As no one else has started a thread I thought I might as well. Can Pools finally win a game? Donny are obviously a decent side and have won their last two games. Heart says a win, head says 1-1.

If we can keep it tight at the back and play two in tandem up front, keep Umerah on for his nuisance value against the defense and have a fast striker sub to come on late on. Doncaster have a lot of injuries but still managed a win against Rochdale so a tight 1-0 to pools. NEVER SAY DIE get behind the lads.

I can see us unexpectedly snatching a 1-0 but ass on the edge of the seat type of game - we are due some more luck and even a penalty will do.

need to play our best players - hopefully grey gets on sooner if not used from the beginning and also Odour to make a presence of himself.

cant rely on Hamilton and Ndjoli although the latter i think is suited for the weaker teams as shown against Harrogate

can see Donny been absolute shite houses - they will scrap for the 1-0 and park the bus.

Mols wont cause us any problems as probs end up at LB for them

All three of the Donny first choice midfield are unavailable according to the Donny Free Press. Fans aren't happy with their central defenders either so fingers crossed. I've been waiting for the Rovers fans I know to mention Mols to me but none have and I haven't brought him into the conversation either. Bit of a Mexican standoff.
They are known to play the full ninety minutes plus though so they must at least be fit.
I used to go to the odd game when they were in the Championship mainly if the opposition looked attractive but I have not been of late.

1-1 zzzzzzzzz

Poppycock. Ratboy will do three hours, but his lack of any tactical awareness, tendency to bite your ankles and the ball plus his bad attitude, were the downfall of his playing career.

Pools 1 Donny 0 Ferguson

2-1 Pools

A shirt is waiting for him.

Good to see Cooke and Odour starting, let’s hope molyneux not being marked by Murray

rovers return with a 2 nil win.

so far so good. best first half of the season bar none.

Fuck me those subs are desperate real drop
Off in quality

He’s taken off the two players who could win us the game. Crazy subs.

Take a point now

I’d have agreed with you, but glad we're both wrong!

Come on lads 2-1, hang on......please !!!!

Prefer 3 fingers crossed

Cracking result did not see
Coming after those subs….we have lift off !!

Jeeeeeeeeeeeez that 5 minutes dragged.

Well done lads, lets make sure we now have lift off. The season starts now we have won and are now 3 points clear of the bottom two.

To The Hartlepool 2-1.

Great game to be at - the atmosphere was like a cup tie. First half was the best football Pools have played since the Trophy semi-final against Rotherham. Apart from a couple of shots from Molyneux they weren't in the game. Second half was more of a nail biter but the best team won.

Sylla bossed midfield for most of the game.
Hamilton was a revelation with the number of headers he won. He needs to find his shooting boots but there looks to be an exciting partnership with Umerah in the making.
Crawford came to life in the second half and was exceptional - funny how he seems to need to take his time to grow into a game.
And on this showing Ben Killip is definitely a better keeper than Jonathan Mitchell. Lee let the right one leave.

Bring on Carlisle!

Great 2nd goal, excellent ball by Ferguson and great how he was coaching McDonald where to run
Definitely a talented player in McDonald just needs some coaching, one of those where the penny could suddenly drop around when to release the ball/where to run etc and he becomes a better than league 2 player

McDonald has a huge talent, there is no doubt and if he is in the team he is always liable to score. I guess his problem is lack of consistency but maybe Curle will be able to get the best out of him. There are other Pools forward players who you just feel are never going to score.

Pools unbeaten under Curle's stewardship and starting to look like a team.

Well overdue win n still top of papa johns group.Avoid defeat v Everton u21s to progress to KO stage.
Curle slowly but surely curing the jock damage.
UTP.

Fantastic result last night. Curle certainly stopped the rot. Massive game Saturday, we need to keep the run going.

Which begs the question, maybe those so called shite signings weren’t quite as bad as painted, it was all about the coaching in the end. Obviously the previous regime’s limited coaching has been replaced by more meaningful full time coaching to a higher standard.
The aggressive high tempo certainly surprised me, and Doncaster too.

Just realised we’re on equal points with Stockport and above Harrogate.

The subs brought brought on were because after playing direct football at a high pace they were basically knackered, they adopted a different approach with a different type of player, playing it up the pitch down the wings and tactically confusing Doncaster….as well as Curle getting a good viewing of how flexible the squad can be for him.

Great save by Killip when we were 1-1. Lad was clean through.

fine that the subs did come off in the end or mcdonald did. surely that must be the last time we see hastie in a pools shirt. his main contribution was the assist he made but that was for donny setting up their equaliser with a sunday league clearance. when the first 2 came on i thought curle has turned from hero to zero once the equaliser went in.

yes two clubs with a combined wage bill higher than the national debt.

Maybe Curle wanted to see all his payers perform…or not perform in a league match.
He has a lot of assessing to do in a short time.

It’s never just about the money, it’s also about picking the right manager and leaving him to get on with the job.

[quote="Snowy"]Which begs the question, maybe those so called shite signings weren’t quite as bad as painted, it was all about the coaching in the end. Obviously the previous regime’s limited coaching has been replaced by more meaningful full time coaching to a higher standard.
The aggressive high tempo certainly surprised me, and Doncaster too.

unbeaten still since hartley went. each game since his departure has seen an improvement match on match and i have a feeling if we are lucky with injuries we have not finished yet. i sighed when i heard the name keith curle announced but the bloke has won me over.

He runs a tight ship and at some clubs the playing clique don’t like it. I do like it.

and by what we are seeing so do the players. another thing in his favour is no player has been frozen out and cannot think of anyone not being given some game time so far if available.

Only really Grey that's not getting many minutes

To be fair he’s only been here a couple of weeks, so early days…..unless it’s fitness.

As it happens, Pools have only lost 1 of their last 8 games. The difference is the next hammering always felt just around the corner till Hartley left. We already look a different proposition now.

Him and the Boro lad Taylor, who is not even making the squad.

There were some gobshites on Twitter complaining that Grey wasn't in the starting 11 when the team was announced last night. Sure Joe will get his chance off the bench, but he will have to show a lot more more than he did when he last came on, against Crewe.

Yes,some thick fans started booing when Umerah was taken off.
He was knackered as he'd ran himself into the ground.

'shite signings' - agree with you Snowy. Meyanese, Sylla, Cooke, Odour, Umerah and Hamilton all looked decent to good last night. Obviously the management team take much credit for any improvement, but what about the much maligned 'laptop boy'/ analyst? Perhaps he has been doing a half decent job despite Hartley?

Crawford also put in an impressive shift last night.

No one can argue with the start he has made. Encouraging signs. Hopefully last night wasn't a one off.

Let's not get too carried away 1 win doesn't all of a sudden make them decent it's 1 win in 20 games, they need to do it consistently now with a proper manager in charge. Level on points with Stockport after the complete mess we have been in, must spell problems for Challinor if things don't pick up there.

Not getting carried away - I said 'decent to good - not brilliant - and note the unmentioned players.

Did you have any money on it?

was disappointed myself when his number came up. adam boyd also thought it was a bit too early as well. do not think fans were thick by doing this but more of just living for that minute and not looking at the bigger picture. when you are at a game live lots of sense and reasoning goes out of your head and on another day the outcome of the game might have been different showing the booing may have been justified after all.

Saw him at the match - he had put a pile on it - says he'll take us for a pub crawl around Greatham when he gets back from his next trip over the hills. He also said that Hastie is the best No. 7 we have ever had.

As you know I'm not a betting man just an expert football analyst.