The Poolie Bunker

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Moving B&Co sideward is hardly a vote of confidence them. As for Director of football, it’s always seemed to be a duplication to me. Can’t ever have seen Clough standing for that appointment.

Patience.
Patience.

Everything off the pitch and behind the scenes is sweet.

It doesn't seem like it.
Ah well

To cut a long letter short.
He's sort of apologised for the appointment of Bromby.
We re-launch with hope n patience.
UTP.

Appoint a Head of Football Operations / Director of Football, I thought that’s why Bromby were brought in, who is going to recruit one Bromby ?
Pools must be haemorrhaging money with all the non playing staff, I assume Clayton and Liddle are still on the payroll, try and offload them and that would free up some cash for new players.

Logically and practically a cull is called for immediately.
There must be only one leader the players are responsible to and no distractions from the previous crew who are now surely redundant…?

Contracts will stop an immediate cull.
The big man must be Hindsighting himself.

If only I backed Nicky like I said I would from day 1 we could now already be in the EFL or at the worst got unlucky in the play-offs.
Whatever your Fevs views we were only 3 pts behind the play-offs in late February with no Transfer Window.

We Gunna be a million miles away from that option this season after what I imagine has cost an absolute fortune.

This could be a very long journey back to Division 4.

But life is life where good health priorities a game of Football.

UTP

On a positive note.
At least he’s reconfirmed he’s commitment to pools, recognises it’s not been good enough in respect of the expectations due to the money that was invested in the team and backing for Pete Wild.
There were some who wanted Landon to communicate his thoughts on the season so far which I think he’s done
Just my take on it.

You’re right…actions do speak louder than words in this instance

Exactly. He was sold the biggest pup in this club's history with the appointment of Lee Clark and the recruitment of a team of misfits. He must be massively disappointed with how things have turned out so far, yet still says: "Pete Wild, Dave Conlon and the wider football department have my full backing. We have already supported the manager with new signings, and that will continue."

It's a safe bet that Pete Wild wouldn't have come without that promise of more money to rebuild the squad. We all want to see a clear out of the people who advised Landon Smith so badly, but the bottom line for now is that he's paying for a fresh start on the pitch. Without that relegation would already be nailed on.

Ideas for director of football Craig Hignett, Chris Turner, and dare I suggest Dave Challoner Ideas p. Should definitely be some one with experience of the club and the area.

It is clear that Landon is not a man for knee-jerk reacting which is precisely what the club needs after 10+years of upheaval and turmoil. He has obviously taken on board the events (and non events) of the last couple of months and the resulting reaction of the employees, players, fans - and the local media. This is a well-thought out response from Landon in which he clearly adresses the events and issues that have arisen whilst at the same time providing reaffirming his commitment to the club to everyone involved. In sixty years of following Pools I cannot recall an owner being prepared to explain his stance and proposed way forward in respect of HUFC. Given the plight of other football clubs at various levels throughout the UK I think we are fortunate to have an owner obviously dedicated to the club and prepared to be open and honest to all and sundry.

I've thought for a while Hignett would be a good shout as Landon Smith's main football adviser. He's still only in his mid-50s and has always been a very good judge of footballers. Maybe too fond of a wisecrack to appeal to our serious-minded owner though?

Apart from moving Bromby sideways, we seem to be hell bent in making the top heavy situation a bit heavier with talk of a new Board, a Director of football and various panels and committees. It is easy to say say how necessary all this is and to insist they are all working very hard to get us to the end game but these are parts of the operation which are a bit shrouded and, so far, evidence of their hard work is a bit sparse on the ground. The long awaited Website as an example.

I'm glad Landon believes in Pete Wild and I welcome the fact that he is prepared to back him but that will be judged in the fullness of time.

I await with anticipation for the announcement as to which people are to make up this new Board, and who is appointed as Director of football. Will there be new faces or the same old ones.

Thanks for the communication, Landon..............and GOOD LUCK.

Landon is probably restricted to moving Bromby sideways for now, my guess is that they will be shunted over the platform edge before too long, it's only a matter of time methinks.

He has to learn fast.
The future results will answer that.

Things can only get better.

UTP.

The appointment of the Director of football is the important next move as he is looking like calling the shots, after Landon.
I would hope he and Pete will have all the say within football matters and Landon will let them get on with it. We need first of all those two to be the right men for the job and are given at least two years to move us forward, maybe more. We've made a very reasonable start with Pete, now get the other one right and tell everybody else to keep their fecking noses out.

Can’t the surplus personnel go on a litter pick or even sea coaling on Longscar…when the tides out like…..just a thought.

Wouldn't it be an idea just to make Pete Wild manager instead of head coach? Cut out the high earning middle man and make things less complicated. Wild could do his own thing (within the budget) and lets face it - he's got more of a clue about this league than Maxwell, Beech and Rust.

We could also potentially use the money we save on a midfielder who isn't like late career Nicky Featherstone on a bad day (which is more or less what we've got now).

Manager / Head coach.
Whatever he is his patter crack talk is the best I've ever heard.
He's Gunna look a bit stupid if he doesn't back it up on the pitch.

Half term update after Southend away.

UTP

Give over.
We finished 13 points short of 7th,got walloped 7-1 at Wealdstone, a last day capitulation at Boston,where he couldn’t be even arsed to talk about the game & we’re knocked out of the cup by Gainsborough Trinity

3 behind in February
What's give over about that.

Trouble is they never spent a few quid at the time with a good portion of time left to make a go of it and Fevs had to get along with what he had…and keep things ticking over with us busy going nowhere.
But….. were the new tenants already chosen and being lined up to make a grand summer entry and lead us to glory…so a late try was booted into the long grass …?

Whatever went on behind the scenes ruined 25/26 2nd half and full 26/27.
We re-set yet again for probably 28/29.

Good job we got patience but bit cruel for the older generation with a fair few missing out to see us back in the EFL

UTP.

Fev should've made a better go of it regardless of investment or lack of it. We set up to keep things tight and hope to nick a goal rather than going out to try to outscore the opposition.
Clark's mismanagement of the squad has spoiled this season so far, his inability to find a best 11 and to win matches is the reason we are where we are, imo even before the latest new arrivals our squad was massively underperforming.
Given the strength and money that teams in NL have, and the fact that only 2 go up, it may not only be the older generation that don't see a return to the EFL.

I guess we'll never know, until Landon writes his memoirs perhaps. We definitely missed an opportunity to have a real go from Feb onwards. As I said at the time the opportunity was there to have a go and we spurned it. I'll never understand why Landon said "let's have a go and have some fun at the same time" and then failed completely to back the idea. Maybe that was the beginning of the influence that led us down the path to the worst position in the club's history. And yes it is now history and there's nothing we can do about it now but we can learn lessons from it and hopefully Landon shares that view. Talk of more top heavy staff doesn't sit well with me but we'll see. Like I say about every owner, it's his club and he'll do as he sees fit with or without our approval.
As for Fevs, he was managing a situation that had no ambition or impetus to it as the then owner quite freely admitted he was just keeping things ticking over. Fevs was never part of a planned promotion push, just a ticking over but he very nearly turned it into a promotion push without any impetus from the last owner or the present one. Three or four decent additions in Feb just might have................................................

I think a Director of Football has to be preferable to the present set up. Hopefully once appointed he'll inform LS there's no place or need for B&P. And if he feels that he needs committees then hopefully that's for all the non football stuff leaving the DoF and Wild to take care of things where it matters. Commercial, Retail, Hospitality, Development, etc are all evidently very important to the Club as a sustainable venture and it seems we're doing OK in most of those areas.
I honestly believe Fev blew his audition, making the play offs or missing out by a point or so would have probably made it very difficult to say he wasn't the man for the job.

Who will be selecting this DoF?

According to Landon's letter, the DoF will be reporting to Landon and the board.
Do we have a clear picture who this board is?

"Bromby & Partners will move from their current hands-on involvement to a strategic role supporting that transition."

So will they be selecting the DoF and/or working alongside the DoF?
And will they hopefully be told to sling their hook once the DoF is established?

And hopefully these so called committees are kept well away from the football side of things and are for non-football areas as PTID hopes they are for, so do I!

If Wild is given a free hand on the football side of things, which it appears he has from Landon, then I am sure he will turn things around and still be here for next season when surely and finally mount a serious challenge for promotion!

Sounds like re-arranging the deck chairs time on the Titanic…is it a case of moving around those who failed to some other job …?

Why try when you know you’re just the night watchman…?

Was he told he was just the night Watchman from the outset? The public backing from LS when he first took over would t indicate he was. It was announced a fair bit later (after the play offs were out of sight) that he wasn't staying as head coach beyond the end of the season.
If we'd been there or thereabouts surely it would've been impossible to do anything other than continue with him this season and back him of course.

We were all told the club was in ticking over mode, whether Landon changed that we don't know but we do know that Landon had the opportunity to back Fev to have a go but didn't do it. The opportunity was there for Landon to say go on fevs have a go and I'll provide you with the backing. All LS did was give him until the end of the season to show what he could do but LS ignored the fact
that Fevs was operating in ticking over conditions, and that wasn't going to change.
One thing we have never to forget is Fevs was never handed a promotion seeking hand , he was handed a ticking over hand until a new owner turned up. With that hand he had us within three points of a play off place. In my opinion, when he knew there was not going to be a chance of him getting the backing for a push he knew what was coming and so it did. We don't know what vibes he was getting from the new regime either. He was watching the hierarchy numbers getting bigger and bigger when he'd been expected to operate with a squad that had absolutely no strength in depth to it and with no indication that any improvements would be made until the close season, when he probably would be gone anyway.
I think if he had been give a few players in Feb we would have had a right go and then if allowed to build on that ready for this season, we wouldn't be having these discussions. With the emergence of new talent and more strength in depth the fare on offer would probably have improved. That is my take on it. He never had a prayer.

We were told by LS in the New Year that we'd go for the play offs and have fun doing it, that doesn't suggest an intention to tick over. The announcement that Fev wouldn't be manager this season came in April, after he'd blown it.
We don't know what was going on behind the scenes or what conversations were had, but we do know Fev was setting us up in such a way that we were only mustering a couple of shots on target in home games.
If we'd made the play offs do you think he would have been replaced, I don't ?

Yes I know we were told that but Fevs was already trying to do that, proved by the fact that he had got us to within 3 points of it. However some of us were of the opinion that we would have a better chance if we strengthened a woefully weak squad. Landon chose not to.
By saying they couldn't very well sack somebody who had got us to the playoffs it could be suggested that they didn't want him to succeed and that's why the squad wasn't strengthened as a statement of intent. It is not the first time I've heard that theory. No one has come up with any other explanation. Why do you think Landon didn't back a push with extra bodies.

For the benefit of fair-minded Poolies, I'll just point out that there was a big gap between talk and reality last season when it came to Landon Smith 'going for the play-offs.'

Tyrese Sinclair wasn't signed on loan till the end of January, a full month after LS took over the club. It was another fortnight before Charlie Caton was signed. Pete Wild was allowed to bring in 3 players on loan in his first 10 days in charge.

When I mentioned the other day that Nicky Featherstone won 4 and drew 3 of his first 7 league games in charge, instead of acknowledging that that was bloody good going for someone who'd never managed before, you came straight back with something about him losing his first cup game. Well, so did Pete Wild last week after 8 years experience as a manager. D'you reckon you'll be bringing that up in a year's time?

Because we were 13 points behind when it mattered.

I think that Raj played it straight with us when he said he had entered ticking over mode until a new owner had been found. I didn't like it but accepted it. That said, I think Fevs did remarkably well with the tools he had. None of us expected that a club in that situation would be up amongst it but we were ,albeit on the fringe.

If I had been the new owner the first thing I would have looked for would be an impact statement that could come near to matching the euphoria of the fans that, at last, we had a chance. I would have concentrated on having a real go at getting a shot at immediate promotion. It was there to be had. When I heard we're gonna have a real go I was enthused but not much effort seemed to be directed at changing a ticking over squad to one strengthened to try and achieve the excitement a good go would create. I don't know what was said to Fev but I can imagine his disappointment as the seemingly promised effort started to wane and with it his really only chance of keeping his job. I think the whole show could have been handled better. However there are quite a few things that could have been done better as it has turned out.
I just wish I had the money.

When it mattered.
3 or 4 good signings wudent of created the 13 pts.

All water under the bridge now.
But the saving the cash for Bromby backfired big style.

UTP

Mr Hogan I was merely pointing out that you'd selected league games only when you posted Febs early results.
If you go back last season you'll find that during Fevs early tenure I did praise him in here, not only for the results but also for the fact that we seemed to be playing better game after game and more expansively. Unfortunately he couldn't keep that momentum going and we descended to dull, uninspiring, boring football which got worse game on game.
If he'd d have continued as he started then he'd have been in the job at the start of this season imo.
As for Fev himself, I thought he was decent as a player for many years but he should never have been brought back imo, he was here too long again imo. I wouldn't have given him the managers job but I certainly supported him whilst he was in position, although I criticised when I thought he could and should have done better the same as I do with every manager and player.
Wild has made mistakes for sure since his arrival, he's his own biggest critic I think. And if he does get us success and anyone claims he had a great start then yes I'll mention the FA Cup loss at home to Marine.
I am in fact quite balanced in my opinions having z chip on both shoulders.

wild will be given a free hand on the training pitch and tactics and the team he chooses. a director of football is the one who will be doing the rectuitment and its imperitive that whoever gets the job will sing out of pete wilds songbook regarding players he wants.

one thing featherstone can say is he reached pools highest league position than anyone else before being cast aside. cast aside for somebody who at best was seen only neutrally by fans and close to anybody but by some. he was given the job through loyalty and was appointed to fail. his tactics were based on the players he inherited unlike clark who sogned players only to play football as poor on the eyes as anything given us by feavs.