The 5th most anticipated game of the season (Carlisle v Hartlepool)

[hellogregory]

Wasn't there today but delighted with the result, particularly having been down to 10 and pegged back twice.

From comments on this thread it sounds like we didn't play well at home (again). I feel a good side up at the exclusive end of the table with us will eventually exploit our shit home performances. So that needs to improve to the level of our away displays. But can't complain at playing badly and winning.

 

[cufc17]

I wouldn't say we played bad, we let them keep possession in the first half but could've went in 2-0 up. Jabo could have scored early in the second half too.

Miller's red card obviously changed the game but despite their possession they didn't create too many clear chances,

Jones is superb at this level, him and Joyce have been great all season.

A good attendance and a very good atmosphere, probably the best in the league in a while.

 

[hellogregory]

I do think Jones is our key player. Him and Joyce don't half protect that back 4. At Morecambe Jones absolutely took the game by the scruff of the neck and got us on top. He can tackle, block, pass, get forward. He definitely is too good for this league.

 

[hellogregory]

Hignett is a bit of a clown isn't he.

I've just watched his post match interview on the Hartlepool website and he starts off by saying he can't fault the players, but then goes on to say he's annoyed by the goals they conceded. He also says they controlled the game from start to finish (err you can't have controlled it very well mate to lose to 10 men) and said Carlisle were never going to score the way they were playing, but then conceded the first cheaply. What?!!!!

 

[Chief Rocka]

Hignett is a bit of a clown isn't he.

I've just watched his post match interview on the Hartlepool website and he starts off by saying he can't fault the players, but then goes on to say he's annoyed by the goals they conceded. He also says they controlled the game from start to finish (err you can't have controlled it very well mate to lose to 10 men) and said Carlisle were never going to score the way they were playing, but then conceded the first cheaply. What?!!!!

I wouldn't read too much into it, last week after our piss poor showing against Crawley a game we managed to some how scrape a 1-1 draw in, he said we were the only team looking like winning it, this is despite Crawley hitting the bar and post 3 times and having one kicked off the line in the last minute.

 

[shoddycollins]

I think fifth most anticipated may have been putting it mildly.

I've decided the main positive to come from this is we've now taken 9 points from what I had down as a difficult start to a six week spell, against Colchester, Morecambe and Hartlepool. Our next four opponents are Stevenage, Crawley, Newport and Exeter. In the October thread I had us down to lose at Morecambe but felt that Colchester and Hartlepool would be likely to take points off us. I said I'd be happy with 10 points and had us down to have 4 points by this point in October. We have 9 points and with 2 games left, suddenly 10 points seems like it would be a disappointing return for the month.

Who wants to put a fiver on our unbeaten run coming to an end at Newport?

 

[Soup Ladle]

I like Hignett, he wears his heart on his sleeve (a bit like Moore) but unlike Moore (in his final season) has instilled a team spirit and determination in the side and the football we play is better than it has been for a while. He's signed some good attacking players but can't say the same defensively. Very naive at the back. Probably 2/3 defenders off a promotion winning side, really lack a Mirfin type who can read the game, mark and not get caught out of position much.

Tactically he tries stuff, didn't come off today and other days it hasn't but there've been times he's changed it around and we've looked threatening. He's still learning and needs to be given time.

Curle's had loads of time at Carlisle and we're not far off them on yesterday's evidence

 

[shoddycollins]

As if people needed further reminding of how shit the attention given to us at this level is by the national media:

Did anyone notice on Channel 5 last night, Adam Virgo saying he wasn't surprised we were going well as Curle has made some good signings, brought in Grainger and Raynes.

Raynes is now in his second season with us, Grainger is in his third and wasn't even a Curle signing.

In other news, it's no surprise Plymouth are doing well this season with signings such as Luke McCormick coming into the team and Luton are doing excellently given the 30 point deduction, but can Wycombe hang on to Martin O'Neill?

 

[Carver]

Why did you not go Gregory?

 

[shoddycollins]

Why did you not go Gregory?

Curle read some of his comments on here and decided we don't need any of that negativity around Brunton Park.

 

[Seabird]

Best atmosphere at BP for many a year ,the belief is returning and so are the fans ,both home and away.

 

[Carver]

Curle read some of his comments on here and decided we don't need any of that negativity around Brunton Park.

Good point Shoddy, we aren't quite as good as Barcelona yet to make Gregory happy enough to go and watch us.

 

[Carver]

Best atmosphere at BP for many a year ,the belief is returning and so are the fans ,both home and away.

Yep yep, more fans are coming out of the woodwork all of a sudden.

 

[shoddycollins]

Yep yep, more fans are coming out of the woodwork all of a sudden.

I'm sure a lot of them will go straight back into the woodwork for the visit of Crawley. There were around an extra 2000 Carlisle fans in the ground yesterday on top of the usual attendance over the last couple of seasons but just looking around me, I didn't get the impression that these were disillusioned fans returning to the club, seemed more like a lot of football tourists who normally would be calling you sad for being a season-ticket holder and spending their weekends watching Sky Sports, tweeting about Jordan Henderson's haircut, and trying to put together the perfect 'accy' composed entirely of Premier League teams. However, because someone said something about it being a derby, (even though no normal Carlisle fan would go so far as to call Hartlepool a derby) they decided to come along so they can play dress-up at being a 1970's casual and then go to work on Monday and brag to their other Premier League supporting mates how they went to see some 'proper football' at the weekend had some 'bantz' and how it all got 'a bit nawty' when the 'Hartlepool boyz were getting leary' and at one point a copper gave him a stern look when he used a bad word so now he thinks there's a photo of him pinned to noticeboard under 'known football troublemakers' at police HQ. Nevertheless this will be the only game they attend all season.

Some of the unfamiliar chants coming out of the Warwick did smack of the suspicion that a meeting was had through the week to organise the chanting. Someone brought a printed out list of current Carlisle players to this meeting.

 

[Carver]

Apparently a steward head butted a Carlisle fan yesterday and broke his nose just because the fan said that he was handling the crowd trouble too badly.

 

[shoddycollins]

Apparently a steward head butted a Carlisle fan yesterday and broke his nose just because the fan said that he was handling the crowd trouble too badly.

Yeah I heard about that. I remember seeing the crowd-trouble in the East Stand and thinking it was Carlisle fans fighting amongst themselves... assumed someone who rarely goes had rubbed someone up the wrong way, or they were fans of rival premiership teams, then I heard someone say that a steward started it, but was surprised to hear confirmation a steward had actually been arrested.

 

[Carver]

Yeah I heard about that. I remember seeing the crowd-trouble in the East Stand and thinking it was Carlisle fans fighting amongst themselves... assumed someone who rarely goes had rubbed someone up the wrong way, or they were fans of rival premiership teams, then I heard someone say that a steward started it, but was surprised to hear confirmation a steward had actually been arrested.

I've just had a look on the Carlisle message board and the guy that was head butted said that the Police told him the Steward was not a regular and had been called over from the North East as extra cover, there had been other assaults committed by the same man yesterday that ultimately got him arrested.

 

[shoddycollins]

Bad crack like when the people you bring in to prevent bother end up causing it. I'm sure our own stewards were perfectly capable of handling things, but then I'm sure the police said you need xx many stewards at this game, forcing us to draft in extras.

 

[Carver]

Bad crack like when the people you bring in to prevent bother end up causing it. I'm sure our own stewards were perfectly capable of handling things, but then I'm sure the police said you need xx many stewards at this game, forcing us to draft in extras.

The Police presence was over the top in my opinion!

You'd think we were playing Leeds or Millwall.

 

[hellogregory]

Good point Shoddy, we aren't quite as good as Barcelona yet to make Gregory happy enough to go and watch us.

Holiday

But quick note..., until yesterday I've been to every league game home and away this season apart from Cambridge (A). Have you been to more?

So don't give me that shite.

 

[Glasshalffullpools]

The Police presence was over the top in my opinion!

You'd think we were playing Leeds or Millwall.

The thing is ....WHEN you go up , there will be more away followings of 500+ ....is this going to be the normal way of dealing with it ? .....I've been part of a 400 odd away support at Morecambe , turned up ,,had a drink , watched the game and went home ...all without even noticing a steward or a copper

 

[Carver]

Holiday

But quick note..., until yesterday I've been to every league game home and away this season apart from Cambridge (A). Have you been to more?

So don't give me that shite.

Maaaaaaaaaaaate

I was only winding you up.

No I haven't been to more, BUT I don't pick out the negatives when we win.

 

[shoddycollins]

The thing is ....WHEN you go up , there will be more away followings of 500+ ....is this going to be the normal way of dealing with it ? .....I've been part of a 400 odd away support at Morecambe , turned up ,,had a drink , watched the game and went home ...all without even noticing a steward or a copper

Still feels like we've only just arrived back down here. The police presence yesterday was way more than it was for out last big away crowd, Oxford (it was the day they won promotion so they brung a few and got the Waterworks End opened for them), and was often the case to with big away followings in L1, it tends to be the old bill overreacting to the identity rather than the number of away fans. I remember they were a bit much when we last hosted Preston.

Like other Carlisle fans have alluded to, they seem to think that any time we play a team of at least equal size to ourselves from anywhere north of York then it's going to be something like River Plate v Boca Juniors.

I saw the police enter a group of Poolies on horseback before the game, what happened there?

 

[hellogregory]

Maaaaaaaaaaaate

I was only winding you up.

No I haven't been to more, BUT I don't pick out the negatives when we win.

This is the type of thing that started off your path to Durham nick

 

[hellogregory]

I saw the police enter a group of Poolies on horseback before the game, what happened there?

Was this consensual?
Either way, it's an away day they'll never forget.

 

[Alan Partridge]

I saw the police enter a group of Poolies on horseback before the game, what happened there?

That's usual crack for them lot is it not?

That steward got a right filling after that head butt from the young'uns sat behind.

Slightly off-topic, I was shocked to read on another post where you mentioned driving back after one of the Leeds game from a few years back. I had you down as one of those late-teen-who-still-wears-his-home-top-over-his-hoody types going by your posts... no offence, like. It's just the impression I got.

 

[Carver]

Who the fuck is Nathan Thomas?

Some Poolie fan on here said he's the best winger in L2 and his transfer fee is seven figures.

Bollocks man!

That's not what I saw on Saturday. He was anonymous.

 

[Seabird]

Yep yep, more fans are coming out of the woodwork all of a sudden.

It's not the amount of fans that was impressive it was the atmosphere created.For the first time in a long time at BP I went home thinking that was really good. We had 17,000 at the Everton game last year and you could here a pin drop.

 

[Carver]

It's not the amount of fans that was impressive it was the atmosphere created.For the first time in a long time at BP I went home thinking that was really good. We had 17,000 at the Everton game last year and you could here a pin drop.

Yes it was amazing, especially when Grainger scored. It just shows the potential our fanbase has.

 

[PoolieTom]

Who the fuck is Nathan Thomas?

Some Poolie fan on here said he's the best winger in L2 and his transfer fee is seven figures.

Bollocks man!

That's not what I saw on Saturday. He was anonymous.

That there is the main reason he is in league 2, and we won't get a seven figure sum for him. When he has a bad day, you barely notice he is playing. Granted they have been few and far between so far this season, and he's had more good games than bad. More consistency and he wouldn't be at Hartlepool.

As for Hignett - it's been a breath of fresh air this season to see us actually trying to play football after the abomination that was Sir Ronnie Moore and his 1950's book of tactics. He is a new manager with no experience which is clearly showing. However, he has all the credentials to become a top manager. It does sometimes feel like he is a better number two though, the tactician so to speak. Lacks a bit in the decision making department that is required of a successful manager - but hoping that in time this will come to him.

Sounds like another game we have dominated possession (despite missing Nicky Feath) but failed to capitalise. Now he is back and Donnelly can go back to centre half we should see a dramatic improvement in defence. Disappointed in the result, but I never expected the performance, so fairly please with that. If you said at the start of the season we would've taken 5 points after playing 4 of the top 6 sides, I would've snapped your hand off. We are actually competing with the top teams now, which is a million miles away from where we were last season. Hopefully we can keep a settled side from now till Xmas and be in or around the play-offs going into the new year.