iM NOT GOING AGAIN TILL WE GET MORE RED CARDS.

I’ve read some fairly ridiculous posts since the weekend but that’s a corker. It’s like people are seeking angles to talk crazy irrational shit.

I suppose from a Solihull point of view they probably would think if they had shown more discipline they’d have had an even better start as I’d imagine a fair few of the points they had dropped are in games when they had players sent off (three against us for a start). Our team has more of edge to it this season I’d say but long may keeping a lid on things continue. I thought we deserved credit under provocation at Halifax to keep our heads when they lost theirs and managed to keep eleven men on the field. Also we aren’t by any stretch of the imagination a hoofball team our plan is to get it down and play surely? When a game isn’t going well and the opposition are on top less passes are sometimes available and safety first comes into play. It’s just how the game pans out. I was listening to Halifax’s commentators when we played them and they were raving about the way we passed it saying we were technically superior to the home team.

2 defeats in 14 and people aren't happy ffs

No I went home to go to sleep but didn't happen then i got called back in, I was on call.

I know the feeling.

Without a doubt it will happen tonight and ill be in all night/morning again.

There are several posts on here vying for the top 10 shittest posts of all time.

1. We still have a football team. That in itself has to make this one of the best seasons ever.

2. We are very hard to beat, we're a top 10 team who does play some quite good stuff at times.

Sure it's frustrating at times, we're not good enough going forward, tactically or in personnel. It still beats most of the other seasons in the last 7 or 8 years, hands down.

Bates deserves time and hopefully once we can get rid of the substantial dead wood then we will improve even more.

Surely you are least slightly concerned by the lack of red cards?

BUT WE AR LONG BORLING IT TO JAYMES! WE'RES THE PASHUNNNNN?!?!

I genuinely reckon it will be 3-4 years before Pools are in a position to seriously challenge for this league. As many have already pointed out, last year was rotten from start to finish. You can't change that over night. Nor can you radically transform a team into world-beaters with one pre-season. The fact we are also in a league with a team who can spunk £4,000 a week on a proven goalscorer, and the likes of Leyton Orient are also looking to do the same as us and bounce back sooner rather than later, means consolidation in the top half would be a good season in my opinion. Follow that up with the difficulty of promotion from this league in terms of places available and it is pie in the sky to think we'd be able to walk out of it so soon.

All of that is true but at least these days you have six play off places, finishing 7th gives you half a sniff I think we have enough to push for that. Even having an interest in the right half of the table instead of looking over our shoulder is a start! It’s a long season you’ll have ups and downs but I still don’t think it needs that long to sort this team out. We have a solid spine in place and some good players at this level a couple more of the additions and you never know, but that will take time and a bit of patience. It would be nice also if we address this home form a bit, I think we could be a bit more positive in our set up and mentality. That would help the general feeling around the club, at the end of the day our supporters are desperate for something to shout about and get behind after years of garbage.

Thank you very much for your positive comments but the issue here is a lack of aggression by our players.
James regularly gets the shit kicked out of him and i dont see similar treatment being dished out by our players with the exception of Kioso.
For seasons we have not mixed it when necessary.
Its only when you see it live that you notice this.

One thing the team lacks is a killer instinct, a ruthlessness.

The days when you could kick your way out of a division are over. I actually think this season unlike in the recent past, the team are standing up for themselves, Davies and Noble have added a bit of steel. Teams are going out to stifle Noble and getting players sent off in the process, this can only be good, its also good that we are not (so far ) rising to the provocation.

If anything its lack of height ( yes that old Horden chestnut ) and physical strength that are hampering us, its this not the fact we are not going in two footed that is the problem in games.

The usual mix of positive, negative, sensible and a few predictable ludicrous posts regarding the clubs current situation. I still maintain that Bates has done reasonably well so far and fair play to him as he appears to have acknowledged that the home performances simply haven’t been good enough over recent weeks. Opponents are naturally dong their homework and know exactly how his Pools side will set up at the Vic - and how to counter it.

A measure of Bates will be how he addresses the situation - and he needs to as doing nothing is not an option otherwise attendances and league position will soon fall off given the boring, ineffective, long ball stuff that has been served up during recent weeks. Bates has tried changing players like for like time and again to no effect therefore unless Raj is about to open his chequebook and allow Bates to trawl the loan market the only option is to change formation/tactics - in home games at least.

This weeks game against Boreham Wood would appear to represent an ideal opportunity to try something different in order to secure 3 priceless points - and with some tough-looking away fixtures looming Bates really needs to get it right this time.

Personally I couldn't give a fook about red cards meself, So long as we start winning games.

You could watch live games everyday it doesn’t make you right if, you know your struggling when you resort to your mates puerile and only comeback ‘I know because I go and you don’t’ Nice one. Some people could watch every game and still not know what they are watching.

I think the team this year look far more capable of giving a bit back and are. Noble is the panto villain every time we play away and our captain stamped on Scott Browns testicles last season. That’s more of a nasty streak than we have had for a long time. You still never advocate stepping over mark and getting sent off that costs the team not just for that game but the following suspension. Snowy makes a valid point about what we actually need to work on.

Suggesting Solihulls disciplinary record as reason for them being higher than us is absurd, as I said take the game against us they had a lad sent off in the first half for a rash and reckless challenge at 0-0 then lost the game
as you tend to against a decent team when we have ten men for 70 minutes.

correct horden. lincoln city got it right a couple of years ago with a team of strong big lads who could also play a bit. not pretty at times but totally effective instead of being pretty and not effective.

The match on Saturday was flat with little drive or aggression from either side. Strong aggressive play is necessary up to the limits of the laws of the game to gain a competitive advantage.
These statistics "perhaps" show we may not be pushing at the boundaries of the laws.
Thats something for Matty Bates and the coaches to consider.

Haven't we beat Solihull This season? 1-0 away wasn't it.

Yeah, let's go for it. All our players should be equipped with tasers, tear gas and a sharp stick. If we're determined to want the title, the owners should go for it and finance tactical air strikes when the occasion presents itself, I'll happily volunteer my services at the top of the floodlight as forward air controller.
All together now "Oh there won't be many going home etc, etc,......"

Yes we hung on against 9 men to beat Solihull. Their 'secret' is winning or losing games, avoiding one point draws.

As people have previously said this year should be about consolidation and building platforms again after nearly going bust 9 month ago. Bates has done well by signing 2 quality defenders in Davies and Kioso along with Noble, Muir and James all of whom are a BIG improvement on the dross of recent years, and potentially Luke Williams as well which will be a massive bonus. So we have certainly got off on the right foot. After a few more transfer windows I have no doubt we'll be in a position to fight for the title. If we get to the playoffs this year, which is a real possibility, then that would be great.

I think people are getting annoyed because this division isn't very good and we are showing 1 or 2 signs that we're one of the better teams in the league.

Once Bates has had 2 or 3 more transfer windows then I think it will be fair to judge whether he is or isn't the man to get us back in the FL.

So explain how you choreograph that one to avoid draws.
If we're drawing 1-1 do we kick the ball into our net to avoid the dreaded draw

"Hanging on against 9 men to beat Solihull" is a very interesting interpretation of a game we should have won by 3 or 4 goals!

So far the 'Way Forward Group' strategy is to kick the fook out of the opposition, get lots of red cards, get some big lads in and AVOID DRAWS AT ALL COSTS(losing is better than drawing). Really, that's it.

Particularly at home I would prefer us to go all out for wins at the risk of losing a few games. Solihull have lost 4 whereas we have lost only two but they are ahead. Going on about unbeaten runs that include many draws isn't too clever. DD=2 points, WL=3 points.

Fylde have W6,D7,L1. They lie 7th with 25 points. If they had W4,L3 instead of D7 they would be joint top of the league with 30 points.

I will now await the clever remarks about 'if' but there is no getting away from the fact that the points system is loaded in favour of wins.

Is this thread even real?

It's just a dreeeeeeeeeeam, you'll wake up soon. Sleep tight.

I’m starting to think this Dstanley character isn’t. In his mid seventies? Doesn’t quite add up to me. On a ‘hilarious’ wind up to get ‘bites’.

I`m dstanley.

I'm going to Stanley, does that count?

I'm firmly in the group of people actually very happy with the state of affairs at Pools right now on the basis that before the end of last season it was highly likely we were going to go into liquidation at worst and even if not would be relegated due to performances on the pitch. Not only do we have new owners and some stability, we have after one transfer window turned around a woeful squad into one that is competing pretty well with some pretty astute signings.

I sometimes wonder what people want and expect these days

Red cards and losing instead of drawing.

More yellows and winning .

100%. Well said.