Match Discussion: Game 17 - Pools (H)

[PON_News]

Game 17 - Pools (H)

Team: Hartlepool United

Date: 28/12/2020

Where: Meadow Lane

What line-up should Neal Ardley opt for? What will be the key areas for the Magpies to get a victory? What do you think the final score will be?

Have your say below, join in with the Pride of Nottingham match discussion.

[Dripsey3]

I'm a little apprehensive about this one. The monkey hangers are on form. They hammered Stockport 4-0 and beat Halifax 3-1. Notts will be coming in cold. It's a game Notts should be winning but.....

[Super_Danny_Allsopp]

1 hour ago, Dripsey3 said:

I'm a little apprehensive about this one. The monkey hangers are on form. They hammered Stockport 4-0 and beat Halifax 3-1. Notts will be coming in cold. It's a game Notts should be winning but.....

They've done well in the last 2, but when you stretch that out a bit, it's Notts that are more in form.

Interesting we're good at home and they are good away. We are better in defence, they are better in attack. Shapes up for an interesting game, I'm thinking (hoping) 2-0 to  Notts. COYP!

[Super_Danny_Allsopp]

Hartlepool look like they've had the rest and we look slow and tired.

Speed it up Notts!!! 

[Dripsey3]

Gone exactly as I thought it would. Notts off the pace, Hartlepool playing with confidence. I'd expect Notts to pick up in the 2nd half. I think we'll pick up at least a point. 

[Super_Danny_Allsopp]

There isn't a great deal to say after that. Notts absolutely dominated the second half, men against boys. It was men who couldn't finish, however. What you'd say of this squad is that it misses a poacher like Dennis and somebody to give Doyle and Reeves some competition, somebody maybe a bit more direct, a box to box type. Wolfe can't even make the subs bench. 

The officials were terrible, but consistently terrible. If they're giving you nothing all game, don't go down and expect it to change, Kyle.  It was just one of those days where nothing really goes for you.

What we learnt today? Turner will have a lot of good games, but he has the donkey within him and had another couple of go's at it today before pressing the self destruct and getting himself sent off in spectacular fashion. The officials didn't know their arse from their elbow, but even they knew that was a straight red. It didn't affect the game, as Hartlepool were a spent force in an attacking sense by that point. In fact, it probably helped.... whoever is telling Doyle to drop in to the defence so Turner can go forward and become a playmaker needs to have a word with themselves. Lacey? Yes. Rawlinson? OK. Ben Turner? Hell no. 

If we need a goal, Jimmy Knowles isn't good enough to be the answer. When Ardley was on about weighing up the loanees, you have to think that Graham, Knowles and Wolfe aren't pushing to start or even be on the bench in some cases. Surely we can do better even permanently or on loan? A pacey striker and a central midfielder are an absolute must, to push this team on. 

[ARLukomski]

Weren't brave enough with our passing and our decision making in the first half was poor. Doyle and Reeves were far too deep and we didn't press them enough, when they were in possession. Brindley should get to the ball for the goal. The back 6 and the front 4 were very distant when attacking.

Second half we were better. Created a lot more and had enough chances to get something out of the game. Sadly, we weren't clinical enough and we missed Kristian Dennis hugely today. This was his game.

How Knowles is given offside at the end is beyond me. So clearly onside. Not the first poor decision the officials gave. We did break their backline at times but we weren't clinical enough and then when we did score, it was wrongfully ruled out.

We are still missing a bit of energy in midfield to speed up the attack. Also need some attacking reinforcements as we are 13th for goals scored and to win promotion you need to average more goals than we've been doing. 

[DonnyNotts]

Inability to score poses a big problem,  you can have all the possession in the world but if you can't score you are not going to win. Officials did not help, but were not the main reason. Another season in this division beckons 

[Piethagoram]

The opening of a game with our slick passing is long gone. We are missing Dennis who turned average performances last season into winning ones. 

[menzinho]

Started too slow. First half was a bit of a non-event, we did actually get into plenty off good positions but we ended up crossing to just Wootton in the box a lot of times, desperately needed more bodies in there.

Second half was much better, if we’d have played like we had in the second half all game I’d have backed us to win that.

Linesmen were shocking, no way was Enzio off in the first half and Knowles looked level to me. The overall performance did deserve at least a draw if I’m being honest – but ya know that’s football.

Can’t argue with the defence at moment, but we aren’t going to keep clean sheets every game – just conceding the one goal isn’t bad. However since we scored 3 against Wealdstone, we’ve only scored 2 goals in the last 5 league games…

[DangerousSausage]

Can only agree with the above. After a positive start we increasingly struggled to cope with Hartlepool's high pressing in the first half, leaving Wootton isolated and the attacking midfielders too far apart. We looked a lot better in the second half, aided by Hartlepool sitting back and allowing us to control the game. Then we played some very nice football and battered them, but the finishing touch was missing.

I didn't feel we'd strengthened up front in the summer and it seems I was right - while we've tightened at the back in recent weeks (yesterday's calamities notwithstanding), the goals have also dried up. Sam looks like a decent option, but is not a goalscorer and never has been. And some of our players lack that bit of hard-nosed thuggery you need to score a goal - a case in point being Enzio in the second half, when he had a sight of goal in a wide position. If he'd taken a good hard shot, he could've forced the keeper to parry it or won a corner. Instead he cut inside and suddenly had three or four yellow shirts in front of him.

Knowles was never, ever offside, I didn't need the replay to see that. The lino was daydreaming and it's cost us a point (and handed two to a rival). Knowles seems to have the knack of being in the right place at the right time, but relying on him and Wootton to get the goals we need isn't enough. We need reinforcements, and we definitely need to look again at the loanees - the jury is still out on Walker, but having one impact sub and two bench warmers out of Knowles, Wolfe and Graham really isn't enough for us or for them.

[Dripsey3]

Teams should fear coming to Meadow Lane. They don't because they have a fair idea of how Notts will play. We give up the initiative and good teams take advantage. 

[liampie]

the game should have ended as a draw, our goal was not offside and we did okay but never really found the motion. hartlepool played like they wanted it more and worked as a team, one of the better sides we have played this season for me.