The Poolie Bunker

Shackles are definitely on, look at the difference in style vs Rochdale, or the difference when he finally gets around to making substitutions.
Hunter and Sheron in the same midfield is certainly holding us back, and one of his first subs is almost invariably an attacker for Hunter.
We might as well just go for broke now, to say he hasn't got attacking options is shite, he's got Francis, Brown, Folarin, Charman (who can play as a striker, in fact wasn't he signed as a striker but we've turned him into a wing ack?), Johnson, as options.

As I've said, a big part of the reason is Halifax have 2 natural goalscorers on their books and we only have one. Does anybody seriously expect the likes of Charman, Daly or Campbell to score a bagfull of goals?

Grayson signed Danny Johnson to share the load with Alex Reid. Turns out it may as well have been Don Johnson

Joe Monks needs to tell Landon Smith that we need another goalscorer on the books - just like when Luke Armstrong was signed in the promotion season. Fingers crossed.

Pools play 4 at the back. Jay Benn has been filling as LEFT BACK while Cameron John completes his suspension. Charman isn't playing as a wing back, except in your head

Agree that Francis or Folarin should be starting games wide right rather than Campbell, who is definitely not an attacker and a square peg in a round hole in that position.

Repeating what I have said before our strength in depth is woeful with very few options available and until that is addressed and remedied we have very few options for change. We have options on the bench at the moment to change things during the game. If we start the game with those options and it doesn't work we are stuffed because there is nothing left on the bench to call upon that could get us out of a losing situation. How many times has Daly for instance started a game and shone or even made anything like the impact he is making as a sub.
I am not defending Fevs nor attacking him because I think he is a work in progress and is working with limited options. He says he needs help in the shape of squad strengthening and I believe anybody in the manager's job would echo that. We need to recruit and recruit well to give us any chance of going forward. You don't achieve promotions working with the bare bones. We have had manager after manager without really changing anything. Whoever is manager needs the tools to work with. The day we start thinking along those lines will be the day we start a serious climb to take us back to the EFL.
Fevs record is 26 points from 15 games, which is not bad going considering the glaring weakness of any sort of strength in depth of his squad. Give him that and better players and we just might have a chance. If he can't respond then look elsewhere. Then, at least, somebody else will have a more talented and stronger squad to work with. Maybe that would also attract better candidates. Just my opinion for what it's worth. We have to get off this managerial merry go round.

And maybe the answer is to release the shackles from Fev, tell him to go all out for wins and regardless of where we finish his job is safe? The position we're in means it's absolutely senseless to play for clean sheets imo, we need to be playing for wins, shit or bust.
Grayson never set us up so defensively, the squad managed the best start to a season in years, and we recently took the game to Rochdale and fairly comfortably beat them.
I do agree we could do with some new signings but there's players getting a game week in week out while others are not getting a chance.

At some time, whether it be now or in the close season, we have to strengthen the squad, both in quality and numbers.
I think that is glaringly obvious, so the sooner we start doing that, the better. We have made the first move with a permanent Goalie, so a start of sorts has begun. Why not go on from there????
We have an option of telling Fevs to go for it but who is going to take responsibility for doing the telling. Will that person pick the game squad, select the starting eleven, decide the tactics, organise the use of subs etc etc. and, most importantly, be held responsible for the outcome. The only person with any experience remotely associated with any of that is Lenny Lawrence. Not for me. The idea is to go forward not backwards.
The bottom line here is the whole place needs restructuring, as Mr Smith has suggested. He said every aspect of the operation will be examined. He said it will take time and it will.
All I'm suggesting is we give the first scrutiny to the playing squad and any changes deemed to be needed, start now.
Establish the standards and expectations clearly to the manager, give him a budget and the go ahead to muster a squad to meet those expectations and judge him accordingly. It has to happen sooner or later, so get on with it. Fev's recruitment so far is a goalie and he has made a decent fist of that. Those are the shackles that need to be removed. Let him build his own team to the standards the club expects and let him get on with it and then judge him on the results. If we are not prepared to let him do the job properly then tell him so and get somebody else in.....again. However as sure as eggs are eggs the next guy will have to build the squad just the same.
As a footnote........the last owner pursued a policy of running the club in a ticking over capacity until a suitable owner emerged. Now the new owner has specifically said that the aim is return to the EFL. That means an improvement on just ticking over. So far the job has been given to Fevs to do that. It is only fair that he should now be given the squad to get us from ticking over mode into promotion mode. I can't see where that is not reasonable.

We can hope about making the play offs ,but the real job in hand is preparing for next season now….no good starting in the close season.
If we get signings in now and a new manager in we can use the remaining matches to get a new squad together and not start the season still sorting things out.

totally agree. in some ways if we did get promoted it would be a season too early. many clubs struggle early with new teams so the more we can get in now the better. on top of that we have time to sort out the club behind the scenes.

I can't imagine any other scenario other than starting immediately. What advantage is there in waiting for the close season.
If nothing else it will indicate to fans that we are leaving the ticking over mode and entering the building for promotion mode. That would keep the returnees on board as well as building up the finances to help mount the assault. It is a no brainer and I'm sure Landon Smith will be fully aware of that. This is his big chance to get the ball rolling forward.

So let's get on with it and unite everybody to support the job. We have the opportunity to have a right go at improving the mood as well as quelling the possibility of being seen to just be treading water. I think we've had enough of ticking over to last us a very long time. The fans will flock to get behind something positive so let's start creating that.

There are a few nagging doubts flashing across my mind but I'll keep them to myself for now simply in the interest of positivity and unity. I am sure I'm not alone on that. Let's have some clear blue water for a change.

Like I said, the playoffs are a distant bonus, but the reality is about getting rebuilding underway, the rest is froth and nonsense.

Yep, rebuilding has to start ASAP, no point in prevaricating. Get out of this ticking over mode and get the job going.

Agree 100% Derwent, but in addition to quality incomings I would add that its as much about jettisoning the deadwood - not just the poor signings that Monks & Co have saddled us with - but a clean sweep of the backroom personal, ground staff, stewards, anyone who has been directly involved in the all-round demise of our club over the Singh years. Reading between the lines it would appear that Landon has already instigated a full review the outcome of which will hopefully be conveyed to the media, sponsors and fans in the fullness of time.

I think that getting a competent COO in ASAP should be of the highest priority.

My advice to Smithy is don't take any advice from Leonard.
I'm shocked that he's still at the club.

so true. the demise of a football club starts off the pitch and not the lads playing on it.

Bloody hell, talk about throwing the baby out with the bathwater

Hasn't it occurred to you that some of the people who work at Pools have been doing their best in trying circumstances?
People like Head Groundsman Dave Brown, who has an excellent reputation but has been starved of the funds to do his job properly in recent seasons?
Some on here might have personal knowledge of the work Rose Stoker does. I don't, but I can see from the number of business and sponsorship deals announced on the OS this season that she's a real grafter.

Not sure what you're beef is with people even further down the food chain? As a paying customer I've got no beef with the stewards, the women in the ticket office or the woman who answers the phone when the ticket office is busy. It isn't their decision not to have pay-at the-gate turnstiles

things got so bad under the last regime that fans want a clean sweep with as little as possible continuing from the past. unfortunetly the good and the bad will be tarred with the same brush. fevs mentioned this change in attitudes or something like that at the club so foes that mean just on the pitch or across the whole club where the odd person might suffer.

Getting rid of everybody sounds a bit …. Stalinesque.

Whoa, apologies if my message was unclear, there's no way I was advocating the clearout of groundsmen, food chain, turnstile operatives etc etc. My beef stopped with the stewards who seem to be inactive when things kick off and don't deal with events. The backroom staff does need examination as many posters here would agree and I'm not even going to comment on players or coaching staff after today's game, it is self evident.

I think we all have a good idea what needs changing.

His post match interview says it all.

sounded like an upset fan in the pub rather than a pro football manager. the only thing i could agree with him on was the first half delays in starting the game again.

Going back to the thread title, ........please go and manage one of Raj's care homes you're not cut out for football management.

Dear Mr Featherstone,

You have been a great servant to the club and I am 100% sure the fans are very grateful. You have had a go at managing and even you must admit that it has not really been successful. Apart from the Rochdale result, things appear to be going from bad to worse. I say this, not out of spite but out of concern for the well being of the club we all love. Please do the decent thing and resign. I feel sure your position as a club legend will be enhanced if you do this whereas if you hang on till you are sacked, your reputation will nose dive.

problem is if he resigns he might be out of work altogether. a good old talk where he reverts to his previous role would be his best option. thats if we can bring the right replacement and one thing nicky will not go down in history as the worst ever pools manager.

Maybe not results wise he's not the worst, but I can't remember any manager playing such dull, negative, hard to watch football and particularly at home. He's making Sarll look like Keegan FFS.

Just passing on what I got told today.

That Lenny did the half time team talk at Brackley.

I hope to God Smithy ain't taken any advice off him.

Someone on here weeks ago called it wrong stating the old boardroom was defunct.

Well reported by radio Tees commentary at Brackley Lenny n Smithy were sat together.

I fear for our future if he's taken advice from this cockney bullshitter who has brought nothing but failure to Pools in whatever role he has been in.

If that is true, then it does not look good at all.
We need a fresh look to the boardroom, not the old faces who have failed badly!
Looks like Pools will limp over the line this season, new owner, same shit!

Surely there must be a role for Lenny back at the Boro where he is regarded as a hero and national treasure? They are flying at present and could possibly find a place for him on the corporate side. He's done OK at Pools, more especially at the time when he settled the side prior to Skippy's appointment. Its easy with hindsight but it would have been prefable to retain that pairing rather than appoint the hapless Simon Grayson who could easily be bracketed with Sarll in terms of incompetence.

unfortunetly LS will have only really met the bullshitters and has little reason at present to know how poor they are in there jobs. he knows nobody at the club and he might have to learn the hard way. lets face it id we bought a club thousands of miles away we,f have to rely on the expertise of others closer to home at the outset. we all guess they,ll be able to talk the talk well.

I don't know whether he would be interested but we could do a lot worse than re appoint Russ Green. Hodcroft trusted him to organise the day to day running of the club and we didn't do too bad then.
Worth a try in my book.
We could get Simmo back while we're at it. Those two worked well together.

Russ Green definitely, Turner or Hignett wouldn't be a bad option for Director of Football imo.

If he has a brain, the reaction of the fans should tell him all he needs to know…scatter the Court Jesters.

Obviously Featherstone is involved in coaching the U19s,
https://youtu.be/ckCHtESfkmc?si=K8dPv3QHCBtG1O73

Not so much ‘coaching’ …more like showing them how to form a circle with a wagon train and fight it out.

I meant isn't after they scored 4 goals.

Whatever the future, holds, I can’t see Featherstone leading a promotion challenge next season.

My opinion we need a big clearout, including Featherstone and the majority of the players. The sooner we can get away from this old boys club mentality the better.

without looking at the other 23 clubs i,d guess he is the most inexperianced manager in this league. we need experiance but not someone who is past it.

The best thing a stand in manager can do, is foster unity amongst the players…the last thing you do is criticise players, any players because that’s the material you have to work with….even if they are not up to standard.

The more he talks, The more he shows himself and the club up.

Nothing adds up.
At this stage he willing tells the media the players(certain) are not good enough.

So for me the big question is, Why take on the job.
Did he say in the media at the time, look these players are not up to it.
No he did not.

He has been coaching these players for long enough to see their ability.
As a coach you would offer the then manager SG your advice on a player, Working with them day in day out.

He always reminds me of an Ewok.