Poolie Podcast: Is Hartlepool United the toughest managerial job in the National League?

Hartlepool Mail

Rich Mennear and Robbie Stelling discuss if Hartlepool United is the toughest managerial job in the National League on the latest episode of the Poolie Podcast.

Transcript

00:00Hartlepool United is an extremely difficult job.

00:03If you look at most of the 16 managers

00:05who have taken on the role permanently in the last decade,

00:10to be honest, almost all of them have failed.

00:12Dave Chalmer is the only one that

00:14can be considered an unqualified success.

00:17It's a big job.

00:18Managers with more experience than Anthony Lindbergh

00:21have tried and failed to succeed.

00:23But Pools have got to put some faith in someone.

00:26And I think Lindbergh is the right man.

00:28Do you think, is it overly dramatic?

00:30Or is it fair to say that the Hartlepool United job's

00:32probably the toughest in the National League?

00:35Well, it certainly feels like it's one of the toughest.

00:38There are plenty of clubs that have

00:40been in similar positions to Pools down the years,

00:44in the sense that they're big clubs, almost sleeping giants

00:47at this level, if you like, with big fan bases,

00:50lots of potential that have created a much higher level

00:52before.

00:54And in a sense, that adds another layer of difficulty,

00:58because the fans are expectant.

01:00They want more than the current football league reality.

01:02So anything less than a promotion

01:06push or a playoff challenge is considered a failure.

01:09But is that an unrealistic, unreasonable expectation

01:12from Pools fans?

01:13I don't think so when you look at the size of the club.

01:15And as I've said, the history and pedigree and reputation

01:19as a football league club, look, it's really difficult.

01:23There are big challenges, both on and off the pitch.

01:27As you've mentioned, the playing surface this year

01:31has been difficult as well.

01:32The pitch has really started to deteriorate.

01:36You don't tend to get a lot of time

01:38as Pools managed to get things right.

01:41The fans are frustrated.

01:43That can make it more difficult.

01:44You look at someone like Anthony Lindbergh, who's

01:47being questioned and challenged after only four games

01:49at the helm, if Pools was a club on more solid foundations,

01:56more unstable footing, there's no way that would happen,

01:59especially after he's won one and drawn two

02:01of his first four matches.

02:02That's probably just a sign of the general ill feeling,

02:05the general frustration among fans.

02:07But it's a really big job and it's a really,

02:09really difficult job.

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