Dave Jones to change Hartlepool United mentality

The Pools boss suffered the proverbial reality check as his first away game in charge ended up with a sorry 3-1 defeat at League Two’s bottom club Newport County.

Pools were as bad at Rodney Parade as they had been good the previous Saturday in their 2-0 win over Stevenage.

Jones will continue to look up the table rather than over his shoulder, but says one of his jobs will be to get the players into a winning mindset.

“It was nice to see the good side like last week against Stevenage,” said Jones.

“But then when you see the bad side you know why [the team are where they are].

“It’s steeped in them this season – good result, bad result, good result, bad, etc.

“Talking to Sam [Collins] that’s the trait. That’s how it’s been and that’s why we have been brought in to change that mentality and hopefully we can.

“We weren’t brought into the club because they were going well.”

You get the feeling, certainly in these early stages, that Jones is here to educate and cajole rather than beat the players with a stick.

The former Stockport, Southampton, Wolves, Cardiff and Sheffield Wednesday boss has seen plenty to encourage him, technically, in his week and a half at the Northern Gas & Power Stadium.

He says he will work the players hard, physically and mentally.

“We work on everything,” said Jones who will be out on the training field in Durham with assistant boss Kevin Cooper, coach Alex Armstrong and development coach Collins.

“I saw certain traits here that the club has had for a while, play well one week, not the next.

“We were superb the previous match – outstanding in every department.

“On Saturday, we weren’t and sometimes you get that with young players.

“Sometimes you get that with young players if you have one or two in the side, but we have six or seven of them at one time.

“They will all be good players, but they are learning in division that is unforgiving sometimes, and they are coming up against bigger and stronger players.

“They have to learn to adapt to that.

“Technically they are very good players, but [at Newport] they can’t show that technique and that’s when you have to show something different.

“But they have to learn, learn quickly and learn in a division which can be unforgiving.”

While the loss in Wales moved Pools three points closer to the bottom side, the difference with the relegation zone remains five places and five points.

Pools will have an opportunity to lift themselves a place or two this Saturday when they host 16th-placed Yeovil at the Vic.