Antony Sweeney
Pools face one of the biggest tests of the season
Antony Sweeney
By Clarence Rode September 26 2008
Hartlepool go to Leicester on Saturday hoping to put an end to their inconsistency away from home this season. But it won't be easy against a side which started the season as favourites for the League One title and who easily beat Pools in their Johnstone's Paints Trophy tie at the Vic earlier in the season.
Antony Sweeney
Hartlepool go to Leicester on Saturday hoping to put an end to their inconsistency away from home this season. But it won't be easy against a side which started the season as favourites for the League One title and who easily beat Pools in their Johnstone's Paints Trophy tie at the Vic earlier in the season.
Pools are hoping that Antony Sweeney will be fit to keep his place in the team after suffering a terrible black eye in an accidental clash of heads during Tuesday night's narrow Carling Cup defeat at Leeds.
Sweeney wants to play, but he will only be allowed to do so if he is given medical clearance - and if he can see properly out of the eye.
Pools have not yet been able to find any really consistent form on their travels this season, but they claim they know what it going wrong and the players appear to believe that if they can get one more good result away, to add to their win at Peterborough in August, they will have cracked it.
But the situation is nowhere near as bad yet as some fans would have us all believe.
At least one message board is constantly filled with doom and gloom, calling for manager Danny Wilson to be sacked, a new goalkeeper to replace the improving Arran Lee-Barrett (left), a whole new defence, a rebuilt midfield and changes to the attack.
With their shortage of cash and a small squad, anybody who expected Pools to be challenging for promotion this season was living in a dream world. It's still possible they can make the play-off zone, of course, if they can find some consistency and avoid too many injuries.
But Hartlepool are not Leeds or Leicester, clubs with big squads, expensive players and big crowds to help sustain a realistic promotion challenge.
It might have helped if chairman Ken Hodcroft (right) had told fans during the summer that the club had no money to spend, but he chose to keep quiet and that played a part in causing the frustration felt by many fans at the moment. Mr H should perhaps give more thought to the part he can play in the shaping of the club's image.
Pools have had a mediocre start to the season, but it's clear already that while they need to improve away, they won't lose many at home.
The hopes of Pools fans have been high in recent seasons after being involved in so many promotion campaigns both in League One and in League Two.
But with small crowds and a small squad which has already been badly hit by injuries, miracles are off the menu and the doom and gloom merchants do appear to be a bit premature.
A good result at Leicester will shut them up for a while, but next time anything goes wrong, they'll be back again wanting the impossible.
Sweeney wants to play, but he will only be allowed to do so if he is given medical clearance - and if he can see properly out of the eye.
Pools have not yet been able to find any really consistent form on their travels this season, but they claim they know what it going wrong and the players appear to believe that if they can get one more good result away, to add to their win at Peterborough in August, they will have cracked it.
But the situation is nowhere near as bad yet as some fans would have us all believe.
At least one message board is constantly filled with doom and gloom, calling for manager Danny Wilson to be sacked, a new goalkeeper to replace the improving Arran Lee-Barrett (left), a whole new defence, a rebuilt midfield and changes to the attack. With their shortage of cash and a small squad, anybody who expected Pools to be challenging for promotion this season was living in a dream world. It's still possible they can make the play-off zone, of course, if they can find some consistency and avoid too many injuries.
But Hartlepool are not Leeds or Leicester, clubs with big squads, expensive players and big crowds to help sustain a realistic promotion challenge.
It might have helped if chairman Ken Hodcroft (right) had told fans during the summer that the club had no money to spend, but he chose to keep quiet and that played a part in causing the frustration felt by many fans at the moment. Mr H should perhaps give more thought to the part he can play in the shaping of the club's image.Pools have had a mediocre start to the season, but it's clear already that while they need to improve away, they won't lose many at home.
The hopes of Pools fans have been high in recent seasons after being involved in so many promotion campaigns both in League One and in League Two.
But with small crowds and a small squad which has already been badly hit by injuries, miracles are off the menu and the doom and gloom merchants do appear to be a bit premature.
A good result at Leicester will shut them up for a while, but next time anything goes wrong, they'll be back again wanting the impossible.
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StumbleuponRe: Pools face one of the biggest tests of the season
Posted by: Rift House (IP Logged)
Date: 26/09/2008 13:07
I guess you mean the Poolie Bunker ... every Pools thread is negative. I wonder if the sucide rate in Hartlepool is up?
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