Hartlepool United part company with Mike Newell

By Albatross
May 30 2003

Hartlepool United have announced that they have not renewed Mike Newell's contract. In not so many words, Newell has been sacked; and no-one in the club looks like they're going to say why. In shock? You bet!

When I saw the message on my phone I had to read it twice before what it was saying struck home: but Mike Newell is no longer the manager of Hartlepool United.

The statement from the club is not so much short as terse. It simply says that Newell has not had his contract renewed, is leaving, and that there will be no further statement from the club.

My first reaction is one of shock. For all the rumours circulating, I'm sure many fans believed that Newell would be in charge for at least the start of next season, and recent events - including the contract offers to players - haven't done much to discourage that. This is a move that to the majority is completely out of the blue.

So why have they done it? One thing is certain, the club is going to stay tight-lipped over this; the only way we are likely to find out is if Newell himself decides to talk. Speculation however starts from here....

Although a lot of fans have been critical of Newell's decisions on the pitch, it's difficult to believe that this is entirely down to performances. After all, we still went up; and if it had been the results, he would surely have left soon after the season finished, rather than almost four weeks later. And in that time, we've offered contracts to a number of players and released others. With Watson and Widdrington gone, Smith turning down a new deal and the likes of Easter and Bass signing new deals, someone at least has been thinking about the squad. If it's not Newell, then who?

So is it something off the pitch? Rumours about Newell's personal life have been rife, and although he may no longer be the man in charge I'm not going to start repeating them here. Whatever the reason though, Pools are for the second time in slightly more than six months looking for a new manager. And with hundreds of players about to hit the transfer market, the new man has to be appointed quickly. Kevin Sheedy? Joe Kinnear? Teddy Sheringham? The Rumour Mill is about to hit overdrive.

More reaction and rumours about replacements will follow once I've got over the shock!