Childhood Dream - A Hartlepool United Story

[Paul Howard]

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Breaking News


Today Sky Sports can bring you the news of the sacking of Hartlepool United manager Mick Wadsworth. Mick had formerly been caretaker manager at Hartlepool and then took over the managerial job on full time after a string of good results. However the ambitions of the board were not something Mick could agree with and the chairman of Hartlepool United, Ken Hodcroft, and asked for more funds from the board. The board said no and sacked Mick one hour later for showing a lack of respect for the clubs poor financial state.
Hartlepool United will now be looking for a new manager with many names on the cards. Odds on favourite to take up the vacant post at Hartlepool is Crawley town boss Steve Evans at 11/8. Other managerial candidates being highlighted as potential suitors at the club by SkyBet are as follows:

Mark Yates 2/1
Andy Scott 5/2
Paul Sturrock 7/2
Alan Shearer 14/1
Micky Adams 40/1

Stay tuned here on Sky sports for all the latest sporting updates including on further information on who will be the new Hartlepool United manager.

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[Paul Howard]

Hodcroft Addresses the Fans

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Hartlepool United chairman Ken Hodcroft has written a statement on the clubs website about the new manager he is looking to appoint but refuses to name any candidates.

Good afternoon Hartlepool United fans. I understand many of you have been very downhearted by the sacking of Mick Wadsworth who as we know was a fan favourite however the sacking is what me and the rest of the board consider to be the correct decision. Many names have been thrown about in the media on who will be the next Hartlepool United manager and I assure you that as the fans and the most important people in this football club you will be the first to know. Despite being unable to name any candidates we have approached for the job we can give you some information on the type of candidate we are after to help lift Hartlepool to the top of its potential. As a manager is the heart of the team we want someone who is going to connect with the fans easily to create a great relationship which will only help the club move forward. We definitely want someone in this position that has a real passion for the club and wants to see it succeed and clime the division. Both me and the club hope to appoint a new manager very soon.
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[Paul Howard]

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Shock Appointment in the Hartlepool United Ranks

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The new Hartlepool United manager has today been confirmed by the club as childhood super-fan Jeff Stelling. Jeff Stelling has resigned from his job at Sky sports as a pundit on Soccer Saturday to become the new manager at Victoria Park. Hartlepool United fans are said to be ecstatic at the appointment of the man that "put Hartlepool on the map". Jeff Stelling has signed a two year deal at the club worth £900 per week. Jeff Stelling is expecting to speak to us in the next hour to give the fans an update in his first ever press conference as a manager.​

 

[steviem2010]

nice one knew there would be a hartlepool story with stellers at the helm lol

 

[maxy67]

Looks like a good story, all i know about Hartlepool utd was Brian clough managed there.

 

[Paul Howard]

Press Conference for the New Boy


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Hello everyone and thank you for coming. It is a dream come true for me to be sat here addressing the world as the manager of Hartlepool united. Firstly I would like to let you know that the grounds of the sacking of Mick Wadsworth have been made clear to me that he did not understand the financial instability of the club so it is the first goal of mine to help lift the debt from the club through great investments, good cup runs and the most hopeful of all to eventually get promotion into the championship and then the premier league. So who wants to get the ball rolling with the first question.


BBC Sport - " Mr Stelling what will your philosophy at the club be will you be using all out attack or will you be looking for defensive stability? "


Thanks for your question, I openly admit that i have great admiration for Peterbrough FC who like a very attacking philosophy. It is well documented they concede many goals but their aim is to out score there opposition. This will be very attacking and be very appealing to the hartlepool fans with non stop action so this tactic is something I would like to implement into the club and my management.


Goal.com - " How do you plan to bring in new faces at Hartlepool with very little funds at your disposal. "


I really plan to find a parent club as soon as possible so I can loan players for very little or no contribution on our side. This will allow us to nurcher talent for the big clubs with us getting free players, it's a win-win situation.


The Hartlepool Mail - " Do you have any targets in mind for your tranfers. "


I cannot specify names i want to wait until I find a parent club but yes i have some targets that I will spend time scouting to make sure they are right for the club.

I must call this press conference to a conclusion there is a lot to sort out at the club and the sooner I start the better.​

 

[Paul Howard]

Pre Season

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The pre season was a difficult time for me as the new manager of Hartlepool. As a newbie to the managerial world it was a learning curve for me but also to the players as we began our assault on the footballing world. The pre season was not all golden with mixed results. For a start to the role of a manager three wins out of two is great and to only loose one of the six games is outstanding. However the loss against Oxford left a very bitter taste in my mouth which really is a game I should have won before-hand the statistics all pointed to a win for us but this is a learning curve that statistics do not make points and that I need to make sure I underestimate no opposition. However the win against Hibernian was something I really did not expect. They are a mid table team in the Scottish Premiership and this is such a huge jump in class to our current position but this win will give the team great confidence for the rest of the season.




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[Paul Howard]

Transfer Summary

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The transfer period has been relatively busy for Hartlepool with no less than five signings made. With very little funds at my disposal it was very difficult to produce the amount of wages that the best players available wanted. However after extensive scouting I managed to find some of the best players this club could get. However first one of the most important things that happened during this transfer window was the hiring of an assistant manager and I chose an old Hartlepool favourite in Colin West. Colin is proven as an expert in this field and with a great understanding of the club after working under Mick Wadsworth he has recent knowledge of the squad I have at my disposal.

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My first signing in the transfer window was the signing of an old Manchester United star Quinton Fortune. The versatile player can play in either the centre of the midfield and at left back but at a stretch he can even perform in the left wing role of my formation. With bags of experience at both club and international level Quinton offers me great opportunities to help my players grow. His knowledge alone is worth the wages that I pay him and then his contribution on the field is just an added bonus. The only down side of this deal could be seen as Quinton's age as he is 34 and is not getting any younger, however he has enough time to become a real fan favourite and eventually hopefully become a key member of the back room staff when he chooses to hang up his boots.

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The second signing I hope will contribute massively in an offensive part of my plans is the former Spain under twenty-one international Pablo Counago. Yet again with experience at international level and also in the championship Pablo's experience is invaluable to the club and players and will help us all grow as a unit. Also he is still able to score and assist many goals which will help us also. Overall Pablo looks to be a fantastic signing and even though he is the wrong side of thirty I still have complete faith in Pablo's ability.

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My final permanent transfer of this window so far was that of Scottish midfielder Gareth William. He is yet again like Pablo and Quinton rich in international experience and will help control the growth of my players as well as the midfield. He seems to have injury problems with picking up repetitive small knocks in the pre season but nothing career breaking and touch wood nothing like that will happen as Gareth is a key part of my plans for the club.

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Finally the parent club recommendations from the board were e-mailed to me and then I was given the final decision on who I wanted the club to create a link with. The options I had were Bolton, Watford and finally Wigan. After extensive searching of the available loans I decided on Wigan who offer in my opinion the best players to help Hartlepool United grow. Both the ability to loan players and the annual fee I will receive from Wigan will allow the club to grow. So to conclude my business so far in the transfer window I signed two youth players on loan for the season from Wigan's reserve team. Both Callum McManaman and Nouha Dicko will be used as rotation for the team and will most likely not be first choice but the depth they provide for the squad will greatly help the team through tricky times of this season.

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[JammyDee]

I'm a Hartlepool Fan, and I know a lot of Hartlepool Fans and most people hate Colin West