Verdict: Are Hartlepool United in crisis?

I guess that depends on what your concept of crisis really is when it comes to a football club. You only have to look one place below Hartlepool in the National League table with Southend United to, perhaps, grasp a greater understanding of what a crisis is in football, with the Shrimpers just hours away from heading out of business a mere couple of weeks ago due to negligent ownership.

There are other cases, too. Reading in League One are embroiled in financial difficulties, Wigan Athletic enduring prolonged troubles. Look down a division and you’ll find Scunthorpe United, a former Football League club of over 70-years, who suffered back-to-back relegations and, although they are gunning for a return to non-league’s premier division, they are a club shackled by turmoil off the field.

In that sense, you could argue Hartlepool have distanced themselves quite well away from a crisis. The club’s latest accounts for the year 2021-22 shows Hartlepool made a profit of just under £800,000 – no doubt boosted by their efforts in both the EFL Trophy and the FA Cup that season where they reached the semi-final and fourth round, respectively. Again, not necessarily the kind of details aligned with a club in crisis.

And yet that is how it feels at this moment in time.

Hartlepool have won just two of their last 10 National League games, losing seven. Within that time, John Askey’s side have also been dumped out of the FA Cup in the fourth qualifying round, some four rounds and £135,000 sooner than their run in 2022.

It’s a club which has won just 12 times in 2023 in 43 attempts across all competitions. Since that FA Cup defeat at Crystal Palace in February 2022, it’s a club which has won 24 of 93 games in all competitions across 90 minutes – six of those coming in the 11 games after that trip to Selhurst Park. There have been four permanent managers within that time, two in the interim. In that regard you could label them as a club in a relevant crisis.

But beyond what the results and recent history suggest, it just feels like a club submerged in discontent. A fan base who have grown so frustrated it has crossed over into apathy, with attendances dropping almost 1,500 in size in 10 home fixtures this season.

There is anger and frustration aimed towards owner Raj Singh who, in turn, is equally as frustrated by some of that anger and frustration.

The Hartlepool chairman released a statement recently declaring that he is no closer to finding a buyer for the club than he was at the end of last season when putting the club up for sale as the merry-go-round of uncertainty continues.

On the field, Singh has offered his public backing to manager Askey, admitting a constant change in manager is not the right way to go having overseen three changes in less than 12 months prior to Askey’s appointment in February.

That, at least, offers some potential stability, with Askey contracted until 2026. And yet the pressure continues to grow on Askey, too, with each despairing defeat.

October has felt like a microcosm of what has become a vice-like grip of negativity on Hartlepool over the best part of the last two years; a month to well and truly forget, on and off the field.

Within that, Askey will take a share of the responsibility after four successive defeats in all competitions.

It seems no matter what selection of players he fields at this moment in time, Pools are undone by self-inflicted mistakes. At Aldershot they contrived to throw away what would have been a significant away win by conceding twice within the space of 43-seconds. At Halifax they did not re-emerge for the second half until falling behind, two goals again from set pieces. Whilst against Rochdale they produced what Askey has described as 'the worst 45 minutes' he has ever seen. All of this on the back of a depressing, humbling FA Cup exit to National League North side Chester.

Responsibility and accountability should be taken across the board and, perhaps, Chester did Hartlepool a favour in that sense as it leaves them without a fixture over the next fortnight. Within that time Hartlepool need to come up with several solutions.

This season remains far from being a write off – Pools are only five points off the play-off places with still over half the campaign remaining. And yet, looking the other way, they are just six points above safety.

This hiatus and subsequent return to league action against three teams currently below them in the table later in November may just give us an idea as to which way the pendulum will swing for Hartlepool.

At this stage in their promotion winning season Pools were eight points and 10 places better off, having been aided by the significant arrivals of the likes of Luke Armstrong and Jamie Sterry. How they could do with a similar shot in the arm this time around.

And yet scoring goals has not been the issue for Askey’s side, given that they have one of the league’s best in Emmanuel Dieseruvwe. But something needs to change defensively if they are to get out of the malaise that has undoubtedly set in around the club, with only three teams having conceded more this season.

Chairman Singh recently suggested how ‘all teams go through bad patches’ in a season, which is true. But the way in which Hartlepool have crumbled since the injury losses to some of their key players hints towards the squad being built more on sand than any solid foundations.

Those players will come back, the hope is that it isn’t too late by then. Hartlepool are in the eye of a storm and it feels essential that they escape it over the next month.