Will Hartlepool United look to strengthen their squad further following managerial change as Anthony Limbrick takes charge?
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Pools have had four permanent managers in the last 12 months. John Askey favoured a 3-5-2 formation, Kevin Phillips was eager to assemble a squad capable of building from the back and playing through the lines while Darren Sarll wanted his side to be direct, robust and competitive. Lennie Lawrence, who only lost three of his 16 National League games in charge and has laid solid foundations for Limbrick to build on, liked his side to set up in a 4-2-3-1 but chopped and changed in the final weeks of his tenure.
One of the results of this managerial merry-go-round - and Pools, who have had 16 permanent managers in the last decade, are no strangers to this sort of thing - is that the club have accrued rather a mishmash of different types of players.
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Hide AdThe Pools squad has been swollen by a number of players left over from John Askey's tenure, foremost among them Kieran Wallace, who hasn't made a senior appearance all season, and Manny Onaraise, who is spending the remainder of the campaign on loan at Maidenhead.


Phillips had such a short stint in charge that he didn't have much time to make his mark on the squad, albeit head of football Joe Monks welcomed him with the signings of Tom Parkes and Luke Waterfall, who have both proven to be shrewd bits of business. Even so, Phillips spent the final few weeks of the season planning to rebuild the squad in his image, only to have the rug pulled from underneath him when Pools appointed Darren Sarll instead.
Sarll set about on an overhaul of his own, albeit a different one to what Phillips might have envisaged. The former Stevenage, Yeovil and Woking boss prioritised local lads like Luke Charman, Jack Hunter, Adam Campbell and Adam Smith with reputations for reliability and robustness. The fact that Hunter, who hardly missed a game over two seasons for Halifax, sustained a serious injury a month into the new campaign was perhaps a sign of things to come.
While at the time it was a welcome change to see Sarll building a squad with a clear identity, it started to become a problem when results took a turn for the worse and Pools didn't seem to have any sort of plan B. Lawrence made some positive changes and was given some backing, with Pools signing Reyes Cleary, Sam Folarin and Jamie Miley last month. While the veteran changed how Pools press, improved their defensive structure and organisation and made them more of a threat in the final third, one of the challenges facing Limbrick will be getting more out of a squad that is not his own.
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Hide AdHe does at least take charge having spent the last three months working with the squad. The challenge for the Australian-born boss will be to balance his own natural instinct for possession-based, attacking play with the footballing reality. Pools do have some talented technicians in the squad such as Nicky Featherstone, who made his 445th appearance for the club at the weekend, Adam Campbell, new recruit Jamie Miley as well as Joe Grey and Anthony Mancini, who are both nearing a return from injury. In the summer, Limbrick will have the chance to put his own stamp on the squad but for now Pools still harbour slim hopes of sneaking into the play-offs with 17 games to go.
To give Limbrick the best possible chance - and the remainder of the campaign should by no means be seen as a case of play-offs or bust, whatever happens the new boss needs to be given time - there are suggestions Pools could still move to strengthen their squad.
In all likelihood, Pools will be focusing on two positions. David Ferguson, who has started in 28 of his side's 29 league games, is once again the club's only recognised option at left-back following the departure of Matthew Bondswell, who managed just two appearances during his two-and-a-half months at the Prestige Group Stadium. Following a difficult start to the season that saw him become something of a scapegoat among frustrated supporters, Ferguson has been much-improved since the departure of Darren Sarll despite one or two difficult moments, notably an awkward looking own goal against Woking, of late.
Even the defender's critics would admit that Pools missed him when he served a one-match suspension during September's visit of Rochdale. With no natural replacement, Pools changed shape to a 3-5-2 and deployed Luke Charman as a makeshift left wing-back. It proved an abject failure as Pools were beaten 3-0 and booed off; as it turned out, it was another nail in Sarll's coffin.
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Hide AdWhile Limbrick represents an altogether different proposition to Sarll and might back himself to produce more imaginative solutions, Pools would have a similar issue on their hands were Ferguson to get injured or suspended again. Pools need cover and competition for the defender, who turns 31 this summer.
One name linked throughout January is Jack Robinson, whose departure from Carlisle was confirmed on Monday. The 23-year-old, who made 41 appearances in Cumbria, can operate as a left-back or centre-half and will know Pools first team coach Gavin Skelton from his time at Bruton Park.
The other area Pools might be looking to strengthen is in-between the sticks. While Adam Smith, who has started all of the last eight National League games, has been in excellent form of late, Pools have all of a sudden been left without cover after Leicester loanee Brad Young was recalled to the East Midlands. Joel Dixon, who started all of the first six matches this term, is still a few weeks away from a return following an anterior cruciate ligament injury.
So, while Limbrick is very much an appointment made with at least one eye on the long-term future, Pools still haven't given up hope of sneaking into the National League play-offs this season. The club could well still look to strengthen their squad, both for the here and now and for the future. Pools fans will be hoping it's a bright one.
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