Was reading a pre-match interview for tomorrow with Darrell Clarke and it brought home just how much Pools fans are in the dark again about future plans:

YOU MENTIONED THE TRANSFER WINDOW THERE. IS THAT SOMETHING YOU HAVE LOOKED AT?

“We are already on it. I have an unbelievable director of football, Flickers (David Flitcroft). We are ahead of recruitment. I know now what business I want to be doing.

“That is what this club should look like in my opinion, having one or two things that in every window needs to be freshened up. Certainly with one or two injuries in the front line, you look at, that needs to be freshened up.

“We are working hard. We have Tommy (Johnson) head of recruitment. He is a top man at his work. This is fair play to the owners yet again, backing this to keep building that profile so you are not making those last minute phone calls to try to get deals done.

“We are working hard to make sure the tweaks that need to be made in the window, in the next six weeks, we are ready for it.”

I'm starting to think Port Vale have got more Poolies than we have! Seriously though, we're 6 weeks away from a transfer window that is pretty much make or break in terms of the Pools squad's current deficiencies and there's nobody in the building able to do any forward planning. Silence on the new Director of Football, silence on the new manager, Tony Sweeney clearly fed up with acting up and desperate to get back to his old role...

Come on Raj, the time for action is NOW. An announcement today wouldn't be too soon.

That statement is just a bog standard response to the gullible fans.
Read it, there is nothing there of any interest, just him saying they’re working hard and bigging up the back room staff. A lot of words, but no one is any the wiser.
I suspect if Raj had put exactly the same statement out you’d be criticising him for it.

Always the contrarian, eh? If you don't see any difference between a recruitment team already in place (experienced manager, Director of Football, chief scout) and Pools' current situation, bully for you.

Let's be honest, we knew we would be waiting a long time, it's a month of saving on a wage or two. Which is probobly what was going to happen all along. New manager will no doubt be in place for Rochdale home game, but if we dont sign reasonable standard players this transfer window, im not sure there will be many excuses to hide behind.

hogans ....the wait for a new manager is nothing surprising...it is only 24 days since we were unexpectedly dropped in the shit....raj and co will have had to start from scratch... deal with initial interest... await formal applications ....draw up a short list......set up initial interviews...and final interviews...undertake negotiations/ due diligence/contracts etc...we are a small club with a skeleton admin staff.....if someone is appointed next week i think those involved will have done pretty well in the circumstances tbh.....you say "the silence is deafening again"...."it brought home just how much Pools fans are in the dark again" ...."the time for action is NOW"...what on earth are you on about ?....what precisely would you like to know prior to an appointment being made ffs ?

there is a distinct possibility that any signing will prove no better than we have already. not just at pools but every other club in the country. keeping what you already have can be a harder task for some. just cannot see a rush of players wanting to come to pools to enter a relagation battle with the possibility of non league shite if they sign a long contract.

If we can't find better players than fondop, or a better quality keeper in January than we have we may as well pack up for the summer. Worrying thing for me is that raj seems quite content we have a budget similar to what Morcambe had, he fails to mention they were playing in front of 1500 at the time.

I would imagine Morecambe had one of the smallest budgets in the league last year so they did remarkably well to get promoted after years of struggle. So comparing our budget with to theirs says we don't have a great deal!

I totally understand and sympathise with Hogans post - My self and a few of the lads had the same conversation in the boozer last night. Im not expecting miracles nor a whole new backroom team to come in and win us the next 3. But a bit of clarity on what is happening ? Has RS found actually found his man and has to wait ? Is there potential interviews going on behind the scenes ? are we bringing in a director of football and a recruitment team. (yes i know the ads out there for this position). Just need something to give us fans that warm feeling we are still moving in the right direction. Loosing DC shouldnt have had this much affect as i feel like it has. Makes sense for any man to enter the fold to wait until the next 3 fixtures are out the way and start fresh at home to a team we should be beating. The team isnt playing bad (bar the FGR game), we still are creating good chances and actually scoring goals which is the main thing to take from the defeats.

and yes Clarky is talking bollix... hes learned the managers speel track and verse and it keeps the fans happy. That isnt rocket science, purely media training. Just like all other clubs though at this level, Jan will be a time for smash and grab on loans and possibly poaching a benched striker here and there. We just cant be left behind in that recruitment race again. Pray aswell as a manager we have a recruitment team in to go with him too (if said manager brings the full band then happy days, we can always live in hope).

In Raj we trust ! UP THE POOLS !

‘Contrarian’ ...? Ah... You mean having a different viewpoint?
That statement from Trigger will have told his fans nowt..... it was a dick waving exercise for consumption by the fans telling them they were prepared.... but I’d expect them to be prepared without broadcasting it to the world, it’s their job.
The statement itself was waffle.

Raj's last season at Darlo, Cooper leaves in October and Raj faffs about hiring a new manager before pulling the plug.....

Not saying he will pull the plug but he has previous for taking ages over appointing managers and is more than happy for a caretaker to stay in charge for a prolonged period.
In our case it was Craig Liddle for the rest of the season.

Results have dictated he needs a manager, shame for Sweeney taking over in by far the toughest set of fixtures he probably could of got, barring the two home games I doubt Challinor would of done any better. It's a money saving exercise, taking so long over it, but at the end of the day as long as the right man takes charge and not one of the cheap options, then all will be forgiven. Raj has done a lot of good at pools, but when your averaging nearly 5500 crowds, a better standard of player is now needed, no more excuses.

darlo loan star...you need help....raj...raj....raj...raj....raj...have i told you about the time he did this...have i told you about the time he did that.....i'm telling you...you had better watch out....you had better watch out...im telling you....pull the plug....have i told you....blah blah blah blah....ffs please give it a rest...

I don't think anyone would disagree that a better standard of player is needed and I would include the people at the club in that.
However, at this moment in time, it is not possible to recruit because of the transfer window, unless we go for people from the list of unattached players who nobody appears to want, or are demanding ridiculous wages.
DC stated, when he was trying to recruit in July and August, that there were players that appeared to want to come to the club but when it came to signing suddenly upped the ante by demanding more money.
at the last minute.
During Sweeney's spell, apart from the FGR game, the team hasn't been outplayed by anybody and with a better finishing record would have had a bit of success. But the lack of taking our chances was there before Sweens took charge and will still be there unless we put that right in January. Sweens has kept us in two cups thus increasing revenue, hopefully topping up the January war chest. DC was in charge of the 5-0 drubbing at Orient and would probably have fared no better in this current run had he stayed. Would we have sacked DC for the current run, I don't think so but we appear to want to "sack" Tony for the same run of results.
Any new manager can't really improve the squad until January so, effectively, is in the same boat as Sweeney but with a more winnable fixture list from now till then and with probably a recruitment gadgie to take a bit of the load off him. If Sweeney had those "luxuries".......................................

I agree it's been a tough run of fixtures and it's debatable how much better Challinor would have done with them - beating King's Lynn 5-0 at home is a much easier life. Tony Sweeney got the rough end of the stick taking over at the point he did and the limitations of the current squad have been horribly exposed. In recent interviews he's as good as said he's done as much as he can with these players.

Admittedly Raj was dropped right in it by Challinor's abrupt defection, but Pools have been looking for a new manager for nearly 4 weeks and even longer for a director of football. A resolution next week would be very welcome.

I'm not a huge lover of this succession management stuff but if Raj did think Dave might jump ship at a moments notice it would have been an idea to keep an eye on what's out there. Maybe he did, or maybe it has still caught him on the hop. And yes even if Raj did its not like you can talk openly to any managers but just saying it can't be used necessarily as an excuse for it then taking time to appoint a new manager.

It feels like we're doing a man U and writing this season off a bit but hopes will be for survival and maybe a further run in one of the cups. That's fine by me but then I'm not at every game so I don't have to put up with the mediocre performances in the mean time!

Maybe you should seek professional help about your obsession, it obviously isn’t good for your peace of mind. Hanging around the board like a constipated vulture waiting for Raj to ride out of town so you can gnaw at the bones and release all your ‘tensions ‘ by screaming “I TOLD YOU SO, BUT YOU WOULDN’T LISTEN”........ ain’t going to happen.

george reynolds...............

But I still like you

Good

So you admit we know a dodgy chairman when we see one, from past experience!

darlo loan star.......ahhh.....memories.......i know its upsetting......but just try and remember the good times....sure they were some...if you think long and hard enough....

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FqF_6t2kjBE

Ah George, the Pied Piper of Darlo, if only you’d stayed at Feethams.
He proved you can fool some of the people some of the time.

Ah George, the Pied Piper of Darlo, if only you’d stayed at Feethams.
He proved you can fool some of the people some of the time.[/quote]
Always wondered the percentage of darlo fans that were fooled and how many wanted to leave feethams for the white elephant. Same with us if another crook took over at pools and did the same thing.

Back to reality and january signings. Just cannot see apart from the odd player coming in but a few loanees though. That fills me with dread for every cass or armstrong you, get there will be two parkhouses and goodwins. Is omar bogle still trying to escape donny rovers i wonder.

If it happened at Pools, building a stadium that size, I’d be gutted. Any fan impressed by it had to be lacking in basic common sense and financially illiterate .... it was the final proof George knew sweet f a about football.

not just him. our stockport friends are presently talking about increasing the capacity of their ground to 22,000 in the future as they push up the leagues to be the new bournemouth or brentford. this was pre DC. at least my lad does not talk all this bollocks about his club but many do.

Do you not think some clubs have their level in life? Ok a rich investor can do wonders, but when the ‘relationship’ breaks down, reality kicks in.
Brentford have always been Lge1 & 2 to me, rather like Bournemouth, you just know it’s not sustainable.
Stockport are just a Lge 1/2 team to me, even though they’ve been down among the dead men for 10 years. The fans, well most of them, will be spending the new owners money in their heads and think they’ve found the road to success, no going back, just a glorious future..... they’ll find out eventually that you’re at the investors mercy... the fans may care, but how long will the investor.

Brentford’s model is different to Bournemouth. They know they have to balance the books through player sales rather than directly relying on a rich investor. That makes it less reliant on a single person who could walk away, but brings other risks - particularly if they can’t sell players on at a profit.

He did not build it for football, He was never make dosh out of football.

So he made it as a huge ‘entertainment’ venue, there’s no difference, great for concerts and other events, but crap for football clubs at our level as a ground.

I can only wish them luck.

Not many if they were truthful. I hated the idea but George wouldn’t be told, even by his right hand men.
All he had to do was refurbish the west stand and south terrace and he would have saved himself a lot of chew and probably wouldn’t have gone bust himself. Blackwell is a basic ground but it’s loads better than the elephant.

I’d imagine watching a match there was like putting a snooker table in an aircraft hanger? You have my deepest sympathy.

......."my deepest sympathy".....ditto......

Even when we got a decent crowd the atmosphere was crap.

darlo loan star.. ..."even when we got a decent crowd the atmosphere was crap".........as i remember.... it wasn't crap that day.....

https://twitter.com/L_cairnsy17/status/ ... 5050474501

The only problem I have with that goal is deciding whether it was as good or better than Boydys against Sheff weds for the best goal I've ever seen at any level.

Especially that day

Vultures? You wouldn't believe what a little dicky bird told us what went on behind the scenes at Darlo ,Snowy.

so true.but blackwell is only suitable for your present level. is there a plan B if you managed promotion and then kicked on from that. do not know the ins and outs of its ownership but i really doubt its anywhere close to getting an EFL certificate.

Exactly.

We agree, but for any fan at our level holding a league match in 20,000 + stadium it would be like having a family birthday party in the Albert Hall.

Blackwell at best is a stop gap but adequate for now.

Yep,happily treading water. and fan owned.

I think Pools’ ideal model should Raj suddenly find a spare 20 mill would be to make us a sustainable yet successful club based on everything but the odd sugar daddy investment he may throw our way once the club got to say the championship. Its obviously clear at this level should any investor get bored or become bankrupt themselves that it simply isnt a way a smallish club can be ran. Id hate to see pools have 3 fantastic seasons becuase of cash investment to then fall away and be left buggered for the next 15/20. Pools are a big enough supported club for this to work and hopefully one day we can be producing youth talent to sell on for huge profits to see this dream become more of a reality. Think alot would agree

[quote="Snowy"]Do you not think some clubs have their level in life? Ok a rich investor can do wonders, but when the ‘relationship’ breaks down, reality kicks in.
Brentford have always been Lge1 & 2 to me, rather like Bournemouth, you just know it’s not sustainable.
Stockport are just a Lge 1/2 team to me, even though they’ve been down among the dead men for 10 years. The fans, well most of them, will be spending the new owners money in their heads and think they’ve found the road to success, no going back, just a glorious future..... they’ll find out eventually that you’re at the investors mercy... the fans may care, but how long will the investor.[/quote

Surely its different in Stockports case, the investor is a fan. He not an outsider

eiphos....."hopefully one day we can be producing youth talent to sell on for huge profits"...yeah...but we have been trying to do this for the last 40 odd years since the days of billy horner!!....and for whatever reason the evidence is ....it just doesnt work...we have struggled to develop players good enough to make it into our first team as regulars ....let alone be sold on for huge profits...i would n't know the investment costs over those years but would suspect they would be hard to justify....and then you have all that luca murphy bollocks to put into the equation as well....imo we would be far better focusing our limited resources on picking up the end products of the local "big" three academies...good young players but who have no chance of careers in their first teams ...but who want to play regular league football and stay local initially.... with a view to progressing later...a certain jamie sterry might be an ideal example of that kind of player ..