"following his departure from National League side Hartlepool United by mutual consent."
It is understood that the centre-back didn’t have a professional deal with Hartlepool and for financial reasons they have agreed to let him go before the end of the season."

Financial reasons? Surely if there was a chance of a Premier Division or Championship side coming in for him he was worth a contract. According to TEAMtalk, they're queuing up to sign him now he's a free agent, with Man U at the head of the queue!

Either the made up news on this type of site has reached epic proportions, or there's a rabbit away. Oh for a Pools podcast!

Maybe he wasn't that good and had someone feeding shite to rumour sites?

Like when Scott Fenwick came on here but on a grand scale.

Had a peek over the garden fence and the crack there is that he refused to sign a pro contract with Pools so there's no point in retaining him in the youth set up.

Makes more sense, even if it reflects badly on the lad and his advisers.

The teamtalk article does say

"Now with Hartlepool failing to agree a professional contract with the player, and knowing they would not receive compensation due to their non-league status, they have now agreed to him leaving before the end of the season."

Without knowing facts it's difficult to form an opinion, but my gut reaction would be cheek bugger, not much gratitude shown.

Those around him believing in hype generated by often fake rumour sites?

If I was a parent of kid right now who had half a chance of a making a football career for himself Pools under Hignett would be an attractive proposition, as he encourages his teams to play the right way and if they are up to it has no qualms in putting young lads in the first team squad. It will be interestimg to see where he ends up but it seems possibly short sighted on the lads part not many turn down pro deals. He could even sign for one or clubs mentioned in January and never get anywhere first team football. Unless they are exceptional how many kids make break through at bigger clubs?

That Tribal Football site really is targeting the Facebook generation isn't it?

"Leeds can send out a real statement if they manage to win the battle for a highly-rated youngster that is tipped for a big future."

A REAL STATEMENT!!! What signing a kid who's never had a pro contract, he's essentially unemployed!

It almost has the feel of computer generated bullshit on those sites, someone just inputs a list of names and clubs.

Did we ever sign Micheal Mols?

The Teamtalk site blocks adblockers so my info was second hand off the Boot Room, which was paraphrasing (not that accurately) one of its rivals. Loads of sites doing that now because all their income comes from advertising - tough shit, I can live without them and their ads.

Takes four pages to get through the Mails player ratings these days, desperate times for the printed press industry.

Be the kids agent trying to put him in shop window.

It’s absolutely absurd that a 17 year kid playing for the youth team of a non league club even has an agent to blow smoke up his arse. They are a stain on the game it should be banned before a player turns pro.

I blame our physios.

If we had not wasted money signing Williams who has yet to play,and who with his injury history should have been signed on a pay as you play contract. I suppose that means he will still be here next season as to quote Higgy" he is too good for this division". Then we could have signed Murphy on a cotract with the provisor thathe be allowed to talk to championship and premier league teams with a price tag of 250k plus add ons and then the funding we will loose for the academy would have been generated.

Not sure where to even start with that, wow

Does he actually exist?

Alice! who the fuck is Alice!

Luca Murphy won’t sign a pro contract

Must be Williams fault

That makes sense


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Don't be daft, it's the dude who did the medicals fault. Why oh why didn't he foresee his up and coming knee injury that he didn't have at the time of his medical?

This questions need ANSWERS.

If he doesnt want to sign a deal then I doubt its because of money and I wouldnt want the club to be paying much for a kid who aint ever played a minute of professional football anyway.

Was it Jack Blackford who was apparently the next big thing? Trials at Rangers and Man City wasnt it? That apparently meant he was awesome and we were stupid for not playing him as having trials at a big club at 17 means your somehow good enough and ready to play in the National League.

At Shildon aint he?

Fucking hell. Luke William's fault we couldn't keep a player that never played for us.

Love this place.

I blame whoever sacked Buster. It's their fault we couldn't get an unproven 17 year old to sign a contract against his own will.

TAKEN ARE BUSTER BACK!!!

WE ARE WE ARE


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Would walk 25 miles in 15 minutes to bring buster back me

Hind sight is a great thing what if. When we signed Williams he was not wanted by any league clubs due to his injury record.Surely last season with the guy from Chester should have been the writing on the wall.I merely suggest that the money paid to Williams could have been better spent on players available to actually play.

How do you know he wasn’t wanted by any League clubs?

Wages are better spent on fit players who can play play rather than injured ones. Really? You don’t say!

What has any of that got to do with this kid? Or fanciful release clauses for Premier League and Championship clubs? Have you ever seen him play? Or are your comments based on rumours on the Internet in January? If it is that’s nearly as daft who people who were saying he should have been elevated to first team status on the back of it! Bonkers stuff.

But we actually did offer Murphy a contract. Which he rejected. So your logic is flawed.

Considering we’ve signed about 7 players on loans and permanent deals since Williams signed that suggests we have plenty left in the coffers to offer a 16/17 year old very fair and reasonable pro terms.

If that lad, playing for a non league team, has an agent at his age, then I think that tells you everything you need to know about the situation.


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Kioso clattered him, how the fuck is that linked to his "injury record"?

I can never get the mentality of people constantly having a pop at injured players, it’s not as if he’s out of shape or a bad pro and not getting picked like a fat waste of space like Nathan Luscombe who was bizarrely elevated to hero status by a section of our suppport he has had a series of injuries that to point were it’s probably threatening his career.

Does anyone think he wanted to be injured?

How do people suspect he feels about the way his very promising career is being destroyed by his body letting him down?

That Sunderland Netflix documentary showed you exactly how he probably feels about not being able to do what he loves when you saw how much Jonny Williams was struggling. It would be great to see him get back on the pitch and when and if he does I hope people are right behind him but I suspect some will sneer and mock which sad really. He was fit when he signed beyond a crystal ball what do people want?

Someone needs sacking over this travesty.

If Buster had been here this would not have happened.

I blame Bates for signing Kioso.

I blame that bastard Mad John.

I have it first hand, he did not want to be Higgys pasty!

Given that both his names are european, we're probably best shot of him. There's been no mention of him in Brexit deal talks so presumably he'd be on his way come June 30th.

Agreed. I've done my shoulder in and I'm likely to miss most of this year's cricket season. It's seriously making me miserable, yet this isn't even my living, it's just a hobby. I met one of the Worcester coaches recently at a coaches conference, and he was talking very openly about the injury that ended his career; it seriously fucked with his mental health and left him in a very bad place. No-one wants to be injured.

Same boat, tore my right Lat and can't go to the gym or do anything. Gets you down massively.

I done my knee ligaments last year, couldn't play football for 6 months. I only play twice a week and was gutted I couldn't play.

A footballer doesn't want to be injured (unless you're Neymar when it's your sisters birthday), we've seen what Luke Williams can do and hopefully he will eventually make a return.

I stubbed my toe on the coffee table and driving the car is excruciating, anyone got an automatic I can borrow?

I blame that bloody awful Warsaw Concerto....

Article in Fail clarifies issue????

Article in today"s Echo by Loughlin where Hignett, reading between the lines, is claiming the player's become Billy big boots & went for a trial at Fulham, seemingly behind the club's back. ( It didn't work out by the sound of it )
Sounds like he's blaming agent/advisors & saying if any kid doesn't want to play for the club, they can bugger off ! Good for him I say, though perhaps Murphy should have had a word with Luke James first,seeing how it turned out for him.

Luca Brasi sleeps with the fishes is what i heard..

How it turned out for Luke James? Have I missed something or didnt he leave for a club higher in the league? Probably was on about £5k a week and is back where he started after giving it a go and is still only 24. Yeah a big mistake that

So you"re telling me Luke planned all along to make a couple of bob before returning to Pools like he never wanted to leave ?
Think we were all a tad "disappointed" when he went on strike at his agent's insistence.

No read back what I said he went to a better team for more money and gave it a go. I don’t think he would consider it a bad move as he got a good wage from it and back where he started.

Fair comment, Compo. Must say I generally take note of your comments as you seem to be well informed. Still maintain that Luke was badly advised & Murphy appears to have been led down a similar path ?

Hignett seems to be suggesting it's good riddance so il accept that.

Well played the club!!

suggest change of recruitment strategy...stop spending the little money we have on 1.old players at the end of their careers 2.players who are known crocks 3.players who are mates of the manager 4.players at the end of their careers who are known crocks and mates of the manager....simples

Who are we signing at the end of their career?


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Our recent signings off the top of my head with guess at ages:

Holohan - 26?
Bale - 20?
Kerr - 26?
Kabamba - 26?
Amos - 20?
Raynes - 30?
Molyneaux - 19?
Edgar - 31?

Looks like were signing youngsters or people coming to their peak to me.

I never understand this "dont sign players who are mates of the manager" thing. What your really saying is dont sign players that the manager has once played with and therefore will have an extensive knowledge of.