Colin West on the 'massive' role Hartlepool United supporters have to play this season

It hasn’t been a happy start to the season at the Suit Direct Stadium. Memories of their fantastic form on their own turf under Dave Challinor have faded quickly this campaign.

Paul Hartley was unable to register a win in-front of his home crowd and now the baton has been passed to Keith Curle in-order to drag Pools out of relegation danger.

Although it is new surroundings for Curle, the men on either side of him are very familiar with what is required this season and West, having been in a very familiar position in the past, knows a major collective effort is needed.

For West, the Pools home crowd could hold the key to helping improve fortunes on the pitch, but that can only be achieved if they are helped by the players on the pitch.

West said: “As you say I’ve been here before, had good times here and I think the crowd were a massive part of that.

“Ultimately, we have to get that crowd going by the work the players do on the pitch, so it goes hand-in-hand.

“It’s a big part because that’s what they come to the game for. They want to see somebody with a lot of effort, playing in the opposition half, pressing and playing decent football and putting more pressure on the opposition.

“Everyone, no matter what division or game of football you are playing in, you will have supporters that are a little bit disgruntled if the ball is in your own half most of the time.”

This message has been echoed by Curle who expressed his desire to have the whole club rallying as one.

“I want to earn their respect. I want to earn their support,” Curle said at his unveiling.

“I want to be able to produce a team that they’re proud of so they can go home and say ‘yeah, I enjoyed that. That’s more of the DNA I want from Hartlepool United’ - which is effort, commitment, desire, passion and ability.

“I need everybody’s help at this football club and I mean everybody. From the office staff, to the stewards, everybody that comes through the football club or has affiliations with the football club, I need their help.

“I’ve got the personality where I ask for help, I don’t shy away from it because I’m not a one man band. I’ve got my coaching staff and players.

“We need the fans at this football club to give us the opportunity and platform to go and play football.”

While everyone associated with the club will be hoping for an improvement in performances, football is a results business and wins are needed to alter their whole outlook on the season.

But how do Pools go about changing their fortunes? West believes there is one simple way to do that – hard work.

“Listen, at the end of the day you have to give maximum effort,” West said. “It’s irrelevant what you get paid because you get paid for a job so you have to go out and perform.”