The Poolie Bunker

First of all, just so I don't get dragged into any of these pathetic little arguments that always seem to end up being directed at individuals, this post, and it's a long one, isn't directed at anyone in particular but more at those fans who are quick to criticise but slow to recognise, and especially those fans that sometimes seem to take pleasure in hounding players out of this club, I give you a couple of examples in Steve Howard ,more recently Jermaine Easter and god only knows how Adam Boyd would have fared if he'd stayed and didn't score in every game this season.

Ritchie Humpreys hasn't had a good start to the season, he didn't last year either !
Last season though he ended up playing very well playing at full back for most of the campaign and in a few other positions too, he IS easily our most consistent player over the last FEW seasons and was by far and away our best player of last season.
He is obviously highly rated by the other players at the club otherwise why would be getting pushed forward to make things happen off the pitch, give the lad a break, he still has plenty to offer Pools and I think we should give him another run at full back.
I don't disagree with anyone who says players should be dropped/rested if they are having a bad spell, BUT those same players should still be given another chance after a few games out, that's when you find out what these players are about, HOWEVER, it doesn't help ANY player who comes back in from being dropped/rested if the fans berate him at the 1st opportunity on OR off the pitch.
Ritchie Humpreys has given this club and it's fans a lot of pleasure and some fans seem to forget that, think back to last season and ask yourselves how many players were more committed to the cause than Ritchie Humpreys. Ask yourself why he won 2 player of the year awards last season, yes it was a poor season, but at the end of a very poor season this man was still voted as the best player at the club, over the whole of that poor season, by the majority of fans AND the players he played with !!!!! Work it out .
Like I said he hasn't had a very good start to the season at all BUT how many of our players have this season, Nelse, Darren Williams errrm, Nelse, Darren Williams , are you getting the picture yet ,they've all been poor, hopefully it's not going to continue for much longer and hopefully some of these players who we know are capable of much better WILL get better but in the meantime we can't drop them all can we ?
So Ritchie has been dropped and looks as if he's probably been replaced in the midfield but why not give him a chance back in defence and if and when he gets that chance lets give him some encouragement until he gets back to something like we know he's capable of, no disrespect to Brackstone and Robson but Ritchie Humpreys IS a far better player than either of them at the back.
Danny Wilson obviously thought he was good enough to be given a place back on the bench on Friday and good enough to be brought on later in the game so hopefully Ritchie has been trying just that little bit harder in training to make DW think about him.
This is a player who has played 250+ consecutive games for this club and okay there have maybe been a few times when that run might have been broken by a dip in form but obviously the Managers in charge at the time haven't thought that their was an able replacement to be able to drop him, regardless of that, to play that many consecutive games at ANY level is one heck of an achievement and should be recognised by some of our fans who are only to quick sometimes to single out players for abuse and blame.
Give Ritchie Humpreys a break and think about what he has given to you since he 1st came to the club, if he doesn't get better soon then fair enough then we can say goodbye and thanks but first give him a chance and show HIM your support ,who knows, it might just help him to come good again.
If a player plays poorly in one game, drop him IF you have someone good enough to do better, if a player plays badly over a couple of games, like Ritchie has then drop him and give someone else a chance to try and do better, but give that player another chance at least before you get rid of him for good, , whatever happens don't direspect ANY player that has given Hartlepool United the entertainment, passion and committment that someone like Ritchie Humpreys has by making his life a misery, if he has to go, then he has to go but whenever he plays his last match for this club, and you NEVER just know when that might be, then let him have enjoyed it and leave with only good memories of his time at our beloved, if sometimes frustrating and chaotic little football club.

Rant over.

The trouble is Coddy is that now all of the anti's will argue with you and all of the pro's will tell you what a fantastic post that was.

My only observation is that there is a lot of past tense in there mate. we could make exactly the same argument for Mark Tinkler.

The thing is,why did he play that many consecutive games when at times(like any other normal footballer) he did have a dip in form and fully deserved to be dropped?..other players had one bad game and were dropped...like Boydy after the Bradford match at the beginning of last season.

Humphreys hasnt been good enough this season and Danny Wilson did the right thing and dropped him...simple as that.

Its up to Humphreys to prove he is worth a place in the starting 11...personally speaking he isnt.

I LIKE Ritcie Humphries, but I did think he was poor for the 10 minutes or so he was on on Friday night, so I said so, If he had been brilliant I would have said that also

ENDOF

Disagree totally, Mark Tinklers situation is totally different, he was a great player for a lot less time than RH, with Tinks I think it's more a case of him losing fitness with age,picking up more and more injuries, and he has never been as consistently as good as RH has in the time he's been here.
Tinks' best seasons were when the club generally had a couple of very good seasons, ie: Promotion year and the season after, he didn't figure that much in the Cardiff season either, whereas RH has played in all of these as well as last seasons dreadful performances.
Tinks has never suffered the abuse or blame that has been heaped on RH, personally I would have got rid of Tinks a long time ago and I've slagged him off many times, but not publicly and certainly not out loud at a game, I still think of Tinks as one of our best players in recent times but he just can't do it anymore (in my opinion) but I would never give him nor expect anyone else to give him the sort of treatment that Ritchie Humpreys seems to be getting at present.
People have opinions and people pay a lot of money and have a right to voice their opinions but giving one of our own players stick at a game is neither constructive or acceptable, and if this abuse on this and other messageboard goes on goes on that's what will happen.
What good does it do, singling out one player, as I said I'm not against players being dropped , rested or even moved on to a different club but I'd like to think that when they finish with us they take with them fond memories of their time here.
Call me sentimental or whatever but it's just what I think, abuse should not be directed at the players whatever we might think, and remember I'm one of them who stated not long ago that maybe the previous Managers might not have been as bad as we've thought and that maybe a lot of the blame lies with the players, but that doesn't mean that I'm going to vent my frustration at them every time they come within earshot, 'cos it doesn't help MY TEAM, YOUR TEAM, YOUR PLAYERS to play better.

And I think you'll find I said exactly the same thing

But if the past three managers have picked him week in week out, he is hardly going to turn around and say 'go on boss, i'm shite, drop me', is he??

And I agree with you too, he hasn't played well all season and needs to get better and if he had played well this season I would have pointed that out too.

END OF

and if we remember humpty had a poor start to his pools career when he was used mainly up front and took X (john?) games to get on the scoresheet.

There was also a strong rumour that it was in his contract that if he was uninjured, no matter overweight he was, he had to play first team football.

anyway, a good player for the club and with bracker banned more likely than not to be shot in at left back

I agree of course that there's no merit in slagging players off unless they are doing something to seriously deserve it (in which case the manager would probably drag them off anyway).

Coming back to the specific case of Ritchie being dropped. It's fairly logical when you think about it. Wilson thought the team had got over their relegation malaise but it gradually dawned on him this wasn't the case. The team needed a big shake up, and there's no bigger shake he could have given the team than dropping Ritchie.

Ritchie WILL be back, once we're sure the wound has stopped festering.
In the meantime there's a good chance our three new players will have redefined our shape for the better.
So where should we play Liddle to achieve that? A straight 1-for-1 with Clark doesn't seem to achieve much.

To be fair he wasn't a bad left back last year, better than the alternatives

Robson is just not cut out for that position & Brackstone lacks experience (hence the sending off)

25 games it took him to score

Best reply of the lot,totally agree about the team needing a shake-up and dropping RH being one of the best ways to do it. As for Liddle, well seemingly he can play in midfield, personally I would give him a go there and bring back Ben Clark alongside Nelse, this would probaly involve removing Robson from the starting line up but I would have him on the bench.

Opinions are divided on this one and will probably remain so. My issues are as much the roles played behind the scenes as on the pitch. I am convinced that these are the core reasons we were relegated. Still it will be interesting to see what happens on Saturday and whether he gets a game at left back - I happen to think that he's as good as any other option we currently have in that position. There are better options in midfield now and past seasons don't count when you're picking a team.

I think we've kicked this round long enough, I'm certainly bored with the subject, either way I'm sure we can all agree that as long as he plays better than any other player in a given position then he should be in the team and the reverse is also the case.

Alas I fear Mr Tinkler has had his day, my favorite player at one point. I live in hope of a rennaissance - but I can't see it happening

No your right he isnt....but he has been living in that well known footballers hideout called 'the comfort zone' for about 18 months now...its about time he started paying the rent.

Here's an irrelevant fact: Steve Howard only scored three goals in his first 38 games with Northampton (and of course two of those were against Pools)!

A return at left back has to be the next move with RH. We have no other viable option there at the moment, as we don't look like bringing in a proper left back on loan this week.

The situation with Ritchie reminds me of the one with Mickey Barron a few years ago. At the time he was a well established centre-half of the sweeper type, but we needed someone to fill in at right back, so he was moved there, a lot of our newer supporters don't think of him as anything other than a man for that position.

Who knows he may well develope into the man for the job, not a "Rob McKinnon" clone, but we can't expect him to be better than our best ever left back.

Perhaps he hasn't been helped in the past by managers being scared of breaking his long run in the side. When he does finally play his last game for Pools I will certainly be there applauding all he has given to our team.

what can you talk about BUT the past tense
and his record speaks for itself
he still has a lot to offer this club
and coddy is right in the past we have hounded too many out in similar fashion
who is next for the boo boys Mickey Barron perhaps?

[quote="katcha"]
There was also a strong rumour that it was in his contract that if he was uninjured, no matter overweight he was, he had to play first team football.



what a load of absolute crap

Bloody hell I'll have to buy that one! All my other records require some kind of player.

no no it's true and he was allowed to have a pint and a fag at half time too!

on a more serious note tho' (1) we'll never know what's in contracts and (2) he's a bit tubby at times for a pro footballer - and this is the same club who once moaned boydy the spelk was overweight

all said and done tho left back on saturday beckons and im pleased wi that

Boo boys aren't usually fussed who they boo as long as it's someone.

he's a bit tubby at times for a pro footballer - katcha

all i can say to that is TIMLINS OPTICIAN

We pay for the right to see our best TEAM. And defining that best team is the manager's prerogative. You can't have a ferkin' popularity poll before every match can you.

Persisting with players is sometimes necessary - otherwise Sweeney for one would already be out the door. And Humpty is the last player you can describe as not being persisted with. He'll be back and hungry. Liken it to the Boyd/Boston experience if you will.
Anyway it's a moot point since Bracca is suspended. Chances are Humpty will be straight back (and still not quite hungry enough). The best laid plans of mice and men...

"Gang aft a-gley"

What was the matter with that Robbie Burns bloke, couldn't he talk proper English like.

Come on Ian, if he came out onto the pitch wearing a darlo shirt and carry two dead babies you'd still vote him man of the match.

Sorry didn't understand a word of that

Ditto.

After watching Bolland for one match I think that he could be our new midfield anchor man.

well there's plenty of mileage left in this one, until one way or the other Humphreys starts to produce the goods again, or the realisation finally dawns that he's struggling with the professional game. Which way is he going to go?????? This season will tell.

Nobody in the Pools squad Dibbs. I think we all know that.
We needed to strengthen there and still do. Until then Humpty is the best bet at left back so he needs to start there asap.

and you would still slag him for dropping one of the babies in a tackle
it is a fact that players have to earn respect of the fans
and for what he has done since he signed he has earned that respect from me
and as stated earlier still has a job to do
one of the reasons he turned down Grimsby

As I've said elsewhere, I would give Matty Robson a run of 8 - 10 games on the left wing cos I think that given a fair crack of the whip in that position he could be a revelation.

These have to be my favorite posts in ages - absolute class