I’ve always liked Tony Sweeney, a good honest committed player whose carried that on into his coaching. But, is his talent just on coaching side and lacks the knack of some wiser head in ‘man management’.....?
A good coach can get a good response from a willing and able team, but some teams are a bit weak on the character and commitment side and tend towards self pity when the going gets tough, they lack determination and that’s where the dark arts of man management come into play, a toxic brew known only to the manager of not so much ‘carrot and stick’, and more as ‘stick and stick’.
A combination of the two would do nicely, but a Darth Vader figure in the background never goes astray.

I had similar thoughts listening to the game yesterday.

Sweeney is a top bloke, wanted him to do well but I feel we need someone to come in as manager. A bit of a nasty bastard is needed to get things fired up again. Sweeney can be the good guy with the manager the bad guy.

on top of all that i just wonder how better the side would have done if challinor was still with us. after seeing us throw points away at tranmere. barrow and oldham i would not have expected much from the other games we have lost with him in charge instead of sweens. funny though how really top blokes who are liked never make it in management and those who do get at the best respect from all.

Sweeney is very honest in his match assessments, but I would hate it if he is made manager as they usually get sacked in the end. His interviews suggest he knows the task is not yet for him

For me I feel a lot of the current players are not to the standard of this league. Their seems to be a belief that we'll just have to wait till January for things to improve. Perhaps Sweeney himself feels he cannot do much more with the team? Especially if he thinks someone is about to be appointed any day now

Challinor lost 5-0 at orient and legged it before a load of hard games with key players out injured. It's not Sweden's team it's the quitters.

I really hope someone can come in and turn this team around we don't want to be in a position where Stockport who are on a winning run at the moment steak our league position

We bought cheap in the summer, lost players we really shouldn't of probably lost if we had sorted out deals in case we were promoted. Now we are paying the price, the warning signs were there in pre season that many just discarded.

It's no secret Challinor couldn't wait to get out, any job opportunity closer to home he would of jumped at. Unless raj starts paying wages for reasonable division 2 players, we are going to struggle. Any manager would of struggled with this set of fixtures, with a bargain basement team, it's a shame it's Sweeney, we just got to hope that when we play Rochdale and Scunthorpe we can fight our way to 4 points out of them.

Raj has not taken advantage of the feel good factor we had back in June in the slightest, didn't have to break the bank just allowed us to compete better, instead the signings of 18 year old kids to lead the forward line along with fondop etc really are an embarrassment to a club that's been around for 100 years and pulling in 5000 to 6000 crowds.

If it takes this long to find a manager, I think I will be about 90 by the time they start renovating the ground.

Stockport would put 5-0 past us easy now. The entire defensive unit is a shambles.
Lidds is past it now. Byrne isnt good enough at all. As shown yesterday (sunday league defending for their first goal). Sterry and Ferguson our only real decent defenders who can hold their own at this level. Cannot believe Hendrie was on Man Utds books. Hes miles off it too. Never mind the strikers its now our priority to stop leaking shit goals. Huge amount of this is also down to the keeper, he’s absolutely bobbins aswell. Feaths was barking orders left right and center yesterday. Clearly the only one who still gives a shit. Fair play to him because the rest need a bit of passion
And willing installing back into them. Mols and Daly again off the pace. Not sure whats happening but we are on the verge of survival again !

You just get the feeling someone needs to come in and get a grip of things. These are DC’s players and unless he put a delayed action switch in the before he left to turn them off when he was gone, we can only assume he bought some lemons....
Tony Sweeney is left to sort out the mess and it really isn’t fair on him.

Challinor will of looked at Stockports team and some of their upcoming fixtures and must of thought Christmas had come. The problem for Challinor will come when they have to beat the big teams away. As for us any new manager will be glad to be appointed after this week, who wants to start with 2 losses at Sheff Wed and Lincoln anyway.

Yes I believe he’d have headed over the Pennines at the first opportunity too, but he’d have done it whether he got the money for players or not in my opinion.
He bought those players, I wish he’d spent what budget he had on fewer, better players and why did he never resolve the goalkeeper scenario...?

I think the stupidly late finish to our season screwed up recruitment in what was left of pre-season but there's no doubt Pools signed at least 4 players who are nowhere near League Two standard. Fondop has so little heart for a scrap he should be coming on in a cowardly lion suit.

Let's not forget though that bad luck has also played a part in the current predicament. Tyler Burey was a great loan signing - if he had stayed fit and scoring Pools would still be in mid-table.

The only thing I can think off why he didn't is that our budget is so poor, he thought he could get away with it, so spent it elsewhere we nearly got caught out in the play offs for not getting a reasonable standard keeper. Raj basically slipped up other week when trying to justify what Challinor had to spend, saying it was on a par with Morcambe, on a bloody par with Morcambe a club who struggled to get 1700 despite being promoted it shows the pittance Challinor had to work with.

He still left us in the lurch and I won't forgive him for that, he will do exactly the same to Stockport if someone like Wrexham comes calling one day, I get the impression Challinor would of left us for darlo reserves if he could of.

Personally I think we're hiding behind this late finish as an excuse, it won't of helped but Challinor said in his interviews we will be ready, we weren't, he then said we will sort it transfer deadline day, we didn't.

Burey thing was unfortunate and I will be pleasantly surprised if I ever see him in a pools shirt again, no doubt there will be a stumbling block, Salfords reserves probably come in and pay more wages or maybe a darlo.

Morecambe’s crowds are beside the point. Look what their team has achieved, on their budget. Looks like Dave went to the football pound shop and filled his basket. I know we get bigger gates and will have a bigger income but I don’t know what outgoings we’re still paying for ‘Coxall’s Revolution’.....and the fallout of us getting taken down the garden path.
Don’t forget, when Coxless came people were falling over themselves to worship the new Messiah. Oh dear.
Fans do tend to fall for the latest saviour.

Yes it's still possible and they have done remarkable, thing is we were told every penny the fans put into the club goes into players, well if gates are anything to go by this year, then we are buying duds. Challinor has left a lot of garbage I don't think even he could hide behind that. I wish we could get shot of about 10 of them and get Armstrong, but that ships sailed.

Sweens is a top bloke as all have stated hes pools through and through.

He made a statement on radio tees at lunch time that made me think he needs to remain a coach.
I,m not knocking him in the slightest but he said about the vale game.

He said we went to port vale with the intension of keeping what we have got, In other words a point.

We were going to a team out of form with about 4 regulars missing, In my eyes thats the perfect time throw everything at them.
And a few people have passed comment about playing out from the back, In my eyes thats just catering for players who have no legs.

I don’t think anyone’s criticising Tony Sweeney, he’s been left a rotten ship with a rotten crew and he’s trying to make a silk purse out of a sow’s ear....and the sows aren’t interested or bothered.
The players are the only ones who can turn this around by growing a pair and putting the effort in if nowt else.

Because hitting it long all the time for short arses like Cullen, Molyneux and Grey to win in the air is a sure fire recipe for success? They're the best of our current forwards.
They're not particularly quick either so hitting it into the channels for them to chase is pretty much a waste of time too.

Playing out from the back and through midfield is what the current side is set up to do. There's really nothing to be done about that till the transfer window.

"Throw everything at them" with our fairly weak forward options that wouldn't have been much. Then probably caught on the counter. Grey got in behind FGR Back line winning the penalty but warmed the bench only for following games, He looks like our answer to the problem, given some minutes on the pitch. The problem with playing out of the back is our keeper hasnt got the passing skills of Ederson, and our CB'S no disrespect to them are not Franz Beckenbauers and along with the FB's get caught too easily resulting in undue pressure. The short goalkick also does my head in. Play it long hopefully to a man without anyone else touching it you can't be offside from a direct goalkick

When you constanly play out from the back, Teams use a high press.
And when they catch us out they are only about 20-30 yds from goal, and it results in 2 v 2s or 3 v 3s.

When you play a varied game you don,t have to hoof it as far as you can, You then actually think about your game and don,t become predictable.
And we have a keeper who is inconsistant (being kind).

To be honest I'm struggling to remember many times this season when Pools have conceded goals after losing possession that close to their own box - from the half way line, yes, a few. Killip doesn't kick well enough to vary play - whenever he hits a ball any distance it tends to come straight back at us (not counting the times he puts the ball straight into touch).

No point beating about the bush the goalkeeper situation has been dire for several seasons. Challinor chose to do nothing about it, even a decent loan would have helped, but they allowed it to go on for far too long.
One of the most important positions on the pitch is a lottery, with the odds stacked against us.

thats football for you all over the country and possiblly the world. somewhere the smooth talking con men always get some time to do their worst.

someone mentioned burey earlier on. seems to have gone quiet about him recently and as he is only here till january anyway i just wonder if thats the last we will see of him.

Because hitting it long all the time for short arses like Cullen, Molyneux and Grey to win in the air is a sure fire recipe for success? They're the best of our current forwards.
They're not particularly quick either so hitting it into the channels for them to chase is pretty much a waste of time too.

lack of height and pace in the side was evident when we were winning games and nothing new. we have skillful tricky lads but thats it. oh for a big six foot plus central midfielder who has the height, strength and some pace to break things up.

Yes this is something we need desperately and i think once we do, the formation needs to change. Once we are confident again and scoring goals then maybe go back to DC's way but of course this all Depends what the new manager wants to do or prefers. But going off both our last games both teams had a big shit house in the middle of the park who seemed to mop up and hold the ball and win the game for said teams. Its not pretty but its effective at this level. Think of it like a poor mans Yaya Toure that we are in dire need of. That plus the 6ft+ striker and a new GK and we are back in business.
Crawford needs a full season on the pitch in the NL, same as Grey. Gain some propa mens football experience and learn the art of being a ruthless Tw@t, we dont have any bite at all.

Where was ZFA and Ogle aswell ? presumed injured but what has caught my attention is this. Both men are DC's Signings. Men he actually wanted in the squad - my point being they are good players and especially ZFA has made a difference in the squad. Take a look at the rest those i think he probably was forced to bring in ? (not including Loans) they not really good enough IMO (apart from Cullen who again i dont think was DC's first pick) all have been mediocre at best so far this season. I just think should have DC got all his desired targets plus maybe keeping hold of 1 of Oates or Armstrong then we would have been some force !

Also Maddison is back from his mental health break - hell of a striker when at Peterborough and is back looking to play football in the League. Would walk into our team and bang goals in for fun as thrives off a good ball into the Box.

[quote="Eiphos_3"][ But going off both our last games both teams had a big shit house in the middle of the park who seemed to mop up and hold the ball and win the game for said teams. Its not pretty but its effective at this level. Think of it like a poor mans Yaya Toure that we are in dire need of. That plus the 6ft+ striker and a new GK and we are back in business.

even last season every opponebt had one of that type of midfielder that always caused pools some problems. i,d try ogle or odusina in that position in the cup games just to see how they perform. sod all to lose really is there.

yeh Ogle for me would make a good combating midfielder - looks athletic enough. Probs would get box to box. Can pass a ball and likes to get stuck in. Like you say we have nothing to loose. This is where the reserve team pays dividends as players can be tried in these positions throughout a season like we had before. Is there such thing as a reserve league still for League teams ?

Odusina (still only 22) has always been accident prone but there's been times in recent games when Pools have really missed his pace at the back. I imagine he's the quickest player currently on the books? Tony Sweeney has tried ringing the changes - to no great effect - but not given Timi the nod. Chuck him in against the Wendies on Wednesday night.

I thought Odusina had turned a corner in his last 5 games last season. But the games hes started this he has been a complete liability. I never get that feeling when he plays he knows exactly what he should be doing nor has the confidence to do it. The ability is there, his pace makes up for what he lacks in the air. More than likely he will finish with us, Sign for a Scottish Prem team and become player of the season for them. Sometimes its literally all about confidence and how you are coached.

not anymore, but many teams including pools do play games behind closed doors where i imagine they have plenty of scope to tryout things that would not be allowed in a reserve games with its rules and regs.

What about trying Odusina up front with Cullen and Grey either side of him. The idea is that Odusina causes havoc ( like he does in our box) and the other two take advantage.
Yes I'm clutching at straws but any port in a storm ( I'm getting very nautical).

Odusina reminds me of that athletic kid at school who would be decent at every other sport but football, yet you picked him in your team anyways cos you knew he would graft for you but still kicked the ball like a girl. I couldnt imagine him through on goal like a composed 90's era Wrighty chipping it over the keeper as he came charging off his line? Nor thundering anything close to the keeper. Think id rather gamble on Byrne the beanpole standing there and trying his best to hold the ball for culs or mols or at least flick a header on. Cant remember the last time we actually won the majority of headers on either set pieces or kicks from Kilip. Just something else to add to my gripes.

Aye, aye...I’m so impressed I’ve sponsored your name on a Brazilian tugboat.
I paid the cash and it’s on the bow..MANTENHA A ANCORA LIMPA.

if its our attackers you are on about you could say that the same thing could be said for most other teams. its always easier for defenders in these situations especially if you have only one man upfront against a group of defenders. got to agree though that when we are defending corners pools opponents whoever they are look far more dangerous with more height in the box with the king of the flappers behind them.

God bless her and all who sail in her.

Not good news. I‘ve been conned. In Portuguese it means ‘ANCHOR-KEEP CLEAR’
However, if you change your name by deed poll all will be well