I have been looking at and comparing team that were playing this time last year with the current one , and I have come to the conclusion we may be missing Mafuta and Kabamba up front. Although Mafuta was a bit of an enigma for us, its an old adage, but its true , sometimes you don't realise what you had until it's gone

Looks like we have improved our defence and to a lesser degree midfield but dropped a bollock with our forward line, signing players inferior to the ones that left, Kabamba and James and to a lesser degree Toure, whom I was never a fan of, but he did get the odd goal ( well he did initially ) unlike the current strikers on the books. Keena also looked promising.

So near yet so far, some good work by DC is going to be unravelled because of the lack of a proven goalscorer. It's also noticeable looking at last season fixture list that during Antony Sweeney's caretaker spell, the team was virtually unchanged, Sweens obviously knew what he thought was his best 11, and results seem to back up the benefits of having a settled side, DC more or less carried this on, replacing injured and transferred players such as Raynes and Kabamba with good loan signings , however so far this season , injuries aside, he seems unsure of his best forward line and who should play on the left and right of midfield.

Not a criticism, just an observation.

Any thoughts?

http://www.inthemadcrowd.co.uk/UI/Match.aspx?oid=6133

http://inthemadcrowd.co.uk/UI/Match.aspx?oid=6233

sorry but bloomfield, oates and parkhouse are not to the standard we need. i can live with the rest of the side which is on par with the one that finished the season but the forward line is more national league north standard.

Parkhouse hasn't had enough time for me to write him off just yet, think he has potential, but have always said would like to see Grey alongside him in a 4-4-2. Bloomfield I imagine will probably become the next Devante Rodney and will score 15-20 goals next season for ....,,,,insert Southern non league team here, but Oates and Ofusu I don't rate at all.

To be fair to DC it wasn't ideal that one of his strikers was unavailable due to international duties, and is likely to miss further games because of that. Which poses the questions ...how can you have a settled team when you have to make enforced changes?, and is that the only reason he came to Pools on the agreement we would allow it?

I assume Kilmarnock's cash offer was too good to turn down for Kabamba. Personally I wouldn't have released Gus Mafuta but his form did tail off towards the end of Craig Hignett's time in charge. Dave Challinor obviously preferred more attack minded midfielders, bringing in Shelton on loan.

I'm relieved Challinor switched to 3 central defenders and wing backs for the Salford game and it sounds like he's going to stick with it for a while, certainly the game at Eastleigh. The defence wasn't the problem in the cup tie - missed chances did for us (that and the ref turning down a blatant handball in the first minute - dunno why there's only 3 minutes of highlights available).

Parkhouse has a worrying tendency to lean back when shooting - he put another 2 good chances over the bar on Saturday. Ofosu had his best game so far. He's a bit lightweight, but can go past a man as easily as Luke Molyneux. Bloomfield showed good hold up play again but so far nothing else. Then there's Rhys Oates. We all know pretty well what he can and can't do. He looks to be exactly the same player he was when he left - still completely knackering himself in the first half (when he was a real nuisance to Salford's defence) and looking dead on his feet 10 minutes into the second.

I would imagine all those who left did so because of money reasons, offer too good from Kilmarnock for Kabamba, James, Mafuta and Keena thought they could get more elsewhere , even Myles Anderson , who is now playing below NL level at Hampton and Richmond , on the bench at that, always thought he was the ideal back up defender and never really let us down when called upon.

Anderson was released. He actually joined Weymouth in the summer but was loaned out to Hampton and Richmond towards the end of last month. So far he's had one substitute appearance for H&R and came on for the final minute.

The poor bloke is obviously still having a lot of problems with injuries - hope it's not concussion again as that could be career ending.

Worth remembering the leap in standard that Ofuso will be up against in the league. He seems dazzling and frustrating in equal measure at the moment but certainly had a good game on Saturday against Salford so would expect him in the 11 against Eastleigh. Be an interesting starting line up as a few did put forward a case for playing who previously haven't been in the team.

How many of our players can put in 2 above average performances on the bounce though? can only think of Ferguson and Molyneux

Kabamba is a really good finisher. He was at Pools and is now.

Wish we hadn't allowed him to go.

Plus Featherstone, Odusina and Cass in my book. Not counting the Torquay game when they were all rubbish apart from Molyneux.

do not mind grey coming on as a sub, but can anyone really get excited about any of the above strikers. all are ones that if we had better would give us a moan if we were back at the vic if they were selected due to a proper striker getting injured we knew nothing about.

I think we should be starting with Grey, have said that from the outset. Not saying I think he would cut the mustard, but only one way to find out. No doubt by the time he is thrown in, after DC gives up the ghost on the other strikers, Grey will disappoint, we have seen it happen before.

To date our strikers have shown absolutely nothing so by giving Grey a chance we have nothing to lose but I think it’s a bit much to expect him to be the answer.

About time to find out if Grey is given a chance to be the answer.
Must be disheartening for our younger players to be held back especially afta the worst month in the history of our NON League tenure.

Oh and Parkhouse has had his chance but has proved to be yet anutha piece of dogshit recruitment.

James kabamba and Toure are on another planet compared to what we have now, let’s be honest James was no striker either, but his hold up play and work rate was far greater than we have now. Toure is on another level to what we have now, no coincidence a team with him is now doing well in the league above, whether he keeps it up probobly not, but 3 months of quality is still better than watching 8 months of rubbish. Kabamba scores goals and has kept scoring, only at pools you have Donaldson and featherstone behind you so all forwards would struggle, Amond was a shadow of the player with our midfield now he is top of league 2.

There's no arguing with the fact that Toure, Kabamba and James are streets ahead of our current forwards in goalscoring and all round play. The fact is though that they got their goals last season in a team where Featherstone and Donaldson were regular starters too. Fair enough, you don't rate those two, but the the main reason Pools are on such a bad run is that the forwards are missing chances game after game.

As for Amond, like I said the other week, he scored 14 goals for Pools in a relegation season, would probably have got more if he'd been paid on time. Featherstone was part of the team that season but Donaldson wasn't - he was a Craig Harrison signing.

Doesn’t matter if I rate them or not, if we go by results teams that have involved Featherstone and Donaldson lose regularly, our home form for years has been terrible, they have played a major part. No coincidence forwards leave pools and go on to look or be better once they leave.Even if the forwards are missing chances it still doesn’t stop us giving games away consistently especially at home when featherstone legs have gone in the second half.

Surely it’s worth trying dropping the pair getting some movement in midfield and having a go at kings lynn. Instead of the normal play pretty decent for 45 minutes, half time comes about and the usual second half performance happens.

Mufata was never the same after the dover game.

We replaced him in the summer with shelton, who the manager seems to fall out of love with.

The recruitment over the summer on paper now does look poor, not blaming challinor for that,he can only sign to the budget that hes got, we let a lot of young talent leave for free, we let decent experienced players go and replaced them with loans or players who you have to admit dont really look good enough.

Really hope we find some form soon cos this is a brutal unforgiving league and a slow start costs you.

I hope Donaldson is dropped - but Featherstone won't be and I don't agree that he should be. I also hope that we have a right go at Kings Lynn tonight.

Gime Toure hasn't scored a league goal this season - how does that make him better than he was with Pools?

So far the blame has been laid at the door of our mis-firing strikers, and rightly so, but worryingly v Boreham Wood, the whole team from back to front looked poor , lets hope that was a one off , and not a sign of a lack of confidence, motivation and beginnings of looming dressing room unrest. One thing that has always seen us through, even during the lean times of the last 5 years, has been our team spirit, lose that, and the unthinkable could be possible.

Hopefully the new signing will spark some life into proceedings, but its another big gamble signing for me, with the lad seemingly out of form at Salford, and needing us to re-ignite his career , as much as we need him to re-ignite our season, so a lot of pressure on the lad.

Also think where DC is concerned , money has been made available for 2 new signings, Bunney and Armstrong, this has the look of the last throw of the dice for DC , lets hope for his sake they deliver.

Toure was getting rave reviews earlier not sure if he still is. Would you rather have gimme toure playing tonight or an Oates? Shows how bad we really are now when we would have a toure back when he only gave us 3 good months.

That's how I read Raj's comments as well. I'm sure the manager is enough of a realist to know that too.

We need players that are going to drastically improve us, not ones that are there to fill the bench. We are dropping at an alarming rate we just got to hope Armstrong does the business and Shelton gets his form back.

You’re right though it appears it’s a final throw of the dice for Challinor probobly before he walks. Who can blame him with the budget he was given.

Yep , I think he would walk as well , rather than soldier on for another month of misery , before he got the Coup de grace. Think me , you and a few others said as much at the start , that he wouldn't last long, regardless of whether he was successful or not. I hope not , but I detect a lot of damage that may be beyond repair, even if we win tonight.

Singh went through about half a dozen managers in darlo in 2 years, he's been through a few here too, so i dont thank chally is immune to him pulling the trigger if he feels the season isnt working out.

For the chairman to comment on a player recruitment article you know its shit or bust.

We all saw what Challinor could do at the back end of last season with half decent players, then with the crowd behind us we would of been a major threat to anyone this year. Unfortunately you didn’t even need to see the team to realise if your bringing a batch of reserves and lads from Royston, York city and Halifax things were going to be a struggle this season. We have done bloody well to have won 4 times without a forward line.

That's about the size of it. I said the other day that I thought DC would walk. Nothing has happened to change my mind. I'm dreading tonight, cos if we get beat again.............

Agree with that too. To be fair though, getting Ferguson in from York was a very good bit of business. He makes more chances on his own than pretty much the rest of the team combined.

Out of the games weve lost at home how many have we actually deserved to lose, I can only think of 1 (Torquay)
Of the others including BW we have created enough chances to have won them all.

And on saturday thier Keeper who i rate highly got lucky at least twice.

4-1 pools hat trick for guess who ( if selected). No not Donaldson, who is way off form at the moment.

And with regard to Featherstone, He,s the only one in the middle of the park with a half decent first touch.

Sometimes that comes at a cost to his defending, but yeah best left back in the NL imo, I told DC as much when I spoke to him in June, 4 , a few weeks before Ferguson signed

Ideally you would want to get to this stage of the season, top or near the top of the league, and bring in a couple of players to cement your place at the top,. that old adage, add to your squad when you don't need to. I'm sure that's what in a perfect world Singh and DC would've envisaged, alas its same old same old at Pools, with a couple of what look to me like panic signings in a desperate attempt to save the season, one recovering from a car crash , the other right out of form. The whole thing looks very ominous to me, whether we win tonight or not.

Where is Gordon Watson when you need him ?

Let's be honest, if Ferguson could defend as well as he attacks and crosses a ball he'd be playing for a team 2 divisions above where Pools are now.

Very few can do both, at any level, its a fine balancing act, that only those at the very top can carry off. I do think Ferguson will end up back in league 1 at some point, certainly league 2. Like all players there is always room for improvement ,he needs to work on the defensive aspect of his game, and even his crossing , which doesn't always hit its intended target.

I too thought Ferguson was an excellent signing but imo he has just been average. Let’s remember he is no longer a young player and apart from his spell at Blackpool for one reason or another has only played non league football.

Only 26 , been playing non league for 4 and half years. You are entitled to your opinion , and I can see why some might see it that way. As you can see I rate Ferguson, certainly our best player IMO , but even I thought he might be better, and seems to have gone off the boil a bit lately , but that would fit in with Pools recent history of signing good players who then gradually get worse as time goes on , lets hope its not the case with Ferguson.

at the moment i think he is about the standard of where kitching was 12 months ago. he pushed on a bit so could ferguson.

So Pools are to blame for Ferguson going off the boil. He has only been here five minutes the fact is apart from two years at Blackpool he has played his football at leagues below Pools standard where he was very good. Funny though he never got another league club. To say he is the best left back in this league is a bit over the top in my opinion. Don’t get me wrong I still hope he succeeds at Pools and as I said I thought he was an excellent signing at the time.

We will see in 6 -12 months time how it pans out with Ferguson. I think he is the best left back, why is it over the top? lets hear who you think is the best left back...ssssshhh everyone. You contradict yourself Johnjo, your last sentence suggests that you think he has gone off the boil, if so , why is that?.

I honestly don’t know who is the best left back in this league as I only see them probably once but there was a left back a couple of games ago who looked better than Ferguson. All I can say I have only seen Ferguson play regularly at Pools and I believe you too say you can see why I have that opinion. All I am saying is that todate he has not come up to my expectations and how can you say he’s the best left back in the league on his recent form. Are you judging him on the last four seasons playing in leagues below the National league.
What will he be like in six months who knows but you reckon pools sign good players and they go downhill. I hope he proves you wrong in this instance.0

It is not certain in my mind whether he is the best left back at the club, never mind the league.
Bunney has a fair claim to that accolade.
A long time ago I went to watch Pools at Hereford and making his debut for us was a young fresh faced gadgie called Gary Liddle at left back. Many, who were there, said that he was our man of the match. I remember being very impressed with his debut.
Just an opinion like.

Prove me wrong? When did I say he would go downhill?

You said he is not playing as good as you expected and has gone off the boil lately. No you said players at Pools go downhill I didn’t say Ferguson.

To clarify - Whatever you think I said, just scrap it, here is what I either said or meant to say. I believe Ferguson is the best left back in the NL. He is our best player. He started really well, but lately has only been average. Hopefully he wont go downhill as the season progresses or next season or the one after , like many pools players have in the recent past. FFS !

Sorry Horden, everyone is allowed an opinion I just think you are way out and saying he is the best left back in this league then you admit he is very average at the moment. I would expect the best player to be consistently good.

Mafuta scored again today

Rodney Devante scored for Port Vale as well.