My nephew is a Forest fan and for his birthday he wanted to go and watch them, so last night I took him to see them play Brentford.

It made a refreshing change to go to a match and enjoy it without all the worry and expecting to concede soft goals.

What was crap was the atmosphere though. Apart from the choreographed singing along to music just before kick off, there was bugger all chanting.

And when Brentford scored the opener after 80ish minutes, literally thousands of Forest fans got up and left.

Why do people do that? Loads of goals are scored in the last 10 minutes of matches. Weird.

It's not just footy. I was watching a rugby league game -- Catalan Dragons vs Wigan -- on the telly last weekend. It was a canny game with Perpignan taking a big half-time lead. Then Wigan did a Barcelona-style remontada and the crowd all pissed off (leaving the amusing sight of a French stadium entirely populated by overhanging Wigan guts).

Something about beating traffic innit, don't get it myself.

I worry about going for a piss during the game in case I miss something.

At a pools game, if we concede in the 80th minute, you know our players havent got the fight to or even arsedness to try n get a goal, so you may aswell leave.

Maybe forest fans think the same, you know your own club.

Apathy may have set in with them.

Dont judge anyone for leaving early, especially at pools after the shite we serve up.

I like to see how the players react at full time. Although I don't get the stuff about shouting at them and wanting them to come over so you can have a proper go at them. Found that embarrassing personally.

I don’t judge it’s just something I have never ever understood about football supporters, why bother going in the first place? At 1-0 on 80 minutes all three results are still on the cards. Even just stay to boo or see reactions at the end.

Up until about six years ago, I'd rarely miss a home match, despite living away in various parts of the country and would never leave early. I also couldn't understand why people wouldn't stay to the bitter end

Now I rarely go to a match and if its shite I nash off as soon as I can, life is too short to piss away on this current bunch of wasters and poltroons and if someone else does it, they've paid their money, its their choice

You never know, next season you might have the chance to have a pop at Martin Gray every week for 90 minutes plus stoppage time

Where is this shit coming from seriously!?

It reaks of Loid

I'll let you apologise if it happens

I leave early to get my morrisons salad before the rush at the self service.

I don’t see it to be honest.

Why would Hignett would want Gray involved?

If that boss eyed wanker ends up anywhere near our club then I’m out but I don’t see it. Obviously lots of people in Darlo hate Singh, lots people in Darlo hate Pools so I expect a lot of shite like this that needs to be taken like a pinch of salt in the coming months and years. I thought our takeover had stalled because Singh was buying York? I rest my case really.

Just what I have been hearing PJ.
Singh is a big fan of Gray, hence why he wanted to be involved at Darlo last year, and you are in the market for a permanent manager. From what I hear Hignett doesn't like Gray but if its part of the package that Singh wants then he has no choice but to work with him or move out.
The situation at York has turned against Gray so it would be no surprise if he was to up sticks again claiming he cant work under the financial restraints imposed on him.
His academy will be losing its link with DFC very soon and he will be looking for another club to link up with so where better than another north east club?
I would be more surprised if it doesn't happen to be honest but I don't think it would work out. Grays tactics worked fine in the lower leagues but he has been found wanting at this level but seems too stubborn to change. We have played far better football since he left and Wright has managed to get better players in despite a hefty budget cut.

I doubt Singh was a ‘big fan’ of Gray I just imagine he needed someone like him onside to have any chance of getting back involved at Darlo considering what happened before.

But Singh has entered into this with Craig Hignett who has unfinished businesss here management wise. Even if he remained director of football his outlook on the game and style of play is totally different to Gray.

2+2=5

You were a big fan yourself of Gray 12 months ago I’m going to start calling you captain hindsight. My view on the bloke has remained consistent.

Didnt martin gray have you near the top of the league early in the year? Im not sure the new guy is doing any better than gray did in the same league. I wouldnt slag him off too much they could still easily get promoted with the lottery of the play offs.

Each to there own about what time you leave the ground.
I bailed out at half time with about ten others v Guiseley.
A combination of it been fookin freezing, never looked like scoring and knew we would get beat.

Forest hadn't been that bad, they were creating chances, hit the woodwork twice, and looked well capable of scoring. They had three good opportunities to equalise before the end.

It just really struck me how many of them all stood up and fooked off as soon as the goal went in, like it was a race.

If a manager gets you promoted 3 divisions he earns the right to have a bit of slack when things start going wrong. Gray gets his teams to play very direct and with that sort of football its fine when you are winning but when you start losing regularly the long ball option starts to grate, especially when you have players that are capable of playing better football.
Yes with hindsight we better off now that Gray has gone, we have a new manager with different beliefs on how the game should be played and has brought players in to suit that vision. That has resulted in a style of play that is better to watch although we are still capable of some average performances. Its just easier to take if they are seen to be trying to play football rather than just hoof it to the big lad up top. Add to that the fact we are running at a more realistic budget too.
None of this though detracts from what Gray achieved with us and his drive was probably the main reason we got to where we are now but every manager reaches a level where his tactics just don't work as well.



Yes we did well for 3 games before we imploded. Gray didn't seem to realise that we had been found out and wouldn't budge in his playing style.
With the budget Gray has at York, failure to reach the play offs should get him the sack anyway. He has had virtually a free reign to sign who he wants and yet the team still cant show any consistancy. Take Parkin out of their team and they are a bang average team, even with all Grays signings.

How are you better off now Gray has gone? You’d be higher in the table if he’d stayed surely? You looked like you were in serious relegation trouble at one point.

My opinion on him is that it’s much easier to manage a part time club with a decent budget than a full time club with a big budget. Part time football means you can turnover players very quickly if they aren’t up to stratch, it’s far less risk. He’s not good enough move him on. At full time professional clubs you sign a dud and you are lumbered with him and you have less scope to improve the squad as a result. If someone in the dressing is against you they go, at a full time club they manifest and turn others against you. Gray is as thick as fuck and doesn’t have the man management skills or the intelligence to deal with that.

I also think pretty much anyone worth his salt managing Darlo would have achieved three promotions from the levels you have come from. That’s not to belittle the achievement of the fans to get you back but Gray could have been replaced by almost anyone with decent contacts and the right scouts around local and northern non league football. You and your fans got those promotions not him. If that person had been even a half decent bloke I wouldn’t have any problem with him being mentioned as the next Pools manager.

I find it really relaxing to be able to watch a game without being emotionally attached. Watched loads. My daughter dances in Grantham and me and the lad have been to watch them a couple of times....at one of the games I was having a piss and a lad came in with his dad and said 'why are there loads of Hartlepool fans at the game dad?' there were only two of us

I quite like watching York because they're not a million miles away and I sort of have a soft spot for them.

Going back some years me and the lad had season tickets at Selby Town (25 quid for both of us all season) and that was decent.

No I don't get people leaving early. I'm like whoever it was on this thread who said they hate going for a piss during the game. Can't see myself ever leaving early. I've paid for the ticket so being a tight get I'm not going until its finished.

Nah. A million times Nah.

When I was a student I spent a summer Reading doing different jobs. By August I was desperate for a game of footie so went to see Reading play Bury in the old Third Division.

0-0. Bored to death.

Watching the Premier League is alright because I dislike so many of the teams there's always an angle. Watching 2 teams you really couldn't give a monkees about is even worse than trailing round the shops for 2 hours.

Towards the end i used to have to drag my old man to Pools. As soon as we conceded he would be off, whether 30th , 40th or 60th minute. I would usually toddle of around 80th minute mark. In the pub after my dad, then on his 3rd pint would ask " how did it finish " I would usually reply they got beat 2-0 dad

I have lost count of the number of times this has happened during the last 5 or 6 seasons.

Leaving Pools early this season is perfectly logical as any late goals are usually the opposition's.

The majority of Darlo players, since we were promoted from the Northern League, have all been on contracts which are just as binding to a part time club as they are to a full time club. Yes he was able to ship players out easily in the NL season if they werent up to it but since then it hasnt been as easy. As for moving players on easily who are contracted, it hasnt been easy since the majority of Darlo players were paid more than most other clubs at our level could afford.
When I say better off, I meant financially as we no longer have two assistants and the rest of the Gray entourage to pay for and also work to a more realistic budget. The bonus is the football is better to watch now too.

I keep meaning to get to Darlo, but having to change trains, then get to a ground in the middle of nowhere has so far put me off. Shame cos some decent pubs in Darlo.

leaving early is something i always do. as soon as that board is up i,m off to the exit, hand around for a min. or two then run back to the car. win loose or draw i just cannot stand traffic jams. missed the equaliser at fylde but rarely miss any other important goals.

That is just bizarre

It’s like saying I go to the cinema every week but never watch the end! Each to their own and all that but how much traffic congestion to you regularly get outside of non league football grounds?

I leave before the game even starts now, saves me loads of time.

Football is unique though in that if it was a film or a restaurant and you got served up the same old shit, you wouldn't watch or go again. We all wax lyrical about the few good games, but how many games are absolute dross? 80% in Pools case. The last 2 home games wont last long in the memory nor will the 0-0 draw v Southport in 1976 or the majority of the 0-1 home defeats of the last 6 seasons.

You might be on to something there. I'm gonna give it a try! Genius

Reading the comments from York fans on Twitter today I certainly think he’ll be available soon!

He’s sound as popular as Dave Jones was here, which was predictable as the bloke is odious.