Chris Turner Talks About The Game

Last updated : 29 January 2009 By Thetashkentterror

Chris Turner
Pools Director of Sport Chris Turner spoke to BBC Radio Tees after his side's 2-2 draw at home to Carlisle, Turner understandably pleased with the efforts of his players in coming from 2-0 down to grab a late point :


" We were obviously disappointed going in at half-time at 2-0, I didn't think that once again we didn't deserve to be two down. They scored a great goal after 12 minutes and then we conceded one from a set-piece where two players had not done what they were in their positions to do. So I was disappointed with the first-half, not so much with the effort and the commitment but the quality of the balls into strikers.

" At times the strikers didn't hold it up around the edge of the box and our crossing also was pretty woeful, either into the keeper's (Ben Williams) hands or fell short. Our set-plays and corner-kicks were short but all those improved in the second-half. The players got a bit of heart from the crowd getting behind them and we pushed them back and pushed them back and in the end we thoroughly deserved the point.

" For the first time at half-time I was angry because I felt that we had slipped off, not so much the commitment and effort, but the concentration, which allowed the second goal. The quality, players have got to keep that quality, they have got to keep that tempo, they have got to keep that pressure on the opposition. Apart from the Tony Sweeney effort which the keeper I thought should have held but he made a meal of it, I didn't see us scoring.

" Although young Liam (Henderson) went through, should he have had a shot, I couldn't see from my angle, he tried to play Joel (Porter) in but it didn't reach him, and then one minute later we are 1-0 down. In the second-half which they have done a lot of times this season, they have come back. That has been the achilles heel all season though where at the end of the first-half there is not a lot, well when I say that there isn't a lot of pressure there is because if you go 3-0 down then it is going to become a bit of a rout. "



" They concentrated though, they kept working hard, they kept their quality better on set-plays, we looked like scoring from corners in the second-half and the free-kick deliveries were good. We kept the pressure on in the penalty box and we looked like scoring more than two goals, and unfortunately one of them just went bobbling past the post which could have been 3-2.

" The first goal for us gives everybody a lift, there is no doubt that Andy (Monkhouse) has got talent when the ball is played into him or around him. He brings a strength to us in the air, we put him up the front for the last 20 minutes because we just felt that we needed that little bit more presence. We needed that ball to stick, when Andy went upfront Joel (Porter) started to play I felt.

" I thought that Joel played a magnificent last 25 minutes and that is what he can do in a game. Without being critical of Joel, he says it himself, he played for 25 minutes tonight and nearly won us the game, that is the quality that Joel brings to the team.

" When you are not training to your maximum and you are playing under a little bit of stress at times with the injury then you are not going to play well every week and you are going to have one or two off moments. Some guy behind me was saying 'take him off' but if you take somebody like Joel Porter off then you are taking off a massive opportunity away from somebody getting a goal back in the game, or saving the game or even winning the game.

" All the players put in the commitment and the effort, even when things weren't going so well in the first-half, or we weren't putting good balls in and we weren't pressing in the final third or we weren't creating chances. The boys still put in a hell of a lot of effort then and when you think that they have had a very, very tough 90-95 minutes on Saturday, a bit of a disappointment for them on Saturday. Then going two goals down in the first-half, I think that they have done their team and the club credit in the second-half, but I am annoyed that we are having to come back from 2-0 down once again. "



" I thought that Ben (Clark), and especially in the second-half, made some interventions in the penalty box, got some blocks, knocked some good balls forward. Michael Nelson takes a hell of a lot of the plaudits most of the weeks but I think that Ben tonight, he takes the plaudits tonight.

" I think that those two and Sam Collins, it is always a difficult decision which two to play, at the moment it is Ben and Nelse. In three or four matches time Sam Collins might come in for whatever reason and then it is up to him then to stay in the team. We have got a lot of games in short spaces of time, we are going to need all the squad to be fit and to be committed to the cause.

" We are trying on the transfer front, we have been waiting on one particular player which was supposedly promised the answer tomorrow and it is supposedly favourable. So I am looking to bring a player in in the next 24 hours to give us some extra strength. If that doesn't materialise then I have got one or two other players to look at. We are scouring the country, we have spoken to the majority of clubs that you can think of regarding players and bringing them in.

" Numbers is going to be a problem to us where, your team is all about your bench, you need to turn to your bench and think a and b and c. They can turn this game, they can save this game, that is where your strength is, not necessarily always the first eleven, which obviously have to be good. It has to be your bench where you can change games, and sometimes, speaking with Dan (Danny Wilson) early in on the season, turn at the bench and we just haven't got the players. Or we haven't got the quality that can go out there and change a game.

" Tonight we put young Dave (David Foley) on on the right-hand side and put Andy Monkhouse upfront. That is materialising the squad and that is utilising the squad, you are playing a right-winger, or left-winger, up the front. I thought that Andy going up the front gave Joel a bit of a new lease of life and Joel started to take responsibility, and that is why we got back in the game. "