views or you are sh!!

Chip they are just opinions that I believe most people agree with. I am over the moon with recent results but point out little points I think could improve the side even more.
You just don't to get it that football is a game of opinions and when you dislike them you get personnel with people calling them ar''holes or dickheads. As I said I don't believe in slating players on the pitch but as they say you pay your money.
Virtually after every game you mention people on the Millhouse shouting abuse this is the norm at most grounds where there is always some player for some reason or other a part of the crowd don't like but as I say everybody is entitled to an opinion.

By the way do you disagree with my little opinions?