What Pools boss Turner wants for Christmas - consistency

With just two games to go in 2009, the first of them bringing an end to the first half of the League One season, there’s little doubt what Chris turner wants from his Hartlepool United team for a combined Christmas and New Year present – consistency.

Despite what the moaners might say and despite a poor overall performance in an equally poor game against Yeovil at Victoria Park last weekend, Pools HAVE  made progress this season – Turner has a better squad and they are in a position to achieve a much more comfortable finish than last season’s team managed.
But there’s still a lot of room for improvement, and consistency is the main quality Turner will be looking for between now and the end of the season.
The first half of the season ends on Boxing Day with a visit to League One leaders and clear title favourites Leeds United and two days later, on Monday December 28, 2009 comes to an end with a home game against Oldham Athletic.
A point at Leeds would be a major achievement, but a win over Oldham – two points behind Pools in the bottom half of the table – is close to being vital.
Turner felt Pools did well to get a draw out of the Yeovil game after a bad first-half performance. But in a game that rarely got any brighter than the weather, the truth is that Pools didn’t really deserve much because they didn’t do what home teams are supposed to do – take the initiative, take the game to the opposition and stamp their authority on the game.
Leeds can be expected to try to do all that and more on Boxing Day. Whatever does happen in that game it will be in front of a massive crowd, putting the 2,778 who watched Pools v Yeovil in the shade.
In fact, that gate after fans had helped ground staff clear the pitch was a massive disappointment, even allowing for the fact that Pools have not been at their best lately and that it was the Saturday before Christmas.
The fact is that Pools are not attracting the sort of gates that would suggest they are appreciated. They need to start winning regularly to attract the fence-sitters who will watch the team only when they are doing well.
Four points from the two Christmas games wouldn’t be bad – even three would do for now.