The Poolie Bunker

….last night but in all honesty couldn’t.
Things want tightening up in the box, but Harrogate looked nothing special…we just need a manager to drive them on that bit further.

Harrogate probably can't believe they could play so bad and end up with the 3 points.
But that's just what we do even with an improved performance.

But it's all about the results.

Now 3 points from the last 8 or 9 games

In fairness, Harrogate weren't allowed to play well and they got lucky with their deflected goal. They didn't create much at all for a free scoring top 6 team whereas we created some really good chances but hardly worked the keeper. We'll be OK if we can maintain last night's levels of effort and skill.
Shame we lost Ecclestone and Thornton at half time and I really hope that the substitutions weren't tactical because we were worse for them.

the main difference for me was they looked well coached and managed and knew all the dark arts. pools looked like decent players who just turned up for a game without knowing who they were playing with and no plan whatsoever. man for man we were far superior to them but if they were mechanics they,d have the tools for the job. we had to make do and mend with what we could dig up.

I thought 1st half was as good a team performance as we've seen in the last 12 months or more. We created more chances mainly through football to feet rather than long ball tactics and really should have had a couple of goals.
We were on the wrong side of some poor officials yet again with what looked a clear foul when they won possession to break through and scored a jammy deflected goal, late in in the 1st half Thornton (who took some borderline challenges throughout his 45 mins on the pitch) was taken out of the ball and it was missed, Miley broke clear 2nd half and was brought down from behind with the offender not recieving a 2nd yellow card, and after indicating 4 minutes of additional time the ref blew for full time after less than 3 had been played?
None of it detracts from the fact we could a d should have had the game won by halftime if we'd taken our chances.
One complaint from me, Bondo - why is this kid anywhere near the team let alone coming on ahead of Nolan, Chairman, Popov
Like Fisher he's not good enough.

We missed a couple of certs at Scunthorpe in the first half…..it’s taking chances, even sitters is where we’re falling down.

think the clock on the scoreboard and the refs watch and the one on DAZN were all different and think in this case the ref got the time added on correct. we might as usual got little 50.50 decisions from the ref but do not think he affected the result. possibly we,d be saying how much common sense he used if he did not bring a second yellow card out if it had been a pools player involved so late in the game.

As I said none of it detracts from us not winning the game. The fact that he didn't give a 2nd yellow wasn't common sense and it shouldn't matter wether it's the 1st or last minute of the game. I'm not fussed if we get cards when they're warranted, I said as soon as he blew 1st half for a pull back by Cam John if he's given a foul he had to give a card. The foul on Miley was even more clear cut and should have resulted in a card.

I thought the referee was found wanting but I have come to expect that is a trait in this league. It is just another problem that this league presents....... unfortunately. We need to concentrate on the problems we can solve.
We need to get out of this league....at the right end and, while last nights performance was better than that at Scunthorpe, it really had to be.
However we got zero points from both of them and it is points we need. We have to find a solution to our inability to convert chances, sooner rather than later, which will give us a better chance of the points.
Something has to change and, hopefully, Landon is straining at the leash to achieve that change and for the better.

We are a fifth division club hence only entitled to fifth division referees. If they were any better, they would get better level games!
There is no point complaining about poor referees as they are a fact of life in the NL and not all bad decisions go against Pools. To suggest otherwise infers that all referees are biased against Pools and that is patently false.
We are in a relegation spot because of matters associated with our club: the players, coaches and management.

I'm simply pointing out mistakes that I thought the ref made, and if the foul had been given in the build up to the goal we wouldn't have lost. So imo some blame lies with the ref, would we have scored against 10 men, who knows?
Our inability to convert chances ultimately cost us the match as I said at the start.

one thing i have always found regarding match officials is that the all look better if you watch a game that pools are not involved in. get this when i go to a match with my lad and everyone is fuming about a decision made by the ref which was actually correct but against there team.

But quite often the refs get it wrong too, and moreso when it appears that they've instructed the assistant refs to do nothing but offsides and ball in / out.
We've had Tuesday nights ref who did actually blow for full time more than a minute early, and the one a few weeks ago who blew for half time without playing the added time and had to bring the players out of the dressing rooms to finish the half. Totally embarrassing.
I appreciate it's not an easy job but with empowered assistants I reckon it can only be easier.
It says it all when the Refs Panel are offering apologies over incorrect VAR calls really.
All part of the game though.

after doing the job right up to eastern counties league line where possibly i might have gone further if i had started earlier for over 25 years i agree that some make hard work of a job thats usually more easy than they make out. its rare now you get games where both sides are not interested in playing and just want to kick the shit out of each other. not much anybody could do or ever do with games like that. At pools standard it should be litrally a walk in the park with 2 assistants and a 4th official. Lets say when i was lino to one who only wanter off sides and ball out of play i ignored there instruction as i was the one with the one man and his dog behind me or a bench who saw the incident. never got any grief from an assesor either due to this.