Hartlepool Fan

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Hartlepool Fan

by desperado » 17 May 2017, 07:18

Seem to remember David Graham, signed by Colin Lee, being on the bench a lot in McFarlands time ,
didnt flourish until Leroy came. Bit of a Nicho/Williams scenario. Both lazy players who needed a manager
to accept and accommodate the sort of player they were at the same time encouraging and working with
them. I am sure Nicho has been doing that as Williams definitely improved laterly. If he re signed he may
do well next season and score 20 goals

Hartlepool Fan

by hector » 17 May 2017, 05:59

I always feel Roy McF gets unfairly maligned. He came in at the last minute after Mike Bateson and Colin Lee dillied and dallied and eventually parted ways after the Barnet escape of 2001.

McFarland was chosen over Rosenior and had to quickly assemble a team that went through changes as the season progressed. The team actually clicked in the Spring, once players like Canoville and Fowler had been signed and I remember us demolishing Rochdale before embarking on a run where we didn't concede a goal in something like 8 games.

It's probably just as well as McF signed as he built the basis of the team that went up in 2004. There would have been no Hazel, Woozley, Woods, canoville, Fowler and of course, Alex Russell, who came to the club because of Roy McF.

As for Hartlepool, I actually spoke to Jeff Stelling last year and he sympathised with me being a Torquay fan, saying there but for the grace of god it could be Hartlepool and here we both are in similar situations.

I remember two occasions playing Hartlepool. One in the early 80s when they had three players sent off at Plainmoor - two for fighting with each other and during Eddie May's ill-fated reign when they had two sent off and we still couldn't beat them.

Hartlepool Fan

by lucy6lucy » 17 May 2017, 01:04

tomogull wrote: 16 May 2017, 15:35 I was sorry to read Poolierob's post about the troubles at Hartlepools. I knew there were problems, but not as serious as posted. Another decent club with a proud history run into the ground through disastrous management off the field.

I remember a home game against Hartlepool late in the season. I think we were safe but we had just signed a young striker from Barry Town for a club record fee of £70,000 (poor Mike Bateson must have had a nosebleed agreeing that sort of money). He made his debut in that match and scored a hat-trick with three very well taken goals. We were drooling at this new signing - Eifion Williams. I don't remember who our manager was at that time, but the following season, Roy McFarland arrived on the scene with his boring ultra-defensive football and tried to convert Williams into a midfield player. It didn't work and Williams spent most of the season sat on the bench.

Then along came Hartlepool to sign him - probably for far less than we paid Barry Town - and the rest is history. He went on to become a prolific scorer and a member of the Hartlepool promotion winning (Div 2 to Div 1) side. I seem to recall that they also just missed out on promotion to the Championship, but that's probably my memory playing tricks !
Wes Saunders springs to mind

Hartlepool Fan

by tomogull » 16 May 2017, 22:30

brucie wrote: 16 May 2017, 21:30 I can still remember Roy MacF as manager - he signed good players but couldn't get them to play. As a manager he was absolutely hopeless.

I actually felt sorry for the bloke - from an international career to being absolutely lambasted by some of the old stagers in the enclosure and grandstand. I can still remember it now. Poor old Roy just stood by the dugout looking forlorn and taking an absolute verbal shellacking from the crowd. It actually bordered on cruelty.

How times have changed and the acceptance of our lowering standards has become.....well accepted. What those old supporters would have made of Hargreaves or Nico god only knows. There weren't any happy clappers in Bristows Bench in those days - it was more like a bear pit.

What on earth would those supporters have made of being hammered by Braintree or losing to a part time team with a defender in goal? - it doesn't actually bear thinking about....
Er ..... we beat Braintree, Brucie. Keep Up ! :} Or are you referring to the 2015/16 home defeat ?

MacFarland earned the nickname of Macmisery for his boring style of football and his total failure to have any rapport with the fans. You're right - he brought in some very good players - Russell, Fowler etc - but the football was mind-numbing. It seemed at times that Russell was instructed not to cross the halfway line ! Goodness knows how many 0 -0 draws we had that season. It wasn't until the following season when Leroy took over that we saw the best of MacFarland's signings.

Since the days of Eric Webber, I have stopped going to Plainmoor for just two periods. Firstly, when Del Boy Dave Webb was manager and secondly after we were humiliated at home by Exeter in McFarland's season. I never leave a game before the final whistle but I walked out 15 minutes before the end of that Exeter beating, as did many other fans, and I didn't go back until the following season.

Hartlepool Fan

by poolierob » 16 May 2017, 22:21

The pictures of our clarence road stand brought back memories. Too young for the first picture, but the second one i remember sitting in it till it got demolished (ok, till it fell down due to woodrot!!). Decent all seater stand in its place, now aptly called the 'Cyril Knowles Stand'. Great manager, rest his soul. some good stories about him from the players!!, well known to yourselves as well
Effion Williams..... bet we both still had him now eh?.... scored a cracker against our lovely neighbours darlington to send us up. always gets a good reception up here.
And yes, we were 8 minutes away from the championship in 2005. ref gives a pen to sheff wed which wasn't a pen (totally honest,no bias), sends one of us off, we get another sent off, lose 1 to injury, down to 8 in injury time, lose 4-2. What you expect being a poolie.
That’s when the owner pulled the plug (his own financial problems), been a downward spiral ever since, ending in the cockney chancer stripping the club to the point wonga would refuse us a loan. Gives Del Boy a bad name.
Whatever team we field this coming season, the fans will embrace it, some new grounds to visit, some eye-openers I bet, but some good ex league clubs to visit and to come to the Vic.
Mid-table would be an achievement at this moment with what is / is not going on behind the scenes. Supporters trust have a meeting at the end of the month to detail where the club stand financially from supporters direct looking at the books.
Looking forward to the games between us, still bring more away support for both games than most others will by all accounts.

Hartlepool Fan

by brucie » 16 May 2017, 21:30

I can still remember Roy MacF as manager - he signed good players but couldn't get them to play. As a manager he was absolutely hopeless.

I actually felt sorry for the bloke - from an international career to being absolutely lambasted by some of the old stagers in the enclosure and grandstand. I can still remember it now. Poor old Roy just stood by the dugout looking forlorn and taking an absolute verbal shellacking from the crowd. It actually bordered on cruelty.

How times have changed and the acceptance of our lowering standards has become.....well accepted. What those old supporters would have made of Hargreaves or Nico god only knows. There weren't any happy clappers in Bristows Bench in those days - it was more like a bear pit.

What on earth would those supporters have made of being hammered by Braintree or losing to a part time team with a defender in goal? - it doesn't actually bear thinking about....

Hartlepool Fan

by tomogull » 16 May 2017, 20:09

desperado wrote: 16 May 2017, 17:18 Yes, he was more of a success at Pool than here where he never really took off after that blistering start
as you say maybe partly due to Roy Mac
Remember another game v Pool in 82? when they finished with 8 men, two sent off for fighting with each other
We still struggled to win it 3-2 ! Think it was a penalty from right back John Doyle
Ah yes - I well remember that crazy game but hadn't remembered it was Hartlepool. Was it really as long as 35 years ago ?? :'(

Hartlepool Fan

by desperado » 16 May 2017, 17:18

Yes, he was more of a success at Pool than here where he never really took off after that blistering start
as you say maybe partly due to Roy Mac
Remember another game v Pool in 82? when they finished with 8 men, two sent off for fighting with each other
We still struggled to win it 3-2 ! Think it was a penalty from right back John Doyle

Hartlepool Fan

by tomogull » 16 May 2017, 15:35

I was sorry to read Poolierob's post about the troubles at Hartlepools. I knew there were problems, but not as serious as posted. Another decent club with a proud history run into the ground through disastrous management off the field.

I remember a home game against Hartlepool late in the season. I think we were safe but we had just signed a young striker from Barry Town for a club record fee of £70,000 (poor Mike Bateson must have had a nosebleed agreeing that sort of money). He made his debut in that match and scored a hat-trick with three very well taken goals. We were drooling at this new signing - Eifion Williams. I don't remember who our manager was at that time, but the following season, Roy McFarland arrived on the scene with his boring ultra-defensive football and tried to convert Williams into a midfield player. It didn't work and Williams spent most of the season sat on the bench.

Then along came Hartlepool to sign him - probably for far less than we paid Barry Town - and the rest is history. He went on to become a prolific scorer and a member of the Hartlepool promotion winning (Div 2 to Div 1) side. I seem to recall that they also just missed out on promotion to the Championship, but that's probably my memory playing tricks !

Hartlepool Fan

by merse btpir » 16 May 2017, 08:57

Yorkieandy wrote: 15 May 2017, 22:45 They are a club rotten from top to bottom. Another one is Chesterfield and if you want a club certain to do a Torquay / York et al then back Chesterfield to go down into the NL next season.
The club is in absolute turmoil with one comedic cock up after the other. The other week some heavies were given orders from someone and sent round to the place of work of a particular forum member who was uncovering 'goings on' behind the scenes and posting them on Bobs Board. Allegedly his family were threatened with harm if postings did not cease.
Chesterfield and their troubles are chronicled in the latest offering in our 'Clubs in Crisis' thread this morning ~ it's a good read!
http://thelondonlabia.proboards.com/thr ... llTo=74290

Hartlepool Fan

by Yorkieandy » 15 May 2017, 23:08

If you don't own / run your own club then you have zero control. Do it and own it Poolie!!

Hartlepool Fan

by Yorkieandy » 15 May 2017, 22:45

Worryingly there seems to be an increase in the number of league clubs being run by complete bell ends with no interest in the clubs themselves. Even more worryingly a lot of these owners don't actually care if the club they own rots, decays and goes under.

I've been notorious over the years for being as unlucky as you can get as regards betting and predicting outcomes. I even had to pay Richinns a tenner once as I confidently predicted that Billy Bodin would not score in a particular game and I think he ended up getting two.

I hope I have rectified this bad luck by constantly saying on here that York would drop, even during their upturn in form and drop they did. They are a club rotten from top to bottom. Another one is Chesterfield and if you want a club certain to do a Torquay / York et al then back Chesterfield to go down into the NL next season.

The club is in absolute turmoil with one comedic cock up after the other. The other week some heavies were given orders from someone and sent round to the place of work of a particular forum member who was uncovering 'goings on' behind the scenes and posting them on Bobs Board. Allegedly his family were threatened with harm if postings did not cease.

Hartlepool are just another casualty of this disturbing and increasing trend for absolute tossers and their knuckledragging cohorts buying into their football club and systematically destroying them and everything they ever stood for.

Will fans ever fight back and stop being taken for idiots? No.

Hartlepool Fan

by SenorDingDong » 15 May 2017, 22:42

Welcome to the National League, you'll quickly find it's a hell of a league where former league clubs who come in 'big charlie' like are quickly swallowed up. York were a slightly different situation but as you rightly say they went straight through this league.

It's a weird old league made up of fallen ex league clubs, highly financed small clubs spending beyond their means like FGR and Crawley/Fleetwood in years past, upwardly mobile non-league clubs at the peak of their success and the odd lovable tinpot club fighting far beyond their means (Histon in the past, North Ferriby last season). You'll be shocked at the standards of some stadiums you visit, while other clubs will make you wonder how they are so well run at this level. You'll scratch your head at how Boreham Wood with an average attendance of like 900 will have a playing budget equivalent to you and finish mid table (there are economic reasons for this) and if you're anything like us you'll get used to the feeling of getting buggered by a part-time team mid week on a bog of a pitch, the kind of team you'd have expected to put 4/5 past a decade ago. Just be happy that the much maligned Conference League Cup/Setanta Shield/doorstop died a death a good few years ago.

One thing to be aware of is that it's incredibly important to get back up in the first season, once those parachute payments go and you're not back in the league it'll really exacerbate any issues you're having financially and at board room level and you could be stuck down here for a while in this twilight purgatory of ex league clubs, joining us, Wrexham, Tranmere etc.

Good to have another proper football club here, although obviously in less than ideal circumstances, it'll be an experience for you!

Hartlepool Fan

by merse btpir » 15 May 2017, 22:27

Image
Like Stamford Bridge, the Vic had a shed.....
Chelsea kept animals in theirs & Pools' made the
away team change in this one!

Hi there.....you don't need to come 'in peace' by the way. Just come; it's far more satisfying! :~D

So life's gone full circle for you then; the first time I went to your ground you had a little wooden shack called 'the old grandstand' on the halfway line a wood burner located alarmingly in the middle of the away dressing room so that unawares players would burn their arses on it as they did their boots up and a nail hanging on a piece of string so that latecomers to the tiny bath could spear the rubber plug to empty the dirty water away and hope to refill it with the hot water that had conveniently run out!

Many of your fans popped over the road straight from a shift in the shipyard with two days of stubble and flat caps on ~ and they were the women!

There was a dog track next door and now all that's gone ~ Clarke Osborne didn't get his hands on it did he? ~ and now the shipyard's a bloody marina...a marina in Hartlepool; I ask you; you'll all be voting for a monkey to be mayor next. Oh I forgot you've already been down that road.

Cheer up matey; we're in a right state also, and our Mayor's about to become a monkey too by the look of it.

Image
That old stand was a 'mare!

Hartlepool Fan

by chunkygull » 15 May 2017, 22:24

We lost to you at home in 90-91. Both clubs got promoted though. Yes, we beat you 3-1 in 91-92 season in the first match. Sadly we didnt win many more after that and got relegated.

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