I think if Stockport go on a decent run and a Championship vacancy comes up his name will be mentioned.

Nah, he can only go down…. He’ll go for the ultimate project and take over the Dog and Duck FC in Bakewell and take up to the Premiership….possibly.

I’d be amazed if we weren’t…it’s what they do.

Seem to remember in the 70s when we played Palace in the cup Terry Venables disrespecting Pools saying Hartlepool where is that? The manager at the time pinned it on the notice board and told the players that is what they think of you now show them. We did and won. Pin the offending prediction up and use it as motivation, both home and away. UP THE POOLS

I suspect when they’ve finished ruminating and agonising over the Premiership’s top six the journo’s are so drained and exhausted, they’re just not bothered about anything else, so when they get to us they go on auto pilot and rate us by referring to their ‘Lazy Chart’, last updated in 1909.

Funnily enough I was killing time in Dalton Park yesterday while our lass shopped and bought a copy of the mag. It went to press at the end of June, when Pools had only made half the signings they have now. Its predictions were already out of date when it came out.

For one thing, I can't see any way Pools are going to do worse than Grimsby (predicted to finish 18th).

There are some things this team is gonna do, but getting relegated ain’t gonna be one of them.

Rajs plan is save the best signings till Deadline Day.
That way he bets on us going up at high odds.
Then 4 top notch signings from premier /championship paid for by the bookies in May.
A good strategy.
Everyones a winner HUFC related.
UTP!

suspect pools will shock a few. do not think we will be the divisions soft touch next season as we certainly where at the back end of last season. doubt hartley will give much leeway to slackers.

Where Pools finish will depend on at least one, preferably two of the new forwards getting well into double figures in goals. If we struggle to score like in 21/22 (less than a goal a game) it'll be another season of struggle.

or even better goals all across the team without the pressure of someone having to score or we cannot win.

Not necessarily, you can’t use the Armstrong /Oates team as a template.

Is anybody able to look back at what the odds were for League 2 at the start of last season? I'd be interested to see how accurate they were!!

Pools will have goals coming from more than say the desired front 3 (who ever they may end up being) - Hastie will get goals and so will Cooke id imagine - i would imagine we are to bring in another attacking Mid aswell. Umerah will grab a few thats for sure - he looks to be a right good singing him - Niang may even chip in and so will Murray from CB. Be a much better season this one - can feel it

These are best prices in Racing Post Big Kick off last season, a week before the start of season.

Thanks Mr S. Could analyse the numbers all day but the "headlines" for me are that Salford were favourites (13/2) and finished 10th whilst two of the outsiders, Sutton (80/1) and Crawley (66/1), finished eighth and twelfth respectively!!

It's been the template for every reasonably successful Pools team that I've ever watched, going right back to Newton and Houchen in the early 1980s.

How long is it since we had a centre half who scored regularly? Micky Nelson scored a few but maybe only half a dozen a season. Even that would be a big contribution, as we haven’t even been winning headers at all in the oppositions box in recent seasons…

Read what I actually said, …in other words, alternative tactics/formations are an option and you adapt it to suit your players strengths.

How about you re-read what we both actually said first?

Now that you've jumped to "alternative tactic/formations - to suit your player strengths" - of course, what manager with half a brain wouldn't do that? We'll still need to score well above a goal a game to do anything in this league.

Hartley is attack-minded and will hope that the goals are shared around (something Pools have notably failed to do in recent seasons). Judging by who we've signed so far, I'll still have money on one or two players getting into double figures being more likely than us suddenly getting loads of goals from midfielders and defenders.

Whatever……I’ve got an hairdressers appointment, I’ll have to fly……

Don't forget to tip.

With my hair it’s a walk through hairdresser’s.

Short back and sides and fries to go?

Nah, I get a quick buff with a sanding disc attachment. Can’t beat ‘Badgers Arse Hair Boutique & Welding Requirements’.

With all due respect Mr Eiphos -

I'm not entirely sure how we can draw these sort of conclusions on a group of players we know little about, nor have we seen much of them in a Pools shirt. Since playing football league sides it's not like we've been scoring for fun.

Really admire the optimism though - and hope you are right!

we do not need to score for fun if the defence do their job and conceed goals for fun either. having a harrogate type comebacks are all well and good but if we had kept a clean sheet and nicked a goal the points total would have been just the same. teams that are a bit goal shy may miss out on the top spots but those who conceed em regularly are usually the ones that will go down.