Robbie Stelling and Rich Mennear discuss Hartlepool United's defeat against York and preview their clash with AFC Fylde on the latest episode of the Poolie Podcast.
Category
🥇
SportsTranscript
00:30Hello and welcome to the latest Pooley podcast. We're bringing this to you on Monday, a couple
00:40days after Hartlepool United's home defeat to York City. Sadly another defeat for Poole,
00:45so we're on a very tricky run at the minute and I think it's fair to say the playoff hopes
00:50have been squashed for another season, Robbie. I'm joined by Robbie Stellan, our Hartlepool
00:55United writer here at the Hartlepool Mail and we'll be reflecting on the defeat to York
01:00and then delving into some of the deeper issues around the left-back situation, lack of goals,
01:07an assessment on Lundbrok's performance so far as head coach and then we'll have a little
01:12look ahead as well to the final game which comes thick and fast on Tuesday and then easily
01:18away on Saturday. So Robbie will be on the road for most of the week, bringing you all
01:21the latest Poole's news in print and of course online at the Hartlepool Mail website. So how
01:28are you doing first of all Robbie? Not too bad, thanks Rich. New theme music I think we had there
01:33certainly for me, a bit more calming, maybe good to lower the blood pressure before we start
01:38talking about Poole's. Yeah it threw me a little bit, I thought we were going to go live somewhere
01:41else then but yeah, we're here on the Pooley podcast. So let's kick off then with your
01:47reflections on the back of Saturday then. Good crowd first of all, which always makes for a
01:51good atmosphere. York fans as you'd expect, travelling numbers, decent home crowd as well so
01:56that was nice to see. And Poole's thought they did okay to be fair, they were applauded off as
02:02well at the end which makes for a nice change I guess after recent weeks. So some positives but
02:07ultimately another defeat. What was your assessment Robbie of the game? Yeah that was one of the
02:12things I said to Anthony Lundbrok afterwards Rich, is the fans I think did recognise that it was a
02:17decent enough performance, especially compared to that run of three home games in seven days
02:22that we've spoken about in previous podcast episodes when they were really disappointing
02:27in all three matches. Obviously only got two points from a possible nine when prior to that
02:32run we were talking about well seven or nine points would put them right in playoff contention
02:37instead it pretty much extinguished their slim hopes of finishing in the top seven. It was a
02:43decent performance, there wasn't really much to separate the two teams what was there I think
02:48York have shown a few signs of nerves lately, clearly a very good team with a big budget. I mean
02:54Josh Stones who wasn't in the squad was signed for a rumoured £350,000. In January some estimates
03:01make that figure as high as £420,000. It's very difficult for Poole's to compete financially,
03:07I understand that there's some frustration that perhaps Poole's are not always as ambitious as
03:13they might be when it comes to recruitment but equally fans will want their club to live
03:18within their means. Poole's paid a nominal fee for Sam van Aeren from Harrogate in January but
03:26obviously they don't have the same kind of financial pulling power so it's going to be
03:30difficult to compete especially over a 46-game season, over 90 minutes and perhaps the pitch
03:35was a little bit of a leveller. Poole's did reasonably well, York had played a midweek,
03:39Poole's hadn't, they needed two late goals to get past. Maidenhead obviously a long trip
03:44to Berkshire for them. As well I thought there were one or two tired legs in the York side
03:48although Adam Hinchwood made four changes from that midweek game. Poole's had chances didn't
03:54they? Luke Charman hit the woodwork with sort of a looping header in the first half and Manny
04:00Disrui substitute for the second time in a row, missed a really glaring opportunity
04:06in the second period. Malakai Fagan-Walcott's initial challenge sort of rebounded perfectly
04:10into his path and it left on Russian goalkeeper Harrison Male stranded in no-man's land. He
04:15looked destined to score but he was leaning back and blasted over the bar. I would suggest that
04:21last season a slightly more confident Manny Disrui would have put that away nine times out of ten,
04:29maybe even ten times out of ten. Clearly there are some issues in front of goal. Manny Disrui is
04:35the top scorer again this season with 13 goals but it's been a far cry from the 25 he got last
04:41season. Poole's are creating chances but they're not creating loads of chances. I think it becomes
04:48difficult for a striker when you're only expecting to get one or two chances per game. You look at
04:54someone like Onley Pearce who was the match winner again on Saturday scored a brace against Poole's
04:58in November, scored the winner five minutes before half-time at the weekend. He gets loads
05:05of chances every game. He's been a really good signing. One of a number that York took from
05:12Worthing in the summer, Adam Hinshaward's former club, he scored 155 goals in 245 games in West
05:18Sussex and he's picked up wearing left off really since moving further north. He's got 24 goals in
05:24all competitions this season, now 22 in the National League, the division's leading scorer.
05:29It was a rare mistake from Nicky Featherstone when I thought I had a really good game,
05:32actually a really good first 40 minutes certainly. You did well initially to get back and intercept
05:36the ball but then took too long to get rid of it. Pearce picked his pocket, blasted
05:40into the roof of the net, beat Adam Smith at his near post. I'm not sure whether
05:45the goalkeeper who's been really good of late might have been slightly disappointed. It was
05:50an improvement from Poole's. Rich, you and I watched the game together but it's three successive
05:55defeats now, five games without a win, only one win in Anthony Lindbergh's first six.
06:01Walking away from the game on Saturday, although I agree with you that there were some positive
06:07elements to the performance, I felt a bit dispirited. I think a lot of fans probably
06:13wouldn't necessarily complain if the season ended today, to be honest. Rich, they've got
06:18next to nothing left to play for with 11 games still to go. Poole's have got 44 points at this
06:24stage of the season. Last season they finished on 60 points. For whatever reason, that was deemed
06:30not good enough for Kevin Phillips to remain in the job. It's going to be an interesting end to
06:36the campaign in terms of what happens with Anthony Lindbergh. I'm a big fan of Lindbergh but he will
06:41probably need to win a few games to convince the board and the fan base that he is the right man
06:46to lead the club in the longer term. I left that game and thought we felt like a 1-0 defeat
06:55at home in the fifth division actually wasn't the worst result. That's probably a sign of the
07:00deterioration in recent years. When I was growing up watching Poole's, one of the first games I
07:06remember was that League One playoff final. I know that's two decades ago now but for most of my
07:12lifetime and for most Hartlepool United supporters lifetime, Poole's have been a football league
07:18club and yet a defeat at home in the National League, which a few years ago would have seemed
07:24almost unimaginable. It would have seemed like one of the worst results possible. It actually felt
07:29like a decent result and that was really quite dispiriting, Rich. I think you've put in your
07:36copy. I want a piece of copy today as well that sort of contrasts between Poole's and York City
07:42at the minute with the two clubs seemingly on different paths at the minute, or very much so.
07:49One blow for Poole's mid-first half I think it was, was when Robinson went off at left-back
07:55and Ferguson came on. It's an interesting battle isn't it, that little spot at the minute in terms
07:59of I think both players are out of contract in the summer aren't they, Poole's? Are they
08:04basically effectively vying for that position do you think in terms of who might get a contract
08:08in the summer? Yeah, it could well be a case of one or the other, Rich. I think it's hard to see
08:13them both getting a new contract as you say they're both out of contract in the summer. David Ferguson
08:20clearly been a really good servant for Poole's. I often think unfairly criticised, albeit this
08:26hasn't been his best season. He really struggled particularly under Darren Song, enjoyed a bit of
08:30a resurgence under Manny Lawrence, scored in the reverse fixture against York and had a good run
08:36under the veteran manager, seemed to rebuild some of his confidence. He's found things a little bit
08:41more difficult in the last month and a half or so, scored that really awkward looking own goal
08:47against Woking and has had a couple of difficult performances. I think it's often forgotten about
08:53David Ferguson though that he's played more than 200 games for Poole's. He was one of the better
08:58players in that first season back in the Football League. He was part of the team that reached the
09:04fourth round of the FA Cup, he scored against Blackpool, he was part of the team that reached the
09:08semi-finals of the EFL trophy and in the season, the 2020-21 season when Poole's were promoted, he
09:14was the one Poole's player to feature in the National League team of the season. So I think
09:19sometimes he's unfairly criticised but there's no getting away from the fact that this campaign has
09:23been a difficult one for him. He's 30 now, he's not getting any younger, he's always been a fullback
09:31who relies on his energy, his dynamism, his ability to get up and down the pitch. Whether that is still
09:38quite the same as it once was four or five years ago when he first signed for Poole's, I'm not quite
09:44sure. Jack Robinson-Klingley is a younger man, he hasn't played a lot of football this season but he
09:49did reasonably well when he first signed for Carlisle, was part of the side that won promotion
09:55to League One, was an unused substitute in the playoff final at Wembley but did feature fairly
10:01regularly, did enough to earn a new deal. Obviously it was a really difficult season for
10:05Carlisle in League One and it's been a really difficult season. This term as well, a lack of
10:11form as well as a number of injuries led to him falling out of favour under Mike Williamson at
10:17Brunton Park. He really didn't get much of a sniff this season. I think his last start prior to joining
10:22Poole's was something like November the 12th, he only played six or seven games. So he's come to
10:28the Prestige Group Stadium in search of more regular football. Signed a short-term contract
10:33until the end of the season so clearly will be eager to prove that he is the right man
10:39for Poole's to put their faith in at left-back. I think there was a lot to like about that 23-minute
10:46cameo we saw from him on Saturday. He did pretty well against Aldershot as well.
10:51Song, albeit unspectacular, I would say in Hampshire, tired a bit in the second half and
10:56was taken off after an hour but swung in a couple of threatening set pieces. And I like what I saw
11:02from him on Saturday. He steamed into a couple of really strong challenges. He got up and down the
11:09left flank. Well, I like the fact that he looked to pick out a pass rather than just launch the
11:14ball forward, which I think Poole's have been guilty of doing far too often this season. And
11:20it was obviously a blow to see him forced off. Poole's clearly do have cover in that position
11:24in David Ferguson. Louis Stevenson as well played there a couple of times in pre-season.
11:30We spoke to Anthony Lindbergh after the game on Saturday. He said he left the ground or certainly
11:35was walking around the ground on crutches. That often happens nowadays as a precaution. It could
11:40be that the injury is not as serious as initially feared. Lindbergh said he hadn't yet spoken to
11:45physio Danny O'Connor. It could be something that requires a scan or a couple of days before Poole's
11:51can properly assess it. We'll have to wait and see on that. But from Robinson's point of view,
11:55he'll certainly want to get back playing as soon as possible because, of course, he needs to do
12:00enough to earn a new deal. He faces strong competition from David Ferguson. Perhaps the
12:06club do have a decision to make, though, whether it's going to be Ferguson, who's been a really
12:10good servant to the club but is not getting any younger, or Robinson, who perhaps has more
12:14potential given his age, seven years younger than David Ferguson. Of course, I could be wrong.
12:20Poole's could stick with both of them, I think, a lot of the season. They've only had one left
12:24back and that's often been a complaint. But whether they would then look to bring someone
12:28else in, perhaps another younger man on loan or something like that, remains to be seen,
12:33really. But for everyone's sake, we're hoping it's not a serious injury to
12:37Jack Robinson. But I would imagine we'll probably see David Ferguson play on Tuesday night.
12:42Yeah, we'll come on to sort of under the umbrella in a little while and also the
12:46striking situation. There was some good news that Anthony Mancini is very close to a return
12:50from injury, having missed the last two months with a growing problem. Obviously, Poole's,
12:54as you say, are a way out of file. They're in a relegation scrap. Hopefully, they don't drag
12:59Poole's into one. I'm confident the points gap's enough. Tomorrow night and then playoff
13:05can contend as easily on Saturday. Yes, I think you spoke to our new Limbrette, confirmed that
13:11he's done a bit of training this week. He hasn't featured trained fully, but he's been involved
13:16so you need to be careful with him. And they certainly do, given his injury record. But yeah,
13:21that will be a boost for Poole's in the coming weeks. Just on Anthony Limbrette then,
13:26obviously a few games now into his spell, that three games in a week
13:31run of results, which kind of ended their playoff hopes as a real damper on things. But how do you
13:36assess things? And it is a bit of a tricky period for him, isn't it? Because, you know, if the end
13:39of the season pooled, then you would wonder whether Poole's might have another decision
13:43making as well. Yeah, it's been a really difficult start, especially after that impressive
13:48win over Sutton when Limbrette changed the shape to 3-5-2, named a really, really attacking side,
13:55made some really purposeful substitutions as well in the game. And at the time it felt like perhaps
14:01Poole's were going to be able to re-energise their playoff hopes. I mean, I would say I felt like he
14:07was given the role at a difficult time. No doubt he would say that he was prepared for it. He was
14:12ready to take over at any time. He'd obviously been head coach and in effect Lenny Lawrence's
14:17number two for three months prior to getting the role. I think everyone felt like it was done a
14:22little bit strangely. Lenny Lawrence announced his decision to step down at the end of a sort of 10
14:27minute long YouTube video updating supporters on how things were going. Clearly, that obviously
14:33wasn't how Poole's went about things in-house, but it did seem unusual. The expectation clearly was
14:39that Limbrette would take over from Lenny Lawrence in the summer at the earliest.
14:44So inevitably there has been some challenges that he's had to deal with. It's worth remembering that
14:51Poole's were already showing signs that they were beginning to run out of steam
14:55prior to Limbrette's appointment. They had a few disappointing results. They obviously beat
15:00Oldham on New Year's Day, but then they didn't win in four matches before Limbrette replaced
15:06Lawrence. Obviously the thinking was that he was going to come in and hopefully try and re-energize
15:12Poole's. That clearly hasn't quite happened. He's rotated between the 3-5-2 and the 4-2-3-1. He's
15:20gone back to a 4-2-3-1 in the last couple of weeks. Limbrette often stresses that he likes to be fluid
15:27with the formation, but there are definitely justifiable criticisms at the number of players
15:32we've spoken about before that have played out of position. He makes a lot of changes
15:36from game to game, made five changes from between Saturday's defeat to Aldershot and the defeat
15:43to York. I always prefer, personally, some stability in terms of selection,
15:51obviously, than because trying different things to get it right, because the results at the moment
15:56are not what they need them to be. He has inherited a squad of players that is not his.
16:02It's largely assembled by Darren Sahl, who obviously had a focus on more robust, competitive,
16:10physical players. Limbrette, if you look at his career, both as a manager and a coach, has tended
16:14to favour a more possession-based, free-flowing, fluid approach. So I imagine that this is not a
16:19squad of players that is perfectly suited to his way of playing. He hasn't tried to reinvent the
16:25wheel. He hasn't tried to make players do things that they're clearly not capable of. He's tried to
16:29make one or two changes. But it is a difficult time, Rich, and as you say, it's a significant
16:37end to the season, certainly for Anthony Limbrecht, even if it feels like Pools don't have
16:42that much to play for. It tends to be if you get to 50 points, 52 points, you're going to be okay
16:48in terms of relegation. Certainly, fans will be hoping that Pools are going to pick up at least
16:52six points in the final 11 games between now and the end of the season. But they have a difficult
16:56run. They end the season with a really difficult four fixtures. They play Gateshead, Oldham, Forest,
17:03Green Rovers and Rochdale, I think, in their final four. Those are all sides running for either
17:08automatic promotion or the play-offs, so you'd imagine that to be a really difficult period.
17:14They do have some winnable games as well. They welcome Ebsley, who of course have only won once
17:19all season. That was against Pools in the reverse. But if you look at this week, you feel as though
17:25Pools will need a couple of results because there is a negative feeling around the club. There is
17:30already a bit of pressure beginning to build on Anthony Limbrecht, which I think is unfair. I think
17:34that's probably more just the fact that there's a general sense of disillusionment and discontent
17:40about the direction that the club are going. You mentioned at the start of this conversation
17:45the contrast between York and Pools, two very similar clubs in many ways, former football
17:51league clubs with big fan bases at this level. York have spent 16 of the last 20 seasons in
17:56either the National League or the National League North. I think there are genuine and understandable
18:00concerns that Pools are running serious risk of a similar period in the footballing doldrums.
18:08It's a difficult job at Hartlepool. United, 16 permanent managers in the last decade. Only two
18:13of those have lasted more than 12 months. But I think Pools needs stability in the dugout. Constantly
18:20changing manager is not sustainable all the time. I think Limbrecht deserves the summer to implement
18:26his own ideas, recruit the type of players that he wants to recruit. Yes, there have been some
18:32mistakes made I think in the first six games of his tenure. I personally wouldn't have made as
18:37many changes as he had. I'm not sure that I ever really liked the switch to a 3-5-2 formation,
18:43although I have to say, like a lot of Pools fans, we were all full of praise for it. We called it
18:48daring, bold, innovative when it worked so well against Sutton. So it's easy to criticise now
18:54because I think at the time it felt like a refreshing change in tack from Limbrecht.
19:01Look, he's only had six games at the helm. I like him as a man. I think he's
19:06a good character. I think he's engaging. I think he's energetic. I think he's got some really good
19:11ideas about football and how to play. He clearly has a plan for what Pools need to do to succeed
19:18in terms of a style, a philosophy and hopefully a system too. I think he needs to be given time,
19:24but he will need to win some games between now and the end of the season if he's to secure that time
19:29and if he's to be successful, he's going to need backing and support.
19:33Yeah, I think obviously a key part of winning games is scoring goals and I think you alluded
19:37to it in the post-match on Saturday. Was it nine games, I think, for Furtler scoring in games at
19:44the Vic this season, which is pretty startling, especially when obviously the bulkier fans are
19:48going to go to their home games and if they're being served at that kind of performance then
19:53it's not going to help matters. You referenced Mane-D's miss, which was significant, wasn't it,
19:58against York. What's your take on the goal scoring side of things? Is it linked to the
20:05formation or lack of chances, a bit of everything? Well, I think potentially a lack of confidence.
20:11Even Mane-D's Rui, who's obviously an experienced player, had a fantastic season last season,
20:16scored 25 goals. I think he at various times has been somewhere between lacking a bit of
20:23confidence and being frustrated. Often, especially when pools play one up front,
20:29the frontman is asked to really plough a lone furrow and sometimes he can be so isolated.
20:34Joe Gray returned on Saturday for the first time since New Year's Day. As you said,
20:37Anthony Mancini is hopefully going to be back in the fold, players that can provide that link
20:42between midfield and attack. But it has been a thankless task, I think, being a striker for
20:47Hartlepool United at times this season, because often that number nine is so isolated. Yet when
20:54pools play two up front, they don't always seem to be able to quite strike the right balance.
21:00They tend to get overrun in midfield. For me, pools are still too direct, to be honest,
21:06Rich. I think they've got some good technical, talented players. That said, they obviously let
21:12some technical, talented players go in the summer. Tom Crawford and Callum Cook, I think
21:19no one would suggest that that midfield of Crawford, Cook and Featherston that we saw
21:22last season was perfect. Clearly, they were far too easy to play against. But Tom Crawford has
21:27gone on to do fantastically well for Ultroningham, captained them last month when they beat pools
21:32at the Vic. Callum Cook has got a move to lead two with Morecambe. Greg Sloggett, Jack Hunter
21:37and Nathan Sharon, they were signed as their replacements. Between the three of them,
21:40they've scored two goals in 76 games this season. It can't be all about the strikers.
21:46Yes, the midfielders are more destructive. They cover a lot of ground. They work really hard.
21:51I think Sharon's been a good signing, but there is not a lot of creativity in this pool side,
21:57especially when you don't have someone like Joe Gray. Ray is clearly someone that can make things
22:03happen. Luke Charman is determined. He works really hard. He's certainly a handful,
22:09but he does lack a bit of end product in the final third. You take away Manny Disirue's goals,
22:1513. Gary Millian scored seven. Joe Gray scored six. Adam Campbell and Luke Charman have scored
22:22three, albeit one of Campbell's was not in the league. There's not enough goals throughout the
22:27team. And I think a lot of that stems from the approach. They try to get the ball from back to
22:33front more quickly than I would like. I wonder how much of an influence the pitch plays on that.
22:40I'm sure that if Anthony Lindbergh is given the summer, we'll see an entirely different approach
22:44to what we've seen this season. At times, it's felt like a bit of a long, hard slog, hasn't it,
22:50Rich? As you say, nine games this season at home without scoring a goal, 16 this season, 41 goals
22:57this season compared to 70 last term. That makes Pools the lowest scorers in the National League's
23:04top half other than Rochdale, who have scored one fewer goal but have played five games less
23:09as well. So you'd imagine that they would overtake Pools when they fulfill those games in hand.
23:14I mean, let's be honest, there have been problems all over the pitch this season. It's been another
23:19really disappointing campaign for Pools. Again, fans went into it optimistic. Let's not forget
23:25they're asked to pay more money for their season tickets this season than they have been
23:29previously. We had all the usual talk that Pools are going to challenge for the playoffs,
23:36but it's easy to say and it's far more difficult to achieve. In the last 17 seasons, Pools have
23:40finished in the top half just three times. Two of those were 12th place finishes. Pretty
23:45unremarkable stuff. Look, goals have been an issue. Pools have been better at the back this
23:51season. They've kept 10 clean sheets compared to last term's five. But that newfound solidity
23:56has clearly come at the cost of some of their potency in the final third. Again, I mentioned
24:02it before, balance. Pools just don't seem to have quite struck that perfect balance of late.
24:08And recently, particularly, the goalscorers have suffered with that.
24:12Indeed. Yeah, there's quite a lot to unpick and quite a lot of issues facing Pools at the minute.
24:17And the games are coming thick and fast as well. So, the travel to Fylde on Tuesday. Obviously,
24:23a Fylde team no longer managed by Kevin Phillips after he left the club, was it a couple of weeks
24:28back? I think it was. You lose track. So, yeah, no more super Kevin in the dugout for Fylde. That
24:33would have been a mess if they were playing Pools. And then, Eastleigh away on Saturday. So, two
24:38teams at different ends of the National League table with certainly a lot to play for. Do you
24:44foresee Pools picking up many points on the road this week? Yeah, Fylde and Eastleigh. Who said
24:50that the National League wasn't glamorous, Rich? It's an important week. As I said, Pools have got
24:57some really difficult fixtures between now and the end of the season. I think these two games,
25:00they will look at them on paper as potentially winnable games, albeit it's difficult to go away
25:07from home. Fylde are scrapping for their lives. And as you said, they parted company with former
25:12Pools boss Kevin Phillips. He only won five of his 20 games. They lost to relegation rivals
25:17Boston. And that was obviously the final straw for him. They've had a couple of really good
25:21results since then. Four points from games against Ulstringham and Gateshead, two promotion contenders.
25:27So, you would suggest that they are enjoying something of a new manager bounce. And Nick
25:33Horton, experienced attacking midfielder, scored 14 or 15 goals this season. I think they've got
25:38one of the best players in the division. He was good against Pools in the reverse fixture. He's
25:42had a really good season. It'll be difficult for Pools because in many ways, Pools don't really
25:48have much left to play for other than pride. And I think most fans would say there's not that much
25:52to be proud about if, as we expect, it's another mid-table finish in the National League. But
25:59they've got to get some results between now and the end of the season if Lindbergh is to convince
26:03the board and the fan base that he's the right man to lead the club. So, in that sense, these
26:07are significant games for Pools. Hopefully, the return of Anthony Mancini might give them
26:14a bit of a lift. Joe Gray is only going to get better as he gets fitter. Tuesday night's game
26:19is difficult to call. I think Rich, as I say, found about a couple of good results recently.
26:24And they are fighting for their lives. They've really got to go some if they're going to beat
26:27the drop this season. Eastleigh, as you say, playoff contenders. I've been really surprised
26:32by Eastleigh this season. Huge credit to Kelvin Davis. He's done a good job. Thereafter, I thought
26:36they'd be right down there this season. I thought they'd really struggle. But they've surprised
26:41quite a few. I don't think they're going to get in the playoffs. I think they've played a couple
26:44games more than a lot of their rivals. I think it'll be difficult. But nonetheless, as you say,
26:51they've still got something to play for. So that makes it a challenge again for Pools. The home
26:57fans were great on Saturday. Sometimes I think Pools can benefit from playing away from home.
27:01There is slightly less pressure. A lot of the players this season, it feels like there's been
27:05such a weight on their shoulders, the expectation, the pressure. Being a former football league club
27:10can be both a blessing and a curse. I think because Pools have a reputation that they've
27:15really failed to live up to in the last couple of years, it's difficult. There's sort of a feeling
27:21of apathy amongst fans. There's certainly a feeling of disconnect and frustration and concern,
27:26all those kinds of things. It's been another bitterly disappointing season. We had hoped
27:33that Pools would be able to improve on last season. Are they going to even equal last season's
27:37total of 60 points? I'm not absolutely sure that they are. If they are going to, then they're going
27:42to need a couple of good results this week, I would suggest. I imagine there'll be a couple of
27:47changes. Once again, I think we'll see Manny Disirue back in from the start. I'd love to see
27:52Anthony Mancini in the squad. Although, of course, it seems prudent to manage his minutes carefully,
27:56especially what happened after what happened this time last season, when he lasted 10 minutes in
28:00that abortive comeback attempt under Kevin Phillips. On paper, Tuesday night's game is a
28:06winnable one, but Fowler have done pretty well since the departure of Phillips, so Pools might,
28:11in that sense, have their work cut out. I'd like to see Pools get the ball down a little bit more.
28:17I know it can be difficult, especially at this stage in the season, with some of the players
28:21that they have, but they've signed Jamie Minley. He looks a really good technical player. I thought
28:25he had a decent cameo again on Saturday. Nicky Featherstone, we know all about his technical
28:29qualities. Joe Gray, Anthony Mancini, Reyes Cleary, Adam Campbell. So, it's not as if they're
28:35devoid of technical quality. I think, given that there's little to nothing to play for between now
28:41and the rest of the season, I'd like to see Lindbergh try and make a bit more of his own mark
28:46on this side. Give fans a clear indication of how he wants to play, the style and the system
28:52and the approach, and hopefully results might be able to come with that.
28:56Realistically, do you think Pools are maybe a couple of wins, three or four draws away from
29:01securing their National League status this year? I think there's plenty of the chance of them getting
29:06dragged into anything below them. You would like to think it's unlikely, given the amount of teams
29:10below them and the amount of teams that are out of form, but Pools fans, given the recent run of
29:15results, might have one slight look over their shoulder that they want to get, especially playing
29:19Fylde away tomorrow night. But realistically, do you think probably a couple of wins away from
29:24the very minimum here in their National League status? I think six points probably will be all
29:29they need. Fifty points, if you look historically, tends to be enough. Obviously, Ebsley, you look at
29:35them, they've gone. Boston are going to have to go, some of them have had a couple of decent results.
29:39Lately, if they're to have any chance, and then there's quite a number of teams
29:44in and around it, so you would suggest that not all of those teams are going to pick up enough
29:48to reel Pools in. Someone like Dagenham and Redbridge, they're dropping like a stone.
29:53Wieldstone, Fylde, Braintree, who have picked up a lot recently, they're all still scrapping
29:59for their lives. So you would think it would be okay. But isn't that a sorry state of affairs,
30:06Rich, that we're talking about Hartlepool United, a Football League club for so much
30:12of their history, not so long ago, as I said, 10 minutes away from being in the Championship.
30:19We've had some great players at Victoria Park, the Prestige Group Stadium, as it now is,
30:25through the years. We've had some fantastic managers, some wonderful characters. We've
30:29had some great memories, even in recent years, under Dave Chaloner, a fantastic period for the
30:35club. But it's really a sign of how things have gone that we're discussing relegation,
30:42no matter how slim a prospect that might seem. From the National League, we were speaking about
30:48York earlier on. York spent five seasons in the National League North, as big a club, at least,
30:54as Pools. It's certainly not impossible. You look at someone like Scunthorpe, they're in the National
30:57League North. Now you look at Wrexham, Stockport, they've all dropped through the divisions. It's
31:02not impossible. It can happen. But perhaps if you look at the recent trajectory of some of those
31:07clubs, that's a reason to be cheerful and end on a positive note. It just goes to show that you're
31:13never far away from potentially turning things around. I think Pools need to put a bit of faith
31:20in someone, hopefully Anthony Lindbergh, give him a bit of time, a bit of backing to get things
31:25right. Because there's only one automatic promotion place in the National League,
31:29one team goes up via the playoffs. It's a notoriously difficult league to get out of.
31:36Without backing, without support, it's going to be a really difficult challenge for Pools. They've
31:41got a whole host of players out of contract this summer. They're at serious risk of losing
31:48arguably their two best players in Manny Disrue and Joe Gray, Gary Medin, Luke Waterfall,
31:54David Ferguson, Nicky Featherston, senior players are all out of contract this summer.
31:59They have got some younger players in, Sam Fongar and Jamie Miley, Jack Robinson,
32:06who hopefully will provide something for the longer term. But Pools have got to hopefully
32:10have a decent end to the season, put some faith in the manager, back the manager
32:15over the summer, have a decent pre-season. And then we go again. It feels like at the moment,
32:19to be honest, Rich, the summer is the best time to be a Pools fan when you have that
32:24inevitable optimism, because it's been another long, hard slog. It's been a draining,
32:28dispiriting, disappointing season. You can certainly understand the fans' disillusionment.
32:33I think we've got to try and end the season with some positivity if we can from Anthony
32:39Lumberick's point of view. I would suggest relegation is not going to be an issue given
32:42the number of teams that are down and around there. But let's hope that we're here in 12
32:46months' time having an entirely different conversation, because we don't want to be
32:49talking about Hartlepool United running the risk of relegation from the National League,
32:53that's for sure. Not at all. Well, we live and hope that for two away wins this week,
32:58starting with VAR tomorrow, safe travels, Robbie. As I say, head to ramblemail.co.uk
33:03for all the latest Pools news, all the preview lines, plus all the match reaction and play
33:09ratings from the two games, and we'll hopefully see you again next week. Thanks for listening.
33:13Cheers.