Can Hartlepool United head coach Pete Wild do a Cyril Knowles at Pools?

Words written from the heart rather than the head about the challenge that has been handed to, and accepted by, Pete Wild at Hartlepool United.

The size of the task was laid bare in 90 grim and uninspiring minutes in Saturday’s 1-0 loss by Tamworth.

It was the sixth defeat in a row, the ninth reverse in 10 matches and a result which left Pools third from bottom in the National League with just two clubs below them, Solihull Moors and crisis club Gateshead.

Pools are not in crisis. The town’s club has been in dicier positions than this and us Poolies were reminded of that before a ball was kicked on Saturday. Or should that read mis-kicked.

Forgive your Life writer. It has been a tough, tough watch.

Pools paraded the promotion heroes of 1991 at Victoria Park, where owner Landon Smith presented them with commemorative medals.

Let’s rewind to December 1989, when the late, great Cyril Knowles rode into town at a time when relegation looked inevitable after 13 defeats in the Fourth Division.

Just as they are now, the club were on nine points. Cyril, aided by a number of key signings, transformed Pools to such a degree that from being down and out in 24th, they ended 19th that season and finished third in May 1991.

Can Pete do a Cyril? That’s the plan and hope.

Like Knowles, Wild is going to have to boost this squad.

But, and here is a very big but, Bromby & Partners must not have any involvement in it.

Goodness knows how the football consultants who champion themselves for ‘elite sport recruitment’ are still at the Vic?

Bromby & Partners are in the process of destroying the town’s club with their bad decision making.

Your Life reporter hears their head of operations Chris Maxwell being described as ‘Maxi’ by figures in the club in the same tones as some would talk of ‘Bakes’, ‘Jackie’, ‘Boydie’ and ‘Lidds’, men who brought pride and glory to the badge, rather than humiliation.

Maxwell is Bromby & Partners’ man on the ground in Hartlepool. The man who makes the decisions.

Bromby & Partners have taken Pools backwards at a great rate of knots and, doubtless, at great expense too.

Let’s hope they have played a blinder in the selection of Wild, and that would be a suitable parting gift, but in Hartlepool-speak they need chasing. And now.

Wild needs to be given the chance of making a fresh start, without those above him hindering his efforts.

He saw a team struggling for identity, direction and, just as crucially, confidence.

Pools have performed worse than this, but they need some wise Wild words and counsel urgently.

There had been signs of promise in the first half hour at Scunthorpe and against Harrogate last Tuesday, but here there was none.

Had Jack Nolan’s 20th-minute penalty nestled inside the net at the Rink End things might have been different.

It didn’t and it wasn’t and Pools were sunk by a too-familiar and too easy a goal.

You only need the most basic of football knowledge to know what is wrong – Pools are making nothing and scoring in equal measure. Eight goals in 12 games is embarrassing.

Pools were up against the team who had conceded 28 times, the joint worst record in the division, and 21 on their travels.

But the hosts fashioned only two attempts on target and one of those was Nolan’s penalty.

Pools kicked off with the three men whose combined total last season was 52, Will Harris, Nolan and Chris Popov, and Wild’s priority will be to elicit some goals from them.

It won’t be easy. It’s not that they are no good, it’s just that the team is not functioning and belief is rock bottom.

Pools could not keep possession and passes were either short or, more commonly, too long.

When they did get into the final third on 20 minutes they won a penalty after Hayden Carson brought down Cole Deming.

Nolan stepped up with his left peg but Rhys Lovett got down to his left to make the save.

Fans have questioned why Harris, the leading scorer and star striker did not take it?

Nolan was on penalties in pre-season so, presumably, it was a case of winner stays on, to use pool parlance.

Deeming flashed a shot wide from just outside the box in the 36th minute but, those fleeting moments aside, it was poor fare.

Then the sucker punch three minutes before the break. Carson launched a long punt forward to release Kieren Donnelly, who shrugged off Charlie Penman with consummate ease before stroking the ball past Max Thompson.

Penman will have been disappointed, but Life must ask where were the other three members of the back four.

Pools did show some ambition at the start of the second half, but needed Thompson to bail them out by saving from Donnelly in the 49th minutre after he was put through one-on-one with the goalie.

Wild brought on Jordan Hugill, Luke Charman, Brooklyn Ilunga and Cam Darcy during the second half and there was some huff and puff from those in blue and white.

You’d have bet a tenner of Rhys McNally’s header from Jamie Miley’s free-kick breaking the net on the hour but, instead, it flashed wide.

A minute later Hugill’s header from Charman’s right-wing cross brought a save from Lovett.

Pools applied some late pressure but they could not get the better of Tom Parkes, who was excellent at the back for the Lambs.

Pools: Thompson; Sheron, McNally, Penman, John; Hunter  (Darcy 76); Miley; Deeming (Ilunga 63), Popov (Hugill 55), Nolan (Charman 63); Harris. Subs (not used): Fisher, Bondo, Thornton

Tamworth:  Lovett; Handley, Parkes, Rye, Carson; Kurtaran, Dyson; McGlinchy (Hutchinson 87), Roberts, Calder (Acquaye 62); Donnelly (gina 87). Subs (not used): Macauley, Lyttle

Goal: Donnelly 42

Ref: Aaron Jackson    Att: 4,219 (away 68)