More candidates for Hartlepool United Manager

By Albatross
June 2 2003

More and more people are being linked to the Hartlepool United hotseat. Let's have a look at the qualifications of a few more of them - specifically David Hodgson, Brian Little, Colin Todd, Stuart Gray, Terry Dolan and Tony Mowbray...

It looks like we might be waiting for a while to hear who the new boss will be. The latest announcement from the club throws little light onto recent events, and asks for written applications from anyone seriously interested. In the meantime, here's another batch of names Poolies (and others) have been mentioning as possibles for the Hartlepool United hotseat.

David Hodgson

Hodgson has plenty of "previous" with the Pools fans, most memorably at the infamous Playoff game at Victoria Park, and while at Darlo was something of a "hate figure" for Poolies. Appointing him would be a huge gamble, and he'd have an uphill struggle to win most fans over; it'd be the lower league equivalent of Spurs appointing George Graham. On the other hand, one of the reasons he wasn't liked was because he was possibly the one Darlo manager of the last 10 years or so that gave the impression that he knew what he was about. He built a good squad at Feethams, had them playing good football, and had a good rapport with the fans there - he knew exactly how important the Pools-Darlo game was. He's been concentrating on his Player's Agency work since leaving the Loids, and might not be interested in management again though. Even if he is, he may well feel that Hartlepool is not the place.

Pros: Knows his stuff; contacts across the world

Cons: May not want to get back into management; would have a hard time winning the fans over

Brian Little

Another former Darlo manager, but not reviled in the same way as Hodgson. After winning consecutive titles at Feethams, he then had a good time at Leicester before moving on to Aston Villa. Since then though he's generally struggled; and he was most recently sacked from Hull in February 2002 after failing to match the stratospheric expectations of club and fans. He's got plenty of experience, but apparently is now settled in the Midlands and might not want to move back up north.

Pros: Experienced; Teams play good football; plenty of contacts; respected

Cons: Might not want to move; not a success in last job at Hull

Colin Todd

Todd cut his teeth as Rioch's assistant, first at Middlesbrough and then at Bolton. Both occasions saw him take over from Rioch, with varying degrees of success; his best time was at Bolton, when he lead them into the Premiership but failed to keep them there. A brief spell at Swindon ended when he jumped ship to join Derby, where he eventually took over briefly from Jim Smith before being relieved of the role as the Rams were relegated. Another who likes to play good football and has links to the area; but I'm not convinced he has the credentials to do well in Div2, after spending almost all his time at a higher level.

Pros: Local connections; good football; plenty of contacts

Cons: Not managed in Div2; not successful recently

Stuart Gray

The former Southampton boss is currently coaching at Aston Villa, but may find himself surplus to requirements as David O'Leary seeks to bring in his own staff. Gray had spent 10 years at Southampton, gradually working his way up the coaching ladder before being handed the hotseat when Glenn Hoddle left. The appointment didn't turn out as a success, and he was sacked to make way for Gordon Strachan after just 19 games in charge. He may be thought of highly as a coach, but can he cut it as a manager?

Pros: Good Coach

Cons: Not a success at Southampton; doubts over managerial ability

Terry Dolan

Dolan has just left York City, and knows his way around the lower divisions having also been in charge at Bradford, Rochdale and Hull. A successful season despite severe restrictions at York looks good, but it's the first time for a while he hasn't had fans calling for his head; he's highly unpopular at Hull in particular. Taking over partway through the 90/1 season, the team were relegated from the old Division 2 that year, and were in the bottom half of Division 3 when he finally left the club in 1997.

Pros: Experienced

Cons: Unsuccessful

Tony Mowbray

Currently First Team Coach at Ipswich, Mogga is out of contract at the Tractor Boys. He's been offered a new deal by Joe Royle, but is known to be keen to make the move into management. He's about to take the top UEFA Coaching Badge, has local connections, and is a reasonably well-known and respected name in British Football.

Pros: Local links; good contacts; respected; good coach

Cons: Untested as a Manager