Danny Wilson - out

By Clarence Rode
December 15 2008

Hartlepool United boss Danny Wilson has left the club, and for the third time in recent years fans are asking what is going on at Victoria Park after the departure of a manager. The split has been announced in a short statment on the club website, and the first question to ask is: Did he jump, or was he pushed?

From outside the club, the split looks as mystifying as the departures of Mike Newell and Neale Cooper, who both left under circumstances which have never been fully explained by the club heirarchy.
The chances are that the reasons behind Wilson's exit will never be made clear, either. Pools are not the most communicative club in football, and the statement on the website continues that trend.
It says: "As of today Danny Wilson has left the services of Hartlepool United Football Club.
"Chris Turner will be in temporary charge of First Team affairs as well as carrying out his duties as Director of Sport.
"The club would like to thank Danny for the hard work he has put in during his time at Victoria Park and wish him all the best for the future.
"There will be no further comment from the club."

So, as we have already asked, did he jump or was he pushed? Is he fed up of trying to create a winning team on a shoestring, has he had a bust-up with chairman Ken Hodcroft (right), or is Hodcroft fed up of the inconsistent form shown by the team this season?
Why no mention in the statement of Wilson's deputy Ian Butterworth?
Is he still at the club, or is Turner on his own?
Some fans have been calling for Wilson's head for much of the season, many of them claiming that his team changes and tactics don't make the best of the squad. But others say he has been unlucky with injuries and also make allowances for the fact that he has had little money to spend.
On-loan striker Kevin Kyle (right) has admitted that Wilson had angry words at half-time at Hereford on Saturday, and the team responded with a draw after being a goal down and playing badly in the first half.
Could Kyle be involved - he's costing a lot of money in wages, and some could claim results haven't improved enough to justify the outlay.
Why now? Results have been up and down all season, and on the face of it while a draw at Hereford isnt exactly title-winning form, it's not a bad result.
Wilson took Pools to pomotion then settled them into League One last season, but there has been little further progresss this season.
If he has been sacked, we can't believe for a minute that Hodcroft has allowed the opinion of anti-Wilson fans to influence his decision.
If he has left of his own accord, perhaps he has a job to go to, but don't bet on it.
Our guess is that Wilson and Hodcroft have fallen out over results or over the fact that there's next to no money available for transfers ... or both.
Also a guess, we believe there has been tension between them for some time, and this is the outcome.
But the chances are that unless Wilson makes a statement, we'll never know the full story because you can bet your life Pools will be saying nowt.