Can Pools halt the rot at Oldham?

If Hartlepool United fans expected the Christmas present of a new boss, it looks as if they are going to be disappointed as chairman Ken Hodcroft and others who make the final decision on who replaces Mick Wadsworth take their time.

Pools have rarely rushed into appointing a new manager, of course, so nobody should be surprised, but after two defeats in the two games since Wadsworth was shown the door perhaps they had a right to expect some urgency from the powers that be.

As it stands, it looks as if caretaker Micky Barron will be in charge for a third time when Pools try to halt their recent spectacular slide down the League One table at Oldham on Boxing Day.

They might be struggling at the Vic, of course, but on the road Pools have still only lost twice this season, but it was a worrying sign that the second of those defeats came in Barron’s first game in charge at Brentford, followed last weekend by the latest home humiliation at the hands of Colchester.

MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ONE AND ALL

A season that started full of promise has degenerated into a shambles and while the men in suits decided that Wadsworth was to blame, there have been no signs since he went to suggest their theory was right.

All we’ve had is evidence to support the argument that the decision to sack Wadsworth was a hasty one.

It’s time Ken Hodcroft and company proved that theory wrong.

Meanwhile, Peter Hartley misses the Oldham game through suspension, and Stephen Wright, who would be favourite to replace him in the back four, is struggling to recover from the ankle injury that kept him out of the Colchester game.

A squad which Barron admits is showing distinct signs of anxiety can’t afford to be without players with his experience. Pools may well be excited about the prospects of teenagers Jack Baldwin and Luke Young, who made their debuts against Colchester, but expecting them to dig the side out of the mire is asking too much.