National League 2017-18

[DarkSithLord]

Former Orient manager Omer Riza has signed for non league side Newmarket Town.

 

[Chief Rocka]

Pools up for sale is reported in the papers but the official line is we need 'investment opportunities' due to the 'legacy' of financial issues over time. Apparently, it's been affecting our results of recent. Last year the players weren't paid on time on a couple of occasions and we had winding up orders.

https://www.hartlepoolunited.co.uk/...garding-ownership-and-investment-opportunity/

We have debts of 1.8 million racked up by that bastard Coxall last season. Can you really see anyone taking that on? Will there be a professional Hartlepool United in the future? Seriously feeling very low right now. Kiss the FL goodbye, it's now likely a battle for our existence.

Like someone said on our forums, it's basically a shit with sugar on statement, I don't know how anyone can see this as a positive move, bottom line is Sage want out, they're apparantly propping us up to the tune of 120k a month, who in their right mind would want to invest in a team in the bottom half of the Conference in one of the most deprived areas of the country?

 

[Railway Blue]

Um well we gave up four goals in three straight games.

A mere trifle compared to the mess Hartlepool (and us) are in.

 

[Chief Rocka]

A mere trifle compared to the mess Hartlepool (and us) are in.

I blame Luke George and his rehabilitation fees...

 

[Luke Imp]

Where's £100k/month going? I mean, that's not something you sort by trimming the squad and staff size (your website has you down as a squad of 29 and 7 staff, which both seem high for a newly relegated side). At least you have a handful of players who others would probably take.

Do you own your stadium or paying rent?

 

[Chief Rocka]

Where's £100k/month going? I mean, that's not something you sort by trimming the squad and staff size (your website has you down as a squad of 29 and 7 staff, which both seem high for a newly relegated side). At least you have a handful of players who others would probably take.

Do you own your stadium or paying rent?

A peppercorn rent to the council, our last chairman was a chancer and con man and left us in a total mess, we can only take their word on how much they're putting in until someone gets their eyes on the books and sees the damage for themselves.

As for saleable players? Few and far between if anyone had seen them this season, I'd imagine young prospect Connor Simpson will be off to Preston in January, Loach could hack it in the division above but there isn't anyone else.

 

[Soup Ladle]

Apparently the club told Harrison ages ago not to play Simpson in case he gets injured and scuppers the 65k deal on the table with Preston. Imagine that figure to go down now, with today's announcement.

 

[Luke Imp]

A peppercorn rent to the council, our last chairman was a chancer and con man and left us in a total mess, we can only take their word on how much they're putting in until someone gets their eyes on the books and sees the damage for themselves.

As for saleable players? Few and far between if anyone had seen them this season, I'd imagine young prospect Connor Simpson will be off to Preston in January, Loach could hack it in the division above but there isn't anyone else.

Thinking more to trim the wage budget than saleable. If people know you're predicament, there's not much bargaining power there.

 

[E10rifle]

Pools up for sale is reported in the papers but the official line is we need 'investment opportunities' due to the 'legacy' of financial issues over time. Apparently, it's been affecting our results of recent. Last year the players weren't paid on time on a couple of occasions and we had winding up orders.

https://www.hartlepoolunited.co.uk/...garding-ownership-and-investment-opportunity/

We have debts of 1.8 million racked up by that bastard Coxall last season. Can you really see anyone taking that on? Will there be a professional Hartlepool United in the future? Seriously feeling very low right now. Kiss the FL goodbye, it's now likely a battle for our existence.

Solidarity, brothers.

As I said a couple of months ago, I’ve put our Trust in contact with yours. Hope they can help you find a solution.

 

[PoolieTom]

Sounds like our Trust have had a lot of help from other clubs Trusts. It appears that our sticking point at the minute is how are we going to fund the remainder of the season without some investment. The Trust certainly can't do it, and our current owners don't appear to want to. Our starting line up yesterday will probably look a lot different to what it does in 2 months time.

 

[PoolieTom]

ps Gary Coxall is an odious little c***

 

[SkyBluesRose]

At this rate Chester are going to escape and Hartlepool will find themselves in the relegation zone come May.

 

[PoolieTom]

At this rate Chester are going to escape and Hartlepool will find themselves in the relegation zone come May.

If we still have a club come may, that is

 

[B2TF]

If we still have a club come may, that is

Looking at the table today, it's strange to remember Billy Heath saying, just over a month ago, we couldn't "compete with clubs like Hartlepool", after you'd walloped us 4-0. Oh well.

 

[PoolieTom]

Can't compete with a team who can't afford to pay their laundry bill? You must be struggling

 

[genesimmons]

Can't compete with a team who can't afford to pay their laundry bill? You must be struggling

I read that in saturdays northern echo. Thought it was a windup by a darlo reporter

 

[B2TF]

Can't compete with a team who can't afford to pay their laundry bill? You must be struggling

Not at all, just living within our means. You should try it.
Unless you fancy following the trail blazed by the Shaymen and later followed by Chester, Darlington, Hereford etc. I wouldn't if I were you, it's a hell of a long way back!

 

[Chief Rocka]

Not at all, just living within our means. You should try it.
Unless you fancy following the trail blazed by the Shaymen and later followed by Chester, Darlington, Hereford etc. I wouldn't if I were you, it's a hell of a long way back!

We’ve been financially fingered by a pair of cockney conmen who both trousered one would imagine a generous wage each, who sold off all saleable players at the first opportunity, roped in the current owners with some bogus stadium redevelopment plan then both scarperd when people done some digging on them and found them both out.

Current owners were incredibly naive and tried chucking money at us in an attempt to go up first time, it’s backfired badly and now they want out, we’re in the position we’re we’ll have to be the skins vs Wrexham as the launderette have our shirts held ransom and rightly so, it’s always little businesses that get fucked over in situations like this.

Pools have never had money and never chucked daft money about ever, bigger teams than us have gone down the swanny I just think we’ll be next.

 

[PoolieTom]

I read that in saturdays northern echo. Thought it was a windup by a darlo reporter

Nope, Loughlin is a Pools supporter. We are well and truly up the swanny

Not at all, just living within our means. You should try it.
Unless you fancy following the trail blazed by the Shaymen and later followed by Chester, Darlington, Hereford etc. I wouldn't if I were you, it's a hell of a long way back!

You're a proper bellend, aren't you?

 

[Chief Rocka]

25th January is the date we need new owners in by or administration is likely.

 

[B2TF]

We’ve been financially fingered by a pair of cockney conmen who both trousered one would imagine a generous wage each, who sold off all saleable players at the first opportunity, roped in the current owners with some bogus stadium redevelopment plan then both scarperd when people done some digging on them and found them both out.

Current owners were incredibly naive and tried chucking money at us in an attempt to go up first time, it’s backfired badly and now they want out, we’re in the position we’re we’ll have to be the skins vs Wrexham as the launderette have our shirts held ransom and rightly so, it’s always little businesses that get fucked over in situations like this.

Pools have never had money and never chucked daft money about ever, bigger teams than us have gone down the swanny I just think we’ll be next.

Deary me, I didn't realise it was as dire as that. #FreeTheShirts
Seriously though, and I'm sure all Shaymen will concur, Hartlepool are more than a brother club, we are blood brothers! The same applies to the other half dozen clubs (Darlington, Newport, Rochdale etc) who kept us in good company during our last 40 years at the foot of the Football League. We're rooting for yous guys.

 

[B2TF]

Nope, Loughlin is a Pools supporter. We are well and truly up the swanny



You're a proper bellend, aren't you?

Erm, no actually. Why do you ask.

 

[Luke Imp]

25th January is the date we need new owners in by or administration is likely.

Seems a bit quick to be talking about admin. Someone, or people, have been sat on the bad news for a while if it comes around that quickly.

 

[PoolieTom]

It's sounding more and more like the bloke who owns the company who own Pools has simply had enough and walked away from it all, cut his losses and left the Chairwoman in charge. She is an accountant and nothing more, so has put the club up for sale. I imagine a lot of bills are paid (i.e. wages) on 25th Jan, and when they aren't paid Administration is inevitable.

Not sure what the National League stance is on Administration, assume we'll be deducted points and possible relegation to Northern League at the end of the season.

Our only saving grace at the minute is that the Trust have said they have a plan to get us through the rest of the season, should no new owners be found.

 

[Luke Imp]

If you get demoted, you'll end up in the one below the 'North', because that comes under the National League umbrella.

 

[PoolieTom]

I assume we will go further below than that. I believe Darlo went to the Northern League, which would be 4 divisions below what we are currently in

 

[Soup Ladle]

We are absolutely fucked and I’ve got no interest in the football side any more. -10points would relegate us with the useless squad that we’ll have left after Jan and a manager who’d be out of his depth stacking shelves in Poundland. We are genuinely CURSED.

200k to raise by jan 25th apparently although not clear why it’s so much. They won’t and haven’t shown the books to the trust so I won’t be donating until I know where that cash is going. Donations are going well but where the cash will go is the sticking point.

I’ve hated this league since we first entered so fortunately it doesn’t look like we’ll be here much longer. The ground is ours so I don’t think we’ll sink as low as Darlo but the minimum is the evo stick unless we suddenly find a buyer.

Once again Jeff Sterling is going to be key. Not had a peep out of Yanick Gers, Wayne Sleep and Meatloaf who apparently support us.

 

[GuiseleySteve]

Stelling sounded quite upbeat about the prospect of new investment. I suppose it all depends just how bleak the financials are.

 

[Soup Ladle]

They are really bleak. I’m lead to believe that the debt is much more than the 1.8m that’s been doing the rounds.

 

[Chief Rocka]

The crowdfunding appeal has been nothing short of staggering, really warms your heart to see so many different people chucking money at a club in a time of need, random teams collecting for us, Ebbsfleet raised £470 today at their game, £400 was raised at Gillingham's game, it really is something else, with that said, like Soup Ladle, I haven't handed over a penny to it, the current owners are basically holding a gun to our heads and asking for £200k by the end of the month or we'll put the club into administration, we're being held to ransom. What happens when/if we raise this money, that keeps us alive until the end of Feb, what then, another round of bucket rattling, it can't happen.

The Trust are about to launch their own fundraising campaign next week, that's were my money will be going, a ring fenced fund in which every penny is accounted for, not just chucking 40/50/60k into a black hole.

Jeff sounded quite positive, he's meeting an investor on Monday alongside the Trust, so I guess Monday/Tuesday will be the make or break for us.