2004/5 Season Review: Analysis

By Albatross
June 17 2005

Hartlepool United have had plenty of success over recent seasons - and 2004/5 saw us go closer than ever before to reaching the dizzy heights of Division 1 - or "The Championship" as it is now. Surely there has never been a season so eventful in almost 100 years at the club.

Every season has it's highs and lows; but for Hartlepool United fans there can be very few occasions when they've come so close together as in 2004/5. Tremendous home form; abysmal away form. From knocking on the door of Automatic Promotion to almost slipping out of the Playoff Places. From Division 1 to Division 2 in a matter of minutes. From having a popular manager in charge to the bewilderment of his sudden departure at a crucial time.

Overall the season has to be considered as another one of success. Once again we've punched above our weight; and we have never in the history of the club been so close to getting promoted out of the lower divisions of the Football League.

While Cardiff was a great day out though, and the club has hopefully shown the fair weather and stay away supporters that we are worthy of their custom more regularly, ultimately it ended in defeat. And that means that expectations - already at a pretty high level - will be even higher next year.

Cooper's departure came almost out of the blue, and as yet it remains to be seen what the impact will be. Rumours have spoken of fallings-out with some senior players; and yet a number of them, as well as some of our rising stars, committed to new deals while he was at the club. At the time of writing the futures of some key figures remain uncertain: Chris Westwood and Joel Porter in particular. Will this year have been their last hurrah at Victoria Park? Or will they stay and help us push for promotion again?

While I don't doubt IOR's commitment to the club sometimes their ways are a little frustrating. Our last two managers have departed with hardly a word said by the club for reasons that are not immediately obvious, and it sometimes seems that the wheels are slow to move at Victoria Park. I write this two weeks after the Playoff Final, and as yet there has been no announcement about the position of manager. If Scott hasn't been offered the job, then previous practice would have seen a call for applications; instead, we wait in a kind of purgatory, hoping every day for an announcement one way or the other. Their motivation for owning the club is unknown; their aims are unknown. Their record is hard to argue with, but sometimes this Poolie would like an idea of what they are trying to do.

While this has been a look back at the events of 2004/5, I can't help feeling that we're at something of a crossroads as we look forward to 2005/6. Will this team stay together? Will the new manager - whoever it may be - look to overhaul the squad, possibly building for something better in another couple of years? Will we go forwards, or slip backwards - and how much? Only time will tell - but Poolies everywhere will be hoping that somehow we can top even this season's remarkable achievements.