Letters of the week: 'Hartlepool United problems on the pitch started before the financial crash'

Former Pools boss Craig Harrison on his arrival last summer.

In fact, some might say that this truly remarkable feat has already been achieved.

How else do you account for the way that Craig Harrison, Matthew Bates and Paul Jenkins have miraculously transformed themselves over the past couple of weeks from The Three Amigos into Colonel Travis, Davy Crockett and Jim Bowie, valiantly defending the Alamo (aka the Vic) against overwhelming odds?

Though you have to wonder, don’t you?

Does it ever cross their courageous minds, for instance, that maybe they are partly responsible for the desperate plight in which the club finds itself?

As any hardened Pools fan will testify, home form this season has been anywhere from dire to disgraceful.

Nor should it be forgotten that a fair dollop of this direness and disgracefulness occurred long before the financial crisis was ever heard of.

Had it not been for some heroics from goalkeeper Scott Loach, many of the points we have managed to scrape at home would have ended up in another team’s column.

Of course a goalkeeper is just a member of the squad.

Also read: Five key areas for Hartlepool United caretaker boss Matthew Bates to address

But the very last thing any squad needs is for its keeper to be a candidate for man of the match, week in, week out – especially at home.

The upshot of this all too frequent dross is the gradual falling off of home gates.

We are now down to the poor unfortunate faithful, like myself.

Those who have no choice but to turn up.

The 2,600 or so who ignored the warning voice and still bought a season ticket.

Talking of turning up, it’s a pity the team didn’t take a leaf more often.

And so, before our trio of heroes start slapping one another on the back, congratulating themselves on what a “spiffing” job they’re all doing, perhaps they want to reflect on the 1,000 fans their confusing brand of sub-standard football has contrived to drive away.

The extra cash may not have kept the wolf from the door.

But it might have made the taxman smile.

Robert Ord,The Oval,Hartlepool.

Letters editor's note: This letter was received before Craig Harrison's departure from Hartlepool United.

Last week's Letter of the week: Loan arrangement may save Hartlepool United