NATIONALLY, the power struggle at Anfield has caught the eye, but the North-East has had its own takeover talk bubbling along.

During the last eight days Hartlepool have been asked to confirm or deny well-placed suggestions that the club’s owners, Increased Oil Recovery, have been seeking investment of some sort.

The figures being talked about are substantial for a League One club, but nothing has materialised and the situation is believed to be the reason director of sport Chris Turner has been unable to add more than four faces to his squad.

It has led to an air of negativity sweeping through the fans, fearing a third successive struggle against relegation could be on the cards, with Turner intent on proving people wrong with the players he has at his disposal.

For some reason IOR have remained silent. If there’s little money available for further investment as things stand, chairman Ken Hodcroft should have come out and said so.

It seems strange that, with pessimism settling in, there has been no message of any sort in such times. Hodcroft has worked wonders in transforming the face of the club for more than a decade, but needs to outline IOR’s future plans to help improve relations with the town.

Pools start their season at Rochdale today, but they will need the fans to support the players for opening home matches with Sheffield United in the Carling Cup and Swindon next Saturday.

Rather than hide behind a wall of silence, a club like Hartlepool needs to be united in League One. Maybe most of the fans would understand.

DURING years of declining attendances at Middlesbrough’s home matches, there has also been a drop in the figures of supporters’ clubs members in recent times.

Middlesbrough Supporters South have been in touch to try to give their relaunch some publicity. There used to be more than 1,000 members during the Bruce Rioch, Bryan Robson and Steve McClaren eras, harder times have seen that dwindle to 150 leading in to the new season.

www.facebook.com/Middles broughSupportersSouth THE fact Ben Stokes is a powerful lad might have something to do with his diet.

During his first year in the Durham Academy he was said to be struggling financially, despite being paid £50 a week.

He wasn’t gambling or drinking, nor did he have a girlfriend with expensive tastes, so why was he struggling to make ends meet?

When asked about his diet he replied that he ate what he knew how to cook. And it transpired that the only thing he knew how to cook was steak.