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.
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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.