Thought it would be interesting to compare the team that Hartley built for our first game at Walsall this season, and the one Curle put together for Doncaster.

Only two survivors in the starting line-up for Donny. and they were established players from last year (Ferguson and Featherstone).

In our first twenty games we got 12 points, in the last nine we have got 13. Getting better, but will it be enough?


Pools v Walsall
G 1 Ben Killip
D 24 Alex Lacey
D 3 David Ferguson
D 5 Euan Murray
D 26 Reghan Tumilty
M 8 Nicky Featherstone
M 10 Callum Cooke
A 7 Jake Hastie
M 4 Mouhamed Niang
A 17 Ellis Taylor
A 9 Josh Umerah

Pools v Doncaster
G 41 Jakub Stolarczyk
D 39 Peter Hartley
M 3 David Ferguson
M 2 Jamie Sterry
D 37 Daniel Dodds
D 15 Edon Pruti
M 8 Nicky Featherstone
A 40 Daniel Kemp
M 38 Oliver Finney
A 42 Tayt-Lemar Trusty
A 36 Connor Jennings

We have only played one game under the new team. We now have a starting point but still a lot of work to do. We cannot rest on our laurels at all and must improve each game to have any chance of staying up and that means having the mentality from now on we can beat anyone. The midfield still needs sorting. Closing teams down and playing on the front foot. Moving forward in a positive manner rather than being negative and pedestrian and playing backwards or safe passes. There is a place for that but we must not rest on our laurels. I don’t want to be too negative because there was a big improvement last Saturday and you got to start somewhere. It’s all about mind sets and belief, individually and collectively. At least we now have some players who want it enough and are up for the fight. The supporters are also playing their part and if your in the team you should be fired up by the passion and enthusiasm they are generating.
I want another win next game and a minimum 10% improvement on the last game. It’s possible if you believe it’s possible . Just keep believing and moving forward and we have a chance. One game at a time, full concentration, focus and commitment. Nothing less and we will get there. Remember the Unbeatables around 10 years ago. They had it. Michael Nelson excetra . It’s all possible if you want it enough.

Agree, however I think our midfield lacks that ‘nasty bastard’, the intimidator, the enforcer, the on field gobshite to complement the rest of the midfield…..all successful teams possess one to keep the rest of the midfield in line and drive the team on.

Do these sort of players exist nowadays, hard tackles are not part of todays game, the opposition player rolls about the floor as if he has been shot if he is the subject of a hard tackle resulting in the other player being booked.

You are not wrong to a degree. I think the Rochdale lad isn’t quite good enough. But let’s see what Curle decides. Who would you play instead of him or do you think he needs a few more chances?

By ‘nasty bastard’ I mean a character who leads by example, isn’t slow to encourage or bollock his team mates.
Of course they exist, they’re just smarter, the iron fist in the velvet glove, they’ll always be with us.

Thanks Mr. Sloop. What jumps out for me is that if Pools had been averaging 13 points from 9 games all season we would be on about 40 points by now and in the top half of the table!

More to the point, if the team continue the same way for the remaining 17 games and finish on 48-50 points Pools will almost certainly stay up.

Pity we've already cashed in most of our chips playing all the other crap teams in the division, but the potential for more improvement from the 'new' squad is certainly there. It may all come down to the old saying, 'Win your home games..."

those types have been overtaken by the ultra fit midfielders who always seem to be in your face when getting the ball and limits the passes so slowing the game up. pity as a really good fair tackle is the next best thing to a goal and gets the crowd going. if only refs used the laws of the game as written and not the leagues interpretation of them pushed at them.

still a bit of work to do and if we win as many games as we lose then we should be ok. a defeat on saturday will be a downer but defeats are going to happen. fans and players will just have to dust themselves down, forget it and learn before the next one comes up.

I agree, but fat chance of that happening. Every defeat will treated as a disaster, with Pools right back to square one. Unless it comes at a point where it is mathematically impossible for us to go down!

The whole of saturdays match is on ifollow, All you have to do is register to watch.

If you do you will see that Jennings is that type of player, Crafty, Sly with Guile, call it what you will, But he has it.

I am registered with I Follow and the only listed fixture so far to watch is the Crewe game. Saturday's match against Sutton United says audio only at £2-50.

I asked Curle about this at the Q&A, his reply, was that not many team's have this kind of player now as players want to be more technical.

Technical ….do they come on the pitch with a micrometer and a socket set?

This is the link i use and it takes me to the Donny match.

https://www.hartlepoolunited.co.uk/iFollow/

OK thanks Grayhoundend. Sorry but I misread your post. Apologies.

how many times have we heard the phrase that he,s the most technically gifted player at the club but fams are far from keen as that type usually comes off the pitch as clean as they come on. just do the basics correct combined with a big heart will do for me especially with defenders. always remember no side has scored when a defender puts the ball in row z but do when fancy danns lose posession.