Pools return to training to meet new coach

Like most other professional footballers who haven't been involved in the World cup, Hartlepool United's players start pre-season training on July 1 - and their first task will be to be introduced to new coach Mick Wadsworth, who has been appointed to replace Colin West - the man who carried the can for last season's flop.

At 59, Wadsworth might be regarded as getting on a bit, but he certainly has plenty of experience - former manager of Scarborough, Huddersfield, Oldham and Colchester, boss of Gretna when they got into the Scottish big time and assistant to the late Sir Bobby Robson at Newcastle United as well as spells abroad.
Turner remains on overall charge of first team affairs, while Wadsworth will be the man to run training sessions - an area some Pools players where known to be dissatisfied with last season.
Opinions on why the team had another worrying end to the season vary, of course, with a shortage of goals, bad away form, an inability to make control count and daft mistakes on and off the pitch all taking their share of the blame.
Whether West was the blame is open to question, but his departure suggests somebody, somewhere felt an improvement was needed in that department.
Whether Wadsworth can bring it is again open to debate.
There's also a new fitness coach, in Darren Fowler, who will be charge as the players spend the first couple of weeks getting their bodies right for the nine months of demands coming up at the beginning of August.
Pools will be spending a week of their pre-season campaign at the Dutch international headquarters in mid-July, playing two friendlies in Holland, and they have just one home friendly, against Leeds United, at the Vic on August 24.
The new season starts on august 7 at Rochdale.