When I first saw him play I thought we could have a player here. So what has happened.
For me the answer could lie in what has changed since his arrival. Where is he living? Who is looking after him?.
The reason I ask these things is because the thought crossed my mind that he now doesn't look fit and also looks a bit heavier. Why is that? Has he found a new freedom and, without supervision, is he at the junk food etc.
It is easy for a young lad to relax his attitude to fitness, diet etc and maybe this is the road Hastie could be tempted to follow. Who is the fitness coach, maybe he can answer my fears.
Of course I may be completely off beam but something has changed and I am looking for reasons why.
Are the Scots lads living together and maybe indulging past the tipping point.
The Scots, after all, are past masters at partying.
We were told we would have a fast, attacking, super fit, pressing team. Where is this team and when are we to see anything that resembles the description.

Should a lot of promise when younger but fell by the wayside, it now needs some one to try rejuvenate him.

derwent..."he now doesn't look fit and also looks a bit heavier"

...was thinking the same myself...looks to be carrying a bit of a tyre round the midriff area?...but then again he is not exactly "rotund"...yet..

https://www.hartlepoolunited.co.uk/teams/first-team/

https://www.thenorthernecho.co.uk/sport ... -spartans/

https://www.macsween.co.uk/recipes/haggis-burger/

Was blowing out his arse from about 20 mins in. Not fit to lace Molyneux’s boots so far.

So far.

Lack of fitness aside I think Hastie and McDonald look to be playing for their highlight reel. They love doing a load of skills before they attempt to put a ball in the box which slows play right down. Hopefully Hastie puts in a few more crosses like the one yesterday

Or maybe competitive games are different to friendlies
Wastie looks like he doesn’t have a football brain in his head and Sterry must be as sick as a pike playing behind him

Correct you are just looking for reasons why.

The answer is he’s not good enough. His living arrangements are feck all to do with it. The reality is he was a rangers lad so a boatload loved him regardless for whatever reason. Really he just isn’t up to it.

he is a player who can improve with coaching though, his decision making from what i have seen is appalling, but that is something he can be coached to be better at.

I think he is just not good enough. He played for Linfield and Partick Thistle in the last two years and so I wasn’t expecting much from him. Still young though so if we had a decent coach then you never know.

doubt its a fitness issue as players are monited nowadays with the info they get about them all regarding this. could be a case of not settling in down here and would not be the first lad getting homesick. then it could be the difference between scottish and english football that even scottish folk think its different.

I assume you first saw him playing in friendlies,against teams 6 leagues or so below us,or against league teams who are using the game as a training exercise.
When the serious stuff starts,it's completely different.

At present he’s a Lamborghini with a Morris Minor engine. Did no one check under the bonnet?

I think we all know the difference between friendlies and the real deal but he looks different to me. I have listed possible reasons that could be responsible but they are not the only possibles. Putting an accurate finger on what is wrong is difficult but I definitely can see a change. I put my observations on here to see if one of our expert analysts could come up with a better reason.
Hartley has seen him perform a lot more than me but I don't think he signed him to see the performances we've seen so far. Time will tell of course but he has to be better than what we've seen. It's up to Hartley to coax it out of him. His cross for Fergie's goal was a peach, so there is something there to build on.
Athletes of today are encouraged to adopt a lifestyle from strict principles associated with fitness and dietary control and it would be very easy for a young lad who is maybe homesick ( as suggested by Mr Accy) to turn to comfort food, so I'm not ruling that out entirely.
Hastie was a sensation at Motherwell, prompting Rangers to take him on. He is now in EFL 2 and still not standing out, in fact he is looking a tad lost. There is talent there and I am concerned that he'll be just another lost statistic when perhaps it could all be so different.

..look....its no big secret this is it?...you only hope the lad can lose a bit of that poundage and do something about his fitness levels because only a knuckle dragger would fail to recognise the lads got talent...?

“We’ve waited for Jake, he’s now got his head down and is trying to get to the fitness levels he had before.It’s no coincidence in football that the fitter you are, the better you play. He comes on and made an impact and we have missed that. Unfortunately, he can’t be involved so it’s been a bit stop-start for him."

https://www.rangersnews.uk/news/rangers ... criticism/

“Jak hasn’t done enough, there’s no disguising that. It’s taken us a long long time to get him to where we thought we could, through lack of confidence, lack of fitness.He’s been pushing himself over the last two or three months, he didn’t come to us in good condition and he knows that himself, that’s not saying it was anything to do with Rangers, he left them in good condition but he didn’t push himself and he has now.He deserves credit as he gave us the width we haven’t had. The other wide players we brought on haven’t done it."

https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/ ... -robinson/

porter.."I think he is just not good enough. He played for Linfield and Partick Thistle in the last two years"

...poor yet again...you just dont get any better now do you ? ....rio...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nTizYn3-QN0

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cji6Qhbrg6c

Maybe he just isn't good enough for league 2 football.

Well it looks like others also have questioned both his fitness and willingness to knuckle down and achieve maximum fitness. The club need to set him targets on fitness, get him into a personal training regime and see how he reacts. I'd be surprised if Hartley didn't know all this.

Well if that is the case then we've got to find a way of getting him good enough or get rid.
Somebody has to sit him down and pump reality into him because. at the moment, he's heading back to Scottish lower league football or worse. What a waste that could turn out to be.
Come on Jake, it's up to you sunshine.

I thought it was a Reliant Robin

Nah, it’s got the word ‘reliant’ in it….

Bring in a modern day Tony Toms!

I don't think the manager should be too Hastie to judge him...............

Do we have a language barrier on the wings?

Like most people on here, I never click on your links as they are a waste of time but I’m guessing they are highlights of him playing well for Motherwell to prove he is a good player?

You were being chewy when I said about our former players playing in the SPL so signing players from leagues lower than that was a worry. Do you now agree or do you think the full backs, Niang, Murray and the striker are league two standard?

Watched Hastie's interview pre Orient on the OS. He seems confident we will turn it round. I wish I had the same confidence.

They all talk a good game, the other week Lacey was saying he was one of the more vocal players......hopefully he has a word with himself in that case.

It's been a bad start but it's too soon to be rubbishing so many new players, Scots or otherwise. Hastie for one definitely has some ability - at the minute he looks like a headless chicken more often than not but that could change if he bangs in a goal or two. Two seasons ago it took Rhys Oates till 22nd December to score his first competitive goal - he finished with 17!

In hindsight, the massive churn of players in pre-season could have done with being toned down a bit. Some of the new lads need more chances than to show what they're about. Assuming Hartley rests most of his first 11 on Tuesday night it'll be a chance for someone to take the game by the scruff of the neck and force his way into the reckoning.

might be too early i agree but there is something just not right about this team. just hope something does take off but where. even bad pools sides of the past had a couple you liked the look of but this one reminds me of that workington side that got kicked out of the league.

I’ve been supportive and make no apologies for that whatsoever, but end of October is my red line.

Think it's likely to be Raj's too of there's no significant improvement. For that matter I wouldn't rule out Paul Hartley heading back over the border as early as next month if he can see the way things are heading here and gets any sort of decent offer from a Scottish side.

Far better if he can turn things around and get this team firing. It'll be a very long wait till the next transfer window otherwise.

There is no doubt that every Pools fan wants them to do well but more and more doubting is creeping in.
Obviously it could be turned round in an instant but some of us have been around long enough to be able to see when the man picks up the chalk and heads towards the wall.
I just hope he doesn't start writing, if he already hasn't started.

If the worst happens I sincerely hope Raj and the board get their act together and line up a replacement before dropping the axe. Another 4-5 weeks fannying about with a drawn out interview process would be hopeless. Assuming Young left with Hartley there's not even a potential caretaker in place who has had regular contact with the first team now that Sweeney has been banished to the Academy - and Sweens didn't exactly cover himself with glory the last time he stood in.

Agreed hopefully a couple of signings and more 'gelling' is all that is needed.
I think Cooke, Umerah Sylla and Meanse so far look up to standard once they get their feet under the table, but the others less so, however it is early days.

It took a long time to get Hartley in. I don't think he was first choice, so if Raj does end up getting rid how confident can we be anyone better would be biting his hand off? Especially if the window has closed.

I think there will be plenty of journeyman managers and inexperienced ones who would be willing to manage Pools, let’s hope it doesn’t come to that.
Hartley and Young have 2/3 year contract’s I can’t see Singh in a hurry to sack them due the compensation he would have to shell out. He should be getting rid of the Recruitment person, no need for surely after the transfer window closes ?

firstly for the compo pools would have to pay would equate to the signings of a couple of decent players. that money would be wasted then, and how often does bringing in a new manager with someone elses players who they may not rate or get on with ever helps the problem. this isn,t the billionaire premier league or a computer game we are on about.