Join Robbie Stelling and Rich Mennear on the latest episode of the Poolie Podcast as they reflect on a busy week at Hartlepool United as Anthony Limbrick’s side go in search of back-to-back wins against Halifax Town this weekend.
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00:30Good morning and welcome to the latest Pooley podcast with myself Richie Muneer and Robbie
00:38Stelling our Harker United writer at the Hartlepool Mail and Robbie it's been a fairly positive
00:44week. Welcome first of all, it's nice to speak after a win for Pooles. Just before we get
00:52onto the last weekend's action and preview the trip to Halifax this weekend, a bit of
00:58news, the National League deadline for player transfers is obviously slightly different
01:05to the rest of the Premier League and EFL, a bit more old school in that impact. So that
01:08was yesterday, five o'clock on Thursday, Pooles completed the signing of young goalkeeper
01:13Darrell Umbang on loan from Leeds until the end of the season. Obviously they've been
01:17up for a bit of goalkeeper cover since Owen Foster's loan from Hull expired early this
01:21week. So the Leeds teenager arrives on a short-term loan until the end of the season
01:29which as we know has got about four or five weeks left to go. I would imagine Robbie that
01:34he's unlikely to see any first team action at the club but a position that Pooles needed
01:39to fill anyway with a bit of cover on the back of Foster's exit.
01:44Yeah, exactly that Rich. I think young goalkeeper Harry Conyard obviously was on the bench at
01:52the weekend, only 18 years old and has no experience of senior football. So I think
01:57it would be a lot to ask of him. Were anything to happen to Adam Smith? Smith has obviously
02:03had a slightly difficult few weeks, made a handful of mistakes lately but has generally
02:09been pretty good since being restored to the side and is certainly a safe pair of hands.
02:15Experienced goalkeeper obviously commands his area really well which I think is something
02:19that Pooles have been lacking a bit over the last couple of seasons and kicks really well
02:24as well. Another thing they've probably been lacking so I think Pooles will be more than
02:28happy to stick with Smith. He's obviously one of a few players already contracted for
02:31next season as well and a great character around the dressing room as well, a really
02:35good man. So I think that that's significant but they probably did need a backup goalkeeper.
02:40Obviously had Owen Foster for a month. It's a really difficult balancing act isn't it
02:44because these young goalkeepers obviously they're looking to gain experience perhaps
02:49of just going into a different dressing room. That's significant when you're a young man
02:54as well but obviously they do want to play as well. Owen Foster hasn't yet made a senior
02:58appearance for Hull as the season comes to an end. He's probably thinking about what
03:03his future might have in store. So I suppose it makes sense that he maybe wants to go
03:08somewhere else where he thinks he has a better chance of breaking into the side. He's just
03:13signed for Torquay who are obviously involved in that really closely contested National
03:17League South title race. They do also have a very well-established number one goalkeeper
03:21though so it's going to be interesting but makes sense for Pooles to bring someone else
03:25in just as a bit of cover and competition. Obviously another young goalkeeper capped
03:30by England at under-17 level. A little bit of senior experience as well through loan
03:35spells at Osset United and Farsley Celtic. So definitely a sensible move and probably
03:40a win-win for everyone.
03:41It's been a positive week on the results front. Pooles ending a run of eight games
03:48without a victory last weekend thanks to the 4-1 win over Boston. It was quite an impressive
03:54performance as well wasn't it? I know Anthony Dunbrick felt that that was coming. I'm not
03:57sure too many shared the same optimism as him but a big result for Pooles, a big result
04:02for him. Probably secured their National League state as you would like to think. Maybe three
04:09more points would help ease a few more concerns on that front but it was getting slightly
04:13tricky wasn't it? And if Boston had beaten Pooles then that would really have dragged
04:16Pooles into the thick of it. But yeah, staying positive. A good 4-1 win. Madin, Mane, Dee,
04:23Cleary and Jamie Miley who I thought was quite impressed as well in that central midfield
04:27role. Seems to be growing in confidence and stature. Seems to have a little bit about
04:32him so he impressed me last weekend. What were your overall thoughts of the win first
04:38of all and I guess easing some of the pressure on Lindbergh because it was clearly there
04:44after eight games without a win?
04:48Yeah it was Rich. You're quite right when you say there was definitely a concern that
04:52if Pooles had lost on Saturday they would have been really nervous and looking over
04:57their shoulders. They suddenly would have been in a really perilous position. Obviously
05:00Boston arrived at the Prestige Group Stadium having won all of their last five games away
05:06from home. Pooles, as you say, were without a win in eight so the form guide suggested
05:11that Pooles could have been in for another long afternoon and Boston are clearly a much
05:15improved side under Graeme Coughlin as well. They won well in midweek. They beat Southend
05:193-0 and looked like they might be able to escape from relegation when they ruled but
05:24dead and buried when Coughlin replaced Ian Culverhouse in November. So it was a really
05:30good result for all sorts of reasons, not least, as you say, because of the manner of
05:34the performance. There have been one or two signs of improvement in recent weeks. I think
05:38Pooles were better against Eastley and against Somerham and Lindbergh would certainly make
05:43the case that they deserve to have more points than they do because they have missed plenty
05:46of chances. I'm not altogether sure I agree that the performances have been worthy of
05:51too many more points earlier on in Lindbergh's tenure, but certainly things are beginning
05:55to move in the right direction. He's obviously taken on a difficult task. We know how difficult
06:01a job it is to manage Hartlepool United. It wasn't helped by the fact that I think it's
06:06a little bit of a misconception that Pooles were in the midst of a playoff challenge,
06:09gradually gaining momentum when he replaced Lenny Lawrence. They'd actually hadn't won
06:13any of their four games prior to Lindbergh taking over. And of course, Joe Gray and Anthony
06:17Mancini, two of their most influential players, had both just been ruled out for injury. And
06:22then we've had all the off-field issues which have happened in the last couple of weeks.
06:26Although Lindbergh stresses the fact that it is business as normal, focus on the football,
06:30it certainly can't have helped, I would imagine. But it was a really pleasing performance.
06:35The 3-5-2 is beginning to look a little bit more structured. Players are beginning to
06:41look more comfortable in those positions. And you mentioned the goal scorers. I mean,
06:45look at that front line with Manny Disrui and Gary Medin. Obviously, their goal-scoring
06:51records speak for themselves. Mancini is such a talented player. The question, of course,
06:56is whether he's going to be able to keep fit. But when he is fit and firing, I think he's
07:00one of the technically best players in the National League. And he's certainly a player
07:04that gives Pooles fans a lift whenever he gets the ball. Reyes Cleary is a similar sort of
07:08bums-off-seats style player. Louis Stevenson's provided a bit of balance on the other side as
07:14well. I think he deserves a mention, especially having had such a difficult season. And I think
07:18you're quite right to pick out Jamie Meyer. He is really growing in stature. It's taken him a
07:23little bit of a while to get going. Although I think he'll probably be slightly frustrated
07:27that having scored his debut goal against Braintree, he was an unused substitute for
07:31the next two matches. But he is beginning to really develop. Obviously, the National League
07:36takes some getting used to. But I think he gives Pooles something that they don't really have in
07:39that midfield in terms of a really purposeful passer, someone who looks to try and unlock a
07:44defence. And he's forming a good partnership already with Nathan Sharon, who is obviously
07:50incredibly hardworking and really good at winning the ball back. And the pair of them have dovetailed
07:56really well recently. It was obviously a massive result for Anthony Lindbergh.
08:00I'm sure he'll want a few more between now and the end of the season to convince whoever it is
08:05that's going to be making the decisions that he is the right man to lead the club in the longer
08:09term. I do think it was telling that the fans' response at the end was really positive. He led
08:13the celebrations at full time. And I think fans were really appreciative, not just of the win,
08:19but of the performance. I think back to earlier in the season at times, especially under Darren
08:25Sahl, who was obviously a slightly more abrasive character. There was sometimes a sense that even
08:29when Pooles had a significant result, I think particularly of that 4-3 win over Sutton when
08:33they came from behind at the beginning of October, there was a sense that Pooles won in spite of Sahl
08:38rightly or wrongly, rather than because of him. Whereas I think Lindbergh, because he's so likeable,
08:44charismatic, energetic, because he clearly wants to do the best for Hartlepool United, and I'm not,
08:48by the way, saying that Darren Sahl didn't. His manner and approach was just slightly different.
08:53I think that's given him a little bit more leeway with fans. A lot of supporters have justifiably
08:58questioned some of the decisions he's made in recent weeks, but I don't think anyone would
09:02really argue that he is a good man doing his best for the team. Whether that's going to be enough
09:08remains to be seen. I think if he can get another couple of positive results, then I think he
09:12certainly deserves a chance to lead the team in the longer term and better embed his ideas,
09:19have a summer to recruit his own sort of players. I'm really keen that Pooles do reject the hire
09:24and fire culture that have defined them recently and stick with someone, put their faith in
09:30someone like Anthony Lindbergh, a promising young manager. There's no doubt that it was a massively
09:34significant result for him, Rich. It does feel like he's on quite a long audition, doesn't it?
09:39Because, obviously, prospective owners will be keeping tabs on the club at the minute from
09:43afar in terms of results and performances, and the head coach and the players, and they'll
09:48have one potential eye on new contracts for players and things like that. So, you do feel
09:52from a little bit he doesn't have much. Although, I suppose, to be fair to him, he's spoken about
09:57that himself, hasn't he? He said that a football manager can't be very short-term, isn't he,
10:01anyway? So, I'm sure he's just taking one game at a time. But, yes, it was good for him
10:07to get that win last weekend. And, as I say, I was quite impressed. I thought they played
10:09some good stuff. So, there's plenty of positives there. You mentioned Mancini.
10:15What a season it might have been if he'd have stayed fit all season. But then you could also
10:18argue that if he was fully fit all the time, then the chances are he'd be in the Football League,
10:23wouldn't it? Given his level of talent that he possesses. Do you think he'll still be at
10:28Mancini?
10:33Well, you'd certainly like to think so, Rich. I mean, I think you're exactly right. In terms of
10:37his talent, he could certainly play at a higher level. The issue is, obviously, he's got to prove
10:43that he can be fit for more than he has been over the last couple of seasons. I think only 14
10:48appearances last season. Obviously, he had that terrible hamstring injury, came back on Boxing Day,
10:53played for around a month but never looked quite fully fit, and then played for 10 minutes under
10:58Kevin Phillips when he came back in March against Southend, and then was subsequently substituted
11:05off in a very brief abortive comeback. This season has been a slight improvement in terms of his
11:11fitness. Between August and December, he was mostly available for selection. Just Darren
11:16Salmon and Lenny Lawrence didn't seem to put that much faith in him. He was often tasked with coming
11:21off the bench and trying to make an impact in 10, 15, 20 minutes. That's obviously really difficult,
11:27such is his luck. He would just seem to be getting going, didn't he, when he was struck down by that
11:32injury after impressing so much on New Year's Day against Oldham, scored the winning goal,
11:39and really gave the Oldham backline a difficult time. But he looks to have hit the ground running
11:45from when he's since coming back, obviously, returned from the bench and then started for the
11:50first time against Boston. And although I think we both noticed there was a sort of five-minute
11:55spell in the second half, when he looked a little bit tender, he was holding his groin and sort of
11:59glancing nervously over to the bench. We spoke to him at the press conference last week, and he said,
12:04look, I do have to learn to trust my body. That's completely understandable, given that he's had
12:09so many injuries. Obviously, what he needs really is a run of six months to a year where he can just
12:16play football and not have to worry about his body breaking down. I think that might be massively
12:21significant in terms of his career development, because, of course, he is only 23 still, and he
12:27is hugely, hugely talented. He's certainly got the talent to play in the Football League. You wonder
12:32whether his injury record might put clubs off, but you also wonder whether his talent is such that
12:39teams might think he's worth a punt. I do think he really enjoys playing for Hartlepool United.
12:45He's a popular member of the dressing room. He's a great character. He's a really nice guy, and
12:51obviously, he's a real fan favourite as well. Certainly, the hope is that he's going to spend
12:56at least another season at the Prestige Group Stadium, but obviously, to an extent, given all
13:00the off-field uncertainty, a lot of that is up in the air at the minute. Just to touch on the
13:05off-field stuff, I'm not aware of any significant developments this week or so. It seems to be
13:11status quo, but hopefully, talks are ongoing between Pools and one of the potential bidders
13:17that they referenced in the statement. Was that, I think, a fortnight ago? I don't think there's
13:21been an update since. Although, these things are obviously very confidential, as they should be,
13:28so fans are still waiting for a further update on that. What's your take, Robbie? I guess it's
13:33just a case of waiting and seeing hope for the best, because that May 5th deadline that
13:37Raj effectively set in terms of him funding the club is rapidly approaching.
13:45I mean, there's definitely an element of uncertainty, and with that,
13:50fans are understandably nervous. I think something actually that you've said before,
13:54Rich, is that no news in this case might be good news. I think we've seen in previous
14:00takeover attempts, obviously, Raj Singh has regarded a number of the previous
14:05interested parties as time wasters, as he said in his statement when he announced his
14:10resignation. I don't think that necessarily a rumour mill in full flow is a positive thing.
14:17You want things to be done as discreetly as possible, because Singh does have a history
14:21for being spooked, if you like, when people go public before a deal is completed. So,
14:27I think that that's probably a positive thing. I think the statement from the interim board
14:31was certainly positive. Obviously, the one thing that we have questions about that is why the board
14:38remain anonymous, even though we have a fairly clear idea that it's the previous board members
14:43of Lightning Lawrence, Andy Stirling, John Pearson, as well as Lee Rust, Joe Monks and
14:48Rose Stoker. But given that, to a greater or lesser extent, this group of individuals have
14:54the future of the club in their hands to a degree, it seems unusual that the club haven't
15:00named them officially or publicly. But I think the statement was really positive. It was sensibly
15:07worded. It was measured. It was positive. It was open about what they were able to be open about.
15:17And obviously, it was reassuring for Pools fans to know that the club had already entered talks with
15:24a number of parties and that the interim board were enthusiastic about the prospect of a deal
15:29being completed. Obviously, we don't know what goes on behind closed doors. I think we have to
15:35try and remain optimistic. I know that that's not always easy. I think Saturday's game, as you said,
15:40if there was anyone watching on Saturday, they would see that Pools certainly do have plenty
15:45of good players and a fan base, obviously, with massive potential as well. So, I think there is
15:50plenty to like about Hartlepool United. Obviously, you've just got to hope that a deal gets done
15:58sooner rather than later, because that deadline is coming around fairly quickly. And without
16:02wanting to get ahead of ourselves, obviously, there is next season to think about. Sometimes
16:07these takeover deals, when they do drag on somewhat, they can have a knock-on effect on
16:11the following seasons. Southend, obviously, have just had a takeover when Ron Martin eventually
16:18sold the club. But that took a really, really long time. And they had a bit of a slow start
16:23to the season and have only really picked up since Christmas. Now, that's a long way in the
16:29future. I'm sure Pools fans' main priority will be making sure that a deal is completed and that
16:33the future of the club is secured. That's obviously the most significant thing at the moment. But I'm
16:39fairly confident that things are progressing well, as well as can be expected, certainly. And let's
16:45hope that we have a little bit of clarity, a little bit of certainty as soon as possible.
16:51And just pushing it forward this weekend, Pools, obviously, away at Halifax.
16:56Fixtures schedule eases off a little bit this time of the season, with a kind of decent run
17:01of Saturday-to-Saturday fixtures. The Pools squad looks a little healthier. The bench looked a bit
17:06more stronger last weekend. Some decent options for Limbrick, who has, I'd say, tweaked his team
17:12most weekends with significant changes. Just looking ahead to Saturday,
17:16how do you anticipate Pools lining up? Do you think he'll stick with a winning team,
17:23or do you think they'll make some changes for the trip to Halifax?
17:30I certainly wouldn't be surprised if he did stick with the same XI, Rich. I don't think he's named
17:35an unchanged side yet, but in recent weeks he has made fewer changes. He obviously made two
17:41between the Song-a-Hole game and the Boston game, one of which was at least to some degree
17:45enforced because Joe Gray obviously fell ill in the week and didn't train on Friday. So Gary Medin
17:51came in for him, and I think Anthony Mancini was a really popular change. I would imagine that if
17:58everyone's fit, Limbrick will certainly be tempted to stick with the same side. Obviously, Joe Gray
18:04will be pushing to get back into the XI. Of course, you're going to have to manage Anthony
18:10Mancini's minutes to an extent. I think the condition of the pitch at the Shea is perhaps
18:16a slight concern. They obviously share their ground with the rugby league side, Halifax.
18:21Panthers' Chris Millington, the Halifax manager, I saw him speak really strongly on the issue. He
18:25said that the pitch was threatening to derail their season. They've got loads of injuries. I
18:29think they've had 10 first-team players out injured. Millington thinks that the condition
18:33of the pitch has been a significant factor in terms of the proliferation of those injuries.
18:38Last season, they were forced to play three of their home games away from the Shea, and they
18:42had a number of other postponements as well, which I think the sense is from Halifax that
18:47that eventual fixture build-up caused them to run out of steam right before the playoffs.
18:52So there are perhaps one or two concerns in terms of how you deal with Anthony Mancini. I imagine
18:57the sense will be give him 60, 70 minutes, see how he's going. And then if you need to,
19:01you make a change. Because as you say, Rich, the bench does look stronger. Obviously,
19:06a couple of long-term absentees in terms of Joel Dixon and Jack Robinson. Luke Waterford's missed
19:12the last four games, albeit he has been on the bench a couple of times. Jack Hunter, of course,
19:16a former Halifax player, has had a hip injury, but probably wouldn't be in the XI at the minute,
19:20even if he is fit, although he's certainly a useful option to have on the bench, especially
19:25since Greg Sloggett has gone out on loan to join Boston. But I think you look at the squad, Rich,
19:30it's a reasonably strong squad, isn't it? I mean, you compare it to some of the other squads
19:34in the National League, even teams that have done better than Pools this season. And that's part of
19:38the frustration, isn't it? You look at the group of players Pools have, not just the XI, I'd say
19:4315, 16, 17. They've got a strong squad. They've got experienced defenders. They've got proven
19:47goal scorers. They've got some talent in midfield as well. They've got a couple of really seasoned
19:52campaigners at fullback too. And obviously, they've done really well in terms of a couple of
19:57those players that they brought in in January. Ray is clear he's been an inspired signing.
20:01And Jamie Manley, as we've discussed, has been absolutely excellent
20:05as well. So there is a frustration that Pools have generally underperformed this term. I think
20:10instability off the pitch and in the dugout certainly hasn't helped that. I think probably
20:15the decision to replace Kevin Phillips with Darren Sahl has left them chasing their tails
20:19for the majority of the campaign. But of course, the players can't just use that as an excuse.
20:24There have been some pretty disappointing, pretty lacklustre performances this season,
20:29but Pools will certainly be hoping to finish the season strongly. The pressure, to an extent,
20:34is off. They've got 49 points now. I think they could probably finish the season on 49
20:38and just about stay up. Of course, they certainly won't want to. They'll want to finish
20:41with as many points as they possibly can. And perhaps a good time to play
20:44Halifax as well, Rich. They've had another good season under Chris Millington,
20:48really impressive manager. I don't think they necessarily have the biggest playing budget,
20:52but they managed to spend it really effectively. However, given all those injuries that they've had,
20:58they have run into a bit of a hurdle at the minute. Only one point from their last three
21:02games have failed to score in any of their last three matches. Pools only have one queen
21:07sheet in the last 17. So you think something's got to give at the weekend, but potentially a good
21:12time to be playing Halifax, I would suggest. Good stuff. Thanks, Robbie. I think that caps
21:18off everything, Pools-wise, for the past week or so. We'll catch up again next week on the latest
21:24podcast, hopefully speaking after a successful trip to Halifax. It'd be great if Pools could
21:28build on the win over Boston with a back-to-back victory and end the season strongly. And who knows,
21:34I was going to joke about a playoff push there, but I think we'd all set up for mid-table at this
21:38point, Robbie, after the last few weeks. So yeah, Robbie will be at Halifax on Saturday,
21:42head to the Hardcore Mail website for the latest news, team news and reaction, and obviously pick
21:48up a copy of the paper every Thursday as well. Thanks for your time, Robbie, and we'll catch
21:52you again next week. Cheers.