I am convinced this is our year. If not I will be extra disappointed because when I look at our team I don't see many causing us problems in this division. We need to avoid serious injuries. But like Kev always says " the proof is in the pudding " but I really do BELIEVE in this season. Hope I don't look like a proper wally come the end of the season.We will hit a bump or two ( all teams do ) especially settling in with new players new systems but I hope the fans like ( Loyal ) give them time to adjust before slamming them at every opertunity. Remember we are much stronger together and have the best supporters in this league by a country mile when we are united. COME ON POOLS Darren Sarll's blue n white keep the faith and believe in D.S. UTP

I’m hoping for a good season….it seems more promising than the previous seasons, time will tell…..but travel in hope.

Looking for promotion from Pools is a little like trying to find the end of a rainbow. But then again me and my brother about 4 years back travelling to Stokesley had to stop the car in disbelief when we came across the end of a rainbow in the farmers field 10 yards from our car. Never seen it before in all my years or after. I looked it up and these events do occur at times.

Hang about, you hadn’t been drinking the electric soup and drove into the back of the Stokesly Gay Pride Festival Parade by any chance…?

Ya right, Not having that, No pot of gold,
Mind if i found a pot of gold i,d keep quiet also.

I agree Leggie- we have the ingredients for a successful season. A manager with a vision, best recruitment we've had in a long time, to bolster the decent players we retained whilst shipping out all the deadwood of managers past.

We just need a couple of tablespoons of LUCK (injuries, suspensions, decisions) and there is no reason we shouldn't challenge for top spot.

Absolute minimum for me, for a successful season is a playoff finish and at least one Wembley appearance.

Oh yes I forgot you were one of the bearers with your pink hot pants on. How could I have forgotten that sexy outfit.

I'll go for 17th, Sarl gone November 4th. Featherstone Caretaker then given the job full time and then him gone by February.

I dreamt all that the other night.

Funny thing was Gray people asked later did you go over to it and see what was there. I wish I had now but I could see only the colours and nothing inside as far as I could tell anyway. But we can keep dreaming about pots of gold.

4th November that's my Birthday so hope not.

I think as a pools fan of 34 years I've come to expect very little and on the odd occasion we do have a decent season it's a nice surprise! On paper we have a decent side but a few others do as well, unless we get another 2/3 in then I'd say play offs is the best we can hope for.

Fair opinion Richy But even the playoffs would be a major improvement of previous seasons. It would also give us a 1 in 6 chance of getting promoted.

Would love to see us have a great season but I just dont think the squad is big enough, a few injuries to key players and we,re knackered. Hope Im wrong though.

Believe in Darren Sarll and back him and his extremely hard working players. It's only one game but it was a win and 3 points and a clean sheet. UTP

If we can string two or three wins together and get off to a good start 5k plus crowds will allow us to bring in a couple of good signings methinks

Methinks youthinks correctly.

We won’t do anything if we don’t back the manager with some signings
Waterfall injured today luckily in a position we have lost cover for, any of the fwds go down and we are scrambling

Hopefully a good start will encourage the chairman to back the manager and give us the squad depth we desperately need

Just as I wrote that i see auginers is out for a month , the injuries will
Soon mount up

Methinks youthinks Hethinks correctly

Stop cursing the players Loyal please Your misses deserves a gold medal the size of a bin lid for putting up with your constant negativity. No matter what happens with Pools you always find a negative. Can just see it now Loyal " how does my bum look in this expensive sexy new dress I bought to impress you dear " well if you want the truth sweetheart it looks bloody awful but you are 30 years older now and 4 stone heavier and really shouldn't be wearing that sort of dress anymore" infact stop wasting our hard earned money on dresses that young sexy girls should be wearing and accept your body is no longer sexy.

I too think we are going to do well this season. Sarll has really bigged up Sloggett and we won quite comfortably without him today. Him and a fully fit Mancini to come in to the team and still maybe 2 new signings is very promising. We could have a strong bench for the first time in years.
Being greedy I would like a new keeper, a left back and a striker to come in still and if we get these then that would look like a cracking squad.

Whatever cheese you’re eating before bed, stop eating it.

Do you turn up at the airport in an inflated life jacket, wearing a parachute and demanding the seat nearest the black box flight recorder.
Talk about…. ’Always look on the shite side of strife’

Think suspensions might be as big a threat as injuries.

They were ‘Blush Magenta’ industrial strength ‘Bon Chance’ trousertettes…. Well that ‘s what your personal tailor ‘Cheeky’ Trouserfeeler’ told me they were

with a small squad unless its the same players week in week out who get cautioned every game a week off by suspension can be a good thing when fixtures are coming up with 2 games a week to play just for the rest.

he needs to go. 9th in the league last night just isn,t good enough. come on raj get rid.

I,m sure he books a lifeboat when going on a cruise.

Can't see 5k plus.
It's non league football.
If it does like then the clubs gamble to up the walk up prices could be a commercial gamble bonus.
We can still sign the best of this division anytime during the season.

Cautious Optimism especially after 1 game.
UTP.

When you look at the online sales we have masses of seats up for sale this season compared to the last few so 4500 might be a struggle for saturday. Hope not if southend bring a lot you never know we might get close to 5k.

feel more of us who turn up the better on saturday. a gate hovering abound the 4k mark isn,t going to get raj opening his wallet a bit more. know i wouldn,t if fans cannot be arsed to watch the first home game of the season when it came after an away win.

I think some neat additions to this side and we could be looking at top 3 easy. Cover for now looks to be very important. CBs will drop like flies as already Waterfall. Mani O isnt good enough and is a liability so he needs gone ! Dixon isnt good enough either. So getting their replacements in aswell for me is vital. Add some nice wingers and possibly someone to help out up top regardless of Mani D being injured or just protecting him if we are in the lead. Wallace like someone mentioned will be a welcome addition back as tbh he started last season quite good and looked solid enough but just didnt maintain it and seems injury prone himself. Dont think we see too much of him this season tbh - probably cup games if fit.

Yeovil where a good footballing side - nervy first game stuff and a bit chancy by us but we did what we have not done in years and took the game to them and didnt shy away. We made use of the tactics DS clearly wanted them to play and played to our strengths. LIke DS quoted aftet the match on another day Mani D would have had 3. He will get those chances again like he said and the service from Campbell and Charman will be crucial for him this season - dont be surprised to see him surpass what he got last season in goals and assists.

Only joking Loyal you know I love you

This is where I am, whether we have a good season or not is firmly in the chairman’s court….come on Singh , back your manager! May even be the best way for you to get some money back !

Sarll to came to our club and before a ball was kicked, told us that everything was going to change and that he demanded fitness and work rate with a direct style of play. It is one thing to say those things but quite another to get the players to buy into them!
Well Saturday showed that he has achieved his objectives and supporters can count on the team to put in a full shift whatever the result. That is all we ask for as more often than not the results will go our way.

Exactly Stanley

for once a manager has talked the talk and walked the walk !

we as fans need to back the team and turn up to games when we can. feel this cou;d happen but if we do not we cannot expect raj to go the extra mile either.

Fans have backed raj in large numbers for years now or backed the club. The club needs to try and win or entice those fans back.

Totally wrong about backing Raj in large numbers, backed the club definitely. Poolies yes, Rajies never, always have been and always will be.
I'd guess the numbers who pay to go to games because Raj is chairman is exactly zero.

Raj was hailed as a hero getting pools promoted so yes id say fans have more than backed him in the past. Or backed his club. He has lost a hell of a lot of trust last couple of years but he can quite easily get that back if he gives sarl the tools to be at the top.

As regards the initial title of this topic, I expect it to be an interesting one.

it certainly will be in every way. main hope is doing to gateshead what they did to us last season. that would make an old git happy.

Keep the faith ...Keep the belief ...Keep supporting the lads. It will come good I am certain or I know nothing about the game and won't ever predict anything again in the future if it was to go tits up. UTP

I remember when I was 5 yrs old and my mate lived next door. Every weekend his dad would come in drunk on Friday evening then Saturday afternoon then go back out and come home late each time falling all over the place. He then repeated this on Sundays. His mam ( who was a gem ) used to tell us to go hide he would be in soon and in a bad mood. So basically we ran into the street to play football but could always hear his mother crying and saying don't please don't. On one occasion he was in the back door before his mam noticed so we ran half way up the stairs and keep quite as possible. Then it started he was slapping here about and she must have fallen because she screamed to stop standing on her head. It went on for a good few minutes before he made her apologise for making him mad. Strange thing was she loved him regardless and just put up with it. I told my mother and she said that's why she wears lots of dark eye shadow and makeup. She remained married to him and had a golden anniversary. He died after 65 years married and she is now alone. I bumped into her recently and asked why she used to put up with it and she said he got into my head about beating the children so better me than them. But the biggest surprise was she got strong as time went on and she ruled the roast. So much he hadn't had a drink in 30 odd years. She said they eventually had a wonderful marriage even though she hadn't dare believe it was possible.

The reason for that rant was she was so used to a crap life she never thought it could change. Well that to me is similar to supporting Pools we are so used to nothing but heartache it makes us negative when a possible good situation is right in front of us. We need to believe in our club and hope its time for a good season.

I really hope so lets start tonight.

The Hope is self inflicted Pain.
This is the lowest of the low.
Now hope for a miracle like moses walking on water.

How about Mancini walking on grass.

Don't believe in dreams.
But that's a nightmare.
Surely not.
FFS.