Now do you believe us? It IS a crisis

Caretaker manager Chris Turner has had a go at his Hartlepool United players after their awful performance at home to Leyton Orient, and on the theory that it's easier to kick a man while he's down, we might as well have a go as well. Pools - you were bloody awful and you are now entrenched in a battle for your League One lives.

The performance against an Orieint team no better than Crewe were just before Christmas, and we all know what happened then, started badly and did the impossible by gradually getting worse.
I'll risk having my head bitten off by the "ALB out" bnrigade by saying that if it wasn't for keeper Arran Lee-Barrett, the result might have been worse.
He made some good saves against Leicester in midweek, too, but he probably still hasn't done enough to get the moaners off his back.
Michael Nelson was named star man by the match sponsors, but it was probably a much more difficult decision to make than wheteher to have the ham or the prawn sandwiches at half-time.
Nelse didn't do badly, and neither did Sam Collins (left) alongside him. But there were too many players who were anonymous in a team display that never got better than below average.
After the game Turnwer wondered how the team could do so well against a top team like Leicester on Tuesday then do so badly against a poor team like Orient on Saturday.
Of cxourse, he must know the answer but doesn't want to admit it puiblicly - they are not good enough.
There might be plenty of fancy-dan skill for League One and they are fit enough, but they lack bottle, and that's just as important a quality as any other at this level.
That's why Willie Boland has been missed so badly this season and why Richie Jones is also being missed at the moment.
Midfield players need to impose themselves on their opponents, and we don't do it.
Daniel Nardiello and Lewis Guy weren't seen enough to suggest they can do a lot to dig us out of the mire and Turner has issued a challenge to the players to put things right. Basically it means thney need to get points at Swindon on Tuesday and Colchester on Saturday, and on this form that is a tall order.
It's inconsistency that's dropped Pools in this mess, and only consistency will get them out of it.