Poolie Kev: White Knuckle Ride

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By Poolie Kev
February 4 2006

Poolie Kev brings us his thoughts on the game against Blackpool and the subsequent events at Hartlepool United. It's been something of a white knuckle ride for Poolies everywhere over the last seven days.

Well as roller coaster rides go, No pun intended, it was quite a good week to be a Poolie. Driving up to the town on Saturday morning I had a good feeling about the prospects for the game, again observing as I went North that I used to pass quite a few Poolies making their way up for the games. I expect that it’s this distant support that has waned recently with the expense and time being a little more burdensome for these exiles as against those domiciled in the ‘Pool.

Pre-match talk was of the ‘beginning of the revival’ type and there really was an air of optimism around the hostelries and seemingly a slight rise in the attendance was forecast. Last weeks talk of Scotty out had diminished and the likely presence of Adam Boyd in the sixteen was eagerly anticipated. When the team was announced around 2.30pm, the general feeling was that we had an almost odds on opportunity for three points.

Obviously, this anticipation rocketed on 10 mins, when the murderous challenge went in on Gav Strachan and the crowd howled for the perpetrator to depart which he duly and quite rightly did (I would say that wouldn’t I), closely followed 15 mins later by our own Mickey Barron. Mickey, what were you thinking of?? Let him have a shot, Dimi might get there, he might miss, but even in he gets one, we’re still a man up and that would surely be better??

The capitulation after that was demoralising in its completeness and of course the atmosphere took a dramatic turn for the worse. The sight of Mickey and Mickey nose to nose in snarling anger betrayed the deep discontentment in the squad and was especially awful to witness. Only eight months ago these players would have taken bullets for each other.

Cue second half and an opportunity presented itself when the only player to come out of this debacle with any credit, JohnPaul Pittman, won a penalty with a sharp cross into the box which struck a hand on it’s journey. Now I’m not a master footballing technician and I know he got one against Hull ressies in the week but would you give a player in his first competitive minutes in four months the ball in a penalty situation. I know he’s our predator and I know he must be desperate to score but Ritchie, say no, in the gentlest way possible and give it to Effion.

We all know what happened and thereafter the tide turned Blackpools way, again, no pun intended, we had a weak three at the back featuring a left winger a centre half and a callow youth who was demanded of far too much and his confidence drained before our very eyes.

An awful lot of conjecture has taken place about the events thereafter in the dressing rooms. I don’t propose to comment further because the matter has been taken up in the correct manner by the clubs owners and with their habit of washing their dirty laundry in the most dignified way, their resolution of the situation will be fair, quick and comprehensive.

Which leaves us with a strange kind of false dawn. We are all supposing that the Scott era is behind us and we are now Stevo’s Blue and White Army, and this weekend at Rotherham we are indeed that. Where we go from here is now in the hands of Ken Hodcroft, a prospect which really doesn’t scare me given his track record of talent spotting, ahem, the last one perhaps not so shiny, and it will be interesting to see the effect that the temporary change of regime has on the squad given that it’s still decimated with injuries and suspensions.

We all know we have at least six players who could stroll into any team in this division. Let’s hope that that potential can start to manifest itself in an awful lot of points in the next 16 games.