Discipline costs Hartlepool United again: Pools struggle to strike the balance between combativeness and chaos

Sarll has been criticised in some quarters for the recent indiscipline of his new-look team; while it might be fair to lay some of the blame at his door, it's almost impossible to legislate for Waterfall's actions at the weekend, when the red mist descended and he lashed out at Braintree captain George Langston.

Even if Sarll's pre-match team talks involved him showing the best bits of the Rocky Balboa films, or his training sessions included lessons in mixed martial arts, he can't have foreseen that his captain was going to let him down in a moment of madness that resulted in his second red card in his last three appearances; Waterfall is now set to serve a four match ban and Pools will have to cope without his dominant defending and leadership.

To an extent, the resolute rearguard action of his teammates spared his blushes as Pools managed to battle their way to a 0-0 draw, just as they did when Waterfall was sent off against Southend two weeks ago; that said, part-time Braintree arrived in the North East one place above the National League relegation zone, made the long trip from Essex on the morning of the game and should have been there for the taking.

Even so, calls to strip the 34-year-old of the captaincy are wide of the mark.

Waterfall's record with the armband speaks for itself; he's led both Lincoln and Grimsby to promotion from the National League and is determined to add more silverware to his C.V with Pools.

What's more, Sarll trusts the veteran defender and Waterfall's performances have been, for the most part, excellent since his January arrival; it doesn't excuse his two red cards, but Poolies should still be mindful of the difference he's made to his side's defensive fortunes.

It's impossible to know what has prompted his recent spate of ill-discipline other than a series of uncharacteristic moments of madness; his two dismissals have come about as a result of dissent, albeit after a blatant refereeing mistake, a needless tactical foul and a huge error in lashing out at Iron skipper Langston.

He certainly won't need a lecture - both Sarll and Gary Madine said in post-match interviews that the skipper was devastated - nor sure Pools fans be too concerned about his ability to bounce back.

Waterfall has vast experience, is a strong character and a natural leader; while he might be sailing a bit close to the wind at the moment, and he absolutely can't afford another mistake, he remains the right man to captain Pools.

Of course, not all Pools fans will agree but it's also worth considering the disruptive impact stripping the skipper of the armband might have - while there are other candidate capable of replacing him, Sarll would risk tarnishing his relationship with Waterfall who remains, above all, a key part of his impressive defensive machine.

While Waterfall might be the man to make most of the headlines, he isn't the only one guilty of a lack of discipline this season; Jack Hunter's red card against Woking was equally needless and actually cost his side more, while almost the entire team have been a little too eager to steam into tackles or lambast the referee.

Waterfall's plight, therefore, is indicative of a more serious issue - Pools cannot continue to be quite so reckless but must also seek to maintain the combative approach that has helped them outmuscle a number of opponents so far this season.

It's clear that Sarll is eager for his players to be masters of the dark arts capable of dominating their opponents but he must engineer a solution that allows Pools to continue in a similar vein without the referee feeling the need to get out his notebook every five minutes.

The first thing Pools must do is to cut out the needless offences; no matter how frustrated Waterfall might have been with referee Paul Marden's decision to award Southend a throw-in when it should have gone, as the man in the middle later admitted, to his side, it was not worth getting so worked up about that he received the first of his two yellow cards.

Pools must also be more careful to avoid picking up bookings in such quick succession; Waterfall's two yellows came within 10 minutes of one another, albeit either side of half time, while Hunter was given his marching orders three minutes after he was initially carded.

And while supporters have taken to Darren Sarll's blood and thunder approach, his side's mindset looks to be in need of a readjustment.

Pools must pick their battles in a way that allows them to continue to dominate matches without making themselves a target for referees up and down the country; tactical fouls, a bit of time-wasting and the occasional strong tackle are all important elements of a powerful team's playbook, but dissent and violent conduct need not be.

Of course, this is all easier said than done and Sarll has reiterated that he wants his players to remain on the edge; while it might be easy for supporters to lambast Jack Hunter's late tackles while watching it back from the comfort of their living rooms, in the moment the midfielder has a split second to make a decision whether or not to commit to the challenge.

It might not be simple and it's unlikely Pools are about to transform from one of the National League's most full blooded outfits into leading contenders for the fair play award, but Sarll's side do need to strike a better balance.

On the other hand, Pools fans must also be mindful that this is a side prepared to take risks in pursuit of dominating opponents - it's true that Sarll and his team need to rein it in a bit but last season, when Pools received just one red card throughout the entire National League campaign, they were criticised for being too soft.

Sarll certainly seems to have the right idea - fans would surely rather see their team give it a right good go than be subjected to another campaign pockmarked by passivity - but both the new boss and his players are still yet to strike the perfect balance.