Hartlepool v Swindon Town Matchday Thread

[Audrey]

I disagree. The first 20 minutes yesterday could have seen us 4 up, so the players are capable of pulling teams apart. God knows what sets in during the second halves in particularly. It generally coincides with subs being made, but the general game plan is already starting to unravel.

[Steak supper]

 i have had time to reflect. They all need to go - from top to bottom

[Quagmire]

Would love to know how many goals we’ve conceded or points we’ve dropped after Austin has been taken off.

[UTR]

There’s really no excuse now to have any sort of prolonged, dilly dallying summer transfer window like we’ve had before. Play offs have realistically been off the table for a good few weeks now, start discussions with the out of contract ones we know we want to keep early, there’s still a period of games to assess those we’re unsure of. If players like Hutton and Williams are likely off then drop them out and start assessing other options for a consistent run of games like Lavinier. Recruitment planning for next season should have been well underway already.

Get everything geared up now so that we can be as ahead of the game this summer as possible. There will likely be some well backed teams in this league fighting for the same pool of players as us (Wrexham, Stockport, Gillingham, FGR, Mansfield, Salford) and sadly I can’t see us financially outmuscling them so our best option is probably to set ourselves up now to try and get our ship sorted as early as realistically possible.

In previous seasons we’ve been so late with this stuff that we’re still waiting on contract renewal decisions from players deep into the pre season schedule and then when they’ve inevitably gone, we’re in trouble trying to sign replacements. Get as many of those decisions sorted early (whether it’s extending or going) and make the situation as clear as possible.

That’s the ideal situation anyway, it never runs that smoothly.

[Batch]

"there's no good reason"

unless we are skint and can't afford anyone but desperados and dreggs late into the window.

I could be well wide, but with everything that's gone on it feels like the FC has to be run on a shoestring with Clem dipping in a few £ once or twice.

Clem isn't loaded. not his fault. Time to look for help maybe?

[NotHarryAgombar]

I didn’t watch or listen live yesterday - but the concession of late goals is becoming a pattern which can only be due to a lack of fitness (physical), mental resilience / concentration and tactical nous. Some of this comes as a result of having an inexperienced squad - as we have been saying for weeks.
What is interesting is that in early January the narrative from many was “this squad should be challenging for autos - it’s Lindsey’s ineptitude that is preventing that” - when in fact the evidence in many games before Christmas showed a similar inability to create sufficient chances (there were home games when I could have played in goal for the opposition and kept a clean sheet - and I’m an OAP who is not tall enough to reach the crossbar.)
There have been occasional good performances - Orient and Northampton away spring to mind, also Rochdale and Harrogate at home - but we have been inconsistent.
Morris has inherited a squad with serious deficiencies - only being able to add 2 free agents (by definition no clubs wanted them for whatever reason) who most of us would say look better than what we had. Injuries, red cards and suspensions have hampered him significantly, and it appears the fitness levels generally are not high enough to play in his preferred way. We also lack physicality and hence get outmuscled at times on poor pitches and on set pieces the lack of height is an issue.
Look at yesterday’s team - at centre back we had a free agent and a player signed to be a left back, with Clayton on the bench (he hasn’t been the same player since his injury), midfield can’t keep the ball / control the game when we are ahead (the sale of Gladwin and Reed is part of this problem, and despite his unpopularity with some on here, Iandolo would strengthen the current team and add some experience. )
I have listened to post match interview and enjoyed Hawes’ question about next season - which I thought JM dealt with as well as he could given we still have 8 games left. It’s clear we need some significant changes to the squad, and to have a strong spine through the team.
The constraint will be what we can afford - some clubs will be able to throw more money at this, whilst Clem is wealthy, he clearly doesn't have the same resources as (eg) Wrexham’s owners, and whilst the Black / PDC era was fun while it lasted, the aftermath was anything but, and to some extent we are still recovering from that.

One thing I am convinced of - sacking Morris after 11 games given the above would be madness - we need to give him time to build an prepare in pre season a squad which suits the way he wants to play. Changing managers every few weeks is crazy - Chelsea can get away with it because they have been able to throw money at some of the world’s best players, but in League 2 that’s not an option.

Hopefully we will see some signs of improvement in the last 8 games.

[UTR]

"there's no good reason"

unless we are skint and can't afford anyone but desperados and dreggs late into the window.

I could be well wide, but with everything that's gone on it feels like the FC has to be run on a shoestring with Clem dipping in a few £ once or twice.

Clem isn't loaded. not his fault. Time to look for help maybe?

That’s my initial worry, the budget. But the comms coming out are all about promotion and I’d like to think they realise that won’t happen on a shoestring playing budget. It doesn’t need to be a Wrexham size budget but you do need to at least pay the going rate to convince experienced players to come here when teams like Salford and Wrexham will throw silly money about. We go on about being a big club in this division and that should attract players which has some truth but it’s negated if we’re trying to get them here on peanuts. We don’t want to stagnate in this division which is easily done.

[Wobbly Bob]

Well run clubs with smaller budgets than ours have been promoted from L2 on a fairly regular basis.

Clubs with top 6 budgets have also floundered.

What counts is finding a way of optimising the available funds to best effect.

[Batch]

Well run clubs with smaller budgets than ours have been promoted from L2 on a fairly regular basis.

Clubs with top 6 budgets have also floundered.

What counts is finding a way of optimising the available funds to best effect.

fair.

just trying to make sense of the complete policy of youth we've tried to follow in January, couple with removing higher earners*, coupled with bringing transfer fees forward.

but you are right, you need to maximise whatever you have.

[Legends-Lounge]

Well run clubs with smaller budgets than ours have been promoted from L2 on a fairly regular basis.

Clubs with top 6 budgets have also floundered.

What counts is finding a way of optimising the available funds to best effect.

A debrief of what they set out to do, what they did and how well each action/bullet point worked out. Still need to pull lots of rabbits out the hat from where we currently are to get auto promotion next season.

[TheDukeOfBanbury]

Watch the half hearted tracking back for their second goal.
Shite.

[DV]

Watch the half hearted tracking back for their second goal.
Shite.

Concur.

I get the notion that we need more experience in the team but not tracking men is not an experience issues. That fitness and / or desire or possibly bad tactics (if we aren’t matching up man for man)

You shouldn’t need to have 300 football league games under your belt to know you need to track runners.


I know context is vital here but after that lacklustre effort I’m convinced PDC would have left Kadji in Hartlepool and got the coach to drive off without him.

[Legends-Lounge]

Watch the half hearted tracking back for their second goal.
Shite.

Get the feeling they’re already on holiday?

[Jimmy Quinn]

Concur.

I get the notion that we need more experience in the team but not tracking men is not an experience issues. That fitness and / or desire or possibly bad tactics (if we aren’t matching up man for man)

You shouldn’t need to have 300 football league games under your belt to know you need to track runners.


I know context is vital here but after that lacklustre effort I’m convinced PDC would have left Kadji in Hartlepool and got the coach to drive off without him.

I still think the likes of Steve Evans & DiCanio would have been on to the players throughout the game making sure that they don't slacken off or lose concentration.

I know Sandro has his model to work to but if he looks at any of the teams that will get promoted out of league 2 this season none will have a first team mainly based on young inexperienced players.

[adje]

Would love to know how many goals we’ve conceded or points we’ve dropped after Austin has been taken off.

Or Williams