This week John manages to talk about the involvement of James Bond in Hartlepool United, he again returns to the subject of Bolton Wanderers, and (as instructed from within Fortress Vic) he adopts a positive approach to looking at the work of a number of other Trusts – including the ongoing impact of a trust on tomorrow’s visitors, AFC Telford.

John starts the New Year by going back to an article from 2013 by Stuart Fuller, Chairman of Lewes FC and writer of the award winning The Ball is Round blog – this thought provoking read gets John musing about Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain playing for Pools and wondering if the time is now right for the return of Steve Howard. Steve Howard who, like Simon Walton, finished his Pools career with a red card – which gets John around to welcoming ‘old fist-pump’ back to Fortress Vic!

Are all Gateshead fans bald? What did Mark Maguire ask Santa? Has the game gone mad? A definite case of Bah Humbug from John Ashton who ends the year with a few questions.