Hope hignett learnt from the sutton game that even tho you are at home keep it tight.
Would like to see a front 3 of Molyneux,Toure,Donaldson if so what a game it should be to watch.

Overall i will go for a 3-1 win with the vic bouncing.

Hignett doesn't like Muir and he likes dropping players when they score. James is more likely to get a game.

Doubt Molyneaux fit to start so I expect a front 3 of Muir, Toure and Donaldson.

Part of me thinks he may give Holohan a start tonight.

2-1 win with James brace.

3245 with 79 Fylders

Just walked past the Vic and i am delighted to report the gentle hum of refrigerators.

Molyneux is close but not fit yet.

Donaldson shouldn't have been fit to start on Saturday, but did. I think Molyneux will come back in quite quickly.

Ah! They've put the chips in then.

2 nil up 10 minutes to go and the ref @ucked up......

No, Higgy @ucked up!

We played as if we were away from home hoping for a draw. Very fortunate to be 2-0, it was only a matter of time before they scored, I half expected us to be beaten. Why oh why play 10 behind the ball and give Fylde the midfield? We sat back for virtually the whole game. Very strange game plan!

We were 2-0 up and fairly comfortable, always looked a threat on the break 2nd half. Can barely remember Kilip having a save to make. Then the ref decided to flip the game on its head by not giving a blatant foul on Kitching, they then score from the space he’d vacated. Awful refereeing.

I was pleased with our performance. We chose to let Fylde have the ball, because they’d have battered us otherwise, and played on the break which worked a treat at times. We had two golden chances from Muir and Toure headers that they had to bury.

We should have won that game.

Frustrating to lose a 2-0 lead but I doubt we'll see a better team than Fylde at the Vic this season - at least I hope not! We still had 2 great chances to win it at the death but all in all a draw is a decent result.

Toure was outstanding of course, but Mark Kitching wasn't far behind - he looks to have come on loads since last season.

Liam Noble mixes good and bad stuff in games when Pools have a lot of possession but tonight showed it's a waste of time playing him if the other team have most of the ball. Mind you Kennedy didn't do much better when he came on - what does Bale have to do to get on the pitch?

Bit of an injury crisis in defence. Who was it said you can never have enough right backs? Kennedy marking the fastest player on the pitch after Cunningham went off was bad news for my blood pressure.

Fylde were 5 times the team we were, thought they were very good. Would have taken a point before the game but still dissapointing from being 2-0 up.

We really missed Kioso/ Richardson on the right, I don,t think Cunningham is the answer. Two great goals which deserved to win any game and the shot from Muir which hit the post and then the two missed headers at the end, Could off, should off but alas didn,t.

I,d like to see Holohon start in place of Noble on Saturday and the sooner we get Molynuex on the pitch the better. Still early days.

Why were Fylde so good?

Sorry I really can’t agree with that I thought game plan was spot on, and we actually created more than them. Nearly all of the possession they had didn’t threaten us at, going forward we were the better team. The first goal came out of nothing when we looked well in control winning all the second balls, clear foul on Kitching (who had a cracking game) as well before it.

Not disputing they looked a tidy enough side, but in the night I think we played better.

It was almost the perfect away performance from us.

Cunningham played on the left of the back 3 in the first half. Hignett moved him over to the right at the beginning of the second half as a tactical switch because Flylde brought on Kosylo, who is very quick, to attack down that flank. Donaldson moved further into the middle to get Pools on the ball more, which worked to an extent, but that left Cunningham pretty exposed against Kosylo and their number 3, who was always looking to get forward.

All things considered Aaron did OK - hope he's not picked up another injury.

Answers on the back of a stamp, how the fuck does Noble get a game?

I enjoyed the game tonight but I have to admit that I was disappointed in losing a two goal lead but I don't think the entire blame for that can be put at the door of our players. I thought the officials were nothing short of atrocious. The foul on Kitching was virtually yards from where we sit and the referee had an excellent view of it but chose to ignore it.
It is an increasing worry of mine when I see that the only consistency in the standard of refereeing in this league is that they are all bad and I can't recall any exceptions. Apparently last season we were reffed by a female who, I am told, was pretty good but I didn't see that game.
Like most people I am missing the talent we have in Hawkes, Molyneax and Williams and they are the bunch of keys that we have in our locker to unlock opposition defences but I worry about our ability to keep the back door shut.
I am not a fan of Kennedy or Noble and I too want to know why Bale hasn't been given a chance.
Loach was stuck to his line and Killip leaves it too much. In the two home games so far he has been beaten twice by looping headers. He is just not tall enough to leave too much space behind him. So far he doesn't fill me with confidence but I'll give him the chance to settle in and, hopefully, improve and impress because, at the moment, every time the ball goes near him I press the panic button.
On the tactical front..........at half time Fylde brought on Mark Yeates who, although he is older than me, is still a very clever and creative footballer. Along with the other guy they brought on at half time, the speed merchant, and the referee, all three combined to sway the game in Fylde's favour. Whilst I know that Higgy can't effectively influence the referee, he didn't appear to make any attempt to shackle Yeates who strolled about controlling the game. Just something that Craig might want to consider as he fills up his own version of the postage stamp !!!!!!

Good summary by Higgy.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WPKbV_r501A

Plus

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5_irbYbBsRQ

would have took a point at kick off but its how we got it thats the problem. if it was pools who came back from 2 goals down it would have been thought of as a point gained instead of tuesday nights 2 points lost.

I can see what the game plan was but I think it was an extremely dangerous tactic. Fylde had most of the possession and it wasn't just "keep the ball" type of possession. They were relentlessly going forward and it was only a matter of time.
The tactic nearly paid off and a win would have underlined the decision but that doesn't stop it being dangerous.
For over ten years now we have been talking about making the Vic a fortress and winning more home games.
The vast majority of our support only see home games and they will only accept tactics like that if the result is there.
How many of us thought, with eight minutes plus stoppage time left, bloody hell, we're going to lose this. That certainly crossed my mind.
Thank God that didn't happen but I shudder to think what the reaction would have been if it had.
Don't want to see too much of that tactic at home. Away, yes.

Highlights are on the OS now, with fattie Rowe cleaning out Mark Kitching in the lead up to their first goal shown in slow motion to underline what a horrendous miss it is by the ref.

EXACTLY!!!

I thought the tactics on tuesday night were spot on and if we want to get out of this league its the way to go.

or

Do you want gung ho football and get picked off like we did against sutton and halifax.

You can't judge how we played by the result, we played really well! We are missing key players against one of thr best teams in the league. There is obviously ways to improve it but it was much better than Halifax.

You have got to have an element of horses for courses in your game plan and I thought out game plan to beat one of the title favorites the other night was absolutely spot on. They played nearly all the football they did in front of us without looking much of threat, we caused them problems and looked like creating chances every time we counter attacked. At point of the first goal for them they had totally ran out ideas and a third goal looked on the cards, even Fyldes manager conceded they got a massively lucky break at a point they weren’t looking like scoring in the ridiculous non free kick on Kitching. That gives them something and the second quickly follows even after that it was us who should have won the game with the two missed headers.

In the first half I was taking the little one to the toilet after about half an hour and stood at the bottom of the Cyril Knowles while Fylde had spell of possession, we kept our shape, pressed them and they ended up going from the edge of our box with the ball right back to the edge of their own. This was while people in the Town End were screaming insight such as “fucking get into them” “close him fucking down” “sort it out Hignett” “shiiiittte Noble” a bit bizarre when all the players were doing was sticking to a game plan and doing the job that had been asked of them very effectively.

It’s frustrating we didn’t win but that doesn’t mean tactically and our level of performance wasn’t good because it was. You would imagine our tactical approach will be different come Saturday and for most other home games.

I am merely saying that the tactic is dangerous and it is. Fylde are a good attacking side and allowing a good attacking side that amount of possession is dangerous. In the end dangerous it proved to be.
It nearly worked but it only gave us one home point.
I am not advocating gung ho either and have not suggested that tactic.
As for results.............in the quest for promotion, results are the be all and end all. It is a results driven business. The only way to guarantee promotion from this division is to amass more points than anybody else in the division. You do that by winning, especially against sides like Fylde and especially at home. On eighty minutes we were winning 2-0. That would have meant us gaining three points on Fylde, as it stood, but we ended up with no advance on them at all.
If you want my opinion on what we should have done, we should have closed the game down at 2-0. Then everyone could have agreed the tactics were spot on. What we did was to continue to risk our lead and we paid the price. Fylde were organised, they didn't panic and kept knocking on the door, which was eventually prised open.
Tactics can never be described as 100% correct, when a 2-0 lead is surrendered with ten minutes to go.
We'll have to agree to disagree on that one.
Nearly is not and never will be 100%.
Injuries and suspensions are always a big threat to any club's chances but they happen, which is why clubs amass as much cover as is possible within their constraints. As Higgy and most other managers say, it gives someone else a chance to impress. You do need a bit of luck on that front though.

Am I missing something? How is their first goal not blatantly offside? Forget the obvious foul on Kitching in the build up, but their forward hits it off the player in front of him who's practically on the goal line.

Absolutely correct but the officials in this league leave a lot to be desired and there is very little we can do about it.
It is not you who have missed anything it's the people in charge.
The story is quite simple, if we are to get out of this league we need to concentrate on what we do, whichever tactics we use, and get it right more than anyone else.
Tactics that nearly work will only result in us nearly getting out of this league, however close that is.

The tactics didn't work as ref missed a blatent foul and a potential offside.

No tactics are assured success, but good tactics give us an increased chance of winning games.

What are good tactics.?????

Good tactics limit the amount of shots the opposition have, whilst increasing the amount you have. You define good tactics by result which is ludicrous. You moaned about having all the ball at Halifax and not doing anything with it we hit the best team in the league with loads of counter attacks you moan about that! So early in the season the performance and looking like we have a plan is more important than winning.

Ah I see.
So all these years I have been under the illusion that the object of good tactics was to amass more points than the opposition and it seems that having more shots than them is the key and looking like we have a plan is more important than winning. Scoring more goals than the opposition and achieving results is now classed as ludicrous. Well Well.
So can you tell me at which point do you consider we should concentrate on winning. End of October???? Xmas?????????? or when we are languishing at the bottom of the table having learned how to have more shots than the opposition, and having mastered the art of looking like we have a plan????
Unbelievable, Jeff.
You're kidding, right??????????
I blame me Dad. When he first took me to the Vic he didn't explain any of this.
Why didn't he tell me to accept having more shots than the opposition and looking as if we had a plan was our priority.

I think most clubs at this level have tactics.
Then the game starts.
Then FUBAR

Make sure we score.

Make sure they don,t

Best tactics ever. Fact!

That would make George Graham and Jose Mourinho at their respective peaks the 'best' managers of the last 30 years in English football.

Neither of them would make my top 10 of successful managers whose teams I've enjoyed watching.

My point is no tactics ensure a win they give you the best chance to gain a win with the players available.

Derwent wants winning tactics he doesn't know how to do it or what to implement but you definitely can't fit what he knows about football on a postage stamp.

What would Brian Clough say young man?

Brian Clough was out of date in 1992 so 25 plus years on its fair to say its not relevant.

"Players lose you games not tactics. Theres so much crap talked about tactics by people who barely know how to win at dominoes."

The above is spot on, End of.

At the end of the day it's only opinions mate and I don't want to get involved in he knows, I know verbals.
Of course I want winning tactics because I want to get out of this league and I suspect every Poolie wants the same, including you probably. You don't know what I know or don't know about football but that is totally irrelevant, simply because it's not my job or anyone else's on this forum to find the answer. It is Higgy's job ultimately to produce the results and the tactics to achieve that. If he doesn't produce the results he will have first hand knowledge of how important results are as he picks up his P45.
Everybody who I've spoken to who witnessed Tuesday's game has admitted to being uncomfortable with giving Fylde too much possession and almost all owned up to being jumpy after their second goal went in. The happy thing is Fylde didn't capitalise on it but they had the chance to, because we gave them that chance.
I can only give observations and opinions and my contribution was we should have shut up shop after our second goal but to be brutally frank I don't think Higgy has that in his locker. I know it's the ugly side of the game but needs must. There is only one mentality that will get us back into the football league and that is a winning one. So it's yes to winning tactics for me.

Clough wasn’t irrelevant in 1992 he was an alcoholic. I think any man who can turn a mid table division two team into double European champions when you had to win the league to even qualify, would have been relevant and a success in absolutely any era.

Even I agree with most of that but why play Noble who has no pace, can't tackle, overhits passes and dead balls, shouts ar people when it's his fault and most agree he is woeful?
Ps you dont have to share your penis size

Noble worked his little legs off first half on Tuesday night but no amount of effort can compensate for not being able to tackle.

On the ball it's a different matter, or it was last season. He scored more goals in open play (6) than anyone except Kabamba (not to mention 7 penalties)(, and got a fair number of assists too.

Agree that on current form he should be dropped and Holahan given a chance to start.

Worked his legs off? He tried to grab hold of 3 players who breezed past him, at this moment in time he offers nothing!

There 1st goal.
In between the alleged foul and offside our defender trys to pass the ball out wide from the edge of the penalty area instead of putting the ball into the North Sea.
Our keeper getting lobbed on a regular basis needs to stay on his line.
A few of our players need some xtra heading practice we rarely score headed goals.
Apart from that a good performance and still reckon we can go on a long unbeaten run and move up the table.
UTP.

It's almost like Nicky Featherstone has changed his name to Liam Noble. Guess it's just the current flavour of the week the blame Noble for everything now.

He hasn't been at his best in the two home games I've seen this season it is fair to say but i'm failing to see how anything he has done is to blame for any of our short comings either. We only played half an hour without him on Tuesday night and we lost that 30 minutes 2 - 0. Only thing i would say is it would of been nice to seen him subbed off for Holohan but in the context of the game and game management you can see why he brought Kennedy on at that stage.

Why was Williams not even on the bench? We had too many defensive minded midfielders against Fylde, nobody putting pressure on theirs in their half of the pitch. I think we need enlightening on Williams fitness situation