Graeme Lee | Vital Football

Graeme Lee

IMO he appears to have done a good job this season in achieving a creditable mid table finish.
True success will depend on summer recruitment and consolidation next season.
 
There seems to be not as much 'noise' around Graeme L's leadership as there usually is when a new manager takes over. Maybe it's just that few people who go to matches actually post any more. The official site isn't exactly awash with news/comments, either.
 
If, as I believe will prove the case, Pools fail to take any points from the remaining matches, I can easily see Raj deciding that the experiment of giving the managers job to Spike needs to be curtailed!
 
There hasn't been a settled team for a while now so I suppose it's just possible that, with nothing to play for, Spike has agreed with Raj that they'll test various players with a view to contracts and next season without being too bothered about results for now. If that's the case I wish they'd tell the fans. Current performances have been very worrying.

But considering some of the mega performances this season it would be daft to think about giving him the sack just yet.
 
If there is a lack of conviction in next Saturday's game at already relegated Scunthorpe, then I doubt Spike and Nelse will be able to rekindle a belief in them amongst the Poolie faithful.
Victory might, in terms of final league position, be an irrelevance. However, the collapse of performance has been worrying and unacceptable to those paying at the turnstiles.
 
I gather 1500 of the Poolie faithful have bought tickets for our final away fixture of the season and Scunthorpe's final home match as a FL club for who knows how long. Lets hope Pools put on a decent show.
 
Just watched managers interview ahead of Scunthorpe game. Not good. Think lack of experience in retaining players and recruitment is showing. If Chris Trotter is so good why would Rotherham let him leave so easily.The ones that "aren't fit "haven't been offered new contracts so what does he expect. Raj needs to bite the bullet now before next season becomes a massive disappointment.
 
Last time Raj sacked a manager out of the blue as it were (Hignett) he already had a successor lined up. I wonder if he has someone in mind this time?
 
Whilst the timing of Spike's dismissal might seem strange, why not wait until after the last game of the season, I believe that his destiny was sealed with the failure to engineer a victory at Scunthorpe.

It will be interesting to see the line-up on Saturday.
 
Let's hope there is somebody lined up otherwise we will be in the same situation as last year (although with a different cause) not being able to get organised for next season until well after the opposition.
 
Jonathon Woodgate in the Echo:
“Spike did a good job there. He was brought in there to keep them in that league and he did that. He had to go in there and do that job....
“In football, first managerial job for Spike and he’s given five months? One transfer window? What are you supposed to do? I think it’s a ridiculous decision in my view.


“He’s signed a two-and-a-half year contract. Why get rid of him so quick? Give him a chance, he needs time but these owners have pressure on themselves and I didn’t really understand what pressures were on Hartlepool this season other than staying in the league. Then they can rebuild."

Hmm. Yes and no. It wasn't really down to only Graeme Lee that we stayed up. We were doing fair enough under Antony Sweeney. But it's obviously true that Spike had had no chance to build his own team. The owner seems to have been influenced mainly by the recent run of results, when in fact they are just one aspect of the equation. You don't write history until the end of the war. You wait and look at things long term. Well, I would, anyway.