Hartlepool v Swindon Town Matchday Thread

[TheDukeOfBanbury]

Probably one of the friendliest away days in football.

I’m still up here coming back tomorrow.
Always been my favourite away adventure. Walked miles with the dog along the beaches.
Met up with a few Sunderland fans yesterday, one come to the game.

Last night walked into a pub on the Headland, sampled Strong Arm, £2.20 a pint, the local beer.
Landlord big Poolie, got pissed with him and out came the Port.
Been in tonight to say goodbye, few more Pool’s fan in there and hopefully will return next season.

What football is all about.
Cracking fans, always have been and evidently they were reciprocal about our fans yesterday.
Hope they stay up.

[donaldslovehild]

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.

Probably the best post I have read on the site this season. I can only concur with all of your well reasoned and balanced responses. *****

[RobertT]

Facts are facts.

We were 6th when SL departed.  Only Bradford in 8th had a game in hand which had they WON would have seen them leapfrog us.  Their goal diff'ce was worse.  So at worst 7th and still 5 points off automatic.

Look at the last ten games form table (ie all Morris) and we 23rd - and only off BOTTOM of the EFL on goal difference.

https://footystats.org/england/efl-league-two/form-table

The rot had set in though - 8 points in Lindsey's final 8 games.  not to say Morris has done anything of note, in a positive sense.

[Mooneyraker]

Thoroughly 'enjoyed' the Loathed Strangers pod on my way to work this morning.

Not sure if they've made a conscious change because they regret being uncritical during the Power years, but being shunned by the club these days has been the best thing that has ever happened to the pod. It makes it much more interesting. If nothing else it is good that they are highlighting concerns on how things are being run. The pod and the presser pod are key pillars in my STFC week!

[THE FLASH]

I would fully agree with you aside form the fact you can clearly see we have an issue that is rampant throughout the squad - the single unifying factor of our squad being they are nearly all lacking in league football experience.

Any one individual you could certainly lay that challenge to - you don't need 300 games to follow a player.  The problem I think is still a squad one though - there are few players who can correct the poor behaviours of others in the game and everyone has spent 4-5 years + playing Academy football, where I imagine a large portion of the game occurs in front of you when defending, due to the possession based approach.

That is where I think the inexperience comes in - it's not that they don't know what to do, it's that they are not used to it.  They are not used to a team sending in a barrage when there are 10 minutes to go because their careers may well be on the line.  They are not used to being barged into, to being fouled for no apparent reason, to players playing percentage balls in behind them all the time.

Hutton's movement on the goal at the end says it all - if you are his centre half friend, you surely shout at the fucker - where the fuck are you going?  We don't seem to have people able to do that, or understand it in the heat of battle.  They are all used to watching the other team take 15 passes to get into our half.

Great post.

You will struggle to get out of this league with all youngsters playing samba soccer.

I watched England v Italy and then Ukraine....back to the keeper, out to the full backs, back again, tip tap, found a gap and it moves forward.
Thats all good, the quality of the players is second to none but this is L2, wake the fuck up....its not going to work!!

I agree about players expecting the opposition to play the same 32 pass moves to enter your own half and then when its launched quick, all being out of position, not tracking back, the inability to be able to head clear, or waving at the ref as some brick shithouse of a forward barges you over and the ref gives fuck all.
In the Prem the arm on Brynn at Sutton wouldnt of even made VAR easily disallowed but this is L2!!
L2!... and this season not a great L2.

The rest of this season need to be treated as one big giant preseason.

JM needs to work out whos going (most) and whos staying and getting them signed up pronto or dropping them out of the team.

Thank fuck we have enough points in the bag to avoid a dogfight....i dont think this team has the minerals.

The highlight of this season has been getting the ground, its all been a bit crap everywhere else.

A shame after all the positive goodwill. Missing out last season has proved to be a big missed opportunity.

I dunno about JM but i dont want to see total tippy tappy, 'pass for the sake of it' football next season.