When you think of the top partnerships you think of Clough and Taylor, while more recently up the road at Newcastle, Howe and Tindall are a case in point.
Inseparable and high profile where the number two is very visible. It is not usually the case.
Look at Gareth Southgate’s choice with England, Steve Holland. Did anyone ever see or hear an interview with Gareth’s number two?
He was a man happy to stay more in the background, but intrinsic to the successful era of the Three Lions.
What of Pools and their managerial units?
The aforementioned Clough and Taylor began their amazing career at the Victoria Ground and what about other Pools double acts: Knowles and Robson, Murray and Kyle, Turner and West, Newell and Sheedy, Cooper and Scott, Wilson and Butterworth, Moore and Collins, Challinor and Parkinson?
Some incredible partnerships there in the technical area at Pools and, while many were already friends or familiar with each other, all were new combinations. A good omen?
Which brings Life, finally, to the point of this piece – a word about Dave Conlon, the right-hand man to Pete Wild.
Pete and Dave has a rather nice sound to it and it is a new pairing which, hopefully, will weave a little magic at the Vic.
Goodness knows it is needed with Pools only outside the relegation zone of the National League on goal difference and out of the FA Cup before it has begun after a humiliating defeat to Marine.
Conlon was named assistant head coach last month, so who is the 46-year-old from Stockport who Wild describes as an “excellent coach and man-manager”?
He was a mainstay at hometown club County for over a decade in a variety of coaching positions.
Conlon played a key part in the management/ coaching departments of three bosses at Edgeley Park, Jim Gannon, Simon Rusk and, most famously, Challinor.
He left the Hatters along with Clint Hill and Antony Sweeney in the summer after the exit of Challinor following three promotions and a few visits to Wembley.
Wild has had Adam Temple as his number two at Halifax Town, Barrow, Fleetwood Town and Tranmere Rovers but not any longer.
“I’ve known Dave for 20-odd years,” Wild told Life. “Dave has worked at Stockport for a long time and gone through the leagues with them.
“He’s won the National League with them, the League Two title and been to the top end of League One.
“He’s used to winning and when you don’t win, he knows what to sprinkle on it in order to go again.
“Dave comes from a winning dressing room and I knew he’d bring something different. My old assistant, Adam, decided to go back to academy football, but Dave is someone I’ve been talking to for a while.
“He’s an excellent coach and man-manager.”
The partnership of Wild and Conlon is needed more than ever at Pools in their current ghastly plight.
If in coming years that we are talking about them in the same breath of those mentioned above then it means they have done the business.
Author: Roy
Author of Sports Life and all sports articles.