The Poolie Bunker

Simply put, that was uninspiring dross.

Its clear that Fev doesn’t know what he’s doing, he’s been a good servant but it’s time for him to bog off now..

John… he tries hard but he is miles off

Campbell… we might think he’s good because he’s a mini man but he is absolutely s%#t, constantly passing the ball away…

Two examples there but the whole team need looking at because at times Brainers we’re bending us over and doing us like a dog… Fev out…

Aye let’s sack another manager and have to pay off another wage, that’ll do the trick. Nevermind the manager the players we have aren’t good enough. Reid is a big lad but is the most contact-shy striker I’ve ever seen. Daly anonymous. Sheron, as hard of a worker as he is can’t pass the ball 5 yards, seriously, if you give him the ball in a counter attacking phase just forget it.

That’s not to say featherstone doesn’t need to learn though. As bad as Campbell has been here, taking him off makes no sense, and is very much a rookie“get another striker on that will help us score” error. Johnson offers nothing in the build up or in the box, at least keep Campbell on and hope he can create something. Another season of mid table I expect, we just don’t have enough talent to get us over the line in these tight games.

Yeah agreed m8, there’s no players to turn to.. Don’t even get me started on Barnet boy (Brown), I would have hooked him and sacked him on the spot after that performance

Enough indeed, in my view the club is at a critical point in the season and Raj Singh and his inept cohorts need to act decisively. It's increasingly obvious that the current squad is incapable of mounting a realistic attempt to break into the playoff places. There is still clearly a desperate need for a mobile striker to play alongside Reid together with a creative midfielder coupled with a change of mindset from playing negative, crab football with fear to a more aggressive, attacking outlook throughout the squad. I'm not sure that Feaths will ever be capable of changing his mindset to implement what needs to be done, in my view we need a dynamic coach/manager to be introduced. I'm not advocating that Feaths be removed from the club as he could simply revert to his coaching role. Even if we don't actually secure a play-off place, it would enable progress to be made ahead of the next campaign.

If nothing is done, several defeats lay ahead as we face the better sides and we will inevitably drop down the table as the season is perceived to be over by the players anf attendances will drop further as the remaining fans lose interest. As we've seen over the years a side dropping out of the playoff places often goes into freefall towards the relegation zone strugglers fight for their NL lives
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I appreciate that it's unlikely that the above will actually happen but I think the club desperately needs a boost as we head into the New Year.

I'm not passing comment on Nicky F and the calls to keep him or behead him, simply because he is not the problem.

How many managers have failed in a relatively short period of time? We all know - too many.

Why do they all fail is the question - and sure, some (like that Scots tw*t) were inadequate, but some of them weren't that bad.

So, with an eye on my solicitors charge rate, could it be the town itself? No.

Could it be, as has been suggested by a famous local entrepreneur, the toxic fanbase? Surely not.

Could it be the low crowds? No, whilst they are dropping, they are still high by comparison to many in our godforsaken league.

Could it be due to a plot by Gianni Infantino and others to destroy the once mighty Dockers? A plot which has included a mystic message and a red card at Cardiff. And that dubious performance by Bobby Madley during the EFL semi final against Rotherham. Possibly.

Could the ghost of Vince Barker, the unfairly maligned former chairman, be the cause? Probably not.

Is it the fault of the Bunker and the Trust? Now, I may be on to something here as my Nan was told this by a member of staff at her care home. Translating what was said into English was a challenge but this was the crux of the story.

Or is it something or someone else? Whatever, I think that we should cut Nicky F some slack. What chance has he got?

And I totally agree with Smokin Joe...

I think most of us are indeed cutting Fev some slack, but his stubborn one style of play with a lack of goalscoring threat is doing him not us any favours. It's said that doing the same thing over a d over again expecting a different result is madness, yet he's apparently not learning at all and is actually mad. After all he'd have to be to take the job in the first place.
We're all behind him and the team but FFS shape up!!
We've had a damn sight less squads in the past but at least they showed a will to succeed, heart and passion. This lot are bereft in all of those attributes.

We need better players, it's a simple as that. When a couple of third-choice players from York are in the Pools' starting 11, the gulf in class between us and the top 6 is obvious.

But sure, blame the manager. Let's have another one in for 2026. Those 'honeymoon periods' are getting shorter and shorter...

Nobody's saying to sack him yet, but if you believe that he's getting the best out of the squad then I think you're in a minority of 1.
The last 2 games have both been opportunities to break into the play off places and we've set up and played in a style more suited to a team at the bottom desperate for the odd points to stave off relegation.
At least have a crack at winning games instead of aiming for clean sheets - 3 wins and 3 losses is far better than 6 goals draws both from a points perspective and also entertainment. The football were playing is driving people away and slowly killing the club as much as any real or perceived lack of investment from the owner imo.

Is that based on the same wealth of football knowledge that said Scunny will only bring 163 fans to the Vic on Boxing Day?

You pretend you don't want Featherstone sacked but you go after him every single time you post. Pools spent most of last season playing only 1 up front but I don't remember you harping on about it the same way you do now. Clue - last season we had better attacking players, including Mani D in the lone striker role.

Until Pools sign better quality players they will languish in this league forever end off, if the owner had invested in better quantity players when we got promoted we might still have been in the division above. I have said it many times managers can’t make a silk purse out of pigs ears.

I think you'll find I did indeed "harp on" about Mani D being isolated up top last season and that the previous season him and Grey as a pairing was way more effective. Also Mani D is a way better and different player to Reid when asked to play as a lone striker or do you think Reid is as good.
I've had a guess at the Scunny support and guessing the crowd doesn't make anyone an expert on football btw.
I do not want Fev sacked, but I'll praise and call him out as I see fit. You'll find in the last few weeks I've liked the way we were showing game on game improvement and a bit more expensive play, that's regressed now in the last 3 performances and most of us recognise that and are concerned and are expressing that concern, it's what we do. Hopefully Fev can and will turn it around.

I'm not panicking just yet, if we get Charman and Oliver back, Nathaniel George or Francis back playing well and if I was Managing send Johnson out on loan and bring someone in to replace him I could see a better start to the New Year, especially if McNally is fit too.

The Elephant in the room…?

that sums it up in a nutshell. our style of play is not mine, but what alternative is there with this squad when it cannot have a plan B because the players are not capable of playing one with the squad available. Defensively we look the best we have looked for years but little money available to improve on the rest.