Join Joe Ramage and Richard Mennear as they discuss all the latest news surrounding the club. Vanarama National League action takes a back seat this week as Pools face a tough FA Cup clash against Chester FC.
Category
🥇
SportsTranscript
00:00 (upbeat music)
00:03 (upbeat music)
00:05 (upbeat music)
00:08 (upbeat music)
00:11 - Hello, good morning
00:36 and welcome to the latest Pooley podcast
00:40 for you from the Vic with me, Richard Muneer
00:42 and our Harkinpore writer for the Harkinpore Mail,
00:45 Joe Ramanj.
00:46 Morning, Joe, how are you?
00:47 - I'm fine, yourself?
00:48 - Yes, battling on like pools.
00:51 Well, might as well get straight into it.
00:54 What was your thoughts over the victory
00:56 over Eastleigh at the weekend
00:57 and the sort of recent form
00:59 and this, you know, a little bit of pressure building,
01:03 I suppose, as you'd expect at most clubs
01:05 in the form dips a little bit,
01:07 but how do you just kind of see things
01:09 at pools at the minute for John Askey and the players
01:12 and yeah, just on the back of that win over Eastleigh?
01:15 - Yeah, battling on is a good way to start,
01:18 to be honest, it's kind of felt as though
01:20 that's what they've been having to do.
01:22 You know, a couple of bad results, wasn't it?
01:25 Back to back home defeats
01:27 and the loss down at Boreham Wood.
01:29 So it was important that they got back
01:30 to winning ways on Saturday, I think.
01:33 Last week, John Askey had said, didn't he,
01:35 that they were desperate for a win
01:36 and I think even in the build-up,
01:38 he was saying it was a must win,
01:39 which, beginning of October is quite alarming,
01:42 isn't it really, if you're saying things like that,
01:44 but he was probably right
01:45 because for a club like Hartlepool,
01:47 you know, with the greatest respect in the world,
01:49 to go four games or four defeats,
01:51 if it would have been, for example,
01:53 without a win at this level, you know,
01:55 and does ask questions, you know,
01:56 regardless of the situations,
01:58 the over-rightness of situations
02:00 that they want to deal with,
02:00 injuries and things like that,
02:01 but it was a good performance, to be fair to them,
02:04 at Eastleigh.
02:05 I know Askey was frustrated
02:08 after the defeat of Boreham Wood,
02:09 you know, he pinned it on the goal being a foul,
02:12 I think, since seeing it again
02:14 from a different angle,
02:15 then I'm not as sure as I was
02:18 in terms of agreeing with him on that,
02:20 but yeah, it was then important
02:22 to go and bounce back
02:23 and get something at home against Eastleigh
02:25 and they didn't necessarily look like a side
02:26 that were out of form as much as they have been.
02:29 I think it was sort of two wins in eight
02:32 before that game,
02:33 so that is a worry,
02:35 it really is a worry.
02:36 So, to come out and perform as they did,
02:37 you know, they were controlled throughout,
02:39 for me.
02:41 I know they didn't keep a clean sheet,
02:43 but you've got to take your hat off
02:44 to Chris Maguire, of all people,
02:46 popping up and scoring the free kick that he did.
02:49 But otherwise, it was a very accomplished display,
02:51 to be honest, and three goals back in score and form,
02:54 which is something that's deserted them as well.
02:56 You know, they've gone three without a goal,
02:57 which was a bit of a worry.
02:58 That was one of the things that
03:00 at the start of the season, in the first month,
03:02 you know, you can hang your hat on them,
03:04 scoring goals.
03:04 It was a case of you score two,
03:06 we'll score three or four.
03:06 That's how it felt in the opening,
03:08 sort of, five or six weeks of the season.
03:11 For that to drop off,
03:13 given the defensive struggles that they've had,
03:15 it was then really important for them
03:17 to get back scoring as well.
03:19 And Mane Diasure, you know,
03:21 he's the key man this season, isn't he?
03:23 A lot of talk, we spoke about it on the pod in the summer.
03:25 I think it was the last pod as well,
03:26 in terms of them keeping Josh Ymira.
03:28 As much as I still think that there's something there,
03:30 I still do believe that that can click at some point.
03:33 You know, his record over the last two seasons
03:35 in League Two and in National League
03:36 suggests that at some point he's going to kick on
03:38 and rediscover his scoring touch.
03:41 It's Mane Diasure who's sort of took over the mantle
03:43 and he's the key player now.
03:45 So for him to get back on the score sheet,
03:47 a couple of good goals, real poachers,
03:48 finishes again, what he's all about,
03:50 that was important as well.
03:51 But across the board,
03:52 there was good performances across the board.
03:54 You know, look at Joe Gray.
03:55 He's, again, he's someone we've spoken about on this pod.
03:59 Builders, a big season for him.
04:00 And I think he's certainly edging more towards
04:03 the make rather than the break category with this season.
04:07 He's putting in some good performances.
04:08 He's scoring some goals, he's assisting.
04:11 I thought he was excellent against East.
04:12 He was all over, you know,
04:14 sort of playing in a bit of a hybrid role
04:16 behind the front two, but he was chasing back.
04:18 He was, you know, he was on the left,
04:20 he was on the right, he was down the middle.
04:21 He just looks as though he's kind of enjoying his football
04:24 and buying into getting game time under John Askey.
04:26 So we could go right through the XI,
04:28 but it was, yeah, it was a really good performance
04:30 to end what has been a really tricky spell for them.
04:33 Hopefully, I think the breaks come at the right time.
04:35 You'd like to think that they can kick on,
04:37 but, you know, I know we don't get an international break
04:40 at this level, you know, FA Cup this weekend,
04:42 but just to go off and have that little break,
04:44 that little refresh, that little reset on the back of a win,
04:48 you know, the back into the playoff positions,
04:50 really positive.
04:51 Because I think if we're all being honest,
04:53 you look at the gap of chess availed already, 16 points.
04:57 It seems like a bit of a step, you know,
04:59 there's three of them at the top, Solihull and Barnet,
05:01 you know, not quite racing away with it just yet,
05:04 but for Hartlepool, that's quite a big margin to get away with.
05:07 So top seven's got to be there for me,
05:11 where I think they've got to be looking at,
05:12 so to always being in and around those playoff places
05:15 is what they're going to be aiming for.
05:17 - You mentioned the XI against East Lean,
05:19 that obviously included Nicky Felsen
05:21 on his return to the club, shining, shining?
05:24 - He did shine, but signing an initial,
05:26 I think month-long contract, wasn't it?
05:28 And I would imagine hopefully that'll be extended,
05:35 but yeah, month-long initially,
05:38 which is, you know, not unusual for pools at the minute,
05:40 perhaps a sign of the times.
05:42 What was your take on Felsen's contribution
05:45 and the return of him?
05:46 - I think both games he's been excellent, to be honest.
05:50 I don't think you'd find any who disagree.
05:54 He came back into Bournemouth
05:55 and that was kind of the narrative around that game,
05:58 wasn't it?
05:59 Would he start, wouldn't he start,
06:00 given, you know, I think his last appearance
06:02 was obviously Stockport last season.
06:03 - Yeah.
06:04 - Barring a few training sessions
06:05 with a couple of clubs over the summer
06:07 where he hasn't signed for.
06:08 So it was a big ask, would he come in and start?
06:12 Would he play the full 90?
06:13 How much would you get out of him?
06:14 And he came in and, you know,
06:16 he really did just slot in seamlessly.
06:17 It was as though he's never been away.
06:19 He looked fit.
06:20 I think he only gave the ball away once that night
06:23 at Boreham Wood and that came in stoppage time.
06:26 To be honest, it was just,
06:27 it's just exactly what they've missed.
06:29 I know that Mac Dolan's there as well,
06:31 which, you know, that opens up another can of worms
06:33 in terms of, would he have been put in that position
06:36 in recent weeks before Fetherson signed?
06:38 Probably.
06:39 But Fetherson coming back in, you know,
06:41 he's just sat in front of the back three that night
06:42 and on Saturday.
06:44 - Yeah.
06:45 - Dropped into either the centre-back roles when needed.
06:47 He just gets it, gives it simple
06:48 and that's what they've needed.
06:49 You know, they've had to juggle things around so much
06:51 this season with injuries and, you know,
06:53 Tom Crawford's had to go in there
06:54 and try and fill in as the number six.
06:56 Cain Wallace is in and out of the side with injuries.
06:59 You know what you're getting with Fetherson
07:00 and at this level as well.
07:02 He was, yeah, I know it's only two games,
07:05 small sample size, but he's been excellent
07:07 and just exactly what they needed.
07:08 And I think Mane Diosubre said it
07:10 in his interview post-match on Saturday,
07:12 he's just come in and given everyone a lift
07:14 and he's quite infectious the way that he plays
07:16 and that's what they've needed.
07:18 They've just needed that little bit of spark
07:19 and you did sense it because the performance
07:21 of Boren Wood wasn't bad, to be honest.
07:24 I think they were unlucky not to get something
07:26 in that game.
07:27 They had a couple of chances,
07:28 albeit from long range, but, you know,
07:31 they played all right compared to the three games
07:33 before that.
07:34 And it's no coincidence that that's come with
07:35 Nicky Fetherson back in the side.
07:37 So, like you say, I would imagine
07:40 that they're already looking at extending that contract
07:42 until the end of the season.
07:43 It should have been done in the summer.
07:46 You know, let's not put the chase there.
07:48 You know, he should have been retained in the summer
07:51 and I think if it had been up to Asking Sorely,
07:53 then it might have been, but obviously,
07:55 lots of spinning plates over the summer
07:56 in terms of, you know, Darren Kelly coming in,
07:59 Sporting Director, obviously the Chairman,
08:01 the funds that are available, other players coming in,
08:03 you know, with Jamie Wallace, etc.
08:04 So, but we've got past that.
08:06 He's in now and I would like to think
08:08 that that'll be a contract that will be extended
08:09 until the end of the season.
08:11 A big boost for Hartlepool in a position where
08:13 they've needed this season because, again,
08:15 with injuries, you know, they've been so out of luck
08:18 across that midfield, whether it be in the holding role
08:20 or further forward, they've needed someone like that
08:22 to come in and, you know, he showed what he can do.
08:26 And another boost, or two boosts on the injury front,
08:30 Mancini and Cook, still long-term injuries,
08:33 but a lot less severe than initially thought,
08:35 especially with Mancini following
08:37 remarkable news from France.
08:40 What's your take on that realistically?
08:41 How, you know, how much will Pools fans
08:43 see the pair in this season?
08:46 And yeah, what did you ask?
08:47 You have to say, yeah.
08:49 I think we've seen...
08:50 Well, yeah, I think he said before the game last week,
08:54 you know, that it would be a huge boost for them.
08:55 And that goes without saying, to have two players
08:58 like that coming back in, because they were a big miss,
08:59 you know, Mancini, he's...
09:02 I know he only played, what was it, six games in August
09:04 before it happened.
09:06 He looked like he was a real find at this level.
09:09 Forget the Barnett game, where he was, like, his debut.
09:11 Across the board, they weren't very good that day,
09:12 but in the games after that, he was excellent, to be honest.
09:16 He was just a bit of a maverick player.
09:18 There's someone that you don't often sort of find
09:20 at this level, you know, a bit of skill in him,
09:22 a bit of a turn of pace.
09:23 He got Pools up the field,
09:25 contributed with a couple of goals as well.
09:27 Fans took a really good liking to him.
09:30 The squad took a really good liking to him as well.
09:31 So he was a really big miss,
09:33 and the injury, it was a hamstring,
09:36 but I think Aski had said that it had come off the bone.
09:39 So it was like, to potentially have him back at Christmas,
09:43 that is, it's a bit of a miraculous recovery,
09:46 isn't it, really?
09:47 You would expect him to be really struggling.
09:49 I think the one thing that you would say with him is
09:52 be cautious over his return, because of that type of injury.
09:56 You know, the last thing you want is for him to come back in
09:59 maybe ahead of schedule and then re-injure himself
10:02 sort of within a couple of weeks and then be out for the season.
10:05 So they will have to be careful how they return him.
10:08 I think with Callum Cook, on the other hand,
10:09 that one seems though it's a bit more realistic for him to come back in.
10:13 I think end of November is what's been targeted.
10:18 So even again, if you sort of extend that out to Christmas,
10:21 you can maybe look to have him fully fit and available
10:24 week in, week out for the second half of the season,
10:26 which would be another big boost.
10:27 I know he splits opinion a little bit and he can frustrate at times
10:31 because you know that there is ability in there with him.
10:33 You know, we've seen that with some of the goals that he scored this season,
10:35 but you've noticed him not being in the side over the last couple of weeks.
10:39 What he can bring.
10:41 So really big boost, both of them,
10:43 you know, and again, it's just what they needed because it seems as though
10:45 it was just hit after hit after hit,
10:47 you know, with defeats to teams that supporters will feel the grief that they're getting beat by,
10:52 you know, so to get some sort of positive news and then get the win last week,
10:56 you know, finally we can maybe kick start the season again.
11:00 Good stuff. And in terms of the squad,
11:02 obviously injured players aren't going to come back too soon.
11:08 How short do you think the current Pulse squad still is?
11:11 And you know, the win over Eastley was a big boost.
11:15 It's quite a tight league, probably shows the poor quality in the league.
11:17 One or two additions and Pulse could still turn it around a bit.
11:20 Or do you think, given the injuries, you know, mid-table is probably more likely finishing up?
11:26 I still think they've got to be looking above mid-table.
11:28 I think the playoffs, it's got to be that top seven.
11:33 And I do think that you can still get there.
11:34 You know, they've had all of this to deal with in the first third of the season
11:37 and they are in there.
11:39 They are seventh at the moment.
11:40 I think I wrote a piece on the Mail the other day.
11:42 I think the only two points behind where Dave Challon and the side were in the promotion season,
11:47 you know, so they're not a million miles away.
11:49 Granted, that Challon and the side then went off and went on a run,
11:53 you know, like it will be hard to replicate that kind of run.
11:56 But they're not drawing games at the moment.
11:59 You know, I think they've won seven, lost seven, drawn one.
12:02 So whether that's sort of, you can go on a run where you might go on beating in three,
12:07 but draw them, but then you might win one and two and get the same points, you know.
12:10 So sometimes it works out a little bit differently with that in terms of wins and losses.
12:15 They're still short.
12:16 I think that's been a theme since the start of the season, before the injuries,
12:20 you know, ASCII still wanted another one or two players in.
12:23 And that has been the case throughout, that it's only extended with injuries coming in.
12:27 With them coming back, that might narrow the amount that they need,
12:30 but I still think they need a couple.
12:32 And these month-long deals, they're a little bit strange.
12:35 It doesn't necessarily help itself in terms of continuity.
12:38 You get Nicky Featherstone in the sense of, oh, let's see if he's fit.
12:42 But for me, you just give, you trust someone like Nicky Featherstone
12:47 to have a deal until the end of the season.
12:52 Zac Johnson, the loan deal, again, you can see the positives of it in terms of,
12:55 we'll have a look at him.
12:56 But I think that's another deal that's due to expire in the next week or so,
13:01 along with Azar Ziegertes as well.
13:04 They've all been in the first team over the last couple of weeks.
13:07 So, if you've got players that, you have three players there who have been in and around the squad
13:11 or playing quite regularly, they're only on month-long deals.
13:15 It just doesn't offer as much continuity and consistency as what you need,
13:19 because you're looking ahead to the next month and you don't know if they're going to be there or not.
13:22 So, it's a bit frustrating and I can probably sense that,
13:26 or I imagine that that's the case, that ASCII might feel it the month long.
13:30 But I suppose that's where we're at in the National League.
13:33 Players do come in on short-term deals like that.
13:36 So, we'll still be looking.
13:37 I would imagine that those deals, certainly look at Johnson and Ferguson,
13:40 they'll be extended to keep them until the end of the season,
13:43 or at least until January and then look to the end of the season or something like that.
13:47 And then beyond that, it'll be a case of continuing what they're doing and trying to look at players
13:51 that are available on free or players like Johnson in academies,
13:56 Middlesbrough, Sunderland, Newcastle, who they can maybe take on for a couple of months this season.
14:01 And just finally, looking ahead to the weekend, FA Cup fee, the gripping Hartlepool.
14:05 Sadly, Pools have to qualify now for the first round.
14:08 This weekend, season host Chester FC.
14:12 What's your take on that game?
14:14 Joe, how do you see it going?
14:15 Hopefully, Pools can build on the home form from last weekend against East Leeds.
14:20 Fancy them?
14:22 Yeah, you'd like to think so.
14:23 Bit of a Tom Crawford derby, isn't it?
14:26 It's a game that, like I said, I think it's a welcome game
14:30 because a break from the league has probably come at the right time for them,
14:32 even though they won.
14:33 Sometimes you like to think, 'Oh, well, we've won, we'll get another league game in.'
14:36 I think they just needed that little break.
14:38 And as much as John Askey came out and said that he fully focused,
14:42 you hear it all the time, don't you, from managers, 'We'll not take a team lightly,' etc., etc.
14:46 But I would be amazed if he doesn't use this as an opportunity to rotate his squad
14:51 and bring in some of the players who've either not featured that much on the bench
14:54 or even some of the academy lads.
14:56 The academy have got a big game in there in the FA Youth Cup next week.
14:59 It might be a good tester for them just to get some minutes under their belt going into that.
15:03 So, I'd expect quite a bit of rotation just to help ease any aches and pains
15:10 and injuries and niggles that they've had.
15:13 But you would still like to think that whoever goes out at home,
15:18 they should be winning that game, realistically.
15:21 Chester coming up, I think they're mid-table in the division below.
15:24 So, yeah, it's just a chance to rotate the squad, get some minutes in the legs.
15:28 And for those players then to put a bit of a question mark and ask his head in terms of,
15:33 'Right, well, I'm here, I've performed, I'm up for consideration in the next league game
15:37 and I'll be shot next week.'
15:38 So, unfortunate that they've got to qualify, but that is kind of where we're at at the moment.
15:43 And then if they do get into the first round, then maybe get a big hitter in League One.
15:49 That would be nice.
15:51 But the Cup competition this year, it really is kind of secondary.
15:54 Sometimes, when you're in the Football League, you can have a look at them and try and go on a run
15:58 and they are good money spinners.
16:00 But with Hartlepool at this level, it is solely about getting out of the division.
16:04 So, I think even the FA Trophy, I know that will be an opportunity to get Wembley later in the season.
16:09 But the Cup competitions this year are absolutely secondary for me.
16:13 Some supporters might disagree, but the focus has got to be on the league.
16:17 And that's why I think there'll be a bit of change tomorrow.
16:22 Good stuff. Thanks for your time, Isabejo.
16:23 We'll be back in the next week or so with another Poodie podcast from The Vic.
16:27 In the meantime, head online to hartlepoolmail.co.uk for all the latest Pools news from Joe.
16:32 And be sure to pick up a copy of the Hartlepool Mail each week on a Thursday.
16:36 Until then, thanks for listening.
16:38 [BLANK_AUDIO]