The Poolie Bunker

Got to be a draw for me, coupled with a defeat for SARFend at Carlisle!
All three teams are woefully inconsistent and not good enough to claim 7th spot outright, reckon it will go to the wire. Still at least it's the top end and not the bottom end, were worried about.

Desmond 2-2 today - Sinclair & Oliver with the goals

Crowd 4321
137 from the fax

You would think there would be more away fans for this fixture but we will see.
Going to have to go for a narrow Pools win, 1-0 or 2-1, crowd 4109.

Beat em and lose next week.

Agreed but their attendance figures at home recently have been shocking- barely into 4 figures.
If we were going there, as things stand, and with it being a Saturday with reasonable weather, reckon we'd have 600 minimum in their away end

I think we took almost 500 to Halifax this season, so you could easily increase that now with a play off spot up for grabs.
You are right, Halifax have poor support. which is a shame. Hopefully we can be in 7th spot come 5pm.

Think Landon is back in town with his Missus today - so here's hoping he maintains his 100% record at H.Q.

Come on Pools - Nowt to beat!

Halfax signing.

Ash Palmer in on a 1 month loan from York.

Us 0 fax 2

Depends which Pools turn up. The players are aware of the importance of this game so they are highly likely to lose it.

Check out the line up.

Absolutely, this is Hartlepool United after all.

Personally I suspect this game will demonstrate that one or both teams are not worthy of a playoff spot.

0-1. that’ll be that then.

Or lose this week and win next week!

Incidentally, that Sutton team that stuffed us in midweek are losing 5-0 at home to Morecambe.

Might as well lose at Truro next week, give them some hope, as hope is lost on us!

That should be that for Featherstone. It’s a shame it has to end this way. Should never really have been given the job but a parting blow from Raj incidentally means he will face an acrimonious departure from the club. One of the hardest jobs in English football is the Pools one, not for the faint of heart or the inexperienced! A club legend he will remain. A good manager he will not become at Pools.

His stubbornness in system rolls on - and today Campbell plays despite all the noise around & him and a continuation of yet another stinking performance is produced….basically meant Feaths smart arse ploy of dropping Miley and Reid just exposed him for his shortcomings as a manager. It didn’t work and 99% of Pools fans would have expected Campbell to be pulled from the firing line, especially with Miley’s quality at set pieces.

Two opportunities in a week. Two home defeats where today we just never really looked like scoring. Enough now… Feaths has been party to so many terrible Pools teams over the years, we need freshness and capability on the football side alongside the new ownership. Carlisle aside he hasn’t got this squad of players firing for a big game all season and he got his wish of mass recruitment - and Sinclair aside - it’s made absolute ZILCH difference. Still toothless in the attack, mind numbingly boring and still weak as piss when it matters.

Somebody mentioned something on here about being ‘smart after defeat’ - well he tried to be smart again today and fumbled yet again. I’m afraid… Feaths out. And let’s start all over again. Properly this time, too much at stake to roll the dice on a complete novice manager again.

Smith has all the good will in the world but just like after Sutton… time to show your bollocks!

Season over. Halifax have a 20+ goal scorer, we don't. Take note Mr Smith.

Featherstone should be kicked out of the club for once and for all.

Smith needs to show he means business

Yep, red card for NF, he’s simply not got it.

4 of the next 5 matches are away from home, be grateful for small mercies!!

Todays positive.
We playing South Shields n maybe Darlo next season.

Seriously question.
Do we have the worst home record in the National League History!!

I heard someone in CK saying there was a bloke shouting abuse at our new owner. FFS if true what kind of fuckwit does that?

Let's get back to reality, this Pools team is a mid table outfit that has actually over achieved to flirt with the idea of a playoff spot. Nicky Featherstone has demonstrated conclusively that he does not have the management nouse to suggest that he can be part of a promotion drive next season so it must be goodbye Nicky.

That's uncalled for.

However, a owner of a business/company, the owner is open to abuse about the standard of entertainment or service provided. If people aren't happy about the service or standard they are watching or don't think it's value of money, you are entitled to make a complaint to the owner of that business or company. However, unfortunately you won't get a refund in football.

Then it's up to the owner to act in the complaints made.

I'm sure as a owner of a business in the U.S he as probably had worse than some poolie shouting at him.

Fooking clueless gobshite….embrassing.

100% agree, Featherstone's time is surely up following that clueless, inept performance across the board. I can't think of one player that emerged with any credit save for Parkes and maybe Sinclair. What's worse is that not for the first time Feaths screwed up the initial selection, failed to make changes early enough as per and also failed to throw a couple of strikers on as soon as Halifax scored. There was literally nothing to lose by going for it but unfortunately Feaths hasn't got a gung-ho in him.

Hopefully Landon has witnessed the dark side of this very average Pools squad, it beggars belief that it is anywhere near the playoffs and even if we somehow managed to actually squeeze into the top seven it would doubtless end in abject humiliation. The time to start rebuilding for next season is NOW, starting with the appointment of an experienced manager with a good track record of success in the lower leagues of English football.

If we did a Wrexham there still would be some people not satisfied. There is no need for any abuse but I'm afraid some people think it is their right.
Patience isn't known as a strong point of football fans, that's why communication with the fan base is so important.

Don't think LS deserves any criticism so far, but NF / LL certainly do. Neither should be anywhere near our club. LL is not even a has been more a never was and NF is a serial loser and too pig headed to change.

Southend losing 2 nil. What a waste of two winnable home games.

NF obviously skipped over the bit where LS said we'll have fun till the end of the season, it's been Fecking dire and I'm betting there'll be way less than 3000 at the next home match.
Hopefully he's been sounding out a replacement manager to be installed asap.

Halifax were nowt special…a bit physical old school, something we can’t cope with.
We can play football, but we can’t mix it.
Why wasn’t Miley on from the start…..?

Because Fev wanted to prove he knows best, even to the detriment of winning the game. Fecking suck of hearing him being lauded as a legend, he couldn't lace the boots of Itchy Humphreys or Tinkler etc and he only got as many years here because no other club wanted him. He's overseen some awful games and results, let's not forget Gainsborough or Anstey Nomads both of whom beat us at home. Pay him off and tell him to take LL with him.

I agree with this so much. Featherstone was good for maybe 2 seasons under Challinor where nearly every player thrived and then was mostly unremarkable the majority of the time. In fact, I remember in the national league years pre-Challinor where he was the target for much of the abuse! “Overweight”, “crab, etc.

Someone doesn’t become a legend just because they played somewhere for a long time. There’s been many players who’ve cranked out 40 game seasons at the club for a long time, but I would never put them amongst the best players to have played for the club.

The manager role clearly hasn’t worked so far, and while the lineups and tactics have been terrible at times, part of me wants to give him a bit of leeway - he shouldn’t even be in this position! He was still playing for us last season and was a player/coach at the beginning of this season!

Not sure that’s fair. Look at the atmosphere during the Challinor era. There was very few people having a moan there. And as for patience… pools fans are more rightful to be impatient versus others given how terrible we’ve been for so long.

It’s desperate. Season after season. We have been handed a lifeline with Smith coming in, but it doesn’t feel like it yet as we’ve just lost 2 must win home games on the bounce without scoring a goal! Grim. Absolutely grim. But ‘typical Pools!’. It’s about time the full club got impatient and went after standards and success and get rid of yesteryear legends from the club.

Monk, Lawrence, Feaths, Liddle, just gut the whole thing and get proper successful football people in. I’d start by going after Pete Wild.

The rotten losing, crap, typically disappointing football culture at Pools has to turn around as part of Smith’s tenure and he will only do that by being ruthless and impatient in his approach.

he got one from me for that starting line up especially when the subs were announced. 2 defensive mid fielders in a home game plus the inept daly and wasteful campbell. would have taken a defeat if we went all out shit or bust instead of waving the white flag as quickly. yet another signing caton proved he is another who is not a target man and the only one on the books was held back as long as he could. guess the book of excuses will be opened to explain to LS that those on the bench were not fully fit to start and the shaymen once beat man.uts and man.city in cup competitions. one thing there was a reaction from the sutton game, the team played worse.

it might be and possibly fueled with drink. however there must be others like me who expected more action from LS. if nobody knew we had a new owner you,d think we still had the old one. nobody expects a complete club overhaul in a few months but some change would be appreciated and not a starmer type one either.

All of the frustration should be vented at the manager imo! We should be riding the crest of a wave after the huge cloud of Raj's ownership was lifted and positive performances against the 3 best teams in the league, not cowering behind mass defence and reliance on breakaway goals which rarely come.

I think we're both saying the same thing but you've gone into more detail. I said weeks ago that LS needed to produce some sort of wow factor to get the fans going. He asked for patience instead and now there are signs that Poolies are running short of patience as you have suggested. Yesterday it was probably just a lone cry from the stands but the question to be considered is how many more are there who have stopped short of following that gadgie into protest mode but are harbouring the same concerns. It doesn't take long and it doesn't take much, especially as we are sick to the back teeth of false dawns. Most people are crying out for just a glimpse of getting started with the main job of producing a side who will get us out of this league. We should be starting now is the cry from the fans and some fans are suggesting that we are waiting for the season to end before the real effort takes any sort of serious shape. If that is the case then simply tell us, then we might see more patience. If LS simply said, look I am not going gung ho to make changes but am giving every one at the club a chance to show me they have a future here and the big decisions on releasing and recruiting will take place at the end of the season, then we would probably go along with that. After all we have waited long enough, a few more months won't hurt. Personally I still think we should be starting ASAP but I am prepared to go along with LS. He waxes lyrical about the Town and it's fans and is extremely eloquent but that only carries weight for so long. Expectation is building towards big things starting to take shape somewhere around May. I really hope so because, God Forbid, anything less will have a sizeable impact.

I appreciate Landon Smith's arrival is giving hope but my fear is we simply have yet another end of season rebuild and a new face in the coaching dug out leading to us having the same conversations about possibly /maybe/concievably sneaking into the play offs this time next season.

I agree but there are only two people capable of action, Fevs by resigning or LS by removing him and that can be done by gently having the conversation based on our projected rise has to start with the right man at the helm and easing him back into a coaching role, if fevs is happy to go along with that. If not he ( LS) can honour Fevs contract and compensate him. Fevs is only contracted until the end of the season, so we are only talking about three months max. That would do as a wow factor for most of us in my opinion.

at least LS has seen and heard now what we have been seeing for too many years now and hope the realism has now kicked in after a good honeymood period where lots have gone for him and the team. hopefully after a good thought about things he realises things have to change but only for the better and the long term for us and the club.

communication with the fans is important if its based on the whole truth and not just telling the majority what they want to hear. no club tells there fans everything as we do not need to know and some items need keeping in house. its when they see things and comment on them that very few in the ground can see and give the impression due to their status that they are the font of all knowledge and we are just thick gits who know nothing.

Roll on next season.
Cant even be arsed to watch IPTV or YouTube highlights anymore.

I did a bit of music n garden drinking in the sunshine on Saturday.
Won't let them useless fuckas piss me off when the sun's out.


And over 4000 I'm really struggling to see what the attraction is.
Maybe Sadistic pleasures

But we are going to be sorted for next new season ain't we!!!
UTP.

Aye, it’s a bit much when the ‘viewers’ are leaving the telly early saying they want to catch the bus.

I know I'm a shit fan nowadays but I don't have a problem about it.

But I'm hoping Smithy gets me back next season.
UTP.

lets say i have turned games off i am watching on the telly quicker than i leave the vic with a couple of minutes to go.