The Poolie Bunker

Although a stretch I'm beginning to think it's not Southend who will be our biggest competition for a remote play off spot, not dismissing Halifax of course, it's Forest Green and Boreham Wood who are finding the going tough at the moment, both well down in the form charts they also have difficult fixtures in the next few weeks too, Green play the in-form Boston tonight, then Gateshead who are playing well again followed by another tricky fixture against another inform team Aldershot, then Southend away.

The Wood have Southend away tonight, Tamworth away at the weekend, home to York, then Brackley, followed by away games at Woking and Halifax.

It will of course only be relevant if we can pick up points in our fixtures too.

I noticed Southend have a relatively easy run in
Truro
Gateshead
Braintree at home so. For me there uncatchable.

Would certainly welcome a blow up from Forest Green who we play game 45.
But can that mad fantasy start from 10pm tomorrow night.

like i said somewhere else its 4 teams chasing 2 places even if some have the advantage of points gained now and i have left ali fax out of it.

No, it's 4 teams chasing 1 guaranteed promotion spot, same as ever.

It doesn't matter who finishes 2nd after 46 games, it all comes down to the team that hits form in the play-offs, as York found out to their cost last season - and Torquay the year we went up.

Pools have an 'interesting' run of games from 28th March - in just 3 weeks we play Southend, Scunthorpe, Rochdale, Boreham Wood and Forest Green - and Wealdstone Then a week off before the last game of the season at Boston.

Assuming every team has a similar mad amount of games because of all the postponements, I wouldn't give any club with a small squad a dog's chance of winning the play-off promotion spot. There'll be too many injuries and walking wounded.

Southend have 16 games to play, What you might not know is 10 of those games are at home.

It’s not complicated…’ignore the rest and play your best’….but it’s a loooooong shot.

The four teams currently above us in the table are all losing 1-0 at home.

Forest Green Rovers are currently losing 3 nil at home.

Southend, Halifax both 0-2 down.

Late goals from Halifax and FG but other than a point for Halifax the results have gone our way tonight.

Can't argue with them scores.
But I reckon we blow ourselves up v Carlisle.
Hope I'm wrong like.

York now top leapfrogging Dale, didn't see the Wood winning at Southend tbh.

Forest Green Rovers are really struggling at the moment, only 1 win in 9!

Can anyone seriously imagine us beating Carlisle? I hope we do but I honestly cant envisage it. We will defend like fook but they have too much fire power.

We beat Rochdale away when most thought we didn't have a prayer.

If and it's a BIG IF- we play like we did in the second half at Solihull on Saturday, we've got a decent chance. It's Carlisle not Man City.
Got to get Sinclair the ball - he could be this season's Clearly. Plus Landon will be present, so those who are coming to the end of their contracts need to be seen to be putting a proper shift in!

Carlisle aren’t in York and Rochdale’s… league and occasionally trip up unexpectedly…let’s see which Carlisle turns up…..and which Pools turn up.
I’m not dreading this game actually…dunno why….but nowt to lose when little is expected of us.

and rochdale have been chucking away there games in hand. southend have started the same with last nights defeat. its up to pools now to bridge the gap even if the past makes it look unlikely.

If a squad is too big it produces confusion, They have players who have not kicked a ball for sometime and will not again this season,

This is a FGrovers fans take on it.


Yep, it should have been an advantage to have the core of last seasons team under contract, but instead we literally paid off 4 regulars from last season Jamie Robson our player of the year, Charlie McCann who got double figures in both goals and assists, Adam May virtual ever present in midfield and Joe Quigley. 3 of them joined L2 sides the next day. 3 others are on gardening leave, and another one is out on loan. They were all senior players who played a big part in finishing 3rd last season.

We've replaced them mainly with kids and loanees, and the experience we have signed in Nick Haughton and Jayden Clarke keep being left out or dragged off early when they do. On top of that we have players liking tweets criticising the management, Laurent Mendy stripped of the captaincy and dropped for allegedly sulking about not getting a move to Hearts and now another recently signed player saying they regret joining. Piss poor man management across the board.

Seen this before, managers who don't want most of the players they inherited or struggle to coach experienced players. Never ends well and means you end up with well paid players sat in the stands and a constantly revolving door. The club is losing money all over the place, last thing we need is to waste so much on such a large player turnover”

What that Scottish clown Paul Hartley did to us when he came in.

Not expecting a favour from Gateshead today home to Forest Green.
But hope I'm wrong.

Rochdale v York last game.
I think that silly Penalty run up will come back to haunt Rochdale and keep them non league.
Rubber stamped when we beat them on Easter Monday.

Lots of twists n turns as the season ends towards dodgy results time.

UTP.

there has been many shock results already this season. could be a case of most clubs have smallish squads but put up decent shows when there best players are all available. no way the team last wednesday would have been beaten by anstey nomade or gainsborogh or vice versa.

It costs nowt to dream.

or have a nightmare instead for the same price.

But that’s football.

Forest Green winning, Halifax, Scunny and B Wood all losing.

Our game v Southend now postponed due to them playing fa trophy semi final first leg.

Could be the Thursday night before Boston.
There 2nd leg shedueled for April 4th which would mean they got a problem for the Easter games on the 3rd n 6th.

Lets get these next 3 games won.

UTP.

An error from google
Semi final just 1 leg.

do not think it will be as late as that. could be wrong but i think all games have to be played before the vegan home game with a free week before out last game at boston. same for everybody even if it causes a tuesday/thursday game for somebody before then.

I reckon it will be week commencing 20th April to schedule in the Southend match.

just had a look at there fixtures and thats the first midweek date there is where they do not have a game. however as i posted earlier i,m sure teams in the past like halifax had to complete 45 games before that date. southend would not be the first team having to play sat. tues. thur.then saturday again in the same week. if that is the case it would mean us trailing down there on a thursday dor no fault of our own to make it even harder for the play off chase. hope common sense prevails and you are right, but football laws seem to trump common sense regularly.

It potentially mean them travelling up to us on a Thursday Accy, we've already played them away this season

I shouldn’t worry about Forest Green or any of the chasing pack, there’s only one guaranteed promotion spot and the rest are booked into the playoffs, but that seventh spot is still undecided, that’s the real one to watch because whoever gets it will have to be an in form team going into the playoffs on a good run.

not too sure on that. if we were in the vegans position hitting a bad run of form many fans would be saying we have blown it even with the points on the board. anyway by 5 pm saturday this talk could be over if pools lose the next 2 games. doubt anybody would put serious money on us getting an extra 6 points by then.