Hartlepool United owner Raj Singh set to address Pools fans in pre-recorded interview
The Hartlepool Mail understands that controversial chairman and owner Raj Singh is set to address supporters in a pre-recorded interview.
The interview, conducted by former Tyne Tees Television presenter and ITN reporter Paul Frost, comes in response to backlash following the latest takeover debacle.
Although the club has officially been up for sale since April 2023, when Pools were relegated back to the National League, it wasn't until March this year, when Singh announced his sudden and unexpected decision to resign as chairman as well as his intention to sell the club by the end of the season on May 5 that a takeover seemed like a realistic possibility. For a time at least, talks seemed to be progressing well; an interim board, set up to oversee the day to day running of club operations and facilitate a deal, revealed that "acceptable offers" had been tabled and that initial funds had been deposited. Although the end of the season passed without a deal, there were growing hopes that a takeover was edging ever closer, especially when local-born businesswoman Shelley Hammond, who emerged as the front-runner in the latest round of talks, took to Instagram to reveal that due diligence was "really close" to completion.
However, things all came crashing down last month when a statement published late on the evening of May 21 suggested that talks had broken down. In a bizarre turn of events, the interim board, now seemingly acting as a mouthpiece for Singh, revealed that the enigmatic owner was willing to return to his former role and begin funding the club once again, but only after a vote among season ticket holders. Eligible fans were presented with a stark choice - either vote for Singh's return, or go it alone with potentially ruinous consequences - in a vote that was as chaotic as it was opaque; some season ticket holders complained of not having received the voting form via email, while others who were not eligible were able to access the vote. In the end, Singh returned, not exactly triumphant, following 63 per cent of the vote in his favour.
Singh, who first took charge of Pools in 2018 and staved off the threat of potential administration after committing £1.2 million to secure the club's future, has forfeited a lot of the initial goodwill he garnered following his decisive intervention thanks to a whole host of bizarre managerial appointments, his combative and bullish approach to fans as well as a perceived lack of ambition and vision. He is expected to address supporters over the coming days and possibly as early as Friday afternoon.