It’s funny – as a kid, I actually got a skinhead because he had one while breaking through with Kevin Keegan’s Newcastle United entertainers. I even had the Asics jumper – the lot!
I loved him as a player when I was a teenager – he was a tenacious midfielder and his passion for Newcastle mirrored exactly how I felt about Pools.
I wanted to be our local lad in midfield, just like he was for them.
Even though I don’t know Lee personally, he is good mates with former Pools midfielder Paul Stephenson, who I used to room with. Stevo was Lee’s assistant at Huddersfield and I wouldn’t be surprised if he ends up back at The Vic with him at some point.
Speaking of Huddersfield, one memory sticks out from my time as Pools physio. It was Boxing Day, 2010. The winter weather was horrendous and we had barely been able to train.
Before the game, Stevo was bragging about how flawless their indoor preparation and equipment had been. Yet we went out and beat them 1-0 thanks to a Leon McSweeney winner – remember him?!
I celebrated in their technical area after the game and Stevo had a go at me for being disrespectful. I’d only done it because Clark had been jumping up and down when they scored against us previously!
I didn’t actually mind it – that’s just football – and I’d certainly love to see that kind of passion from him as Pools’ boss.
Years later, I worked at York with Steve Watson who, obviously, played with Clark at Newcastle. They are great friends, so it’s brilliant that one is now managing Darlington and the other is at Pools.
I genuinely would have loved to be Lee Clark back in the day – except I’d never have gone on to play for our local rivals like he did with Sunderland!
He hadn’t been managing for a while before his short stint at Rotherham this season but his dedication to the sport is clear.
I read how he took a train and a taxi to a game in April just days after his mother-in-law had passed away, choosing to make his own way rather than travelling with the squad.
That shows sheer passion and love for football!
Crucially, he knows this region inside out and, as former Pools striker Paul Baker’s brother-in-law, he knows the club well too.
Let’s see what he does. I have been saying in this column for years that the budget and the recruitment must be right. According to Clark, Pools have one of the biggest budgets in the division, so the pressure is firmly on my old mate, Chris Beech!
When Beechy arrived as a first-year pro in 1996, he took fitness to a different level. He was taking vitamins, protein shakes and energy tablets – unheard of back then.
I wish I had taken that on board instead of watching other senior pros turn to drink – I might have lasted longer as a player!
He was a goalscoring midfielder who eventually got a move to Huddersfield, though I remember us calling him “Pierre van Hooijdonk” in his final days because he refused to play until he got his transfer.
As a young pro, I couldn’t believe what I was seeing, but he certainly had balls.
Beech has standards – he knows this level and he will know exactly which players to target. He has a massive task on his hands, as the whole town expects us to get back up.
Pools have had a clear-out but I still believe there are people making decisions behind the scenes who shouldn’t be there long-term. It’s not a direct dig at individuals, I just genuinely think a clean slate is needed. That still concerns me.
However, these are new times. We have a new owner and a new manager and I am genuinely excited. Let’s get right behind Lee Clark’s blue and white army!
