Pools take on Premiership West Brom in Carling Cup
Baggy shorts
By Clarence Rode
August 26 2008
After two consecutive 1-0 defeats in League One, Hartlepool have a chance to see how their style of football fares against a team expected to play the same sort of game at the Vic. West Brom may not have set the Premiership alight yet, but under Tony Mowbray they can be expected to respect Pools and try to play attractive football in what promises to be an attractive game.
He may still be a Smog Monster at heart, but Mowbray is the acceptable side of Smoggyism, if there is such a thing, and his team played some good stuff when they won promotion last season.
The other refreshing point is that the West Brom fans won't be coming to the Vic crowing about what they are going to do to Pools and the signs are that whatever the result, they'll be a canny bunch.
A bit like their neighbours from Walsall, then.
Pools are without injured Willie Boland, but that gives a chance to Alan Power, who is desperate to stake a claim on a regular first team place.
So it could be an entertaining night, but off the pitch there is a big question: will Ken Hodcroft let the Mail and the Northern Echo in?
The Pools chairman has banned both local papers, and neither of them has so far chosen to even mention the fact in their pages or on their websites.
That suggests they are scared of him.
Surely that can't be true, can it?
So presumably the banned reporters will be covering the game from the terraces, but how long is that state of affairs going to continue?
Local papers have often been banned by clubs in the past, but it's unusual for more than one to be shown the door at the same time.
Watch this space - noboy else seems to be bothering to mention the matter.
The Lords My Shepherd.
The future is bright. The future is Stripes.
www.wbabaggies.co.uk
WBA were second best to a mid-table League One team.
Your new Spanish bloke looked pedestrian at best.
Several players appeared not to want to know.
They showed little bottle.
They let themselves down.
On the plus side, the goal was a cracker, the player who scored it had a good game, sub macdonald looks a class act.
The rest of the season is going to be a massive test for Mogga and the players.
Er, that's it really.
Frank Skinner are you watching, Adrian Chiles are you watching, we gave your boys a hell of a beating.