Well if that wasn’t a wake up call to certain players to up their game then maybe they should jump ship now. Of course where we are now in the league most people would have taken it, and there are many positives. But, how long can we keep switching off and leaking goals. Askey said in his post interview that he has spent ages on the training ground trying to install the necessary mind set on the defenders. He didn’t use those words but you could see he is losing patience and more or less insinuated he would have to look for players elsewhere if they don’t sort themselves out soon. We look ok for periods of games playing fairly high tempo, with neat passing and scoring lots of goals. But, for some reason we switch off sit back and allow teams to attack us and because the defence is brittle we make things harder for ourselves. I know Askey knows what to do but for some reason the defence are either naive or just not up to it or both. We also should not be naive at set pieces either. I am sure he has given certain individuals a roasting and needs to get tougher or get rid. There is no excuse for lack of discipline and naivety in this league or any other. Still plenty to be positive about but pools need to strengthen sooner rather than later with defenders like Michael Nelson who played his heart out every week. Midfield also a bit brittle. The problem with a small squad as the games come quick and fast is that the players don’t get enough time to get fully fit again, so play with injuries and it shows. Nevertheless I do trust Askey. Can anyone else expand on what I am saying. Particularly those who are attending games.

To be honest Askey hasn’t got a pot to p*** for cash in not unless he can bring in some loanees, another centre back and 2 midfielders. The games I watched prior to the Mancini and Dodds injuries Pools did play fast attacking football but Pools now just tend to pass the ball sidewards and backwards, it’s as if no player wants to take responsibility to make a run or make a forward pass only a punt towards Mani who usually doesn’t have anyone to lay it off to.

at our level there is bound to be mistakes in all players. games seem to carry on for ages where the defence looks quite decent. then for some unknown reason players just switch off losing a marker or get caught in no mans land. 4th in the league with only 2 teams conceeding more tells the whole story. at least JA has only one problem to deal with defending where in the past we never looked like scoring and never looked like keeping a clean sheet either. the only real solution could be at least one new defensive midfielder in where one of our attacking ones have to give way with another defender who is really good in the air especially at set pieces. the only problem could be we dry up scoring a bit to stop goals at the other end. we were always a bit of a work in progress anyway and think many fans have been wetting themselves too much with our wins at the vic.

JAs win ratio about 25% and hes aledgedly better by bunker opinion a different level above the previous 3 managers.
So the problem has ro be at boardroom level.

Let’s be honest Kev, football wise, Ratboy was way above the other three managers and shitting on the pitch is his speciality.

so its a cue to start raj knocking and bringing up takeovers again just because oxford dare score 5 goals in a game against us. there are always those worse off than us and more than just york and southend.

And I suppose the board are responsible for not starting with Umerah or Lacey, the board dictate tactics, give away silly goals every game as well.
The problem yesterday was on the pitch not in the directors box.
How do any of us know how much or how little JA has to spend, or if any more players will be sanctioned? We don't so let's just face facts, that debacle yesterday was down to the players having a collective bad day. The same players (or most of them) have done well so far this season.

So logically when we were winning prior to this and went top that therefore must be down to Raj…or is it only his fault when things go wrong.
Yesterday was shite, shite happens, wipe you backside and move on , don’t sit in the mess.

Conceded 3 at barnet, 3 at chesterfield, 5 at oxford that simply cant continue or we wont be in the play off mix come the seasons end. 2 quality defenders will change our season no end. Worry about the midfield when we tighten up a bit.

think its pretty obvious if JA can bring in a few extra players we will see a change in all games where scoring more than 2 goals in a game will become rare but we will not be seeing teams score those numbers against us. apart from the fylde game its been possible we could have conceeded even more goals than we actually have done with less points on the board than we have now.

there is always one good thing coming out of games like that. had no trouble whatsoever with the live stream and the wheel of death never appeared once.

Theres nothing logic about this place.
The majority of your posts being a prime example.
You luv it when we get beat so ya can moan about the people moaning.
Thank god this aint the real world.

If askey cant do a decent job at pools then you have to question can anyone? Mind you is he helping himself having umerah below grey in the pecking order?

Understand where you are coming from Kevin.
But for me yesterday the problem was most certainly on the pitch.
Someone is needed on the pitch who is willing to call others out.

Believe it or not Featherstone used to do that.
Seen him having a right go at players, Fergie is too nice,imo.

The biggest problem for me is we cannot defend balls from the right going to the far post. We must have conceded over half the goals against from these crosses. We have the two Manis both around 6.5 ft but neither one marks the back post both are in the middle during set pieces. Look at the Southend game when a player had a free header at the far post it was headed back across and heading into the net until the two Manis clashed heads and cleared it off the line resulting in ManiD getting stitches in a eye wound. These two should never have been together in the middle it's simply bizarre. Every team have now sussed us out after the Barnet game. All oppenents have either scored or look like scoring every single time the ball is crossed in from right side to the far post. When crosses come in from the left to far post we usually deal with those it's the right side that is the main problem. It's not rocket science someone must take care of our most vulnerable area the far post. Wakey wakey coaches & players.

Umerah wouldn’t have improved us yesterday, Lacey I would agree with but I reckon he wasn’t played due to the 3G and him just coming back from injury. Burton or Pruti would’ve made more sense than Ferguson at left centre back though

Oxford City players are part time, whilst they are part time they didn’t appear to tire as the game went on even in the extreme heat, couldn’t Pools look at bringing some part time players ones who can’t afford to go full time but could be half decent for the bench and bring on later in the game ?

Sadly…it is
…and I don’t like it when we get beat, what sort of reverse role logic are you applying ? You’ve got the concession on it…. . I just get over it quickly, no point in getting an ulcer over it.

think halifax tried this system known as a hybrid. half the squad was full time with the rest part time. nothing revolutionary about that as i,m sure pools had part times in the squad right into the 60,s. not sure how it worked at halifax and the organisation it took. might get a top part time player for the wages pools pay rather than a few second rate full times like we have a few of.

What wages do Pools pay then? Allegedly Hastie and Cook were on more than £2.5k / week last season. Also, one of our better players on the pitch (Sylla) was supposedly on less than £500 / week.
Going part time isn't the answer, recent seasons suggest that huge investment in the squad is. Until Raj agrees to invest more of his (not our) money, or he sells to someone who will spend more then we have to rely on JA and his team getting the right players and more importantly getting the best out of them.

I said bring a few part timers in not go part time fully.
Singh is a businessman, Pools is not a hobby club for him, he is very unlikely to be throwing millions of his cash at Pools not unless he can get a return, Pools very rarely if ever have made a profit. You forget IOR were ‘subsidising’ Pools to the tune of a million pounds a season, Singh isn’t in a position to do that nor would any potential buyer be.

Accrington refers to part timers in the 60s. This was a time when we had a reserve team made up of mainly part timers and they use to get in mainly through injuries. One of my old friends who got in told me the full timers wouldn’t pass to him.

I believe we had part-time players well into the 1970s. I think Keith Houchen was when he first joined pools, and I'm pretty sure Mark Lawrence was as he wanted to finish college so he had a trade behind him if the football didn't work out.

Traveling in coaches to work and stopping in swanky hotels does not work
And neither do International breaks.

If you walk into Oxford Citys ground and think you a better player without kicking a ball you are
Starting off on the wrong foot. And deserve all you get.

Please JA take this as a one off but the bench was not strong enough Lacey not match fit,Finney either not fit or not up to it.Surely Matt Dolan on the bench to replace Wallace would of been a better choice or has he been a naughty boy and is waiting to be shipped out.

Good point that, not flavour of the month but an experienced pro given our circumstances.

Can't see why we signed him at his age if he's going to be nowhere near the first team

Why exactly are they being kept in the dressing room deep freeze?
If it’s not rating them , fair enough, but we are in difficult circumstances and I’d rather have a reluctant pro than a keen youngster…. Or is it down to some bizarre disciplinary code or a reaction to attitudes, whatever it is sort it out and start making rapid use off ALL your resources instead of farting about.

It's baffling it really is. We signed Burton, a centre back who was getting rave reviews but suddenly he's not good enough to get on the bench against Oxford city. Neither is Pruti. We would rather put Ferguson at CB. As for Dolan's situation, beyond belief. We have a paper thin squad to start with without freezing half of them out.
Our piss poor defensive performances are becoming a nightmare away from home where we get attacked more. How long will it be before teams come to the Vic, throw caution to the wind and have a go at us, like Wealdstone did second half and nearly pinched a point.
I don't know what the record is for the highest number of consecutive games without a clean sheet is but we sure look like threatening it. Another record we could do without.

Spot on.

you can add on playing on a surface also that many players do not like who just want to get through the game as easily as possible for them. more or les beaten from the start like a player i knew that detested playing at the vic and ended up having a nightmare game.

Askey comes across as a very stern fella, very rarely smiles so there could be a strict disciplinary side to him, do as I tell you or you’ll be punished. I’ll teach you who is the master in this house.

I look forward to the return fixture with some relish.

saturday 6th january. got it in my diary already. one thing the weather and the pitch will be different so it might be them moaning if we get our own back.

The difference between leafy Oxfordshire on a warm, sunny afternoon on plastic and a Baltic ball breaking easterly in January on the the North Sea coast on grass should be an ‘experience’ for them along with the warm ‘reception’ from the fans recovering from New Year.
This is more appealing than a Darlo derby.

And that's a fact.

Cancelled due to Pools away to Newcastle in FA Cup.

If that happens …..you’ll get the blame!

Is that a premonition Kev Wonder what odds u would get now for that to happen

I’d hang on to your stake money

knowing pools we,ll be drawn away at oxford city in the second round, get beaten and they,ll draw newcastle.

Well the answer to my question of how long before we get turned over at the Vic was answered yesterday.