Nothing else to say really.

I have been going to Pools for 65 years and there have been some awful players/ teams - I don't think this is the worst we have had.
Something is wrong :-
1. Formation / System
2. Fitness - we are constantly outplayed in the second half.
Their manager susses our formation and changes theirs to combat it , and we run out of energy - result we get outplayed in the 2nd half.
Something needs to change quickly.
On the positive side we only need another 22 points or so for. safety

We have been voicing our concerns as supporters for a while now a 4 0 defeat is not acceptable but it happens what can we do god knows just hope for the best i suppose.

We are now losing to teams that I don't know where in England they are exactly ?
And last season I told my mate that we will be playing Solihull Motors !

Never mind.

Give it a few years and pools will know exactly where teams come from. The Durham League is tight knit...

I would like our Director of Football Craig Hignett to come out and tell us what he intends doing in his role as DOF about the standard of the football and coaching within the club, which obviously is not working in anyway shape or form,it's becoming an embarrassment to us fans and making a laughing stock out of the club itself. If I hear statements such as up until this point we've been fine.... well not what I've seen. I've haven't seen a convincing performance this season, even the games we've won I've been far from impressed with the quality, shape and fitness of the team.
Part-time teams are taking us apart for Christ's sake. Over reaction....no wake up and smell the coffee.

If you have time go on bromley twitter and listen to their manager what he says, up against it 1st half 2nd half our game plan kicked in.

His attitude comes across as whats the fuss all about we knew we could beat them and did no bother.

Maybe harrisons clone should listen to it.

All teams get stuffed occasionally, but then again all teams usually hand out a good stuffing once or twice a season. Apart from us, that is. When was the last time we truly turned someone over? I'm struggling to remember a convincing performance in the last half dozen years, even when playing supposedly much weaker opposition. Bates is just the same as Craig Harrison tactically (i.e. useless), but given that he has much better players at his disposal, he should be doing much better. He has no inspiration, motivation or leadership - he's the very essence of complacency. He was no different as a player, always happy to get away with as little as possible, and this attitude is reflected in his team. We seem to set out every game, even at home, to hang on to the 0-0 we have at kick-off, and hope the opposition is crap or gifts us a goal or two.
It's not remotely good enough, I don't want to keep sacking managers when the problems, obviously, run so much deeper but, by God, we don't half saddle ourselves with some shite.

I couid have done with this sort of 'support' when I was pointing these rhings out in September and early October.

As long as the club remains an employment agency for the x Boro players and, crock signings it will remain in non league for the foreseeable future. Fuck this its a 3.year plan, everytime. We go on a losing run and our brilliant fans. Need to be a bit more. Patient. Should of got them pair of. Bastards in from Chester who don't take no. shit and have excellent cvs on the non-league scene.

I really feel for any of our fans who've bought a ticket for the Gillingham game. I'm led to believe that Magnay is suspended after another booking (I'm sure the commentary said he was but not in the game stats), Davies and Kioso are obviously out too, therefore we could have anybody playing in the middle (Matty Bates?), could be a long afternoon down in Kent.

I was intending to go to Gillingham, but trains next weekend are a nightmare, an expensive nightmare at that, so not bothering. I would like to think we could bounce back, as did Bromley yesterday, after a heavy defeat, but I doubt it, reckon the next 2 weeks will be groundhog day, which seems to be a recurring theme these last few seasons around this time of year. I notice Gillingham are improving of late as well. It could be very painful indeed.

Looking forward though to a couple of Saturdays off from Pools and attending a couple of local non league games instead. I would like to think by the time we play Dover away, Bates will have been scattered, again I doubt it though , sack him and you have to sack the whole entourage, its another fine mess the club have got themselves into, or did we really ever get out of the last mess?.

"its another fine mess the club have got themselves into, or did we really ever get out of the last mess?" What a statement, what a cracking question! Do you have the answer Mr Horden, as we really need to know........

A chairman who knows how to run a football club , who would then recruit the right manager who knows how to recruit the right players in order to win football games would be a good start. Obviously there wasn't a queue of people wanting to be the Chairman and I appreciate that , Raj Singh was the only offer on the table, but I don't think he has a club about what makes a successful football club, as we will surely find out.

Couldn,t have said it better!

To be fair to him he was our chairman when we won at Wembley but we did have a manager who had a clue when it came to the non league scene. The time to worry is when he gets trigger happy, his record of picking managers isn't exactly the greatest and those he does pick don't stay around for long. I think he got just lucky when Cooper was available after going through Colin Todd, Steve Staunton, Simon Davey and Ryan Kidd in the space of 10 months.

4 Managers in 10 Months Was it that many loan star ? do you know i was so traumatised at the time that i'd almost forgot...Still if it's tactical changes these lot are looking for on the pitch i don't see the problem.

I was one of those who felt Bates deserved a shot, then one of those who argued we're doing far better than previous years and Bates had brought some much needed stability.

Now all I see is a team in decline. We've gone from narrow wins, that came about more from the opposition missing chances than good defending, to rarely looking like scoring and making awful errors at the back.

It will be many years before Pools get out of this league.

In an upwards direction, anyway...

Behave. You started 'pointing these things out' in 1914.
As for 'support', for what? Being terminally pessimistic ?

No, it just shows your ignorance of geography. I'm setting off to Barrow this morning, but that will present no problem to you if your knowledge of geography is based on league footy teams.
In fact after reading this topic, the town of nuclear submarines will be a refreshing change.

sounds daft but getting hammered 4 nil can actually force a manager to change things better and quicker than odd goal defeats where you only get the cracks papered over and nowt will change.

According to the FA Suspensions list, both Magnay & Kioso started suspensions on Saturday for 1 match each and yet it says Kioso’s ends on Nov 10th but Magnay’s on Nov 18th as does Davies’.

So, it's a good thing then ...?

never a good thing being hammered but if some good comes out of it then for me its fine. you do not get relagated or promoted due to one game in november.

[quote="paulus the woodgnome and a side salad"]I really feel for any of our fans who've bought a ticket for the Gillingham game.
so gillingham have won their last 2 home games and pools have lost their last 2 away without scoring. team weakened by suspensions on saturday so the chance for a shock is on. they say its a funny old game and its right.

Didnt realise Magnay out too.

So we have 1 centre back left in Anderson (Cuningham out on loan?). Presuming we will now have to go 4 at the back for this game, that wont suit Donaldson at all either. Added to a couple of central midfielders who dont have the pace to be able to get a tackle in against part timers never mind League 1 players.

Id be getting an 'injury' rather than play in this game.

I just cant guess at the team as Hawkins out on loan too.

Maybe

Loach
Richardson
Anderson
Cunningham/Murphy
Kitching
Woods
Noble
Featherstone
Donaldson
Muir
James

?????

Forgot about Richardson, suppose Kitchin can go to CB and then need a full back unless we stick with Donaldson in a back 4.

Andersons lack of pace worries me in a back 4.

Magnay can play apparently and is missing the Barnet game.

Panic over!

Is that because it the FA cup?

I think i heard Connor Newton can play in the back 4?????????

Magnay available apparently , and he needs to have the game of his life as a leader and to keep Eaves in check if we are not just to get anything but to avoid a spanking.

Loach

Richardson Magnay Anderson Kitching

Featherstone

James Donaldson Noble Hawkes

Muir

4-5-1

After nearly 60 years supporting Pools, to winess a display like Saturday was both embarrassing and pathetic to say the least. We are costantly told what a marvellous squad we have well none of them turned up on Saturday. In the 16 we had 3 strikers who beteen them scored over 80 goals last season Muir,Dinanga and James. They should have been asked how they like the ball played tothem abd they sould be in the middle with some support. Liam Noble is a one trick pony and has been sussed out. Magnay was luck not to be sent off for his tirade of abuse to the totally inept linesman. Please Mr Bates get them organised or next week at Gillingham will be like lambs to the slaughter do not let them forget Morecambe las year.

3-0 against Marcambe last season wasn't it? I think theyll give it a good go because you'll have players that will want to test them selves against higher opposition the likes off Muir, Kioso it's only a season or 2 before they move on to bigger and better things, So they might as well show themselves off in the F.A cup, I don't know why I just have a feeling that we'l get a sneaky win or a draw and get them back here if we draw and win.

There’s been a lot worse than that in the past sixty years.
That’s the trouble with the outrage bus, when it gets into gear the common sense brakes take a while to kick in and bring it to a halt

Is it just me?

No charco. It was a refreshing change from Bates' mumbling manager-speak to hear Liam Noble speak out, tell it like it was and apologise to the fans for last Saturday's embarrassing performance that saw the Great Pretenders slip ever-closer to a more realistic mid-table position which is destined to be our lot for the remainder of another forgettable season in this Godforsaken league.

At least Noble made an effort to speak out, the silence from Manager Bates, DOF Hignett and Chairman Singh in respect of how the club intends to address the current depressing scenario (other than sending yet more of Bates tiny squad out on loan) is deafening following a miserable display that we were all led to believe was a thing of the past. Or as charco said - 'Is it just me?'

All together now..... “Always look on the shite side of life..Dee dum, Dee dum Dee dum Dee etc.....”

More than happy with mid table like. Nothing coming out of the club has suggested otherwise so why the sudden increase in expectation?

Same here , I just think it was the reasonable start and seeing how poor some of the other teams were that raised expectations. As long as we take some positives into next season, such as good home form, win more than we lose, score more than we concede etc, then get finally in close season get rid of Featherstone, Woods, Hawkins, and weak links in current team and bring in better players and continue to build on / improve.

But will this happen? already home form for season looks shot , and we will just move a few poor players on and replace with similar or worse players in close season, that is the question.

top half of the season would be fine as long as the games at home have a bit more positive action than what some have been. watching the clock has been a highlight in some.

Silence from Bates? Not exactly:
https://www.hartlepoolmail.co.uk/sport/ ... -1-9427356

Did you miss that one from the Fail or are you just being selective? It's standard for the manager and captain to make these sort of where's-my-tin-hat comments after a bad defeat, but it's not a job for the Director of Football or the Chairman, unless you'd like them to undermine the manager completely?

If you had bothered to read my post correctly you would have realised that the silence that I was referencing was related to how the club is going to address the current mess, not have a go at the players for their recent performances.

What part of this did I not read correctly then:
"It was a refreshing change from Bates' mumbling manager-speak to hear Liam Noble speak out, tell it like it was and apologise to the fans for last Saturday's embarrassing performance that saw the Great Pretenders slip ever-closer to a more realistic mid-table position"

To be fair to both of you, in my experience when players other than manager start speaking out, it only ends in tears, jeez haven't we learned anything from the last 7 years?.

Yes you read that part correctly but FFS do I have to spell it out for you? Too bad, I can’t be arsed.

Yes you read that part correctly but FFS do I have to spell it out for you? Too bad, I can’t be arsed.