Managerial Merry-Go-Round 2020/21

[PuB]

I get the idea that footballers only have a limited career and that they should do the absolute best for themselves and their families when considering moves, but the same doesn’t apply to managers in my opinion.

If Challinor doesn’t succeed at Stockport then there are no football league clubs who are going to take a chance on him. Yes, he probably is getting a fair wedge now, but that isn’t going to be the case if he doesn’t do well, and then where’s he left?

A sensible person would have seen the season out at Pools and then would have probably been poached by one of the bigger League One teams.

 

[valefan16]

Genuinely a bit gutted for the Hartlepool fans to be honest. They had waited ages for the right manager and he hasn't even left them for a higher division, he's gone backwards back into the mud of the national league.

Bizarre decision. I don't care how much potential Stockport may have. Wrexham have had 'potential' for the last 15 years.

Yeah it’s a strange one, despite Stockport throwing vast amounts of cash at it, they have the issue of only two promotion spots and Wrexham equally doing the same, plus sides like Chesterfield, Notts County that have size on their side and the smaller big spenders like Boreham Wood, plus Grimsby under new ownership so it’s not like they are easily going to get promotion regardless.

Let’s be honest going for the cash is great but are half these players going to be arsed in front of 1000 fans away on a cold Tuesday on a bog of a pitch at Dover for example.

Big blow for Pools after a good start and really strange decision footballing wise. That said £££ does the talking I guess.

 

[Optimistic Poolie]

Don’t know where to start with this one. Will always be grateful to DC for turning the club round after the last decade or so of utter dross we had to watch. He got us promoted back out of that hell hole below and reunited the fan base to the best I’ve seen it since I’ve been going to pools.

However completely deflated by him taking a backwards step purely for money, despite claiming its always been his dream to be an EFL manager. Especially when if he had hung on a bit longer I could definitely have seen a job in L1 for him and not one pools fan would’ve begrudged him of it.

Quite ironic really after his comments in the summer about Rhys Oates leaving for Mansfield.

With our budget it’s crucial that the next appointment HAS to be correct, and I’m praying it’s not some of the names I’ve already seen linked.

 

[Optimistic Poolie]

Only thing that can make this worse is if Stockport now come in for some of our players, like Sterry, Ferguson or Holohan.

With a big budget and the fact there’s no window in the National League, it’s a worrying thought.

 

[Razzmachaz]

Don’t know where to start with this one. Will always be grateful to DC for turning the club round after the last decade or so of utter dross we had to watch. He got us promoted back out of that hell hole below and reunited the fan base to the best I’ve seen it since I’ve been going to pools.

However completely deflated by him taking a backwards step purely for money, despite claiming its always been his dream to be an EFL manager. Especially when if he had hung on a bit longer I could definitely have seen a job in L1 for him and not one pools fan would’ve begrudged him of it.

Quite ironic really after his comments in the summer about Rhys Oates leaving for Mansfield.

With our budget it’s crucial that the next appointment HAS to be correct, and I’m praying it’s not some of the names I’ve already seen linked.

I think it might be best to try and pluck one of the better young managers in the National league with the compo you will receive (much like DC was). Too many has-been EFL managers who have failed multiple times still getting linked with recent vacancies. Very underwhelming.

 

[Monkey Tennis]

Not really any kind of gamble though, is it. He's got the promotion on his CV.

If it goes wrong at Stockport he'll still walk into a job at L2 or Conference level - and he'll have made a fortune in the process.

 

[Soup Ladle]

Well I decided to sleep on it before going on here

Stockport fans saying he left because they're a bigger club, the way they go on you'd think they're Real Madrid. We can talk about potential but our crowds put us in the middle of L1 and the last time we were in the 3rd tier the crowds were similar. There is potential here as well. Okay we never did the few seasons getting dicked in the Championship but Scunny etc did it and they're of course not bigger than we are. Stockport ceiling isn't that much higher than ours. So no apparently it was never about that....

His wife put a statement out on twitter effectively saying he didn't leave for the job, he left because of behind the scenes stuff.

For me that's definitely possible but he's done a Sarcevic, had a sulk then fucked off to the highest bidder.

It obviously wasn't a good working relationship, he's had to fight for every penny. I've always said he's not been backed and I think I've been proved right.

Now none of us would begrudge a decent L1 gig or a Bradford, Rotherham etc type job but he's effectively forced this through leaving the team to rot ahead of a league game that ordinarily would've been a good test of our credentials and how far he could take us. There's not much here to scare us and I think we'd be comfortable despite some of the sub NL dross that make up the reserve players.

Then his criticism of Oates in the summer, he does exactly the same thing.

All this in the background of challenging his players to play at the highest level, obviously doesn't apply to him. Hypocrisy at its finest.

Raj Singh isn't a great person to work for, I've heard a lot of stuff. But signing a 3 year contract 6 weeks ago then having a disagreement and literally begging Stockport to take him is poor form and he may regret this.

I would wish him luck, but I don't. I appreciate the job he did last year. We all thought he was a decent man who loved the club. He'd leave for something better having consolidated us here. He hasn't so while I have some sympathy for him he's taken us for mugs and I don't think he'll get a good reception at the Vic if he ever manages high enough to take a team here.

 

[denzel ecfc]

Stockport are gonna have to pay a fair wack for Chally seeing as he only just signed a 3 year deal? Crazy for a non-league team.

There's a lot of craziness in non league at the moment

 

[JaredSUFC]

It wouldn’t be the first time Challinor left a side in a higher league to take over a lower level club with a higher budget. I’m sure he left then Conference North side Colwyn Bay to take over at AFC Fylde who were two leagues lower at the time.

 

[Boz]

If I were a Pools fan, wouldn’t be happy about Dave Challinor’s departure, but it does sound like there are issues behind the scenes which have contributed to his leaving. Wouldn’t underestimate the geography factor he’s always wanted a return to the NW and if he’d kept Pools up, couldn’t be certain a comparable job would come up. A risk for him though, as unable to get money-bags Fylde into the FL and there are more bankrolled clubs down there now.

Will be interesting to see who takes over at Hartlepool. So long as they hang onto their better players for the rest of the season would think it’s looking like comfortable mid-table at worst.

 

[Chief Rocka]

If I were a Pools fan, wouldn’t be happy about Dave Challinor’s departure, but it does sound like there are issues behind the scenes which have contributed to his leaving. Wouldn’t underestimate the geography factor he’s always wanted a return to the NW and if he’d kept Pools up, couldn’t be certain a comparable job would come up. A risk for him though, as unable to get money-bags Fylde into the FL and there are more bankrolled clubs down there now.

Will be interesting to see who takes over at Hartlepool. So long as they hang onto their better players for the rest of the season would think it’s looking like comfortable mid-table at worst.

If there were issues behind the scenes why would he be happy to sign on for another three years a month ago, he knew what he was signing up for and he knew how this season was going to be particularly tough with the late late promotion and scramble for a squad, he knew the distance between the NW and the NE when he signed and claimed how happy him and his family were, things can’t of rapidly deteriorated behind the scenes that much that he was looking for an exit.

His heads been turned by big money, it’s a sad way to end for a bloke who was idolised here, he’s gonna do really well at Stockport but I can’t be fucked with the bloke.

 

[MadJohn]

Chris Beech was a former player, and a good one, but his departure was not pleasant. He walked out and refused to play because he was unhappy that we'd turned down an offer. Never played for us again and left permanently three months later

 

[MadJohn]

I'm not getting involved in slagging off Dave Challinor until I hear more. He's not the first member of staff to leave in recent months. I personally couldn't work for Singh, a bloke who referred to pandemic deaths in his care homes as "empty beds", lost revenue. A bloke who slags off former employees for having the temerity to seek payment due when being laid off. At least by signing a new contract, Challinor should ensure decent compensation. It may turn out he has acted poorly, and it doesn't sound like Stockport have covered themselves in glory. But I'm increasingly convinced that there's more to this than a simple salary bump.

 

[Sydney Posse]

Definitely feel for the Poolies. Great home record of late, decent gates and positivity around the place. Not buying the NW thing, I think it’s cash. I didn’t know he signed a 3 year deal a few weeks ago either. I know there’s not a lot of loyalty in football and money talks etc, but moving down a division to a team that could be described as bigger than Hartlepool is pretty questionable. Most of us on here support teams who used to play them all the time, and I’m struggling to remember them being any different to most of the bog standard smaller teams most of the time over the last 40 odd years

 

[MadJohn]

Definitely feel for the Poolies. Great home record of late, decent gates and positivity around the place. Not buying the NW thing, I think it’s cash. I didn’t know he signed a 3 year deal a few weeks ago either. I know there’s not a lot of loyalty in football and money talks etc, but moving down a division to a team that could be described as bigger than Hartlepool is pretty questionable. Most of us on here support teams who used to play them all the time, and I’m struggling to remember them being any different to most of the bog standard smaller teams most of the time over the last 40 odd years

We've played Stockport 140 times ourselves. Only Darlington and Rochdale have played Pools more often. Apart from that short-lived dart at 2nd tier football they've been a similar standard for decades.

 

[Agombar stool]

Dave Challinor leaving reminds me a little of Wellens leaving to go to Salford, and we all know how that worked out. In theory with all their money Salford should be higher up the pyramid, the fact they aren't is quite amusing.

As a complete neutral with absolutely no idea of what goes on behind the scenes at either club but I completely understand why he might have done it. Based on not a lot I think Stockport as a club do have more potential to rise up the leagues than Hartlepool, however I suspect the reason he's done it is that there are a few more 000's in his monthly pay packet, which as a lower league football manager is totally understandable given the cut throat business. Be interesting to see how it works out.

 

[Sydney Posse]

We've played Stockport 140 times ourselves. Only Darlington and Rochdale have played Pools more often. Apart from that short-lived dart at 2nd tier football they've been a similar standard for decades.

Point well made. I think sometimes people genuinely believe someone with a few quid can miraculously turn a very small club into something massive. Never really happens. Even if they spend a small fortune climbing a couple of leagues what happens then?, they bump into the likes of Pompey, Wednesday, Ipswich and others of a similar ilk who get the thick end of 20,000 through the gate all the time. Okay Wycombe are bucking the trend and you could probably argue massive money transformed Bournemouth, but there are loads of clubs in the championship and top end league one who have scary debts that would probably put the owners of Stockport look like small fry (although admittedly I have no idea how much money is behind Stockport). If I was a betting man they might have their day in the sun for 3-4 years but in the long run will be back to their natural level. I suppose matey who has left the Poolies is primarily interested in the day in the sun though and maybe that is understandable to a certain extent (leaves a bad taste when you drop a division though)

 

[BarraMatt]

Not really any kind of gamble though, is it. He's got the promotion on his CV.

If it goes wrong at Stockport he'll still walk into a job at L2 or Conference level - and he'll have made a fortune in the process.

Disagree there - Paul Cox pissed the league with Mansfield and hasn't been back at League Two since, you could say every job he took was a step back even further, currently plodding about in the lower echelons of the Conference North. Failure at Stockport looks even worse if you've got a ton of money to throw at it.

 

[Soup Ladle]

We've played Stockport 140 times ourselves. Only Darlington and Rochdale have played Pools more often. Apart from that short-lived dart at 2nd tier football they've been a similar standard for decades.

Exactly you can't really go round and give it the big 'un when you've played Hartlepool 140 times. And that applies to all of you basement dwellers except for maybe only one or two of yers!

 

[shoddycollins]

I get the idea that footballers only have a limited career and that they should do the absolute best for themselves and their families when considering moves, but the same doesn’t apply to managers in my opinion.

If Challinor doesn’t succeed at Stockport then there are no football league clubs who are going to take a chance on him. Yes, he probably is getting a fair wedge now, but that isn’t going to be the case if he doesn’t do well, and then where’s he left?

A sensible person would have seen the season out at Pools and then would have probably been poached by one of the bigger League One teams.

John Sheridan was similar with us, left a promotion-chasing League Two side for a relegation battle in the Conference with Chesterfield, was apparently paid a bit more but not loadsamoney. Can only think he didn't back himself to finish the job and saw 4th place at Christmas and a 6 game winning streak as being the pinnacle of what he could achieve with us and best leave now before it turns sour.

Not saying Challinor's bottled this season but perhaps he feels reputation-wise he already has 'mid-table League Two' in the bank for this season and feels a second promotion from the Conference would be better for his reputation.

 

[shoddycollins]

Disagree there - Paul Cox pissed the league with Mansfield and hasn't been back at League Two since, you could say every job he took was a step back even further, currently plodding about in the lower echelons of the Conference North. Failure at Stockport looks even worse if you've got a ton of money to throw at it.

In fairness after Sheridan left us for Chesterfield, then fucked up and got sacked by Chesterfield he was then given two League One jobs in the space of a few months at Wigan and Swindon.

 

[shoddycollins]

The bigger fear for Hartlepool is that he will poach your players and not even have to wait for the transfer window to do it. Wouldn't surprise me if with a new manager looking to build a squad, infinite money and no transfer windows to get in their way if Stockport went on a signing spree right now, they've only just signed Sarcevic. Not just Hartlepool players but they're the most likely to be targeted.

Would be one of the biggest injustices in League Two but wouldn't surprise me if Stockport now poached three or four of Poolie's best players and Hartlepool unable to even replace them until January, were left with square pegs in round holes and tumbled down the table.

 

[Salvador]

We've played Stockport 140 times ourselves. Only Darlington and Rochdale have played Pools more often. Apart from that short-lived dart at 2nd tier football they've been a similar standard for decades.

I think they’ve spent more time in the 6th tier than the 2nd. And the time in the 2nd was arguably at a time when it was easier to get into and stay in the championship. No parachute payments or silly transfers and wages.
I’m torn because I actually admire the way they’ve kept a decent fan base despite 10+ years of real shit. I know I’d rather regularly play them again in a “Derby” than Salford for example. But living here I know there’s more than a few that have a bizarrely lofty view of their club in the grand scheme of things. Realistically I think their ceiling nowadays is like Oldham’s (if run right). A Rotherham type club. League 1/Championship yo-yo. Just as ours is L1/2 yoyo. Maybe I’m bitter they nabbed Bergara and a few of our players back in the day. Could’ve been us on that upwards trajectory through the 90s :’(.

 

[Salvador]

The bigger fear for Hartlepool is that he will poach your players and not even have to wait for the transfer window to do it. Wouldn't surprise me if with a new manager looking to build a squad, infinite money and no transfer windows to get in their way if Stockport went on a signing spree right now, they've only just signed Sarcevic. Not just Hartlepool players but they're the most likely to be targeted.

Would be one of the biggest injustices in League Two but wouldn't surprise me if Stockport now poached three or four of Poolie's best players and Hartlepool unable to even replace them until January, were left with square pegs in round holes and tumbled down the table.

I’m not too clued up on the transfer thing. Can NL clubs just sign contracted players from NL or EFL whenever? If so that’s proper shit. I can understand it in part time football. But the National league is mostly if not all full time now.

 

[Chief Rocka]

The bigger fear for Hartlepool is that he will poach your players and not even have to wait for the transfer window to do it. Wouldn't surprise me if with a new manager looking to build a squad, infinite money and no transfer windows to get in their way if Stockport went on a signing spree right now, they've only just signed Sarcevic. Not just Hartlepool players but they're the most likely to be targeted.

Would be one of the biggest injustices in League Two but wouldn't surprise me if Stockport now poached three or four of Poolie's best players and Hartlepool unable to even replace them until January, were left with square pegs in round holes and tumbled down the table.

I'm genuinely not just saying this, but we don't really have that many standouts in this squad, our strongest two players are both wingbacks, Jamie Sterry and David Ferguson, Stockport themselves have a pair of excellent wingbacks in Macauley Southam-Hales and Mark Kitching, I don't see him wanting to sign either player, Gavan Holohan has a release clause in his contract, he could maybe be swayed with a move, Nicky Featherstone who's found it a lot tougher back in the EFL might fancy a walk in the park season at non league level again, guess we'll see.

Stockport are signing captains and strikers from League 1, they're not gonna want to plunder Hartlepool United.

 

[Agombar stool]

In fairness after Sheridan left us for Chesterfield, then fucked up and got sacked by Chesterfield he was then given two League One jobs in the space of a few months at Wigan and Swindon.

Don't mention Jurassic John's name again!!

 

[Monkey Tennis]

Disagree there - Paul Cox pissed the league with Mansfield and hasn't been back at League Two since, you could say every job he took was a step back even further, currently plodding about in the lower echelons of the Conference North. Failure at Stockport looks even worse if you've got a ton of money to throw at it.

That was more down to Cox getting onboard the dodgy Guiseley Project and failing miserably. If Challinor's as good as he thinks he is, then he'll take Stockport up or in contention for promotion.

Ironically, it was Hartlepool tapping up Cox that ruined it for him at Barrow, and it's been a downward slide ever since.

 

[Boz]

I’m not too clued up on the transfer thing. Can NL clubs just sign contracted players from NL or EFL whenever? If so that’s proper shit. I can understand it in part time football. But the National league is mostly if not all full time now.

Think the answer is more or less yes, though recall the NL had a transfer cut off point maybe around the end of March? Wrecsam being under the Welsh FA have to follow the same transfer windows as the FL though.

 

[shoddycollins]

I’m not too clued up on the transfer thing. Can NL clubs just sign contracted players from NL or EFL whenever? If so that’s proper shit. I can understand it in part time football. But the National league is mostly if not all full time now.

Yeah pretty much... they signed Sarcevic from Bolton just last week.

They do need to look at it again though, maybe the window should just apply to all professional footballers regardless of level. i.e. you can only sign a player outside the window if you aren't paying him anything, or if you're paying him less than some nominal fee for expenses etc.

 

[Soup Ladle]

I'm genuinely not just saying this, but we don't really have that many standouts in this squad, our strongest two players are both wingbacks, Jamie Sterry and David Ferguson, Stockport themselves have a pair of excellent wingbacks in Macauley Southam-Hales and Mark Kitching, I don't see him wanting to sign either player, Gavan Holohan has a release clause in his contract, he could maybe be swayed with a move, Nicky Featherstone who's found it a lot tougher back in the EFL might fancy a walk in the park season at non league level again, guess we'll see.

Stockport are signing captains and strikers from League 1, they're not gonna want to plunder Hartlepool United.

I don't think Kitching is that good and Sterry is better than MSH, although MSH is still a good player.

He could come in for Holohan, Sterry rejected better offers in the summer as he wants to stay up north. I don't think he'd go there, would he? Maybe he would. Perhaps Neil Byrne? I'd put him in our top player category with Ferguson and Sterry.