Hi everyone, after an excellent start to the season I was looking to continue this form into the autumn months. I will have a total of ten games over the next two months so a possibility of getting up to 30 points but I doubt that I will get that many.
Before I start I have to tell you that I made two more signings that I forgot to tell you about at the end of my last post. The first of which was Welsh midfielder James Koumas again a little bit on the old side but he has Premier League experience which will come in handy and the second of which is central defender James Chester who I signed on a free transfer after being released from Manchester United in the summer.
October
V Ipswich
The first game of October saw us at home with Ipswich making the journey from East Anglia. I was looking forward to this game as we have usually done well against teams have been the premiership in recent seasons. In the end it was another decent performance against a good side but I couldn’t convert the chances that I created.
V Doncaster
A really exciting game ended up in defeat for my Hartlepool by the odd goal in 5. It looked as if the game was going to finish in a 2-2 draw but Dean Shields grabbed the winner in the 87th minute and made up for the mistake when he scored an own goal to make it 2-2.
V Portsmouth
I got back to winning ways with a win over Portsmouth where goals from Henaini and Woolford had cancelled out Portsmouth goal that came from Dave Nugent. It was another win against a team that were in the Premier League a few seasons back. It seemed to be I could win when I was the underdog and lose when I was favourite to win.
V Burnley
We were certainly having an exciting season and the goals were flying in left, right and centre. This game was no different and this time we were involved in a game that had 6 goals. The match finished 3-3. After taking a 2-1 lead into half time with a goal each from Brown and Moore, Burnley started the second half and found themselves 3-2 up after 66 minutes but a second goal of the match from Luke Moore just two minutes later finished the scoring at 3-3.
V Swansea
In the final game of the month we travelled to Wales to face a Swansea side who were top of the league so I was expecting for it to be a tough game but once again my side proved to be no pushovers and won the game 2-0 both goals came from summer signing Moore and he seemed to be finding his feet in the Championship now.
Performance of the month
V Swansea
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AE_EqJSOuvw
November
V Nottm Forest
The first game started with a home game against Nottm Forest. My players put in a very poor performance against a team who were second in the league and paid the price by losing 3-0 and Nottm deserved the three points to take them back to the midlands.
V Peterborough
Another game which featured six goals but gladly this time we won the game 4 goals to 2. Due, Woolford and a brace from Henaini ensured another thrilling win against a team that came up with me from League 1 last season. I was hoping to build on this win and push up the league into the play-off places.
V Wigan
Wigan posed another tough game for my Hartlepool side and I felt that if I could replicate the performances in the last game then I should be ok and indeed I was although this game was pretty dull and deserved the 0-0 scoreline it finished with.
V Derby
Next up was a trip to the midlands to face Derby County. They are currently in 15th position a few place below us and it was certainly going to be a close match. In the end it was Derby who came out on top by one goal in a 2-1 win. We had initially taken the lead though Henaini but two second half goals saw us slip to our sixth defeat of the season.
V Newcastle
The final match of November saw us face a familiar team in the form of Newcastle United. They had been relegated back to the Championship (which is where I think we’re going with Pardew and Ashley at the realm) and were finding it hard and were stuck in 19th place. I almost didn’t want to win the game but I knew Hartlepool was more important this time. In the end the game finished all square at 0-0 and there is nothing much I could tell you about this game other than Newcastle were the better side.
Performance of the month
V Peterborough
Sorry but the problem with the video uploading to YouTube has come up again and it seems to only happen on certain games as I have uploaded other that will feature later on in my next post.
Oct + Nov Results
Another decent two months and I feel that we certainly have enough to survive in this league it may be time to change my season expectations and give an almighty push for the play-off places.
Table
By the end of November I was in 10th place and I was pleased with the start that we were making to the season and they certainly took note of what I said at the start of the season which was to hit the ground running at the start of the season and let team below us to try and catch us up and not the other way around. I was only two points away from the play-off places so that was still a possibility going into the winter months.
Thanks for reading
Warren
Sears
9 декабря, 2010 at 19:43
They were two alright months Warren, you’ll have no trouble avoiding the drop this season. Jeez, no team in the Championship seem to have a stable defense :-D
warren
9 декабря, 2010 at 20:09
Thanks Sears
I think that with the start we have made there are no worries to whether or not we will get relegated this season.
It is a bit weird as Sheff Utd and Reading have to two best defences in the league and they are conceding at just over 1 goal a game. It certainly makes for a exciting season.
Daniel
9 декабря, 2010 at 22:59
great post warren i think you chould have a look at signing either james tomkins or Jordan spence on loan as both could boost ur defence that liitle bit more
warren
10 декабря, 2010 at 12:50
I’ll have a look at these players and see if I can get a loan deal for them but I will have to wait and see until January to get them.
kevin
10 декабря, 2010 at 08:34
Hi warren
That’s too bad that you hit a sort of inconsistent run of form but the Championship is a tough league and I hope the end of the year and into January will bring you more wins. Nice victory over Peterborough. good luck.
warren
10 декабря, 2010 at 12:55
Hi Kevin
I seem to have a bit of inconsistancy in my team just like the end of the last season but I think that this is more to do with it being a competitive league rather than my Hartlepool player not performing up to standards. I mean there is just 13 places seperated by 8 points.
Ana Garcia
10 декабря, 2010 at 12:26
A bit up and down, how many points do you think you will need to survive in this league? (Sorry my knowledge of lower leagues in England is pretty bad).
Am sure you can turn the corner and start winning some games on a consistant basis again, good luck!
warren
10 декабря, 2010 at 13:02
It seems to me that I can never get a good run of form but as soon as I do I will surely rocket up the table as it is incredibly close near the top.
I think that I will need around 40/50 points to survive this season as like I have said it is a really tight league and you can shoot up and down the league table really quickly
Lye Kuek Hin
10 декабря, 2010 at 13:58
Hi Warren,
The team performance was inconsistent and you need to sort it out if you want to have a good finish. You definitely need to aim high as you team is more than equipped to have a good season. Good luck.
warren
10 декабря, 2010 at 15:45
This is my main worry and if I can get it sorted then I will surely get the play-off places. Its frustrating when you have inconsistant form because you think you have may turned a corner and you end up losing a game that you should win.
I had a similar problem last season and I hope that it doesn’t affect what we want to achieve this season.
Laxeyman
10 декабря, 2010 at 16:34
Well done Warren, another decent couple of months, and you’ve certianly got what it takes to survive in the Championship. You’re not far off the play off places either, hopefully you can push for a place in there. Good luck!
warren
10 декабря, 2010 at 18:00
I am certainly not far from the play-off places and a good run of form should see me in that position but its whether or not I can stay there with the team performing so inconsistantly.
Darren Smith
10 декабря, 2010 at 18:14
Wow, the table is really tight this year. You have dropped in form but its to be expected in such a tough league and considering you just got promoted. At least some really tough games are out of the way and you may be able to improve over the next few months. Your still in a great position so goodluck mate.
warren
10 декабря, 2010 at 18:44
The fact that I have played most of the teams that are expected to be near the top of the table come the end of the season has to be a positive but like you have said yourself it is a tight table which means ever game is as hard as the next one.
Johnny Karp
11 декабря, 2010 at 10:20
A play-off place could be on the cards but so far you conceded more goals than you have scored and that’s not a great sign if you want to push for promotion. Relegation is out of the question but the team will have to improve if you want to climb up the table. Good luck!
warren
11 декабря, 2010 at 11:56
I agree I have conceded too many goals and I am looking to bring in new players in January to help out the defence but I dont think any team in this league is keeping many clean sheets.
Frank
11 декабря, 2010 at 14:26
Hi Warren,
Relegation is out of the question but maybe a great second half of the season could see you challenge for a play off spot but that will only happen if defenders are bought in. I recommend someone like Bruma (chelsea) Tomkins (west ham) Da Laet (man u)
thefootballgaffer.blogspot.com
warren
11 декабря, 2010 at 19:33
I have always said that if I can muster up a good run of form I can reach the play-off places. I will also have a look at these players but with the finances of the club in the red this may not be the best decision.