Can Hartlepool United finish in the play-off places - and who is the right man to lead them there?

Certainly, Pools began the 2025/26 campaign full of optimism, hope and positivity.

After a dramatic end to last season followed by an even more tumultuous summer that saw takeover negotiations between controversial chairman and owner Raj Singh and Herd International Group, fronted by Hartlepool-born businesswoman Shelley Hammond, collapse in unusual circumstances, Pools had done their best to put off-field issues behind them.

Pools turned to experienced manager Simon Grayson, who returned from spells managing in India and Nepal to take charge of an English club for the first time since 2021, in a bid to transform a side that finished an underwhelming 11th last term into genuine promotion contenders.

True, the handling of the departure of head coach Anthony Limbrick - Pools were initially rebuffed in a very public attempt to approach Boston United's manager Graham Coughlan, while the announcement of Grayson's appointment came an hour after the news of Limbrick's dismissal - left a sour taste in the mouths of many fans, but there was an undeniable sense of renewed belief as the new campaign drew ever closer.

Despite losing the likes of Mani Dieseruvwe, who scored 43 goals in 89 games during a prolific spell at Victoria Park, Joe Grey, Anthony Mancini, Reyes Cleary and Billy Sass-Davies over the summer, Pools moved to welcome a whole host of new signings, with experienced frontman Alex Reid grabbing most of the headlines off the back of a hugely successful spell on loan at fellow National League side Wealdstone last term, finding the net 17 times in 32 matches.

Where many fans were fearing the worst as the summer dragged on - after all, it was hard to avoid the sense that Pools were a club in crisis, with its already damaged reputation suffering another succession of blows - Grayson sensed an opportunity.

A vastly experienced manager and hugely respected figure in the game, the 55-year-old arrived at Victoria Park with four promotions in English football already under his belt having led Blackpool, his hometown club Leeds, Huddersfield and Preston to glory throughout a coaching and managerial career spanning more than two decades.

While he might not have fully appreciated it at the time, however, taking charge of Pools represented perhaps his biggest challenge to date.

Initially at least, it must not have seemed like that as Pools made a fast start to the new season, winning three and drawing one of their opening four matches and keeping four consecutive clean sheets.

With new signings, in particular impressive Hull loanee Harvey Cartwright, defenders Reiss McNally and Cameron John as well as Alex Reid, who scored three times in his first four games, all hitting the ground running, off-field issues and fundamental problems that have long plagued Pools started to feel like a thing of the past.

But it wasn't long before things started to go wrong and, as is often the case at Victoria Park, the wheels began to fall off in spectacular fashion.

Fast forward six weeks from the halcyon days of late August and Grayson was already out of a job having been sacked following a run of just one win in 11 matches that had seen Pools slide out of the play-off places and towards more mid-table mediocrity.

Grayson became the 12th of Singh's 13 permanent appointments to be dismissed after less than a year in the role, while he was the fifth Pools manager in a row to leave after 17 games or fewer.

There was still worse to come as Pools were dumped out of the FA Cup fourth qualifying round in abject fashion by Northern Premier League Premier Division side Gainsborough Trinity, one of the worst results in the club's recent history and a nightmarish start to interim manager Nicky Featherstone's tenure.

Yet, somewhat against the odds, Featherstone and his side seem to have turned a corner and Saturday's 1-1 draw against an in-form Wealdstone outfit who arrived at Victoria Park having won all of their last four matches saw Pools extend their own unbeaten run to five games.

True, performances have, in general, been more battling than brilliant or breathtaking, while Featherstone has been aided by a favourable run of fixtures, but there are signs Pools are heading in the right direction.

Although draws with strugglers Sutton and, in particular, Morecambe, when Pools took the lead and dominated the opening stages of a contest they were expected to win on their own patch, will be chalked up by most fans as points dropped, a hard-fought win over play-off chasing Halifax as well as a dominant victory against a resurgent Solihull Moors represent the highlights of Featherstone's tenure so far.

The first thing, of course, that Pools will need to address is the lack of a permanent manager.

It has now been well over a month since Grayson was sacked and, while Featherstone has done a commendable job in temporary charge, most fans would like to see Singh make a decision over a permanent appointment.

Certainly, there is a compelling case that Featherstone has done more than enough to land the job on a permanent basis, although the Hartlepool Mail revealed on Monday that Pools had also held talks with former midfielder Chris Beech, while the likes of Phil Parkinson and Peter Hartley have also been linked.

Although recent results might suggest otherwise, it's hard to imagine the uncertainty that must be hanging over Featherstone himself, the rest of the coaching staff and the players is the ideal environment from which to mount a play-off push.

Whatever Singh decides to do, he should surely make a decision sooner rather than later - that seems to be in the best interests of Featherstone, who is the club's third highest appearance-maker of all-time and has spent more than a decade at Victoria Park, the team and the fans.

Then, there is the small matter of the National League table.

While Saturday's 1-1 draw with Wealdstone wasn't the worst result in the world, it was the sixth time in 10 league games Pools have drawn at home this season and saw them lose ground in the race for the play-offs.

Although the fact that Featherstone's side are just five points behind seventh placed Southend, who came on strong in the second half of last season under the impressive Kevin Maher, might give Pools fans hope of gatecrashing the promotion places, it's worth noting that the gap to Scunthorpe, who are sixth, extends to nine points.

Even that, at this stage, is not insurmountable, but to overcome such a gap Pools will need to put a run of wins together, something they have struggled to do ever since relegation back to the National League in 2023.

Indeed, Pools have only won back-to-back games once this season - and that was at the beginning of the campaign in August - while a lack of killer instinct cost them last term under both veteran Lennie Lawrence and charismatic Australian Limbrick.

Of course, it's also true that off-field issues haven't gone away in spite of the club's best efforts to brush anything remotely negative under the carpet.

With attendances at Victoria Park hovering at around 3,000 - a remarkable drop in comparison to happier memories under Challinor, when more than 6,000 fans watched Pools beat Carlisle in August 2021 - Hartlepool United does not exactly feel like a club where everyone is pulling in the same direction.

That said, things can change in the blink of an eye in football and while there is still hope Pools can mount a play-off challenge, there is still, perhaps, the chance to get at least some of the disaffected fans back on side.

However, it is impossible to ignore the fact that the club still faces many deep-rooted and long-standing issues, any of which could rear their head and derail Featherstone's recent progress at almost any time.

Featherstone - or whoever takes over from Grayson on a permanent basis - will need time and patience to establish stronger foundations from which to build towards success. Yet time is rarely a commodity Hartlepool United managers are afforded, and there are fears Pools could find themselves in a similar position three or six months down the line.

Ironically, only time will tell whether the club has it in them to learn from previous mistakes and give Pools a platform from which to challenge for the play-offs.

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