A new head coach must be a magician as well as a tactician and have psychology skills to boot.
Pools are in trouble. With a capital T.
Those of us from the Poolie nation feared so before interim managers Adam Clayton and Gary Liddle took the squad to Scunthorpe United and now we know so after witnessing Saturday’s 4-1 defeat.
It was hoped that the departure of Lee Clark might just lift the mood after a poor run of form and the players would go out and express themselves.
For the first half hour at a sun-kissed Glanford Park it appeared all might well come good.
Will Harris gave them the lead but once the Iron equalised through Pat Jones you feared the worst and further goals from James Norwood, Kyle Hurst and sub Hugh Parker condemned Pools to their heaviest defeat of the season.
It was their SEVENTH loss in eight outings and their FOURTH in a row, during which time they have conceded 11 goals.
Scoring has been a problem for some time, long before Clark’s arrival and exit, but the once-admirable defensive fortitude has disappeared.
Pools have become a shambles and you had to feel, again, for the fans. Just 10 shy of 600 people made the trek to North Lincolnshire and for what? Another dismal surrender.
A penny for the thoughts of one particular Pools fan inside Glanford Park – Nicky Featherstone.
Fresh from managing his Hull City U18 team to a 3-2 win over Bristol City on Saturday morning, the ex-midfielder and boss joined the 4,883 crowd to watch his beloved Pools.
Having got Pools to ninth last season, the third highest finish in the last 20 years with the obvious exception of the two promotions orchestrated by Danny Wilson and Dave Challinor, he was unceremoniously removed from his post.
Bromby & Partners, the football consultants brought in to improve the club, sacked Featherstone after losing 10 league matches.
At the time of writing, Pools have already been beaten in seven of their 10 games (plus two in the National League Cup). Featherstone, apparently, did not fit the correct “profile”.
It’s almost as if Bromby & Partners haven’t got a ‘Scooby’ what they are doing.
You had to feel too for Clayton and Liddle who seemed to have Pools set up nicely in a 3-4-1-2 formation with Jack Nolan supporting a front line of Harris and Chris Popov.
It appeared to be working against a Scunthorpe side hardly in good fettle themselves as Pools unlocked the Iron three times.
Harris could easily have had a first-half hat-trick and you would not have begrudged him it.
First, he was played in on 15 minutes, only for his left-foot shot to go agonisingly wide of Maison Campbell’s left stick.
He was in again eight minutes later but, instead of shooting, rolled the ball to the unmarked Neo Eccleston. Sadly, the right-sided midfielder blew a glorious chance by shooting weakly, allowing Campbell to make the save.
Harris should really have been selfish and gone himself. He had no choice in the 27th minute when, alone, he put Pools ahead with aplomb after being found expertly by Cole Deeming’s long ball.
His first touch was sure and his second even better as his left-foot shot found Campbell’s bottom left corner.
By that stage, Pools could already have been out of sight but all still looked encouraging.
Sadly, it did not take long to unravel.
The hard-earned lead lasted barely three minutes. The lively Jones, once a target of Pools, played a one-two with Joe Rowley before breaking unchecked into the box to finish well with his right boot.
Eight minutes into time added on for a long delay in play for treatment to Tyler Denton, the hosts took the lead from a Jacob Butterfield free-kick.
It was all too easy as debutant Norwood was afforded a free header and he beyond Fisher from six yards.
At this point, Life must add a happy footnote that Denton, who was stretchered off after collapsing, was absolutely fine.
Alas, the prognosis for the away team was not so good. Just two minutes into the second half Pools went 3-1 down. Having been on the front foot, Pools were left exposed on the counter-attack with the veteran Norwood finding Hurst, who slotted it past Fisher from close range.
The delirious Iron fans behind Fisher’s goal taunted Pools with chants of “1-0 up and you fouled things up”, or words to that effect.
A fourth goal followed in the 69th minute when new signing Dan Batty’s free-kick was floated into the away box where Parker’s looping header found Fisher’s bottom right corner.
Clayton and Liddle chucked on five substitutes.
Terry Bondo missed with a free header, though it would not have counted as the sub was offside, while Charlie Thornton saw a rasping shot tipped over. But there was to be no consolation.
Scunthorpe: Campbell; Starbuck, Barrows, Ashbee, Denton (Ogle 44); Batty (Brennan 74); P Jones (Fleming 64), Rowley, Butterfield (Bailey 64), Hurst; Norwood (Parker 64). Subs (not used): L Jones, Evans
Goals: Jones 30, Norwood 45+8, Hurst 48, Parker 69. Booked: Butterfield 45+6, Ashbee 47, Rowley 60
Pools: Fisher; Benn (Charman 57), McNally, Hunter; Eccleston, Deeming (Thornton 74), Miley, Ilunga (Bondo 66); Harris (Hugill 74); Popov (John 57). Subs (not used): Smith, Sheron
Goal: Harris 27 Booked: Benn 45+2
Ref: William Davies Att: 4,883 (away 590)
Author: Roy
Author of Sports Life and all sports articles.