[Dancingwilldoit]

First half was like watching paint dry only at least you can actually see something with paint as the shade usually changes.
We were lucky to only be 1 down. Amantchi had a poor game but whoever thought he could play as a lone striker did him no favours at all. He is not a target man who can hold up the ball. The morons around me were baying for his head from about 20 mins. That's the way to encourage a young lad you pillocks.
We were much better 2nd half when we brought on the youth. Sharman and Rawson looked good and we were unlucky not to win it. Ref bottled a few pen shouts. Maybe the fumes from the paint got to my head but we actually looked like a football team.

Pemberton has said he doesnt want the job, he knows what he is doing. Strong rumour on Bobs that Sheridan is to be announced next week. If this is true then I am totally convinced DA wants certifying. Everybody keeps saying well he won us a promotion. Er yes but he also got us a relegation with some crazy signings and team selections. DA then had to pay off his contract when he appointed Paul Cook after a dismal start to a season with not a glimmer of hope that Shez could turn it round. If we are bringing them back from the dead then lets give Danny Wilson a 5 year contract.

[SaltergateBorn]

It certainly was. I didn`t enjoy the first one much either, but the second was really good to watch and, on the whole, the way the youngsters performed was very encouraging. It`s a shame about the open goal miss – that would have been quite a story – but there you go. These things happen.

I`m not sure I agree though, Dancing, about being lucky to be only 1 down at half-time; I can`t remember Hartlepool creating that much apart from the goal (which came as a result of Smith, I think it was, trying to play a ridiculously difficult ball across midfield when another much simpler pass was available and giving away possession as a result). Neither did we, admittedly, but I reckon that 1-0 at half-time was about right.

I can`t remember how many times this season I`ve said this, but by the end we should have won comfortably. Two or three great chances missed – but at least we were creating them – and a refereeing decision that defied belief to me. What the hell the ref and the linesman were looking at when Shaw was brought down I`ve no idea, but it sure as hell wasn`t the match. We could have had another one as well. There were a lot of strange decisions – both for us and against us, I should add – so another example of what passes for competent officiating at this level, I`m afraid.
I couldn`t agree more about Amantchi. I suppose we didn`t have a lot of options in the absence of Denton and Kiwomya, but it was ridiculous to expect him to do that job; just like it was against Solihull. It just doesn`t suit his game at all. It was noticeable that when he had somebody playing closer to him he looked a lot more effective. When are some of our idiots going to remember that he`s just turned 18, he`s playing in a struggling side and he needs all the encouragement he can get.

In the second half we kept the ball on the ground more, we ran the channels , we created a few chances and looked a completely different team. My eldest was with me – he hadn`t seen us play since Salford away (God, that seems a lifetime ago) – and said at the end that if we play like we did in the second half for the rest of the season we`ll survive okay. Unfortunately, as I pointed out to him a) we only play like that one half in six and need to be a lot more consistent and b) even when we do we`re only picking up 1 point rather than 3 as a rule; and we`re getting to a point now where it`s becoming rather important that the 1s become 3s.

I heard the rumours about Sheridan as well and have to say that the overall reaction didn`t seem to be overwhelmingly positive. If not him, though, then who?

I thoroughly enjoyed the VIP hospitality business and can recommend it – what`s a club with facilities like that doing where we are? – but I have to say that the experience of having to listen to Bob Newton singing has left me with psychological scars that may take a long time to heal.

[Devongone]

Well if Amelia is right and it is MA in at Barnet, he'll doubtless bring his surrounding troupe of numpties and that will mean Barnet's Assistant Manager, who won yesterday, will be out of a job.

And who did he once play for?

Yes Chesterfield, name of Currie. I still remember a game at Torquay where for the first thirty five minutes he passed the ball out midfield like a dream and just ran the whole game. How we failed to score and eventually leaked two goals to the only attacks Torquay mounted I still haven't worked out. I think he'd work well with Pemberton, feeding youngsters into the team. (He had loads of talent as a player and wasted quite a lot of it, but he understood the game and would know the right ladders to choose, because he tried out one or two of those that turned out to be snakes!)

One of the wiser voices on Bob's about a year ago suggested that Sharman gave the impression that he wouldn't be fazed whatever level he was thrown in at. Sounds as though he was right.

Rawson seemed to have reached a point in his career where he needed something to happen. He failed at Matlock when Matlock were failing, but I'm convinced that eventually you only become a first team player by playing in the first team whether it is the Football League or the Hope Valley League (and it has to be more than the odd ten minutes we gave Ricky German). I know it is a bit sink or swim, but it is better than sitting on the edge of the pool.

I've seen Bob Newton in the shower (with Diego de Girolamo's dad) and I don't think he even sang then! I do think our young centre forwards should be encouraged to chat to him though. He knew how to make the best of the things he could do and still be a problem to defences despite his weaknesses. There's tons of stuff to learn from people like him and Jim Brown who had long careers in the game without being brilliantly talented.

Carlisle won again didn't they? I'd rather be their manager than ours, wouldn't you?

[Devongone]

By the way I'm not surprised idiots in the crowd went after young Levi. I kicked Bob's in the head because of the swell of unconscious racism evident in comments on there. Black, especially big and black, players from SEB through Ricky German, Gozie Ugwu, JBW have been subjected to a different kind of vituperation in the assessment of their performance and ability from white players. Every player can expect a kicking from time to time on a fans' forum ......... but Bob's listens to and defends people who go further than that. There's a nasty undercurrent ........ and I asked how long it would be before they went after Levi - turned out it was three games. It is no way to treat any player, but for a young player thrust into an almost impossible situation ...... it's unforgivable.

SEB drove me mad too, because he didn't appear to be giving value for a big wage. Only much later did I realise that even when he tried to work his socks off, possibly in search of a new contract, he hadn't got it anymore. He'd been top scorer in the Championship with 25 goals two seasons together, by the time we got him he was a 0-10 man in League Two with a strong following wind. He could no longer gain that yard on a defender that got him goals and he'd never been a worker ant at Wolves or Plymouth ....... so working harder had no effect ....... but people on Bob's still berate him and laugh as he slips down the pyramid of the game he still clearly enjoys. He was a very good player, but by the time we got him, ordinary was the best he could ever manage - if he'd been white Bob's might have understood that, but for a black man a couple of bad games wipes out seasons of achievements. And they don't even realise they are doing it. I do hope Levi can stick in a quick hat trick soon and let them suck on that, because given a chance they'll turn him into Ricky German and wonder why it keeps happening.

[Dancingwilldoit]

Had Christmas Dinner at the Proact and was very impressed. Couldn't fault it.
No players or ex players in sight so didn't have to suffer them singing.
Must admit I did look round and wonder how the hell we got ourselves in the mess we are in. The food quality and service was first class, pity we cant match it where it matters.

The thought of Bob Newton and Diego's dad in a shower is one I would want to quickly wipe from my mind Dev so thanks for that.

[Devongone]

Diego's dad used to look like, was it Eric L'Estrada ........ from Chips ......... (looked it up, Erik Estrada, once good-looking!) In or out of the shower, you couldn't complain about how he looked. Bob only looked good when shoulder-charging a centre half out of the way and smashing in a goal from the edge of the box.

Considering our experience with turkeys over the past few years I'm not surprised the Proact is the go-to venue for Christmas dinner.