By Albatross
February 1 2005

Three FA Cup games, four in the league, no defeats in January, and currently our run stands at eleven games without defeat. Hartlepool United continue to show that last season's success was no flash in the pan - is it enough to win Neale Cooper a richly-deserved award? After a very good month for Pools, Neale Cooper in theory should be in line for Manager of the Month; however, with the award based only on League fixtures, the fact that we have only played four games in January looks set to count against Coops. Three wins and a draw from four games, and a goal difference of +7, gives us a better points per game ratio than any side - however we are only fourth in terms of points earned, with Sheffield Wednesday and Doncaster having gained two points more than Pools and Tranmere one more - despite all three having played two games extra. It looks set to be Paul Sturrock taking the award then, with Dave Penney in the running as well.

No less than five sides went through the month unbeaten, although Pools were the only side to do so with more wins than draws. Donny and Wednesday managed three of each, while Barnsley had to settle for one win and no less than five draws, and Luton saw their lead whittled away due to one win and four draws. That's meant that although the Hatters are still top of the table for the moment, and Hull (who also got seven points, from one game less) are still second, the balance is shifting towards the Humberside team - and the likes of Tranmere, Sheffield and ourselves are gaining ground.

There are in fact no changes in the top five positions, although as previously mentioned the gaps are starting to close up. Pools are ten points behind Luton (with a game in hand) after being 13 points back at the start of the month; and Tranmere especially are now starting to breathe down the necks of the top two. Pools it could be argued are very handily placed; we have a game in hand on Luton, and have them and Hull to play in the near future - a few wins and we really could be in the thick of the automatic promotion battle.

Meanwhile at the other end of the table January has seen the teams at the bottom on the whole showing exactly why they are in trouble. Arguably only Blackpool of the bottom seven teams significantly exceeded expectations with seven points from four games; meanwhile the likes of Stockport, Torquay (worst team over the month), MK Dons, Wrexham and Peterborough have failed to do much to extract themselves from the mire.

With teams having played anything from 27 to 30 games the situation is getting a little hazy; but in terms of automatic promotion, it's hard to see anyone outside the current top five getting a look-in and Pools and Sheffield Wednesday would need to continue their current good form to get into serious contention; the teams behind Pools are fighting with varying degrees of hope for a playoff place, possibly as far down as Huddersfield and Walsall in 14th and 15th places; and the teams from Port Vale in 18th place can consider themselves under real threat of the drop. Stockport already look doomed, despite a very slight revival since Chris Turner took charge, while eight points cover Vale in 18th down to Posh in 23rd. Some teams above aren't quite out of the woods yet - but it would require a poor run similar to that suffered by Rushden last season to see them sucked in.

The month ahead for Pools is one that's still uncertain in terms of how many league matches we'll play. Depending on what happens in our replay with Brentford, we could play either four or five games in the league and one or two in the cup; and we will end the month with games in hand on most of the teams around us. The traditional view is that it's better to have the points on the board than the games in hand; but if, in spite of having played fewer games, we are still in the top five by the end of February, then we will have a great opportunity to put clear water between ourselves and the pack and close the gaps on the teams above us. Whether or not Coops picks up Manager of the Month, it's still possibly the best time ever to be a Poolie.