Which team would is best?:

McKeown

Tait Nsiala Gowling Robertson

Arnold Clay Disley Nolan

Amond Bogle

OR

McKeown

Efete Waterfall Towler Crookes

Hunt Fox

Sousa McAtee Bapaga

Taylor

Thinking about it I think we have far more depth this season (2 good options in all positions) and not even included Longe-King, Clifton, Revan to name but a few.

Compare end of season when it matters

Tough question. Hard to choose between the two very different midfields, defences and the way goals are scored. But I reckon McKeown is the best goalie.

Hypothetical answer   -   Both, as they were in different eras. ;) ;)

I was chatting to Podge’s dad this afternoon

The distance between Newport and Grimsby meant that a loan move this year was never really on the cards

Quoted from IrishMariner

I was chatting to Podge’s dad this afternoon

The distance between Newport and Grimsby meant that a loan move this year was never really on the cards

Yeah, it's a fair old commute.

Yeah at the moment I'd go second one for squad for sure but were only a quarter of the way through the season

I am totally amazed at how good the current squad is, and we could almost play two different 11's and still be too good for most teams. Not sure how Hurst has done it as none of signings looked particularly stellar at the time.

This team is far better than the play off side and the only question is can they sustain it over the season.

I would say this is the most exciting team for donkeys years and with the new owners we are in a fantastic position to really progress and become the club we all knew we could be. Everyone at BP must be absolutely buzzing.

I’d expect this seasons team to change a bit as the season progresses especially if Hunt and Towler return to their clubs so too early to tell.

Early days but this seasons side doesn’t look like it has as much weight on its shoulders as the promotion side which might contribute to the confidence levels.

Not sure why it needs to be compared, the comparison at the end of the season will be who got promoted.

The current lot are (at the moment at least) delivering better, more consistent performances.

Won’t know for sure until the end of the season but I’m pretty confident this is the best team we have had in 15 years.

Is there any need to compare?

As others have said, two key components of this season’s side are loanees who might not be here much longer.

i wish we had Jon Nolan now though. he really was excellent for us in those 6 months

I think this team is much better - if we finish 21 points behind top spot this season I'll shove a hot dog etc etc.

The reality is that it’s not as simple as looking at the component parts in terms of players - there’s a lot more to it than that.

On the one hand we have the same manager, yet at the same time also a very different one. For me, Hurst mark one teams were characterised by pragmatism but also predictability - rigid formations, typically 442, that were not systematically creative and reliant on individual flair to open teams up.

The system we are playing now is very different. Much more fluid and capable of hurting teams in different ways. You can’t thwart this Town side simply by sitting deep or marking individuals out of the game - we’ve just got too much for that.

So all that said, it’s difficult to compare. There are some great players in that 15/16 side, not least Amond with his 30+ goals that season. Whether he’d fit into today’s system is questionable though, and you can apply the same to others.

It’s also a little unfair to compare a team over a full season to one that’s so far only played 11 league games. However, the team six years ago did only scrape into the play-offs, and then only just managed to overcome Braintree in the play-offs over two legs.

It’s early days, but I think what we have right now as a complete package is the best of our non-league days. Time will tell though.

I’m just enjoying this season. Let’s hope it continues for a long time.

I think I'll enjoy each of those teams independently and not worry too much about which is best.

Hopefully they have something in common by the season's end!

Quoted from RichMariner

I think I'll enjoy each of those teams independently and not worry too much about which is best.

Hopefully they have something in common by the season's end!

That they're all playing for Hartlepool?

Difficult ever to compare but I don't think any of the promotion side were loanees. The current squad excellent as it is, has on loan players in a number of the outstanding spots so I'll go for the earlier team

Quoted from Poojah

The reality is that it’s not as simple as looking at the component parts in terms of players - there’s a lot more to it than that.

On the one hand we have the same manager, yet at the same time also a very different one. For me, Hurst mark one teams were characterised by pragmatism but also predictability - rigid formations, typically 442, that were not systematically creative and reliant on individual flair to open teams up.

The system we are playing now is very different. Much more fluid and capable of hurting teams in different ways. You can’t thwart this Town side simply by sitting deep or marking individuals out of the game - we’ve just got too much for that.

So all that said, it’s difficult to compare. There are some great players in that 15/16 side, not least Amond with his 30+ goals that season. Whether he’d fit into today’s system is questionable though, and you can apply the same to others.

It’s also a little unfair to compare a team over a full season to one that’s so far only played 11 league games. However, the team six years ago did only scrape into the play-offs, and then only just managed to overcome Braintree in the play-offs over two legs.

It’s early days, but I think what we have right now as a complete package is the best of our non-league days. Time will tell though.

Agree fully. Good post.

Quoted from Ipswin

Difficult ever to compare but I don't think any of the promotion side were loanees. The current squad excellent as it is, has on loan players in a number of the outstanding spots so I'll go for the earlier team

Pat Hoban ;)

Quoted from Hagrid

i wish we had Jon Nolan now though. he really was excellent for us in those 6 months

Yes, he was good but who would you leave out for him ?

Quoted from Hagrid

Pat Hoban ;)

Yeah there were a few loans that season. Henderson for example.

No contest.Current team.

Quoted from pizzzza

Yeah there were a few loans that season. Henderson for example.

Dean Henderson wasn't that year. His loan was the following season when we were in the EFL.

Quoted from toontown

Dean Henderson wasn't that year. His loan was the following season when we were in the EFL.

I didn't say Dean  ;)