Joe Ramage: Does Hartlepool United's calendar snub provide transfer insight for Keith Curle's squad?

Whether it’s written in column inches, posts on social media or words from the mouth of Hartlepool manager Keith Curle, everybody appears to be on the same wavelength when it comes to the significance of the club getting their business done accordingly next month if they are to avoid dropping into the National League come the end of the season.

But while all of those things are just words, written, posted or spoken, perhaps one ironic message came out of the club recently with regards to what we could expect in January with their 2023 calendar release.

At this time of year clubs up and down the country will promote their New Year’s calendars which will often feature the club’s current stars across each month of next year, whether it be their summer signings or regular go-to’s.

For Hartlepool however, they have taken a slightly different approach this time around.

Although there were 16 new arrivals in the summer, adding to the players already in the squad, the club have steered away from doing a current player 2023 calendar, instead they have opted for a ‘Golden Greats’ official calendar which is a selection of ‘Your all time favourite Pools strikers throughout the years.’

So, for example, instead of celebrating Valentines Day with Euan Murray, Easter with Ellis Taylor and Bonfire Night with Mikael Ndjoli, the club have included a number of bygone goal scoring legends to occupy the pages of 2023.

Of course it’s tongue in cheek to suggest that simply because Hartlepool have refrained from a current player calendar it suggests there will be a number of outgoings in January - or indeed the summer further down the line - and yet, you just never know.

Curle himself has said there will be significant changes at the football club, starting in January, so who is to say that any number of those players who would have adorned supporters’ walls in 2023 will even be at the club by the end of the transfer window on January 31?

In that sense, and most certainly from a marketing perspective, the club has done the right thing should the calendar be outdated just weeks into the New Year.

And you wouldn’t be surprised if there were to be a big turnover in January, given that has seemingly been the staple of the club since its return to the Football League last summer.

Despite the fixture with Newport County being postponed last week, Hartlepool couldn’t quite make it through a quiet week after news that chief operating officer Stephen Hobin is to leave the club in the New Year - chalk another one off the 2023 calendar list.

Hobin joins an immense list of playing and non-playing staff to leave the Suit Direct Stadium since their return to the Football League.

If things are to continue this way then maybe the 2024 calendar will have to consider using a selection of supporter images, for throughout all of this, at least, they are the ones who will remain whichever year it is.