The Poolie Bunker

I know we all know this but Raj Fucking Singh needs to get out of our Football Club...he's fucking poison and KILLS Football Clubs. He's only here for his vanity and ego of owning a Football Club...he knows absolutely fuck all about running a Football Club....and it seems he also knows fuck all about running Care Homes as reported recently in the Press. JUST FUCK-OFF!!!!!
And fucking sue me.

End of the line for him surely, sack the manager then this. Too many short term decisions for too many seasons. What is he getting from this????

Diabolical.

How to turn the remaining home support against yourself in one easy lesson. Got exactly what he deserved - pissed off fans, demoralized players and no manager. Well done Raj! Again!

There must be a Course you can go on to get it this bad…?

Raj may as well have brought a few residents from his care home and put them on the bench tonight, they can't have made any less of an impact than the likes of Walker, Johnson, Hunter, Sheron etc. This is surely the nadir of 118 years of Pools history and what's worse, the cowardly owner will not stand up, make an announcement and take responsibility for anything that has led to this desperate evening. Shame on you Mr Singh.

Imagine having to pay the wages of those pretending to be footballers at our club, should be done under the trade descriptions act, It wouldn't surprise me if that coach probably went because he had the balls to tell some of these workshy fraudsters the truth to their faces.

We've been on this journey for 3 years now. He threatens to leave and people panic but really it's time for the club to go bankrupt. Mr I had the other thread on the need for a Phoenix club and suggested it a long time ago. At least we would start debt free or support FC Hartlepool. It was embarrassing being at that game tonight.

3rd time Pools have failed to reach the 1st round proper of the FA Cup....and all happened in the last 3 years....says it all really.
Plus....lowest ever FA Cup attendance at home.
Cheers Raj....keep up the good work.

Why does Raj hang onto Pools?
That lowest figure is shameful, but not surprising.
Support is starting to crumble, the rivets are popping and we’re in a nose dive…
Why…?

Raj Singh.

Aye, but why does he hang on….the close season was a desert of information for the fans…it’s as though the whole club is detached from the fans.

Just when you think it couldn't get any worse.

The club IS detached from the fans Snowy and we know who is responsible. We've all heard the rumours of the reasons behind the recent dismissals, the club is at it's lowest ebb and the team will likely free fall down the NL over the forthcoming weeks. Surely the owner owes the players, fans, sponsors, the council and other stakeholders an explanation of what has happened over the past month or so and provide hope for the future in the way of a recovery plan?

Absolutely he does. He asked for time in his infamous propaganda video, well he's had enough time so tell us how it is Mr Singh! It feels very much he's hanging for reasons more than selling just the club. This is now a time for honesty.

Excellent point…but I wouldn’t hold your breath.

just hope some good will come out of the last dew days and in a few weeks to come. the club now cannot get any lower and in life you need to hit rock bottom first before it gets turned around. fans will not forget the last few days in a hurry and the only way we,ll top 3,000 for the solihull game is knowing singh has gone or is going. bet the mighty sutton cannot wait for saturday to come against a club who would make WW2 italian soldiers look like war heroes.

For once I agree with you Mutley.

What will Raj Singh do now.That is the question. Will he soldier on with dwindling gates and growing debts, will he sell to the consortium or will he put the club into administration. Whatever he decides to do , now is the time that the supporters of the club need to come together. In my opinion they have three choices ,do nothing and watch the club die, join and support the SA based at the Corner Flag or join and donate to HUST. Supporters need to be prepared for any eventuality. I haven’t included the 1908 Bar because that is controlled by R/S. There may be other choices and suggestions would be worth discussion.

need every single fan now to come together and bury any old differances they have had before. its more serious now than spats of poolie v poolie. could be we have reached a situation now where hopefully this will happen. if anyone is still happy this morning they need an oppointment at the docs pdq.

Singh is hanging on because one day he thinks he might make the right choice for a manager,

or until joke songs appear on youtube about him instead of starmer. any musicIans out there. you are welcome.

Just Go......

There is, he got qualified at Darlington.

He even has his youtube channel!!!

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCPRzoR ... vHEKr5NwIw

If the club was an aircaft…it could be described as ….Breaking up in mid air…. and the aircraft would have to be a ‘Focker’…!

As I see it Raj can do one of four things.

1, He can change tack by getting rid of the new board, appoint an experienced CEO and let him decide who to retain behind the scenes and arrange the funds to take us forward or at least have a decent chance at it. Then let him get on with it.

2. He can sell.

3.He can keep us ticking over by making sure the bills and wages are paid but not much more until he either gets fed up or we continue sinking until we find a level where the utopian "we are self sustaining" is achieved.

4. He can walk away.

I think we are more or less operating at number three or that is the impression I get. The fans don't want that and are hurling abuse at him for what is happening. I think the abuse will achieve one of two things. Either he'll be tempted to dig his heels in and therefore cause more frustration and anger amongst the fans or he'll walk. If he walks he could gracefully pass the whole shooting match over to the Trust and let them find either a sustainable way to take us forward or find someone capable and willing to take over. OR he could just put us into admin with all it's consequences.

I think that is basically where we are and what our chances are.

I'll add the usual ending......unless one of us wins the Euromillions. Even then we'll have to persuade him to sell. Remember he is there until HE decides to go. That is his right. So far abuse and boycotting hasn't achieved anything positive. Maybe it will and maybe it won't. I think another path has to be found.

All the above is merely a summary of where I see us at and where we can possibly go and is in no way shape or form intended to insult or offend.

The club was here before any of us were born and it is incumbent on all of us to see it remains healthy for future generations of Poolies. We all have to remember that, especially the owners and people who operate it. The importance of that should never be compromised or allowed to be downgraded or diminished.

I really don't think he'll choose to walk away and put us into Administration, simply because he basically rights off what he's owed maybe getting 10p in the pound.
The abuse may be enough for him to spot the dummy but financial loss is likely to be even more unpalatable to him than what's happening on social media.
One thing for certain is that failure doesn't stop at Managerial level and any prudent chairman and owner would be seriously reviewing the performance of the board of directors.

think he has been bloody lucks so far as the abuse he has got and fans boycotting the club has been relatively small. no organised marches to the ground, a majority of the crowd venting there anger you see from other clubs. even if he is not there to hear or see it knowing its happening must have an affect on the most thick skinned person.

I agree with your assessment Derwent, however... When you are blackmailed by someone, emotionally or otherwise, is simply appeasing them the right course of action? I've seen the narrative of "He has a gun to our heads so maybe we should be careful" one too many times now. As PTID says, putting us into admin doesn't serve his penny pinching goals. Shooting us is mutually assured destruction at best. Except we can rise again, his reputation never can. Sometimes the most powerful thing you can do is push the gun firmly against your temple and scream "go on then, shoot!".

I agree that appeasement is not the answer and I am certainly not advocating it. I could argue that pushing the gun against my temple is the ultimate sign of appeasement, it is giving in and that is something I don't generally do. My ancestors didn't do that when a far bigger menace was at our door. The owner of this forum didn't do that when he was pinned down somewhere on the Falkland islands. The Ukrainians aren't doing that just because the big bully comes knocking. You don't rise again after pulling the trigger of a loaded gun aimed at your temple. All I'm trying to do is be realistic as I think you are. I rolled up at the VIC at the beginning of the 1952-53 season and you rolled up a bit later than that and that makes us one and the same.......Poolies. Supporters of Hartlepool United and that is for life. We have to collectively find the answer to this problem we are faced with, that is together. We all know that ultimately we may have to start again but as you quoted PTID, I'll do the same....... he said it is the option of last resort.
We are on trial and those custodians and supporters of yesteryear are watching to see if we step up to the plate.
A way out of this has to be found and all possibilities have to be explored, including starting again.

I can’t recall a time when the supporters were so detached from the boardroom.
To say we’re drifting apart would be putting it kindly
We live in interesting times, but that’s not necessarily a good thing.
Being a fan is like being married…..but at present we’re ‘estranged’……

We are basically being 'ghosted' by the owner and his inner circle of henchmen.
They clearly believe it's their club and we (the fans) literally have no say or voice in how they choose to operate - A case of pay your money and Fuck off!

The lines have been drawn in the sand and they are happy with the status quo - the only way this gets resolved is by cutting off the money supply.

I appreciate people have already paid upfront for season tickets and will want to honour them.However the money supply from the fanbase needs to stop, before they even begin to reconsider their exit strategy.

It's for that reason that I'll only be attending away matches for the foreseeable and the hundreds I spend on Merchandise throughout the year will be remaining securely in my bank account. I'm absolutely gutted but nothing changes until we force their hand.

I don't think demonstrating or verbal abuse at matches will make any difference in this scenario and will only make them dig in more. Abstention- be that monetarily or through lack of match attendance is the only way to sweat them out- and unfortunately that takes time. Only then might he reconsider ACTUALLY selling up and fucking off into the sunset.

I wonder what the 63% think.......

Ah…the loyal 63%….but we never did find out 63% of what…..?
All part of the long summer of inertia, where we were kept waiting in anticipation of….nothing!
Effectively muffled while prospective buyers kept giving us brief but encouraging assurances that vaporised with the new season…..months wasted for the fans in eager hope of change and left with a vista of another same old tumbleweed season.
The fans weren’t even in the equation, we were an irrelevance, blocked out and left in a desert where communication was on holiday for the summer…..we had no option but to to become cynical because we were out of the loop..even the ’ Glenn Miller’s only missing not dead Society’ group of terminally optimistic supporters had to face up to reality.
We live in hope, but that’s all we have left, because it’s turning into Bob Hope now….a joke.

I'd imagine the 63% are as gutted about the entire situation as anyone else, but they are not the reason for it.
To be clear the vote was either Raj to step in again as Chairman and continue funding the club or for the club to become financially self sufficient. Now considering that the club was obviously not capable of self sufficiency at the time the sensible choice for me was the former.
There weren't any other options on the vote, so no fantasy money trees and no option of a takeover.
Blaming the "63%" serves no purpose other than to divide fans of the club we all purport to love.

A vote with one option is not a vote…North Korea comes to mind.

But then why even have a vote…it was very …’theatrical’…..more opera than option.

the 63% voted that way if they are all like the ones i speak to not as an indorsement of raj but they could see no other option to support there team. i,d guess quite a few would vote the other way now.

a type of vote where you ask those banged up for life for murder to vote on the introduction of the death penalty for old and new offenders.

As folk vote with their feet we'll soon hear that Raj is upset that the fans aren't matching his continuing love/ investment/ devotion to the club and so, regrettably, he's not putting in any more dosh. Oh, hold on.... has he not threatened that before?

I do have some sympathy for him - he has obviously lost money and will lose more - and he must be badly advised - but who picks those advisors? Yes. Sympathy all but gone.

He will use the fans as an excuse, We all should understand that.
Whatever HE decides to do he will publicly blame the fans.
But whatever decision he comes to, It WILL be HIS decision irrespective of who he blames.

I hope Tees and the BBC refuse to report any news coming from the club.

Anyone owning a club at this level must surely realise that you ain’t gonna make money from it.

This is obviously common sense, but we know that Raj does not live in reality.

He ain't losing money. He's loading it as loans to the club. Never understand how your owner can be your biggest creditor. Shouldn't be allowed. You are loaning money to yourself. You make the decision to own a football club, then any money spent is on you. You can't afford it, get off the pot.

It was a Yes / No vote so that's 2 options.
As for losing money, he only loses money if he can't recover the debt, imo that's why he won't walk away and put us into Administration. Unlike Darlington he's got a lot more invested in us than he did them.

Would not surprise me 1 little bit if he walked, Hardly going to bankrupt him.

If there’s only one choice … as was said…you have just one option.

Yes / No are 2 choices though. The options were effectively Raj funds the club or the club funds the way to fund itself - 2 options whichever way you look at it.

Do you believe he would have walked away into the sunset if the ‘vote’ went against him….?

I believed that the club wasn't capable of self sustainability and didn't want to take the chance that he would pull the funding.

I,m pretty certain before a season starts the league have to have financial assurances in place from an owner to full fill the coming season.