The Poolie Bunker

tenner on a bet weee get batered next saturday ON YEOVIL

stop saying "we" please pops!

U RECKON WE GON A WIN,,,,, YEOVIL

I dont know!!! But I 100% hope we do!!! Dont you???..... I will be there though, we are flying down and stopping over.......

Interesting Grayson saying we didn’t put enough pressure on them
At the back…what is he expecting with Daly, Reid and Johnson up
Front, he surely isn’t expecting us to play a pressing game with that personnel is he ?

I think it was a cautious approach Billingham because we left things so late and the manager/chairman didn’t want to see us get trounced (which we would have
done) with a skeleton squad. The problem is with those in the know including yourself we are in the short term going to be playing catch up. Grayson knows it but would never admit it. Next weeks game is going to be interesting fitness wise etc.

Doesn't hide it very well does he??

Who knows what'll happen next week? Not sure how losing to South Shields translates into a likely thrashing from Yeovil who lost to Weston Super Mare?

We will win lose or draw.

And the after match comments will improve from this thread Hopefully. :lol

We dont know what will happen but its certainly not a great confidence boost is it? A team we hammered last season is now a week before the season looking better prepared than us. The manager pretty much said that in his intervie, fitness etc, being over run where have we heard that before etc etc. If we get anything next week other than our arses kicked it will be a surprise.

As though Pools would go to Boro and win 2-0.

If Pools weren't treating this as a massive game, giving their all, as should be the case in every game, then it tells you all you need to know about the attitude of the players and the club in general.

So take our result as a precursor of a thrashing but ignore Yeovils equally poor result?
Most people are saying we didn't start our best 11 or the 11 that are likely to start next week. I'd expect that the primary goal yesterday was to get more fitness, an assessment of players in a slightly more competitive environment, and to get through it without injury. Nothing like a league or cup game then, that's why I never go to friendlies regardless of the opposition, absolutely meaningless.

Well I did warn you, in a post about pre-season around 6 weeks ago, only to be ridiculed as per usual by those on here who haven't a clue. Its not as easy as it used to be, arranging pre season games, due to different leagues starting at different times, even when it was though, Pools rarely organised good pre season schedules. Now its even harder to arrange games that have value, things are hardly likely to change, with Pools seemingly always last in the queue, probably because they are the last to pick up the phone in the first place. Spenny played York yesterday, Darlo played Gateshead, teams in the league above them, see the pattern? You play teams from the league above you , of course that wasn't possibly yesterday, because the EFL league 2 started yesterday, but Pools should've played a league 2 outfit last weekend or the week before. I'm happy to arrange the pre season schedule for next season if Pools want to get in touch with me.

Nearly every season, we have a shit pre season, that raises concerns, then go on to have a shit season. We often win our first game though, or even start reasonably well, before the inevitable happens

Oh bless...... you`ve been here since day one haven`t you ... well done kid...

The fixtures are fairly kind to start of with.

Bit tuffer in October.
Then it's safe to say we know we're we Gunna finish.

I'm not ignoring Yeovils I'm more worried that with a week before the season our manager is telling us once again we are overrun in midfield, a problem that's not gone away for years and in our first real test the manager is highlighting it again. The keeper situation a week before the season, pathetic for a professional run club. Making do once again hoping something crops up. Yes friendlies are hard to judge and we may rock up looking all great in 6 days time but history suggests with us that we struggle once the real teams come along.

if we had actually won this pointless game there would be far less comments about it and the club. if we did win next week there will be boycotters who turn up for our home game but if we lose they,ll carry on with there actions. as for south shields we could easily get them in the fa cup 4th qualifier and get beat with the same side out who beat york the week before. its bloody football and teams win lose or draw in a season with players having different types of games in them all.

Yes

The SouthShields Massive.

Rather than voice an opinion on something I haven't seen I decided to consult the person whose judgement I could always rely on, me Grannie.
As she is not with us anymore I decided to pray for her take on things, so on me knees I went.
I asked if it was possible to get inside the manager's head and analyse his thought processes.
She said the reason we lost against Shields was because the manager already knows his preferred line up against Yeovil, so he rested most of them.
He decided to give the impression at his subsequent interview that he was worried that his boys weren't ready yet and he was near to panic when, in fact, he was quietly confident that the team he had in mind would get the job done at Yeovil.
He also wanted to keep his line up from any connection with the treatment table.
Me Grannie, as a born and bread West Hartlepudlian, said she had chuckled at all the negativity on the bunker, saying that is typical of the Poolie nation.
I asked her why she read the bunker ...........to keep an eye on you, Son.
She lived in Derwent St. A bit of information unknown to most but the reason for my username.

Your grannie may well have a point

My view on Saturdays debacle is, that is served only one purpose, it must have surely cleared any thoughts in Grayson's mind who his strongest 11 are going to be, the two statues in the midfield are simply to slow, especially Walker who looks even slower than when he left us. He was like an American quarterback sitting in the pocket trying to spray 60 meter passes all the time (with a 1 in 10 success rate), not needed at this level, we need someone who can drive forward from midfield to open space up for the forwards.
For me
Walker
Darcy Campbell (too slow and gets bullied),
Stephenson (terrible distribution and switches off),
Hunter (Not a midfielder, too slow, maybe a centre half option 7000 touches all sideways or backwards no effect at all on the game),
Adam Campbell (offers nothing in an attacking sense)
Florian (Headless chicken)
These players should not be anywhere near the starting line-up.

But as stated, I genuinely think we have a good 11 or so players who will need to keep fit it we are to have a good season, any injuries and we could be in trouble.

May be injury free is the "icing on the cake"

Walker was bone idle when we had him 1st time around, he will be even slower now,pointless signing and not the type of player we needed. Happy to be proven wrong but I don't think I will be.

After watching against Shields there is no getting away from the fact that some of our back up players aren't good enough:

Darcy no where near good enough, why on earth did Joe Monks take up the option on him in the summer?
Walker very slow should only be used as cover for centre back.
Hunter really slow does nothing,why did Joe Monks take up the option on him in the summer?

I do think Grayson has recruited well but feel we may need to move a few players on to create funds to bring better players in.

I’ve said this for years and will say it again we are completely one paced in midfield no one who can beat a man then run away from him….nearly every other team we play have midfielders faster and more athletic than ours …..so we go and sign Brad Walker ffs

Agree 100% about meaningless pre-season friendlies. I went up to Shields for the game at their place last July. Pools looked terrific going forward in the first half, ran out easy 5-0 winners - a complete fluke that bore no relation to how Sarll intended to set up for games in the NL.

Does anyone seriously think Grayson would start Stephenson and Darcy as full backs in a flat back 4 at Yeovil, even if we'd beaten Shields 5-0 again?

Incidentally, I said the same about Blackett on another thread last Tuesday. He'd be a great back-up for Johnson, but no doubt Shields would want a bit of money for him.

Grayson should ask Raj to back him again and put in an offer - let's see how deep his pockets are.

Might as well.
Then he can write off the imitation debt to his son.