Hartlepool (h) - League - 7th December 2004

[Andy]

Thoughts on tonights match people?

[YGA Saddler]

Well its got to be a win surely? after the dissapointment of orient. I expect us to start off slow considering we havent played for a week and then with 20 minutes to go i expect hartlepool to get tired and we attack,attack,attack!
2-1 merse,jorge

[Andy]

Although they are up the table, this is Hartlepool's away form

Played - 9
Won - 1
Lost - 8
Goals Scored - 8
Goals Against - 22

So surely we can beat them! Just hope we get an early goal to settle the nerves!

[r_a_perks]

A.Boyd scores

Walsall - 0 Hartlepool - 1

[r_a_perks]

Fryatt makes it 1-1

[r_a_perks]

Leitao makes it 2-1!

[PerStener]

Great result tonight.

[Cheesebag]

First half = :cry:

Second half = :P

Is that in depth enough?

[dspusa]

Looking at the table now brings a little more comfort than it did a month ago.

Still plenty worried that we're relying on Merson too much. We seem incabable of a decent performance without him.

Nice to see we have the bottle to come from behind, and win..again.
That'll do wonders for the confidence, something that was severely lacking not too long ago.

Great win, keep it going lads!!

[Cheesebag]

To be fair, apart from about 20 minutes that was piss poor, no urgency whatsoever. No doubt Fryatts introduction was the catalyst for the comeback yet we still looked likely to leak a goal.

Still 3 points are 3 points, Eh?

[Ace]

I'm also concerned about us being too dependant on Merson. Just reading the Hartlepool version of events, the same comments... "Merson was the difference between the two sides" say their official website.

As it's rightly pointed out, 3 points is a much needed 3 points but Merson could be put out for any reason, and judging on the Orient performance we don't have a backup plan for such a situation!

[Bristol Fan]

No doubt about us being too reliant on Merson, but there are worse problems to have.

We were poor in the first half but could so easily have gone in at half time in front, given that H'pool's goal came from yet another defensive cock-up that would get into some sort of top ten of all time, and that one of our own players (was it Birch?) managed to clear off the goal line on behalf of the opposition.

The undoubted highlight of the first half was after Roper made a clumsy challenge (he's now passed the 100,000 mark for his Walsall career), the ref called him over and, much to everyone's surprise, reached into his pocket. But instead of producing his yellow card he produced a tissue and blew his nose. I also noticed him constantly talking to the players, encouraging them not to foul before they did so, and perhaps as a result neither physio was on the pitch at all during the whole match, and I can't remember the last time that happened. Well done ref.

Second half was a different story and we were very dominant, with strong performances from Wright, Kinsella, Wrack and Fryatt. Jorge took his goal beautifully and there were several moments of magic from Merson.

Not the best performance, but three wins in a row speaks for itself.

[Ace]

Whatever was said to the players at half time should be said to them before the whole match begins!

[Guest]

Sorry, but this is another result where the points mask the underlying problem. 2-1, at home, just shading it against the club with the worst away record in the league.

This run of results is just postponing the inevitable, as far as I can see. I will happily postpone judgement till the next away game, where, sadly, I am absolutely sure that normal service will be resumed.

[Mr D Doffer]

Doffer Here,

:twisted:

Well it"s my 1st post on the new site and it"s 9 from 9 - Great Stuff.

Yes , we can be labelled a one trick pony side at times ( without Merse ) but it"s a winning run and I would definately have took 13th position by the 8th Dec - before the Posh game.

And now we have a new signing - our 3 strikers need to put in the effort and performances , this could be a real kick up the *rse for them.

Simply,
One of them at the very least will will not even get a place on the bench.

Still a long way to go but we have given ourselves a good platform for the important xmas period - COME ON.

Keep up the good work Merse.

Doffer

[machew]

Very disappointing 1st half - excellent start to the second. At 2 - 1 I thought they were there for a thrashing but I felt the urgency faded once we were in front. I would liked to have seen us go on and put another couple past them and instill some confidence. Still happy with the result though.

Can anyone help me in checking my eye sight or did Jorge lob their keeper (not even gonna try and type his name, but it would be a winning score in scrabble - it seemed to go across the back of his shirt and down his arms) for the winner. The report on this site describes it as firing high into the roof of the net.

[Bristol Fan]

Yes, the report on the goal seems to bear little resemblance to how the goal was actually scored (it was a real beauty,wasn't it!?)

But the Hartlepool site's report of their goal seems to make out that it came as a result of some sweet football too, failing to mention that Bennett gifted them the ball, Roper fell onto his arse and the ball took a wicked deflection on its way in.

[tinned]

Jorge's goal was good. I'm not taking that away from him, but the keeper made it bloody easy for him by rushing out. If he'd have stayed on his line then I'd imagine Jorge would've blasted it straight at him (or over the bar).

He still had to put it away though, so fair play to him.

[Salop Saddler]

It wasn't great, far from it in fact, but it's three more points in the bag which I suppose is what counts. Can't say I'm overly thrilled though with the current level of performance, not just of the team as a whole, but most of the individuals in it. As for Merson, well, he may never be the greatest manager in the world, but without him on the pitch, we're going to find ourselves dead in the water.

[YGA Saddler]

I nearly fell asleep first half, why is it taking us to go a goal down before we start?
Second half we were alot better for the first 30 minutes but the last 15 were just as bad as the whole of the first half. We just sat back waiting for the inevitable, thank god murphy stopped it (class save)

Well done matty, you said you was ready again and you proved it. Thought Kinsella,Ropes and Wracky did ok. Merse showed class at times but then gave the ball away the rest of the time.

Anyway 9 out of 9, 4 points off the play-offs, 6 off the drop!
Come on my babies

[Neil Ravenscroft]

"The first half of this game was dreadful. Both teams were dreadful. What little quality on the ball that was being shown was from Walsall, that is true, but there was very little of it.
It would be interesting to have been a fly on the wall of the dressing room at half time to hear what was said to whom and by whom, but the Saddlers came out looking far more urgent and purposeful. For the first fifteen minutes, we completely battered them. If the first half was Walsall "Mr Hyde" this season, this was Dr Jeckyll."

Oh! Sorry! Wrong one - that was my Peterborough match report. Anyone spot the difference?

0901 121 1108 to vote Denise. Cost 25p. 12p per call goes to Children in Need.

[Zippy]

You are on a downer today Mr. Ravenscroft.

Anyway according to some on here it dosen't matter what gets said at half time, the players perform depending on the amount of booing they receive.

[ws4saddler]

Yes the first half was dire, and the boo boys did their best to ruin the fragile confidence the team have. It all boils down to the atmosphere in the stadium. The players must have been on tender hooks from the kick off. I have never been to a first team game before when the players shouts were louder than the fans. Its time we made more noise and get behind the team more.Lets start clapping just as the blue noses do when the players run out. Try methodical clapping just like Portsmouth, or any other measures to create noise.
As it was quiet you could also hear the ref comments and at times he was quite funny. All around our stand we all thought he was going to book poor Roper, but he only produced a hanky to blow his nose. Also in time added at the end he looked at his watch , shook his rist, and tapped the dial to see if his watch had stopped . He brought light relief to a difficult night.