Pressure on Pools as they meet their old boss
Wilson - at Swindon
By Charlie Summerbell
October 14 2009
Hartlepool United go to Swindon Town on Saturday for a League One game against former manager Danny Wilson’s new team. But any thoughts about putting one over the ex-boss should be secondary to the need for a good result for another far more important reason – because Pools are desperate for points.
Chris Turner’s team’s chronic inability to earn consistent results at Victoria Park mean that they are under more pressure than they should be when they go away.
Their form on the road has been above average, but Pools are in mid-table in league One for a very simple reason – their home results have been poor.
And though they are in mid-table, they are only two points ahead of fourth-bottom Carlisle, so they need to get things together sharpish and start a climb up the table.
Swindon, meanwhile, have been turned round by Wilson and are on the fringe of the play-off zone after a healthy start to the season.
Some fans gave the team, and Turner, a bit of stick during last weekend’s disappointing goalless draw with Brentford, and the boss and one or two players have asked them to be more patient as the squad knits together after so many changes before the season started.
we heard all that last season, of course, when wilson was in charge and got even more criticism from the crowd.
But who is right – the fans or the team?
Do they deserve more time to get things right, or is it time their potential was realised, especially at home where a defeat against Grimsby and a draw with Brentford are plainly not good results.
Pools have played a dozen League One games, a quarter of the season, so is it reasonable to expect them to be getting things together now and producing the results Turner and others expect of them?
The Swindon game is followed a week later by a home match against crisis club Tranmere, who should have a new boss by then after John Barnes’s departure, and the month ends at Brighton before November kicks-off with an FA Cup first round tie.
The pressure is on, and whether the fans are right to have a go or not, results need to improve … starting on Saturday.
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Frankly, I was disgusted at the boo boys who seem to have sprung up in the Town End.
To my eyes this was a good fast paced game of football between two committed sides who more or less cancelled each other out. Ok there could have been more shots on goal but it was enjoyable nonetheless and that is taking the rain and wind into consideration.
Turner has got some good quality footballers in this season and it seems to me that things are going the right way. Gieven a bit of time I am sure he and Colin West will find their bnest starting 11 and those players will become more effective as they play more games together.
In the meantime some supporters need to recognise that a club which only attracts some 3,000 paying spectators is punching way above its weight and should be grateful for that.
I disagree that we are punching above our weight. IOR have put a lot of money into the club for which we should be able to compete in League one. If teams like Scunthorpe & Colchester can get into the Championship then there is no reason why we can't do the same. Let's face it we would probably have been there already had it not been for a dodgy penalty given at Cardiff in 2005.
Then what will the boo boys occupy their time with?