New Hartlepool United owner Landon Smith hails Pools as 'the right club at the right time' in first interview since completing takeover

The American businessman and investor, who is the co-founder of real estate company Tailwind Group, bought the club from controversial former owner Raj Singh on New Year's Eve.

Having arrived in Hartlepool on Friday morning, Smith is now plotting how to lead Pools back to the Football League.

In all likelihood, it will be a long and challenging road. While Smith inherits a club with plenty of potential, a proud history and one of the country's most passionate and committed fanbases, Pools have been plagued by division, discontent and a series of disappointments in recent years.

Having worked so hard to win promotion back to League Two via a heart-stopping National League play-off final under Dave Challinor in 2021, Pools dropped back out of the Football League two years later and the club seems to have lurched from one crisis to another since then.

For all Singh, whose legacy is sure to be hotly-debated over the coming weeks and months, deserves huge credit for stepping in to stave off the looming threat of administration in 2018, the end of his tenure was overshadowed by almost unparalleled frustration and anguish amongst an increasingly fractured fanbase.

Indeed, many fans had opted to stay away from Victoria Park in silent protest at Singh's divisive leadership, leading to an alarming drop-off in home attendances.

Following a remarkable summer that saw takeover negotiations with Herd International Group, led by Hartlepool-born businesswoman Shelley Hammond, collapse in dramatic circumstances, many fans had given up hope of change and there was a sense that Singh had tightened his grip on the levers of power over the first few months of the season.

Yet Pools fans are daring to dream once again after Smith completed his takeover of the club late last month, ushering in what many supporters are hoping will be an exciting new era.

While it's true that there is no guarantee that change will lead to success - by his own admission, Smith has a lot to learn as he bids to bring good times back to the North East - it's impossible to ignore the sense of optimism, hope and positivity that has been restored to Victoria Park.

In the immediate-term, Pools are gearing up for this weekend's visit of Altrincham, the first home game since Smith's takeover of the club and the first time the American will be in attendance. With a bumper home crowd expected and Nicky Featherstone's side desperate to put last week's drubbing at the hands of Woking behind them and spur their faltering National League play-off push back into life, Saturday's early kick-off promises to be significant - indeed, monumental - for all sorts of reasons.

Whatever happens this weekend, Smith will soon be faced with the size of the task ahead of him, with a whole host of problems and issues to address. Indeed, the legacy of Singh still looms large over Victoria Park and Smith will have to make some difficult decisions if he's to move the club forward and ensure the fanbase remains on side.

What's more, Smith will have to run the rule over Featherstone - who he insists has his full backing - while implementing a clear plan, instilling a footballing identity and balancing his new role with his life, family and business interests back in the United States.

Of course, a lot will depend on the financial muscle Smith will be able to bring to the table - and how well Pools are able to spend it - if the club are able to compete with some of the National League's biggest hitters on a more regular basis.

So, Smith is likely to have an awfully long to-do list and no doubt the challenge might, at times, appear daunting. Yet already there is a lot working in the American's favour, not least that he has almost universal support from the fanbase, with some 5,500 - at least - expected to cram inside Victoria Park on Saturday to welcome him to the club.

True, Smith is something of an unknown entity, but his success as a businessman, his passion for sport - the new owner spoke at length about his love of college football back in the US - and his evident enthusiasm for Hartlepool United, the town and its people should stand him in good stead.

Of course, those personal qualities do not guarantee success - but they are at least a good point from which to start. While there is without doubt lots of work to be done and the road back to the Football League - if, indeed, the route is even open - has the potential to be long and arduous, hope seems to have returned to Hartlepool United. The challenge now for Smith will be ensuring fans still have something to believe in when the dust settles and the hard work truly begins.

"Why Hartlepool? It was the right club at the right time," Smith said.

"It feels like a good fit for me, when I started looking into the club, I immediately recognised the history, the culture, the tremendous fans and the brilliant support. I looked into it and it seemed like a great fit.

"I'm really looking forward to learning and figuring out what the club's all about - and moving on from there.

"I'm really excited to start a new year, start fresh; I want this to be a really exciting time. I'm really looking forward to engaging with the fans, learning and growing.

"I'd say probably 10 years ago was the first time I really thought about doing something like this. Just the competitive concept of promotion and relegation here in the UK is a very foreign concept back home. Honestly, that's one of the biggest reasons I became so interested - the heart and soul of this club is very unlike a lot of the things we can experience back home.

"Commercialisation has really worn down a lot of the special parts of professional sports. I grew up in college football and this is very similar, it's not so much of a commercial endeavour at this point.

"I'll be involved (in the running of the club), I'll know a lot of the information going on from a high level. In terms of a hands-on approach, I probably won't be down to the nitty-gritty; I'm going to stay on the macro side. I'm really looking forward to getting the senior leadership team together and creating a culture that supports the club.

"The gravity of being the custodian of this club has really set in. As soon as we walked in this morning, the head groundskeepers Steve and Dave were here. You can just tell there's a lot of heart and soul here; it's more than something I can own, it's something I have to respect. I get it, Steve and Dave remind me so much of a lot of the gentlemen I grew up with and I understand the passion, how much this means. It's my job to protect it."

In order to help celebrate Smith's maiden home game as Pools owner, the club are offering the first 1,000 fans through the turnstiles on Saturday a free drink. Supporters must arrive before 11:30 am to be eligible.

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