Starting to get worried ...... | Vital Football

Starting to get worried ......

Old Poolie

Vital Squad Member
Not so much by the recent dip in form, though that is concerning and may be related to my anxiety!
Experienced players, irrespective of their quality, have been allowed to leave - Woods apparently in talks elsewhere - to be replaced by inexperienced kids. This is reminiscent of problems encountered in previous seasons when budgets ran out in the run up to Christmas. Hope I'm wrong, but I am fearful of the future.
 
I think Woods has been a good player for us and has a goal or two in him. He will be missed. Laing was accident prone and cost us points last season. I am pleased to see the back of him. Hawkins doesn't offer anything that the existing players have. Dip in form very worrying. If tonights performance was typical, I really cant see us scoring enough goals even to hold on to the middle of the table spot. Very worrying.
 
Appreciate people's perceptions of players who have left or leaving - Laing, Cassidy, Hawkins, Woods - but they were all experienced players, perhaps of dubious talent! But I don't think replacing them with a kids from Stoke and M'boro with little or no experience is bringing anything to the party. We need battle hardened reinforcements NOW!!!
 
As I said, Woods is a good player and as good if not better than some of the current first team regulars. I guess he is going because he wants to leave rather than Bates wanting rid. The two new young lads are a defender and a forward not midfielders. O'Neill the new young forward was left completely unsupported today and must have left the field completely deflated. Barnet had three capable centre halves who were completely untroubled by our powder puff attack.
 
Confirmed now that Woods has left for Harrogate. Good luck to the lad, he always gave his all when selected.

I see this as a big test of Pools' ambitions / aspirations. Sign an experienced, energetic replacement and it will look positive, sign a kid on 'work experience' from a Championship club and ........!
 
What’s worrying is the bookies have Dover at 11/8 favourites for Saturday’s encounter. They’ve won two games all season, something has got to give if they turn us over to the degree we’ve got used to recently
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Dover are bottom of the League - for those of us long suffering (50+ years) supporters we are all too familiar with how this will play out!
 
Couldn't agree more especially if Davies is out and Kioso plays as a Centre back. Kioso is a talented lad but he is not tall enough or strong enough to be CB. He should be played as a full back. If we lose again tomorrow I think Bates should consider his position.
 
Dover had won once since mid August before today. We have 1pt from a possible 18pts it may make worse reading after Tuesday night.

There has to be a meeting this week either Monday or Wednesday, post Fylde. Personally I’d be making plans now if I owned pools.
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Surely, if he hasn't gone already, Bates must be sacked if Pools fail to win on Tuesday night. Not sure the club can afford to pay him off, but neither can they afford to plummet down the league and lose the supporters.

Though quite who would replace him is anybody's guess - Martin Gray, Lee Clark are both free and would certainly look to stamp their authority on the dressing room, but I doubt either of them would want to work with a Director of Football.
 
Five losses on the bounce, 13 conceded. Defenders should make the better managers you would have thought. They should know what’s needed to keep out the opposition and they should know what makes strikers tick, we’re poor at both ends and crap in the middle.

We’re now in an uncontrollable tailspin of massive proportions where any side are finding it easy to pick us off we’re done under this regime.
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