Darren Sarll: outspoken manager's tumultuous tenure comes to an end as Pools begin search for a replacement

The writing seemed to be on the wall for the embattled boss after Pools were dumped out of the FA Cup by National League North side Brackley on Tuesday evening.

Sarll leaves Pools having managed just four wins from 15 games, with the club stranded in 16th in the National League.

Almost from the moment of his appointment in April, Sarll's time at the helm was characterised by controversy.

He replaced popular manager Kevin Phillips in contentious circumstances, with the former Sunderland and England striker steering Pools clear of the relegation zone and meeting the target the board were alleged to have set him of finishing the campaign with 60 points.

It seemed at the time like a bizarre decision and it is certainly not one that has aged well.

Phillips had all the glamour and allure of a former England international and Premier League top scorer but none of the airs and graces.

Having started his managerial career at South Shields and led the Mariners to promotion to the National League North, he arrived at Pools with the club in turmoil and sliding towards potential relegation but masterminded an almost instant turnaround, winning four of his first five games.

There was, of course, one black mark against his name as his ill-fated switch to three at the back saw Pools humiliated by local rivals Gateshead 7-1 but Phillips galvanised his side and engineered an impressive 1-0 win over promotion-chasing Halifax just three days later.

So, when Pools opted not to renew his deal - Phillips would later allege that the club had withdrawn their offer of a two year contract - the sense was that Darren Sarll would have to be something special.

The straight-talking Sarll arrived with an unremarkable record, having done a decent enough job at Stevenage and led both Yeovil and Woking to the National League play-offs but later found it difficult to build on those initial successes.

He had been embroiled in some off-field controversies and was sacked as the head of Watford's academy following allegations of bullying while he was rumoured to have had a coming together with a member of the media team at Woking.

Even so, there was a sense that a no-nonsense approach might not be the worst thing for a Pools side who had often been criticised for being too soft while his history of leading teams to the National League play-offs had supporters optimistic about their chances of success.

After a slow start to the summer, Sarll and head of football operations Joe Monks started to make what looked like a series of shrewd signings.

Pools made some much-needed additions in midfield, welcoming Jack Hunter, Nathan Sheron and, later, Greg Sloggett while the arrival of Adam Campbell, who dropped down two divisions to return to the North East after helping Crawley win the unlikeliest of promotions to League One, represented a real coup for the club.

Sarll also inherited a strong core of players, with Mani Dieseruvwe and Joe Grey scoring 38 goals between them last season while experienced defenders Luke Waterfall and Tom Parkes had formed a formidable partnership under Phillips.

Pre-season was a bit of a mixed bag - Pools lost to Scarborough and Nottingham Forest's B team - but a lot of what Sarll said seemed to chime with supporters, who were desperate to see their side be more committed, competitive and combative.

Pools made a bright start to the campaign, taking seven points from the first nine available although there were few signs of the high pressing, all-action approach supporters had been promised.

It wasn't long before the problems that would plague Sarll for the rest of his tenure reared their head.

Pools struggled with discipline and received four red cards in the opening 10 games; Sarll had vowed to make his side more robust, but Pools were the wrong side of the line and Jack Hunter's red cost his side dearly at Woking while skipper Luke Waterfall was setting the wrong sort of example and was sent off twice in his first four appearances.

Pools, who for all their faults had been fluid, free-flowing and exciting under Kevin Phillips, started the season with three successive clean sheets but that came at considerable cost at the other end as Sarll's side found it hard to find the net and failed to score in almost seven hours of football at the Prestige Group Stadium.

Their goal drought proved difficult for supporters to stomach as Sarll's direct, route one brand of football failed to get the best out of Mani Dieseruvwe, who looked more and more frustrated with every passing week, Adam Campbell and Anthony Mancini.

The signing of experienced frontman Gary Madine seemed to make things worse rather than better while Sarll's team selections ranged from slightly unusual to almost impossible to understand; for two weeks in a row, the departing boss left both Mani Dieseruvwe and Joe Grey on the bench and named an XI that had not scored a single league goal between them.

Dieseruvwe's second half hat-trick against Sutton saved his manager's skin but Sarll seemed to have already dug his own grave in the eyes of supporters, alienating the disillusioned fanbase with a handful of divisive comments during interviews, referring to Poolies as "clever dicks" following a defeat at Forest Green Rovers.

Sarll had always made a point of facing up to supporters and applauding them at full time but as the criticism and calls for his head grew louder and louder he seemed to spend less and less time in front of the fans at full time and it began to feel like he was hanging on by the skin of his teeth.

It started to feel like a matter of when rather than if and there were clear signs that players had started to lose heart during the second half of Tuesday night's FA Cup defeat to Brackley.

It's not too late for them to save their season, but chairman and owner Raj Singh, who has a mixed record when it comes to managerial appointments, will need to get his next one right if Pools are to avoid another season of mid-table mediocrity, or worse.

Veteran Lennie Lawrence will oversee this weekend's long trip to Maidenhead but Pools will not want to remain without a permanent manager for too long.

Former Rangers boss Graeme Murty, who is now in charge of Sunderland under-21s, has been linked with the vacant role while the likes of Pete Wild, Paul Simpson and Jonathan Greening have all been mentioned in the hours since Sarll's departure was confirmed.

Speaking to Sarll after Tuesday night's defeat, it was fairly clear he knew the writing was on the wall.

He wished the assembled media farewell with hugs all round and left with a smile on his face.

Fans might not have seen the best of him, but he is a thoroughly decent man who had the courage to take on a challenging job in difficult circumstances.

That said, the football left a lot to be desired, Sarll had - inadvertently or otherwise - alienated the supporters and performances would suggest that players were not in favour of his methods either. It was time for a change.

Tuesday night seemed to represent another low in the chequered recent history of Hartlepool United.

Pools won promotion from the National League in the summer of 2021 and reached the fourth round of the FA Cup six months later, travelling to Premier League Crystal Palace on a memorable and lucrative afternoon for the club.

That now seems like a lifetime ago, with Pools returning to the National League and looking more like a side set to slide down the divisions than one soon to return to the promised land of the Football League.

Yet with a passionate and dedicated fanbase, this football mad town still has the potential to rise again.

Managers like Neale Cooper, Danny Wilson and Dave Challinor have proven in the not too distant past that Hartlepool's footballing pride is a prize worth fighting for.

Supporters will now watch and wait, hoping that the next managerial appointment has all of Darren Sarll's passion and determination but is also able to produce results when and where it matters.

One of the most turbulent reigns in recent memory is over. Pools cannot afford to get the next appointment wrong.