Max Kouogun delivers strong message to Hartlepool United team-mates after play-off failure
Hartlepool United defender Max Kouogun has spoken out over his side’s failure to reach the National League play-offs.
Defender Max Kouogun has called on his Hartlepool United team-mates to ask questions of themselves after they fell short in the bid to secure a National League play-off place.
The former York City and Scunthorpe United centre-back was one of several signings made last summer and he has gone on to be a regular presence throughout a campaign that has brought major change on and off the pitch at the Prestige Group Stadium.
Those changes will continue into the summer after it was confirmed manager Nicky Featherstone will step away from his role and a new man will be in charge when Kouogun and his team-mates return for pre-season training in June. There will be high hopes Pools can push for a play-off place once again after failing to meet one of their key objectives for the current campaign as some damaging defeats in the last two months hampered any attempts to build serious momentum in their bid to gatecrash the top seven.
Kouogun remains unsure why his side fell short in their play-off bid but insisted every member of the Pools squad must look at themselves and ask if they have done enough during the season.
He told the club website: “That’s a difficult one to put it down to one thing. It’s probably been a combination of a couple of things - but it’s excuses, they’re all excuses. I think each individual has to look at themselves and ask themselves did you do enough this season to ultimately be in the play-offs and that’s the question everyone has to look in the mirror and answer. Overall, we didn’t achieve what we set out to do but hopefully there is some positivity in the future for Hartlepool.”
Positivity
Kouogun actually scored Pools’ final goal of the season in Saturday’s defeat at Boston United as the campaign and Featherstone’s managerial reign came to a disappointing end. The defender believes the defeat summed up the events of the last nine months and stressed there were ‘a lot of grey areas’ within the performance against the Pilgrims and across the season.
He said: “It was a bit of a rollercoaster of a game and it probably summed up our season as a whole to be honest. That game illustrates how our season has gone from day one to now. A mixture of emotions, a lot of grey areas but I think it’s time to put a full stop there, look ahead to the future and see what it holds.
“I think there are some players individually can take it as a positive but I think collectively we have fell short. We didn’t accomplish what we set out to do and I think that’s why I don’t think you can call it a success because for me personally, success is an objective thing - and objectively, we didn’t get into the play-offs, we didn’t accomplish the mission that was set out at the start of the season. Ultimately, I don’t think you can call it a successful season but the silver lining, hopefully the future holds a lot of positivity for the club, the fans and for the players.”
Your next Hartlepool United read: Hartlepool United's average attendance compared to York, Carlisle and other National League rivals