Predicting whether the game will be on or not is probably harder than guessing the correct score - 8 out of the 12 Boxing Day League 2 fixtures are already off because of Covid!

Assuming it does go ahead,

Mansfield 1 Pools 0. Rhys Oates to get their goal, of course.

How is the rest of the country functioning? What is it with all of these professional sporting organisations failing to observe the basic measures to avoid Covid?

Stags 2
Pools 3
1000 happy poolies

Stags 3 Pools 1. Stags score first but Pools get level after maximum effort then Mansfield grab two break away goals in the last 5 minutes.

Thinking about cup games against league one sides and ending Bradford city unbeaten home record will go for 2-1 to Pools.

Mansfield Town 0 Pools 1 Burey. Oates misses a pen. The perfect Christmas pressie to set up for the cup games.

1-1.....cullen....hanging on by the skin of our teeth.....

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i1PceyvqBlg

0-0
zzzzzzz

A nil nil would be a good result considering the form book.

Mansfield 0 Pools 4

Yes! I have had several drinks before anyone asks!

have a strong dislike for mansfield fans and their police therefore mansfield 3 pools 0.

I'd be happy with a 0-0.

But hope for better

Unbelievable but Pools have the lead. Molyneux!

Mansfield should already be out of sight.

Why do these dicks have to spoil the moment by throwing flares and how did the nob get into the ground with it!

Mansfield should be three up after non stop pressure from kick off. We get one shot and it goes in! One of those games I suppose.

Hope somebody has a word with Killip at half time. If he takes the mickey too much with the time wasting he could get sent off for a second booking.

I think the dicks and knobs hide them in their trousers

Well fook me!!!!

Dodgy keeper!

Feathers makes it 2-0

That's been coming a while. 2-1

The records never recall how well you played, just who got the goals.

Goal John-Joe O'Toole..........what a shite name

Time to get Burey on.

Bollocks.

FFS!!!!

Straight back to Bates and Higball. Have a good lead and immediately lose it.

Disgrace

Hopefully the fog gets thicker and match abandoned.

Management team northern league standard

Shelton has got a first touch like a pinball flipper.

We went cheap and we will pay for it, anybody that thinks we will seriously strengthen the squad in January is deluded, the money supply has been cut off.

Stockport leading 4 1 now bring back Craig harrison

And?

We couldn't buy fookin luck!

WTF? Offside?

Where my eyes playing tricks when the score said 3-3....?

And I think we might be in the shit

900 poolies

well beaten by the better side.....scoreline flatters pools...shambles at the back all game...should have been a hammering...

Very poor performance, very lucky to go 2 up. Our midfield was non-existent (party due to the hoofball tactics) against a Mansfield team whose entire midfield was out with Covid.

I'd like to see the ruled out equaliser again but I have a feeling the Linesman dropped an absolute clanger (and from their body language, he knows it as did the referee!)

All in all, despite the controversy at the end, the best team won and the performance was very worrying.

I'm struggling to find any positives after watching that.

The only plan seemed to be hoof the ball up the pitch and hope for the best.

Now I'm worried.

We picked a management team who's records were nothing short of embarrassing at other clubs, yet we deemed them suitable , 3 games in the league we should of lost the lot, we are in a relegation fight due to our owners reluctance of spending on the team.

Bloody annoying to have Holohan's equaliser chalked off but the scoreline was a lot closer than it might have been.

Mansfield could have been 3 up after 20 minutes. Gary Liddle was unbelievable in the first half. We had 2 shots in 50 minutes and scored with them both - did anyone seriously think it was going to finish 2-0 to Pools?

Killip could have done better with a couple of the Mansfield goals. I hope a new keeper is on the January shopping list along with a new forward.

Burey looked a long way from match fit. Ogle did really well when he came on, if Pools had every position covered the way they have right back we'd be laughing.

Big chance to put it right in January. If we don't we are going to fall like a brick and quite possible be relegated. I am expecting a Tranmere win in the next match.
On the game we were outplayed virtually all the game but were robbed of a point.
Hoofball centre halves in charge, no midfield and no service to the front men apart from speculative hoofball.
I can't see Sweeney wanting to be a part of this set up.
It's all about January's recruitment.

the goals against table says it all......only two sides have conceded more...and wish i knew how many of our goals conceded were from crosses into our six yard box.....needs sorting out one way or another...

oldham 39
scunthorpe 37
stevenage 34
hartlepool 34
bristol rovers 33

The other side of that equation is no hold up play. Molyneux is good running onto balls but can't play with his back to goal. Cullen works hard but neither can he - he's too much of a lightweight. There were balls to feet in the game but they were coming back at Pools just as easily as the big hoofs.

Don't know why we persist with Daly. Ferguson needs someone he can pass forward to on the left so he can get on the overlap. Holohan fits the bill but not Daly.

Whoever followed Challinor was going to be under pressure to hit the heights.

Let’s have it right - the football on show so far has been tedious and we were so lucky to be in that come the 90th minute. Thought Oates played well also.

I would agree here as ultimately if you’re gonna play hoof ball , hold up and square off then you need someone more imposing than Molyneux and Cullen. It’s anti-football though. Right the way back to the goalkeeper who no longer rolls or passes to the centre half to build and work attacks, it’s just BANG and up it goes.

Challinor failed to build a team then fucked off.