By Albatross
September 26 2005

Martin Scott made no secret of his unhappiness with the performance from his Hartlepool United team on Saturday; he wasn't the only one. Unfortunately, his words - and some of those in this article - sound a little too familiar. Just as it seemed we'd turned the corner, it looks more like we've walked into a wall. After a couple of more encouraging performances, Saturday saw us once again slip back and suffer our fourth defeat of the league campaign. More worringly, we've won just two of our opening ten games, and our position is giving real cause for concern - we're in danger of being sucked into a relegation battle. Is it too early to say that? Maybe - but ten games i a significant proportion of the season. Usually by this point the pattern is set and teams are operating at a level they will be at for the rest of the season - it takes something out of the ordinary to radically improve position after the first dozen games or so, and we're almost there.

The optimism that filled so many of us before the start of the season is now well and truly a thing of the past, and once again questions are being asked about Scott's position. Expectations maybe were too high coming into the campaign - after all, we've only just squeaked into the playoffs over the last two seasons - but Pools fans still have good reason to be expecting far better fare than has been served up so far. And let's not forget, the man who was telling us that Automatic Promotion was the aim for the season was a certain Martin Scott - if he's feeling the pressure, you have to say that he's helped make the rod for his own back.

Injuries have been a factor, but their role should not be over-played. Yes, we're missing several forwards - Daly joined Boyd, Porter, Brown and Eifion Williams on the sidelines on Saturday. On the other hand, that still left Proctor, Llewellyn, and young players such as Appleby, Foley and Wilkinson available. And there remains the concern that one or two key positions (left back, right midfield) remain somewhat under-staffed - a situation that is not new by any means.

The situation and the article I'm writing here seem depressingly familiar. Go back three weeks, and the sentiments were very similar following the home defeat by Yeovil; an improvement followed that, but the evidence from Saturday was that it hasn't been sustained. Attendances are falling; we may be reliant on a good turnout from South Yorkshire tomorrow night if we're to break the 4500 mark for the game with Rotherham. Fortress Victoria seems no more - our home record so far is the second worst in the division.

Whatever happened to that terrific team spirit that Neale Cooper spoke about so often? It seems to have vanished into the mist, and rumours are circulating of some players less than happy with how things are going - and maybe even one or two with a first team pedigree being told they are free to go out on loan when the window re-opens, if some of the rumblings that have reached my ears are correct.

A team that's seriously under-performing, the fans voting with their feet, players unhappy or being played out of position.... Pools is far from a happy ship at the moment. Winning a few games is a sure-fire way to make everyone feel happier - over to you, Mr. Scott.