The Poolie Bunker

You can feel the excitement building around town for the visit of the Nomads for this once in a lifetime encounter.
Rumours abound that the Nomads will set up camp in the Rec on Friday for pre match practice.
I am going for a 2-0 win with a Reid brace. 1232 Poolies and 98 Nomads plus 12 camels who take the hump when overzealous wardens issue parking fines when tethered to the Clarence Road lamp posts.
Campbell to be sent off for a headbutt on the Anstey goalkeeper.

If their keeper is small enough for Campbell to drop the nod on him we're in with a chance.

Looking at the ticket sales there'll be more on the pitch than in the CK stand.

David Nugent - sure to score a couple.

Whilst still ensuring that we win - even a draw would be unacceptable - and being shorn of the services of one of our few creative players in Francis, Feaths surely needs to take this opportunity to apply different formations and tactics? I would suggest something as radical as playing two up front (shock horror - I bet he choked on his Horlicks just reading those three words). Also, allowing one or two of the fringe players a final opportunity to show what they are capable of before they are shipped out (one way or another) could be considered.

Make no mistake, this is a game that Pools cannot afford to lose if we are to avoid being a laughing stock yet again, even if it is effectively a distracting MMouse competition that we traditionally do nowt in.

'being a laughing stock' is our default position and has been for quite some time. It gives me no pleasurein saying it but I suspect very few on here will be too surprised if we lose to Anstey Nomads. I dont think we have hit rock bottom just yet and maybe Saturday will be the start of that descent.

The team have to have the right attitude because we appear to be a team , some of whom, can be best described as hit and miss in the attitude department.
One day sun, next day rain…with the emphasis on the rain….but this aspect of their play has to be reined in…it’s just not acceptable.

The thing is, it’s bad enough for the fans being estranged from the owner, we don’t need that from the team as well…I now have this awful feeling we’re cementing our club in this division by default…when we should be ‘howling at the moon’ in frustration.

really the club, players and manager are in a no win situation on saturday. a defeat, a 1 nil scrape through is not acceptable at pools or any other NL side playing at home. if we did hammer the bastards all most of us will say that we should be doing it. We are still in the the top 9 of favourites to win this trophy.

after last saturday the fans deserve a week off.

I was bored and stuck at home due to rain so i bought my ticket at £9.50 including £1.50 booking fee
Not many have been sold with only blocks C to J open in the Clarence Road seats.
This would be a good game to dish out loads of free/cheap tickets to kids (i.e. under 65s ).

That actually makes a lot of sense…so it’s got no chance.

Anything less than a two goal home victory will be embarrassing.

Still, it is the cup- so the usual bollocks will be trotted out- 'form book goes out the window, the pitch will be a great leveller, they'll come and set their stall out.' Not forgetting the now obligatory - opposition keeper (whose only got one arm AND a gammy leg after an industrial accident) having the game of his life!

Bookies are taking the piss- having us as 9th favourites- don't think we've ever been beyond round two.

That said, IF Fev did manage to get us to that much coveted and highly elusive Wembley final, he'd get the freedom of the Town (End), maybe a statue and possibly the spare set of keys to Billy Horner's Datsun!

4-1 Home win - Johnson hat trick and Aungiers to score

Crowd 871
183 Druids in attendance

Just winning one nil with Johnson scoring and getting a bit of confidence back would do it for me.

I reckon Fevs is planning on playing the young lads given that we've recalled Darcy and Stephens. Good luck to them - I hope they do really well..

Deffo to a couple of the young ones.

The bookies will base their odds on current positions within the English football hierarchy coupled with recent form. Given Pools position in the NL table and the eight match unbeaten run it could be argued that being 9th favourites to win this competition is not unrealistic.

However, from what I've seen we have played around 40 minutes (at best) of 'proper' football during the last two home games. Our weaknesses were almost punished by Truro City and were well and truly exposed by Yeovil. On current form, tactics, players available etc we are quite capable of losing even to the Nomads. Make no mistake this is a must win game - a draw would be unacceptable - the pressure is therefore on Feaths to get it right.

Right, what’s the prize, because I can’t see us winning bugger all else this season with our misfiring team.

Pools were well beaten by Yeovil last Saturday, a strong side that I reckon will have a very good second half of the season. Truro are a bad side that Pools beat comfortably despite letting them back in the game for a spell. One defeat doesn't negate a run of 4 wins and 3 draws as easily as you are suggesting - 'make no mistake' about that.

Yeovil have hardly pulled up trees this season and while it is undeniable they outplayed Pools on Saturday, it is always slightly predictable that ordinary teams are made to look good when Pools play them at the Vic. Here's hoping Nomads are not the latest indication of this depressing trend

Yeovil had gobshite Mark Cooper in charge at the start of the season - sacked without winning a game. Another manager jacked it in after one loss, the third was a temporary appointment doing a place-holder job. They look like they're already playing to their full potential with this new guy Billy Rowley. Yeovil and York are the best sides I've seen at the Vic this season - not my idea of ordinary at all.

Clearly, football is all about opinions but the facts show that Yeovil are 14th in the league table having lost 11 out of 22 games. Most people would look at that and consider it ordinary. They were better than Pools last Saturday but as I suggested above, that is becoming normal at the Vic. Only time will tell if their latest manager can transform them into a 'good' team because leaving the Vic with points is nowt special with Pools only actually winning four all season. York are entirely different gravy and are clearly one of the best, if not the best team in the NL.

Yeovil looked well organised and clearly on the up with the new boss.

Good to see Stephenson and Darcy back. Though need cover for Christmas I suppose and bad news for current injuries I would think.

After a slow start at Hebburn, Darcy was given the number 11 spot and they have been on fire since, 12 games and 3 goals. They won 3-1 at the weekend with Darcy and Foreman scoring 2 off the bench.

They have made some good signings lately though so not all down to Darcy! Up to 2nd in the Northern Premier, the highest they have ever been.

'Make no mistake', I was not negating the unbeaten run and concede that Yeovil appeared to be a half-decent side who look to have the necessary quality upfront to make a realistic push for the playoffs, unlike the Pools front line at the present time. Truro hadn't won an away game all season, but they may well have done at the Vic had they capitalised on several decent chances during a dodgy defensive 'spell' from Pools. You may have heard the football term 'you are only as good as your last game' which in this instance was Yeovil who were impressive at times but Pools underperformance also probably helped to make them look good. Finally, 'make no mistake', a home defeat or draw against a team 64 places below us in the EL pyramid would be inexcusable.

I’m not sure why some individuals are saying Yeovil played well because they didn’t . We were just so bad that a Greyfields team could have beaten us. As regards Saturday I couldn’t care less . However, it would be the perfect time to be more proactive with attacking wingers and 2 upfront . I’m fed of seeing this 11 man behind the ball mentality , playing from the back , sideways and backwards . The team looked tired last week and that is a poor excuse in that we had no midweek game . There is no excuse to be pedantic this weekend against a team 64 places before us . We should be going for as many goals as possible . No excuses . I didn’t like Featherstones post match analysis. Too accepting and negative . More work needs to be done on the training pitch with weighted passes particularly in the final third . Everyone on here has been saying the same thing more or less but it’s always one step forward 2 steps back . Having a small squad with less quality means more work on the training pitch . Stop inviting teams Featherstone to attack us by sitting back. It’s us who should be on the front foot . We need width and more players on in the box . We take one too many runs whilst in the box and should be shooting earlier , hoping that the goally might parry with numbers running into intercept . We try to be too precise in front of goal. Think I am saying we need to be more canny . Further, more hustling and bustling . But Feathers won’t do it as he is scared of the counter. Too negative for me.

Need to rest anyone with slight injuries or old.

but no more. never disrespect the lower opponents as it both think they have a chance now or we,ll show the bastards what we think about there weakened side. have played in games where opponents have played weakened sides and its a real gidt given where you want to turn em over.

If only the CK stand is open it will be shi t trying to find a seat. The Gainsborough Trinity game was a fiasco on and off the pitch and the club had the temerity to send emails out asking fans what could improve the fan experience !

Might I suggest new ownership…?

New ownership?.........i have never heard that one before..........great idea!

It would be the best Poolie Christmas ever!

We all need to write to Santa.

I understand it was on the distant horizon once…but stayed there, …it made a noise, but always the same message, a very brief message…then it sailed off into the distance and disappeared from view and never returned to this day…some say it was the ghost of the TITANIC….but when it was examined more closely, all they could see was..,TIT…………and that’s just how we felt.

Looks like they have finally relented and let people stand, behind the goal but better than just the cramped seats.

That would depend on who the new owner was surely. A dyed in the wool true blue Poolie with a fair wedge who was willing to push the club forward would impress me as I was unwrapping it on Christmas morning. On the other hand............

1 down after 14 minutes

2-0 to the mighty Nomads

Oh well another new low thanks Raj how long has Featherstone got till he gets shown the door?

Lethargy walks the corridors of the Vic.

If we don't turn it around Fev will have master minded 2 of the worst results in our history losing at home to both Gainsborough and Ansty doesn't look good does it? And with all due respect I'm retry sure Raj wouldn't have prepared the team for today.

While whistling that song we're on a road to nowhere

We will never progress as a club until all the dead wood is removed

Embarrassing.

Losing to a village team (Anstey pop 7,097 in 2021 census, Hartlepool 96,200) is making me feel ashamed of being a Pools supporter!
Owner, manager and players should give serious consideration to the question "are they in the right occupations/professions?".

1-2 Darcy.

If I was Featherstone (and I’m glad I’m not right now) I’d have the useless buggers in for training at 7 o’clock in the morning. Then I’d dock myself a months wages for being tactically inept beyond belief. Utterly shit. And Johnson can’t score to save his life, so I’d have him working the bar until his contracts up.

That's absolutely shocking and I'm glad for once I didn't go. Raj just needs to sell up.

Raj wont sell up as long as he is making money from pools so afraid we are stuck with him unless everyone stops going and he puts us into administration

Honestly, are we really surprised by today's debacle? There is absolutely no fecking excuse but when all is said and done this is Pools. We are a joke club.

How is Raj making money out of Pools? No one makes money out of football at our level.