The Poolie Bunker

Charlie Penman, 19 year old, 6’6”, left sided Central Defender from Brighton. Was on loan at Aldershot last year and played the full game against us in our 1-0 defeat at their place.

Welcome aboard the Pools Promotion Bandwagon Charlie!

Like a few others, he hasn't got a load of experience but looks like he could be a real prospect. It's all about the quality of the recruitment. Can't wait to see how it works out on the pitch in competitive games.

Surely someone that tall can improve /benefit our defence.

The recruitment from front to back has been quality so far.
Already got 2 good centre backs.

Final piece in the jigsaw is a quality keeper.

No guarantees in Football but I'd be very surprised if we don't finish 7th.
I don't read to much into bookies odds.

With the investment Smithy is putting in he deserves a bit back via an FA Cup run.

Imagine it would go back into the team unlike the last one
UTP.

The younger recruiters all have solid top level club backgrounds, not hopeful prospects from lower down the league…..not that it guarantees anything but reduces the odds of signing a duffer.

Would like to see a quality keeper and an attacking midfielder, midfield was the biggest problem for me last season, no goals or creativity, no wonder the strikers struggled so much they had hardly any service.

7th is the minimum of positions we should be looking at. only another injury ravaged season and half the new signings not coming off should keep of from finishing further up the league. top 4 for me if we get a fair rub of the green.

will the Pen man be mightier than the Tommy Sword is what i want to know.

I see what you've done there Accy, Tres bon!

However, I reckon Tommy Sword was one of the worst players I've witnessed in a Pools shirt, in my 40+ years of following through thin and thinner. (I think he had Parkinson's - which would help explain his complete lack of coordination). Russell Doig tops him for shitness (in my time), particularly given that we paid Dirty Leeds 10k for his services- in the days when we barely had a pot to piss in, let alone pay a transfer fee!

Back to Penman- he's a unit- 6ft 6 and 21 year old- hoping we've unearthed the next Dan Burn

waiting for the comment on how goo he is in the air but lacks it when the ball is on the deck. that does not seem the case these days especially with lads who have been at premier league youth levels.

One of the ways to utilise Penman's aerial ability and height will be in the opposition's penalty area at set pieces and that threat would be considerably more potent if we had a long throw merchant.

a case of if you cannot beat em join em and do it better. a tactic i really hate but it seems to work at this level and a few above.

I wasn't fussy about the tactic either but we like to see good delivery into the box from a corner so I convinced myself that getting the ball straight into the box from the touchline has got to be part of an attacking armoury, especially if goal scoring chances are the result, and with the aerial power we seem to be getting at our disposal it would be silly not to exploit that at every opportunity in my humble opinion. So why not ?????

fine if it looks to be working but have other plans if the opposition seem to have sussed it. we have seen teams who have worn us down by this tactic bit others have not, never looked like doing so but they persevere at it.

Carlisle just signed a long-throw specialist. I think it's a great shout, essentially a corner whenever you get a throw in in opposition half.

Until it is introduced into our armoury we won't find out if it works for us or not BUT surely it is one of the options we should be seriously looking at considering, especially as we are introducing more aerial threat. No brainer as far as I can see. There are no guarantees it will pay dividends but what if it does work. It certainly won't work if we don't try it.