By Albatross
May 6 2003

Hartlepool United will face Division 2 without Gordon Watson. The influential forward has confirmed he's leaving in an interview given to the Hartlepool Mail. I don't think it's time to start the "Newell Out" chants though.... Rumours have abounded over the last few months about Flash - pretty much from when Turner left and Newell was appointed as Manager. The extended recovery time from his leg break didn't help the speculation - he had been due to be out for 8-10 weeks, but it ended up as closer to six months before he made his return to the first team as a substitute against Bury.

In the meantime, there were plenty of people ready to say that he'd never pull on a Pools Shirt again, that he'd thrown his boots away in disgust after being left out of the squad, that he was fit but wasn't being played... it seemed that no matter what was said - and Flash himself went on the Official Site to say he wasn't fit at one point - the rumours continued to spread and multiply.

How many of them were true? Who can say, but what is obvious is that Gordon hasn't enjoyed the last few months at Pools in the way he was before. The fact that he's leaving is not a surprise at all.

The strange thing is how it's all come about. Flash is one of a number of players out of contract at the end of the season: some, such as James Sharp and Gordon Simms, have already been told they are not getting new deals, and that information has been made public. We're still waiting to hear about a number of others. Flash however has decided to go public now, despite the fact he hadn't been told for definate whether he would be offered a deal or not.

Watson's interview to the Hartlepool Mail simply adds fuel to the fire of the claims of a rift between him and Newell. He claims that there isn't a problem, but at the same time makes it clear that he was unhappy that contract negotiations hadn't started, and hinted that it's not the club or fans that have made him decide this way. He's even said that he'd like to come back to the club as Manager someday.

So is this bad management by Newell? Or is Flash simply manipulating his popularity with the fans?

Like it or not, Flash hasn't had many opportunities to show Newell what he can do. When Newell arrived, Watson was still in plaster; and his longer than expected recovery meant that it was March by the time he was able to even appear as a sub. Even then, it was obvious that he was still struggling somewhat for both form and fitness: and it's only as the season has drawn to a close that we've seen him getting back to anything like his best. So Newell has had very little time to assess whether Flash has still got what it takes: don't forget that we're talking about a player who is 32, suffered a broken leg that's just kept him out for 6 months, and has a long history of spending time on the sidelines. Add in the fact that his wages will be considerable, and Newell may well feel he has very good grounds to delay discussions about a new contract.

The problem for us fans is that this is Gordon Watson we're talking about: the player who helped turn our season around eighteen months ago, scorer of 23 goals in less than 50 league appearances - many of them spectacular - and one of our most influential characters, both on and off the pitch. Many of us regard him as possibly the best forward we've ever had at Pools. Newell, without the history at the club, has run the risk of angering the fans.

If you ask a lot of supporters now whether they think Newell is doing a good job at Pools, the response is unlikely to be positive in a lot of quarters. After all, he's made some strange decisions and substitutions on the pitch, we've had some very poor results, and we've seen Gordon Simms and now Flash leaving the club when many thought they should have been kept on. On the other hand, balance against this the fact that promotion has been achieved, and Newell has persuaded the likes of Westwood, Barron, Humphreys and Tinkler - without question some of our most important players - to sign new deals.

To a degree the jury is still out. Newell was always on a hiding to nothing this season: go up and win the title and it's Turner's team, fail to win it and it's his fault. For all the talk of Newell blowing a 14 point lead, we shouldn't forget that it was only five when he took over - and that turnarounds like this are far from unknown. In a similar length of time to us, Arsenal have gone from being eight points clear of Man Utd to the same number behind: yet not many people are calling for Wenger's head.

My personal view is that it is only over the close season and then the early part of next that we'll get to see what Newell really is like as a manager. He has yet to sign a single player for Pools - even Barry-Murphy arrived under Turner - and understandably didn't want to tinker too much with an obviously successful squad. The real test is to see who we bring in over the summer, and how we start in Division 2. Already there are rumours circulating that Craig Hignett and Wayne Allison may be on their way to the Vic; and with hundreds of footballers looking for new clubs this summer there should be some rich pickings for clubs like Hartlepool United. It's up to Newell to attract the right calibre of player, and to mould them into a unit that will compete effectively next season. Watson may be gone, but let's see who we bring in to replace him before demanding his return as manager.