Hartlepool United manager Simon Grayson "delighted" with summer recruitment
Hartlepool United manager Simon Grayson says he has been "delighted" with his side's recruitment this summer - and thinks the fact he inherited such a small squad has been advantageous.
To many onlookers, the fact that Pools had just a handful of contracted players when Grayson took over was a major concern. However, the new boss, who replaced head coach Anthony Limbrick last month, feels the situation has worked in his favour, giving him the freedom to work with a "blank canvas" and to recruit players according to his own footballing philosophy.
When Grayson first took charge, Pools had a lot of work to do - and not a lot of time in which to do it. Pools had lost ground on most of their National League rivals in the wake of off-field issues that overshadowed the end of last season and their summer business was slowed down still further as the club searched for a replacement for Limbrick, with a move for Boston United manager Graham Coughlan rumoured to have been rebuffed prior to the appointment of Grayson. While some fans might have been panicking about what the summer could have in store, Grayson and head of football Joe Monks have shown few signs of nerves and have now welcomed 10 new signings. Although there have been one or two disappointments, not least when Pools lost both Mani Dieseruvwe and Joe Grey to National League rivals Rochdale and York, the recruitment looks to have been refreshingly focused, targeting versatile players with experience of the level, and the squad appears to be in good shape. While Pools are still in need of a new goalkeeper, the arrivals of the likes of Alex Reid, who scored 17 goals in 32 games for Wealdstone last season, Danny Johnson, a proven goalscorer in the Football League who has found the net three times in his last three pre-season matches, Jermaine Francis, Jay Benn and Reiss McNally has long-suffering supporters daring to dream of a promotion push when the campaign kicks off next month.
"I was delighted when I had a blank canvas to bring in what I needed to," Grayson told BBC Look North.
"People said when I first came 'well, we've only got six or seven contracted players', but that's music to the ears of a coach. You can go and get your own players in, the types you want that suit how you're going to play, people with the right personalities and characters as well. If you're only dealing with two slots as such, you're left with players that have probably got baggage from the last few years.
"It's been a lot of hard work behind the scenes - there have been lots of phone calls between myself, Joe Monks, players and agents, but that comes with the territory of managing. I'm delighted to have got the ones we've got because they're really good players, and good people as well."