Joe Ramage and Rich Mennear discuss the first half of Hartlepool's 2023-24 National league campaign and look ahead to 2024 for Pools.
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00:35 - Hello and welcome to a special edition
00:37 of the Pooley podcast view from the Vick.
00:39 Special 'cause Joe's down in London,
00:43 head of the game this weekend at Wheelston.
00:45 Hopefully this will go as well as,
00:48 or better than our pre-match chat
00:50 when the wifi was cutting in and out.
00:51 But yeah, let's jump right into it then.
00:54 Joe, we've not done one of these for a few weeks now.
00:58 Let's just kind of have your view then really,
00:59 I guess on kind of the season so far
01:01 and the job Aski's been doing with the resources
01:04 he's got and the injuries that he's about to contend with.
01:07 What's your assessment of the last couple of weeks
01:09 for pools and how things are looking?
01:11 And also they'll have one eye on those relegation spots.
01:14 I think they need to try and climb up the league
01:17 pretty quick, but yeah, what's your take overall?
01:20 - Yeah, that's the worry, isn't it?
01:25 That we're talking about a relegation,
01:29 a potential relegation battle.
01:30 You know, we're halfway through the season now,
01:33 so it's a pretty good,
01:37 I mean, so far this season,
01:40 it hasn't been good enough, has it?
01:43 You know, you can't dress it up any other way.
01:46 15th in the table,
01:47 and four of them came in the first three weeks
01:50 of the season as well,
01:52 which kind of tells you where the form
01:54 has been for a long time now.
01:56 This isn't just something that's set in
01:58 over a couple of weeks.
01:59 This is the majority of the campaign.
02:03 You know, I mean, if you look at where they were
02:05 the last time they were in this division,
02:06 halfway in, I think they've been 13 points worse off.
02:10 Goals scored are similar,
02:11 but they've conceded 20 more goals
02:13 than what David Chalmers' side did.
02:15 And that has ultimately been where the problem
02:19 has been all season.
02:20 The defensive issues just have been rife
02:24 from the get-go.
02:25 They kind of keep clean sheets.
02:27 And that hasn't just been this season,
02:32 that's been the back end of last season as well.
02:37 I think John Askey's only kept one clean sheet
02:39 since he was appointed,
02:40 and probably nearing in on what, 40 games?
02:43 Any sort of success if you're conceding
02:45 at the frequency with which they're conceding.
02:48 He's tried quite a few different remedies
02:50 in terms of personnel, at least.
02:52 I know there's some criticism
02:53 for the change of the system.
02:55 We saw that in one of the games earlier in the season,
02:59 I think it was the Evers Fleet game, wasn't it?
03:00 Where he sort of ripped everything up,
03:02 made four or five changes,
03:03 and then he had to revert the type
03:05 because things were going drastically
03:07 according to the game's plan
03:08 within 20 minutes of that game.
03:10 So the system has been as it is,
03:13 or has it has been for sort of two years
03:15 since Dave Chalmers left, really,
03:16 because that is the make-up of the players
03:19 that have been in the squad since then.
03:20 And I think John Askey mentioned it before,
03:22 he referenced Dan Dodds in that,
03:24 why he hasn't really shifted his system much
03:26 because he's used him as a third centre-back
03:28 rather than a full-back, so he's left with that.
03:31 But no matter who's gone in there
03:32 in three central defensive roles,
03:34 they just haven't been able to click.
03:35 They haven't been able to keep clean sheets,
03:38 you know, set pieces.
03:40 It really is sort of hide behind this overtime
03:42 every time any team gets a set piece.
03:45 It's almost, you don't want to say it's a running joke
03:47 because it's not,
03:48 but even last week against Chesterfield,
03:50 you were thinking that after a bright start,
03:51 they could have gone 1-0 up.
03:53 Chesterfield got a corner and conceded from it.
03:55 And that is just absolutely typical
03:57 of how the first half of the season's gone.
03:59 And like I said, at the top of the show there,
04:02 it's not going to,
04:03 that is not conducive to doing anything in any division
04:05 if you concede in that amount of goals.
04:07 The 15th in the table,
04:10 I think four points above the drop zone,
04:13 nine away from the playoffs.
04:16 It's quite galling to think about what's happening,
04:20 to be honest.
04:22 And yet there is still hope that it can turn around
04:23 because I do think that the players in the squad,
04:26 I do think the squad is better
04:27 than what the league table has shown at the minute.
04:30 But, I mean, they've obviously been handcuffed by injuries.
04:33 You know, that is something that you cannot get away from.
04:37 I know we're probably all tired of hearing it,
04:39 reading it, tired of writing it.
04:41 John Askey's certainly tired of saying it,
04:42 but you cannot get away from the fact
04:44 that the injuries that they've picked up
04:47 throughout the season,
04:48 but particularly at the start of the season,
04:49 the three key ones, Douds, Mancini, Calum Cook,
04:52 real, real big setbacks for them.
04:55 And that's taken them a long time to get over.
05:00 So you hope that that's going to sort itself out
05:03 in the new year.
05:03 And if it doesn't, then, you know,
05:07 they are going to be a litigation battle
05:10 throughout the second half of the season.
05:12 - Yeah, given, I'm loathe to talk too much
05:15 because your Wi-Fi's been holding up all right there, John,
05:17 so I'll make my question short.
05:19 Given, you know, 2024 is a matter of days away
05:25 and we're clearly halfway through the season.
05:27 Have you seen enough improvements
05:29 or any glimmer of hope over the last couple of weeks
05:32 that this squad is good enough
05:34 to make a late run for the playoffs?
05:37 Or do you think it'll be mid-table?
05:38 What's your kind of gut feeling at the minute,
05:40 halfway through the season?
05:41 Because obviously, you know, we've played a lot of games now.
05:43 So the league table usually shakes out
05:45 after 10 or 12 games
05:46 in terms of where most teams are going to sort of be.
05:48 Is this where, do you think, expect Pools to finish?
05:51 Or do you feel there is a real danger
05:53 that they could get sucked into a relegation battle?
05:57 Given also that there's no transo in the International League,
06:00 so, you know, clubs can strengthen at different times.
06:02 But January is coming up
06:03 and some clubs will be targeting league,
06:05 football league players.
06:06 - Yeah, it's interesting.
06:12 And again, a lot's going to depend on the injured players,
06:16 the come back.
06:17 I think the worry is there's a big,
06:19 big, big reliance on Anthony Mancini.
06:26 And, you know, I think you've got a couple of sisters as well.
06:29 All of a sudden, he's coming back from a real severe
06:32 hamstring injury and there's a lot of pressure
06:34 going to be on him.
06:35 As I said before, I do think that he can
06:40 climb higher in the table.
06:41 I do think the squad is better
06:42 than what we're seeing at the moment.
06:45 Because within the sort of bad run of form
06:47 that there has been some misfortune as well.
06:50 I mean, even the goal last week against Chesterfield,
06:52 I think it's a deflection.
06:53 Enlarge beyond that, I know Chesterfield did keep them
06:57 at arm's length, but they didn't necessarily create
06:59 anything clear cut, you would say.
07:01 Certainly not until the end when it became
07:03 a little bit stretched.
07:04 So the performances since, certainly like Callum Cook's
07:07 come back in, have been a little bit better.
07:10 I think the York game was a really big barometer in that.
07:13 That was the performance of the season for me.
07:15 But then at the same time, you don't want to get carried away
07:17 by just that performance.
07:18 Because they've got to put it together
07:21 on a consistent basis.
07:23 They've got a pretty tricky Christmas period.
07:25 You know, I think Wilson, they've only lost once at home.
07:28 So that's not going to be easy down here tomorrow.
07:30 Then you've got a doubleheader against Oldham,
07:32 who were a lot of people's favourites along with Chesterfield
07:34 at the start of the season.
07:35 So you're still kind of waiting to see if they're going
07:37 to click into gear and move up the table.
07:40 And then you're into the new year,
07:41 where all of a sudden you'll get,
07:43 there's a couple of fixtures, I think Oxford City's
07:44 in there, Ebbsfleet, York.
07:46 They then become real important fixtures
07:48 where they've got to get points on the board
07:49 because that will then tell us where they're going to be.
07:52 And if they're going to be in a relegation battle,
07:53 if those games don't go according to plan,
07:55 then you're going into February,
07:56 where I think Bromley, you play Bromley, Barnet,
07:59 and other sides at the top of the division,
08:01 where you can really get sucked in.
08:03 You know, we've seen it in League Two last year.
08:06 Teams can get pulled back into it.
08:08 And, you know, four points is nothing, is it?
08:10 Like it could be down to a point tomorrow
08:12 if things don't go their way.
08:14 It's close.
08:15 It is.
08:16 It's too close for comfort and it needs to be addressed,
08:19 you know, because ultimately it isn't good enough.
08:22 I've said it quite a lot.
08:23 Hartlepool, at this level, should always be competing
08:27 to get out of it the right way,
08:28 whether that's right or wrong to say that,
08:30 whether there's an element of, I don't want to say arrogance,
08:34 but you know, Hartlepool are traditionally
08:37 a football league club with certainly a lot
08:39 of proud heritage in the football league.
08:41 So when they're not in that division,
08:43 they need to be competing to get back into it.
08:44 And at the minute they're a mile off.
08:46 And that was the problem last week against Chesterfield,
08:48 because although it was a good,
08:49 it was a decent performance, it was an improved performance.
08:52 I think John Askey used the word committed
08:53 and I totally agree with that.
08:55 At the same time, you could see how far away they were.
08:57 Of course, Chesterfield, like they just did have,
08:59 they just kept them at arm's length.
09:00 They weren't really, you felt as though
09:02 they could kick up a couple of gears
09:03 and they'd have won the game even if Hartlepool
09:05 did get back into it.
09:07 And that is a little bit of a worry that,
09:09 yeah, we kind of given them plaudits for that,
09:11 but there's a big sort of gap between where they are
09:15 and where they need to be.
09:16 And that's just the top of the table.
09:17 I know Chesterfield are looking like
09:18 they're going to run away with it,
09:19 but the playoffs are now starting to,
09:22 there's starting to be that gap between the playoffs as well.
09:24 And there's so many teams fighting for those spots.
09:27 It's going to be difficult to catch them if they can't.
09:30 Catch light at the minute and get on a running form.
09:33 You know, Christmas is a good time to do that.
09:35 Plenty of games in quick succession, as we all know,
09:37 but yeah, it's going to be tough.
09:39 They really need to start stringing some wins together.
09:42 I think, again, I said right at the start,
09:43 they've won eight games and they've only won four of them
09:45 since the opening month of the season,
09:47 which kind of tells a time story.
09:49 - What's your thoughts on John Askey, Joe?
09:52 The job he's done, pressures he's faced this season,
09:56 whether he's had the right support from the club
09:59 in terms of sort of budget and transfers last summer.
10:02 And do you think,
10:04 I know he signed a long-term deal recently,
10:06 but do you expect him to stay out of the season?
10:09 - It's a tough one because, honestly, results will...
10:12 - What's going to happen?
10:13 Is he going to be as strong as your Wi-Fi or John Askey?
10:15 (laughing)
10:17 - Yeah, certainly hopefully Askey on that front,
10:19 but results dictate, don't they?
10:21 You know, if they can't, you know,
10:24 if this Christmas period goes badly
10:27 and then you get into the new year
10:28 and you have that Oxford City game,
10:30 and then I think it's the FA Trophy tie,
10:32 again, that'll be a game that they're expected to win.
10:35 But if all of a sudden you're still without a win,
10:39 you're even closer or possibly even in the relegation zone
10:42 by that point, there's a big decision needs to be made.
10:45 And I'm a fan of John Askey.
10:47 I think there's a lot of things
10:49 that are kind of out of his control.
10:52 And I think a lot of fans appreciate that as well.
10:54 But at the same time, he needs to be doing better as well.
10:58 You know, the defensive record,
10:59 there needs to be something.
11:01 I know they're drilling it in on the training ground.
11:04 We hear it week in, week out.
11:05 We know how much it can do.
11:07 Ultimately, it does come down on the manager
11:09 that that is just the way the football works.
11:11 To contradict that as well,
11:14 at some point the club needs stability,
11:16 the way that it is, the way the last 18 months have gone.
11:19 You know, the amount of managers that we've had
11:22 in that time, interim period as well.
11:25 At some point you need a little bit of stability.
11:27 The long-term contract in August was a good start to that.
11:30 But, you know, the run of form that they're in
11:33 has seen managers lose the job at this club.
11:35 But we've seen managers lose the job for a lot,
11:37 less run of form, to be honest,
11:40 than what we're getting at the minute.
11:42 So it is a fine line.
11:44 I do think the mood in the camp is still good.
11:47 I think the general consensus is that
11:50 Askey is the right man for the job.
11:52 But like I say, results do dictate,
11:54 and it's a big period for them,
11:56 especially with the players that are coming back.
11:58 Like I say, Askey's mentioned it quite a lot,
12:00 hopefully with a settled team
12:01 and with the likes of Mancini,
12:03 Tom Crawford coming back in as well soon.
12:05 They can try and get a run of form
12:06 because that over-reliance on them,
12:08 if that doesn't happen,
12:09 then you're kind of back to square one
12:11 and you're going to have to scramble around in the window
12:13 where we've seen how difficult that is anyway at this level,
12:15 just getting short-term loans in
12:18 for players either out of contract, out of favour,
12:21 or inexperienced lads from divisions higher up the league.
12:25 So yeah, it's tough.
12:27 It is really tough for me.
12:28 I'd like to see it.
12:29 I hope he does stay.
12:30 I hope things do turn around,
12:32 but it's a results-driven business, isn't it?
12:34 We see that at every level.
12:35 If they don't turn it around soon,
12:37 then questions will start getting asked more frequently.
12:40 - You mentioned, you touched upon this a little bit,
12:43 but just in terms of some of the players coming back,
12:45 then obviously injuries have had a major impact on Poole's
12:50 given how bright the start of the season was.
12:53 Mancini's in particular had a really bad injury.
12:56 I know he's going to be cautious personally
12:59 in terms of his comeback,
13:00 but hopefully not too far away.
13:02 We'd like to see Mancini, Hendry, Crawford,
13:04 some flickers of hope for Poole's and John Askey
13:06 over the coming weeks in terms of Cavalry being on the hill.
13:11 - You hope so.
13:13 We saw enough evidence in the first month of the season,
13:16 the first six weeks of the season,
13:18 to suggest that it can work.
13:20 'Cause you were thinking,
13:21 I think, what was it?
13:23 It was the best start in over 30 years?
13:25 You know, five wins in seven games.
13:26 It was, at that point you were thinking,
13:29 oh, maybe they can sink,
13:32 really, they can swim rather than sink,
13:33 sorry, at this level.
13:34 But like I said, the impact of them has been,
13:38 you can't get away from it.
13:39 The problem is, certainly with Mancini,
13:41 the severity of that injury,
13:44 that is not an easy injury to come back from.
13:46 You know, the hamstring problem of that sort of grade,
13:51 he's been out for so long,
13:52 it's going to be hard for him to get back up to speed
13:55 that he was in in August.
13:57 Tom Crawford, he should come back in.
13:59 I think he's ahead of schedule.
14:00 He might even be back in next week for Boxing Day.
14:02 And he's having a pretty good season under the radar as well.
14:06 But yeah, it needs to start clicking into place.
14:09 And there's a lot, like I said in the last piece there,
14:12 that there's a lot of demand on these players
14:17 coming back in, you know, the likes of Luke Henry.
14:19 You expected more from him, to be honest, coming in.
14:21 I think his first game when he came back in
14:24 was the reverse fixture against Wales
14:25 back in September.
14:27 He was excellent that day.
14:28 And you were kind of thinking, yeah,
14:29 he's the exact kind of player,
14:31 and the character that they need.
14:33 But since then, it's all just kind of,
14:35 obviously it's not all his problem,
14:37 but you would have expected more from him.
14:39 And that's across the board.
14:40 You'd ask you would have expected more
14:42 from some of the players that he has been able to bring in
14:45 from this level.
14:46 And then with the injuries,
14:47 we've had to see players like Zach Johnson come in,
14:50 who's done well in spells,
14:51 but this is his first sort of
14:52 experience in senior football,
14:56 coming on at Northern Sunderland.
14:58 And then when you're in this situation
15:00 where you're not in form as a team,
15:02 you know, it's a tricky place to play at the Vic,
15:04 at the best of times when things aren't going well,
15:07 but particularly the standoff with the fans
15:09 and the ownership and things like that.
15:11 It's a hard situation for someone like him to come in
15:13 and almost try and carry the team
15:15 at 12, 18, 19 years old.
15:17 And I think John Askey's referenced that
15:19 in the last couple of weeks, hasn't he?
15:20 When he's been able to fill the same team,
15:22 you know, that the defence has looked
15:24 a little bit more settled,
15:25 a little bit more experienced.
15:27 And again, that's something that
15:29 he's going to have to hope works out.
15:30 But in saying that,
15:31 then you've got Kieran Brennan in there
15:32 and Joe Matic in there,
15:34 and their loan deals expire in the next couple of weeks
15:36 because it's the only short term.
15:37 So that is kind of where we're working at.
15:39 There's no sort of stability there, is there,
15:42 within the team selection and going forward.
15:44 It's very much kind of a week-to-week basis,
15:47 which again, doesn't help or contribute
15:49 to having a successful season, really.
15:51 Just before we come onto your kind of views
15:53 over the festive period with Wilston on Saturday away,
15:58 you're obviously down there for the Hartlepool Mail
16:01 this weekend, and then there's the back-to-back
16:03 as they do in the National League against Oldham.
16:05 Just, I know there isn't really much of a takeover update
16:08 at the minute, but do you think there's any hope of that
16:11 in the coming months?
16:12 Obviously, you know, the Hustle putting out statements
16:15 a few weeks back.
16:18 Just kind of give your kind of overall flavour
16:21 of the current situation at Pools in terms of the ownership
16:23 and whether Pools have anything to look forward to
16:25 in 2024, Pools fans?
16:27 You hope that it's going to be better than what 2023 has been.
16:32 It's been a long year, hasn't it, for Hartlepool.
16:35 The ownership, it's got to be resolved, really.
16:38 I think we've reached that.
16:40 We've reached a stage now where we kind of have been
16:42 the end game of Raj Singh's tenure.
16:44 I think he would probably accept that.
16:46 And it feels as though the majority of the fan base
16:48 have accepted that as well.
16:49 That's where we've angled the wards over the last six months
16:52 since the relegation.
16:53 You know, you touched on it there, the stuff from the
16:55 supporters' trust, they're obviously out actively trying
16:58 to bring investors in and things like that.
17:01 It needs to reach its conclusion, certainly by the end
17:04 of the season, but if not before then.
17:06 I've said it a couple of times that it's a little worrying
17:09 that the sort of, the stuff that came out in terms of
17:12 the chairman would fund the club only in the short term.
17:15 We still don't know how long that short term is.
17:18 And as much as we talk about injuries and confidence
17:20 and loss of form and things like that, I know John Askey's
17:22 battered away when he has been asked.
17:25 You've got to think this plays on the mind at some point.
17:27 At some point down the line, this has to play on the minds,
17:30 you know, there has to be a worry about what next
17:32 or how long does it go on like this?
17:35 And I do think they're questions that do need to be answered
17:39 sort of soon, to be honest, you know, because like I say,
17:42 how long is that short term?
17:43 Is it until the new year?
17:45 Is it until February?
17:46 Is it until the end of the season?
17:47 Is it an indefinite, you know what I mean?
17:49 It's tough.
17:50 - Yeah.
17:51 - So that needs resolving.
17:55 The worrying aspect is if it gets to the end of the season
17:59 and then that is it, if there's no one then to come in,
18:02 what next?
18:03 You know, it almost doesn't bear thinking about
18:05 at that point.
18:06 So you hope that the trust, being able to have been
18:09 successful in who they're speaking to and some more
18:11 developments on that in the new year.
18:14 Like I say, it can't be easy for Askey to try and negotiate
18:18 his way through that because then he's still having to try
18:21 and bring players in.
18:22 You know, he said last week, didn't he, that there's plans
18:24 in place in January.
18:26 I know there's not a window, but obviously football league
18:28 clubs can operate and they'll then know who's in and out
18:33 of their squads come the end of the month.
18:35 So there'll be some movement with that in terms of loans.
18:38 The lads that I mentioned who are on short term deals
18:40 that are going to be expiring soon, there'll be decisions
18:42 that need to be made on them.
18:44 And all of this, that kind of filters into the ownership
18:46 stuff because in that short term period, is the funding
18:49 included in that?
18:51 You don't know.
18:52 And then, you know, I'm going on a bit of a tangent here,
18:55 but then further down the line, you could, they might be
18:58 sitting there thinking, will it get to the point where
18:59 wages and finances and things like that become an issue?
19:02 There's absolutely no suggestion whatsoever that that is
19:04 going to be the case and it hasn't been the case,
19:07 but you have to think, you're only human if you're not
19:09 thinking those things, in my opinion.
19:13 So it's a difficult one and it's just something that
19:15 hasn't helped the club at all, to be honest, over the last
19:18 six months.
19:19 And the sooner that that can be resolved, we would like
19:22 to think that the club can move on and stand building
19:25 blocks in place to improve.
19:26 Yeah, hopefully so.
19:28 Obviously, a lot of rumours around American investment
19:30 and local consortiums and all these sort of things.
19:32 But hopefully there'll be some positive news soon
19:35 on that front.
19:36 We'd love to ask the club themselves, but we're still
19:38 banned here with the Harker Mail.
19:39 So hopefully that'll also be resolved in 2024.
19:42 That's the top of our Christmas wish list anyway,
19:44 isn't it, Joe?
19:45 But we'll not touch upon that again today.
19:47 Just finally then, looking ahead to the Christmas week,
19:50 three games, as you say, as I say, playing Oldham twice.
19:53 Ideally, three wins, nine points would be great.
19:58 Unlikely, given the current form.
20:00 What would you take for the next three games?
20:02 Yeah, I mean, seasons can turn quite a lot.
20:10 We saw it threatened to last year, didn't it?
20:13 There was a bit of an upturn in form under Keith Curl,
20:15 where they went and won at Crawley,
20:16 they won at Rochdale.
20:17 You know, there was a little bit of...
20:19 And you could see how that lifted people.
20:21 So I know it obviously didn't work out,
20:23 but it can lift people in the interim.
20:25 And then going into the new year with a little bit of a
20:28 more favourable fixture list on paper and then the cup run
20:32 and things like that.
20:33 If you were to win that against Hampton,
20:34 you know, you're into the fifth round,
20:35 then all of a sudden you're close to the latter stage
20:39 of that competition as well.
20:41 So it's a big period without a doubt.
20:42 They've got to get a win.
20:44 You know, it's been a couple of weeks now
20:45 that they've gone without a win in the league.
20:48 A couple of...
20:48 You know, there was a heavy defeat to Bromley as well.
20:51 So they need to try and get on a run.
20:54 Like I say, tomorrow's going to be tough,
20:55 it's a difficult place to come.
20:57 And then you've got back-to-back fixtures with all of them,
21:00 who, again, you know, I mean, the home form has been a big problem.
21:03 That's something else that they need to sort out next year.
21:05 For as good as ASCII started at home,
21:08 I think you only lost one of his first seven or eight league games at home.
21:12 And then they haven't won in, what, six, I think, is it?
21:16 Or only won one in six, sorry, at home since.
21:19 So you've got to improve that.
21:21 And then obviously the return leg at Oldham,
21:22 which is a difficult place to go at the best time.
21:24 So it's a tough run.
21:26 It's a tough festive period.
21:27 But it's one of them where if you can get on a run,
21:30 if you can get some positive results tomorrow,
21:32 you can take yourself into next week and hopefully build on it.
21:35 They've got to be looking for two wins, really, for me to try.
21:39 And if they're serious about trying to get into the playoffs,
21:41 they need to start cutting into that gap.
21:43 And they're only going to do that by winning games.
21:46 Players always say that they like this time of year
21:48 because it's just games after games rather than training.
21:51 Hopefully they can produce the goods.
21:55 Good stuff. Thank you as ever, Joe.
21:57 It would be remiss of me not to mention that this will be Joe's last Poodie podcast.
22:02 View from the Vic. We'll have to get a new graphic.
22:05 As Joe departs us for bigger and better things,
22:07 if there's such a thing after that, I'll pull mail.
22:10 Joe's done a sterling effort over the last two years or so,
22:13 two and a half years, I think, in total,
22:14 covering Pools, including the playoff promotion season previously.
22:21 And yeah, obviously the last six months have been pretty difficult
22:24 with the situation with the club, but Joe's done a sterling job.
22:26 And I'm sure all Mail readers and Pools fans will join me
22:30 in wishing him and you well, Joe, for your next venture.
22:33 Keep in touch. You're always welcome at the Vic,
22:35 even if you can't get in at the minute.
22:37 You can always just peer through the gates.
22:40 And yeah, hopefully you end your tenure at the Mail
22:43 with three points away at Wheelston tomorrow.
22:46 Yeah, it's been a pleasure. So thanks for everything, Joe.
22:49 No, thank you. And just thanks again.
22:51 And I'll put out on my social media last night,
22:53 thanks again to everyone who's read and engaged with me over the last couple of years.
22:57 And there's been quite a lot of nice messages coming to me as well,
23:00 which is really appreciated. And yeah, it'd be nice to sign off with a win tomorrow.
23:05 We can all celebrate Christmas with three points.
23:07 So yeah, I'm looking forward to watching from afar and hopefully the club can enjoy
23:11 some success over the next couple of months and years to come.
23:15 Good stuff. Thanks, Joe.
23:18 As ever, continue to log on to the Happy Pool Mail website for the latest start of pre-related news.
23:23 Paper editions obviously out every Thursday.
23:25 And yeah, we'll hopefully have a successful festive period on the pitch for pools.
23:30 And we'd like to wish everyone a very happy Christmas. Thanks all.
23:33 [BLANK_AUDIO]