Why hasn’t Dave Challinor's new contract at Hartlepool United been confirmed?

Before Hartlepool United’s home win over Bristol Rovers, manager Dave Challinor said he was just days away from signing a new contract at the club. We’re now over a week and a half further forward and we’re still awaiting confirmation.

Naturally, everyone is anxious and impatient when it comes to Challinor’s future at Victoria Park. And that includes the manager himself as he said he wants to get his contract sorted ‘as quickly as possible’.

But these things evidently take time and Challinor is in a strong negotiating position at the moment, hence his eagerness to get the deal sorted.

The 45-year-old’s stock his high having led Pools back to the Football League and currently sitting in the League Two play-off places after eight games. Hartlepool also boast the best home record in the country with fans virtually unanimous in their support of their current manager.

Some have even hailed Challinor as one of the club’s greatest ever managers despite only arriving at Victoria Park in November 2019.

There is an inevitability to the Pools boss signing a new contract, all signs point towards it. By the time you read this, it may have already been announced. But why the delay? Challinor has stated that an announcement was just ‘a few days’ away on two seperate occasions.

The Pools boss is understood to be satisfied with the personal terms of his contract, but the fine details around staffing and personnel guarantees at Pools have needed ironing out.

It’s not just about having his own future secure, it’s crucial Challinor has the right team and resources to keep Hartlepool moving forward.

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