The Poolie Bunker

Tactically clueless, Plays players out of position has brought in completly shit players, I don't know what the club where thinking when they appointed him in the first place I meen to give him the contract they did and to appoint a manager from a league where they literally win everything every year then to come to the National League is completly nuts, I was thinking at the time what a strange appointment I had onestly never heard off him. It's obvious what we needed at the start of the season is someone who is expierienced in this league or league 2 at least then we might have had a few more points on the board and seen a bit more drive in the players it's obvious to me he's lost the players mindset just by watching them for 10 minites they are not playing for him at all, Surely when we went down they must off been a few better candidates for the managers position than Harrison?? I would of took a chance on Sam Collins meself like, Someone who was at the club a while and knew what was going on at the club not someone who was walking into a new league and bringing in shite players along with him!

People always complain when Managers are appointed because most have done the rounds and been sacked, owners like better the devil you know etc.
Sage took a gamble on Harrison, fresh blood, young Manager unfortunately this time it didn’t pay off either because Sage were badly advised, they have no experience in football likewise with the appointment of Jones and Co and listened to other people
and their opinions.
Harrison is unlikely too walk, I believe he has bought a house and moved his family up here. He will be watching the take over talks with great interest as any new owners I believe would be building into their budget a figure too remove him and his coaches, no new owner would want them after their disastrous few months.
I not sure if he was a high earner in football and could walk away, it would be difficult for him to find another job even at this level.

I wasn't against the appointment of Harrison but if he did go, I'd say the same as I said before we gave him the job. We need someone experienced, who can organise a team and someone who knows this League. I'd go for Gary Mills, he has promotions on his CV and trophies it might not be pretty and it would be with a short term view of getting us back into the League (and keeping us in this one first) then looking elsewhere but I'd give him an 18 month-30 month go at doing that. He'll have plenty of contacts and knowledge of this level and knows what is required to win games in this League.

Cannot understand the call's for Sam Collins,he was part of the cancer that started our demise.

Not sure why we can't just get him to do some odd jobs around the ground if we can't sack him and put Bates in charge.

I'm not saying Bates is the answer but Harrison can't take charge of another game.

Any other manager with his record this season would have been sacked and it's incredible that he's still in a job, after every dismal defeat you think right he has to go now yet nothing happens! First thing a new owner needs to do is get rid of this bloke, he's way out of his depth and just jibbers on in his interviews trying to use technical football terms,dunno how many times he's also said we will dust ourselves down and go again, he clearly needs a new duster in that case coz it's not working!. I like most, if not all pools fans, are just completely sick of him and his shit tactics and spineless approach. He just simply has to go and give us a chance of staying up.

He's like the kid learning to ride a bike who keeps falling off, banging his head and getting back on again. Someone has to say stop it, it hurts, you can't ride a bike, end of!

PJ's post is spot on we need someone who had knowledge and has expierience at this level and contacts to bring a decent player or 2 in not someone like Harrison who has never had a job at this level before and just brings pure dross players to the club.

Why would Harrison walk out? He is paid until the end of his contract, like mentioned elsewhere we are already paying for the last two managers.

So quite clearly the reason he hasn't been sacked is we are bust. We can't afford any more staff or players, WE ARE BUST. Harrison win his own words "is on a working man's wage" so probably can't afford to quit.

If he goes he can only be replaced from within and that is not the best prospect based on coaching, fitness and decline in performance in recent seasons of nearly all players.

If indeed the last two managers are still getting paid get Hignett back in charge. Got to be better than Harrison. We will be in real dogfight when we lose at Chester and can only see another relegation.

I know a couple of York fans and they're not exactly complimentary about Gary Mills despite what he did for them. Incredibly blinkered. Plays the same way all the time and will not consider anything different.

I suppose the players know where they stand but again, it's just daft thinking one size fits all. Have a style, yes, but there needs to be options to tweak that style as the need arises.

Agree mate, and likewise IF we are still paying Hignett get him back at the Training Ground....please!

I'm not sure having a style or changing tactics all the time is what's called for at this level.

Teams generally have been pretty shit and I don't mean to be disrespectful to other teams because we've been shitter than most. The team(s) that go up will simply be the most consistent. Keeping things simple, defenders clearing the ball, getting the ball forwards in 3 or 4 passes. May not always be pretty but it will win games at this level. If Cassidy was used properly and given chances I'm confident we'd move up the league.

I feel sorry for cassidy or any striker having to play in this side really, he gets absolutely no service and most the time he has to pull out wide looking for the ball, just where u want your target man!. Nobody else even tries to get in around him looking for any knock down so he's fighting a losing battle all game.

I was talking to some Wrexham lads in the Centenary Lounge yesterday and they wouldn’t piss on Gary Mills if he was on fire.

One of the worst managers in their history after Brian Little they reckon

He's not even my cup of tea but his track record in this League is good, he has worked in this area and I won't have to watch it.

Just hoping the new owner can come up with some kind of deal to get rid of Harrison and co. or another relegation is nailed on.

Isnt it just ever so convenient for Duxbury that people say Pools cant afford to sack Harrison? Must be music to her ears. She stilleven now claims she loves the club and feels for the fans and appreciates their efforts yet wont do the one thing she really should. Just smacks of yet more gross mismanagement.

Saying you can't afford to sack Harrison is like saying you can't afford to repair the brakes on your car. You can't afford not to.

Yes but you can afford to fix your brakes ?

My Maserati brakes ain't cheap.

Cassidy is fairly mobile and a willing worker but has hardly had a shot or header on target since coming back from injury and his record suggests he's not going to score many goals. Ditto Rodney - his hold up play was pretty good on Saturday but wasted out on the left touchline and he hardly ever got into the box. Franks isn't on the books at the minute and Rhys Oates, who is therefore Pools' current leading scorer with 5, didn't even make the bench on Saturday - there's no clue why not because the OS has given up on keeping the fans informed about injuries and illness.

If we don't score enough goals we'll go down whatever system we play. There were two 'attackers' on the field against Wrexham but so far apart that link up play was non-existent. Is that the players' fault or Harrison's tactics? I doubt Devante Rodney was chained to the touchline from choice, but in any case it doesn't seem like he reads the game well enough to play off a centre forward.

We need new signings AND a new manager to stay in this league.

I suspect the players may have had enough of his bizarre tactics as well...? Has he lost the dressing room...?
Time has to be called, just wrestles his hands from the controls and put anyone in charge. Anyone.

Cassidy is a centre forward who's decent in the air, can hold the ball and bring others into play. His goal threat probably will come from putting decent crosses into the area from wide positions. We play him up front on his own without any wingers. He's probably not a bad player but we are not playing with a game plan that suits his strengths. You need someone who can play off a centre forward like that who can read flick on's and get up and support him it doesn't always have to be another forward Anthony Sweeney was very underrated at that from midfield he did it excellently when we executed playing one up well under Wadsworth. Are we even playing with a plan? It's seems always just slightly different personnel fitting into the same formation often square pegs in round holes. Rodney has clearly been over played, I realise the options aren't greatbut he's a forward who has not scored a League all season and it's nearly February. He can't have any confidence about him. Anyway that's my two penneth having hardly seen a kick!

With a report like that you must be getting hat cam out there.

It's pretty spot on tho.

Him n Rodney played about 30 yards apart Saturday, Cassidy was isolated n didn't look like scoring, we didn't really have a right winger, I think Hawkins was out there a bit, took me 20 minutes to work out the formation then it changed a bit. Rodney was kind of left wing but not.

I always think the best way to play when your struggling is just to keep it simple, we aren't playing well n the formation doesn't help, its way too complicated.

Keep it simple, work hard, get balls into the box n all that stuff.

"Keep it simple, work hard, get balls into the box n all that stuff."

Yes yubep - wish you had been in charge instead of Harrison!

A think if we lose against cheater tomorrow night he has simply got to walk if he's got at least one brain cell.

Just tweaked that statement.

imo he wont walk.... and he will not be sacked by duxbury whatever happens ...the only hope is that a new owner realises the dire urgency of the clubs position and has the required financial resources and acumen to act quickly by
1.removing duxbury and watson
2.removing harrison and at least some of his army of coaches
3.installing a professional manager to oversee the club operationally on a day to day basis
4.installing an experienced and capable first team manager with a remit to do what is necessary to avoid relegation
.....continuing with the same will only produce more of the same embarrassing failure...change is needed now

Makes me cringe a bit to see ronnie talking like that about a manager who's in a job even if he shouldn't be in it. Comes across a bit patronising. Probably all taken out of context and the usual journalist fun

Harrison needs all the help he can get I think - Ronnie did ok at Eastleigh either last season or the season before so he does have some experience here - otherwise I think were just going to plunge in to Conference north!

Pilates would help I think. Walking is a start though, granted.

Makes me cringe a bit to see ronnie talking like that about a manager who's in a job even if he shouldn't be in it. Comes across a bit patronising. Probably all taken out of context and the usual journalist fun[/quote


Maybe RM is too honest, but always comes across as desperate to get back into the game, same with Hignett. Only at Pools as they say. I think it would be yet another massive mistake.

Bill Robinson was a highly regarded assistant manager at West Ham but took the manager's job at Pools. He had a house and family in the town and when he lost the job, did not get another job in football. I believe that he became personnel manager at possibly Expanded Metal.
My point is that football management is and always has been a risky occupation and decisions have to be made for the good of the club irrespective of the personal situation of the incumbants.

I'd have him back in a heartbeat me like, Even if he is just advising Harrison or just in and around the club a old head is just what we need some expierience not taking a gamble on a manger that is tactically clueless when it comes to this league, Surely when we went down there was some better options manager wise rather than appoint a rookie manger from the Welsh premier league FFS.

Of course there were some quality applicants for the job as usual smithy but remember that the airheads holding the purse strings possessed as much knowledge of professional football as your average ‘Britain’s Next Top Model’ contestant. It seems obvious that money wasn’t an issue at that time otherwise Duxbury and her cohorts would not have handed the buffoon a ridiculous three-year contract and subsequently permitted him to squander the ‘biggest playing budget in the National League’ on so-called professional footballers who now represent the parasites that the club cannot rid itself of. And now they expect the prospective buyer to refund all of the cash wasted on Harrison and these timewasting reprobates - it is nothing short of criminal.

I keep reading we're paying the last two managers off. IF reports are true Jones never signed a contract so why would we be paying him anything ??????????????

I keep reading we're paying the last two managers off. IF reports are true Jones never signed a contract so why would we be paying him anything ??????????????

Bloody hell, welcome back Bob!

Alright Bob!

Maybe it’s not his wages but other things related like lease contracts took out on houses and cars. For example if that house was in Wynyard it could be quite expensive!

Get in, does this mean the return of Bob's ABC game?!

Hiya Bob!!!!

Maybe were just providing him a lifetimes worth of Sausage Sarnies and Black jumpers with white t-shirts.

Those jumpers could be quite costly, it's not as if a little Vietnamese kid could produce something of that size.