The news emerged during Saturday’s home game against Stockport, when the Echo’s Nick Loughlin was seen reporting the game from the Mill House terrace instead of the Press Box. Loughlin is well-known amongst Pools fans, so was quickly spotted. Presumably the Mail reporter was also in the crowd somewhere.

Nobody is saying anything about the bans – as far as we can see, it’s not been publicised on the club website, in either of the papers or on their sites – but we sent our terrace spies out to see what we could find out because we felt that news like this should not be kept from the punters.

It appears that the initial fall-out was between Chairman Ken and the Mail, a dispute over a commercial matter, rather than anything to do with the Mail's coverage of the club or the team.

So the Mail man was banned, and when the Echo acted as a good neighbour and provided info for the Mail, Loughlin and his colleagues from Darlo, where the Echo is based, were banned as well.

King Ken appears to have taken on quite a little battle, but before he gets his knickers in any more of a twist, it’s worth pointing out that he can’t win.

The Mail and the Echo might not be the Sun and the News of the World, but they are still fairly influential in their own little worlds and they probably don’t give a monkey’s about Pools, specially the Echo.

The club always has and always will need the press, specially the Mail, far more than they need the club. This is all the more true now when the gates are down and Pools are trying to persuade fans that they really are worth supporting.

The Mail and the Echo always appear to be kind to the club - some would say they are too kind - with criticism often kept to a minimum, even when it is deserved. In a way, banning the papers is an insult to their readers, many of whom are, in turn, Pools fans.

The club needs the media as friends, and the last thing it needs is them as enemies. Falling out with the Mail and the Echo won’t get the rest of the media on the club’s side, either – they are more likely to side with the newspapers.

Cuddly Ken is not the sort to back down, but on this occasion he just might have to, no matter how right he thinks he is.

And before you think about banning us, Ken, you can’t – this site is compiled by season ticket holders, you don’t know who we are, and we’ve paid for our tickets, so you can’t stop us from getting in the Vic.

Mind you, if you continue to act like this, we might not want to go ...

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