When John Askey was appointed manager back in February, although he didn’t quite manage to avoid relegation back to the National League, he showed some promising performances and started the 23/24 season with five wins from seven games. By the 9th September, a 5-2 defeat to Oxford City started a landslide of losses, a further 12 to be exact, and on the 30th December 2023, he was sacked from his role as manager. So as they prepare to face off against Oxford City on the 6th Jan, ironically the team that started their downfall, who will be in charge with both Askey and assistant Mark Goodlad gone, and what do the next Hartlepool manager odds say about the next potential candidate.
While no interim manager has been appointed as of the time of writing, there are 5 names being touted as options to take over as manager of the Pools. According to BetVictor, in joint 4th place currently at 10/1*, meaning a £10 bet would pay £110, are Matt Gray, former Sutton United manager until a few weeks ago, and Lee Cattermole, the former Middlesborough U18s lead coach until Feb 23. In 3rd place is Darren Sarll at odds of 8/1*, where a £10 wager would return £90, who’s stint at Woking saw them in the playoffs last season before a disappointing set of results saw him relieved of his role in Nov 23. In 2nd place at 6/1*, with a £10 bet paying £70 is Antony Sweeney, a former Hartlepool player and manager who’s loyalty to the club could see him accepted quickly by fans and players alike. At the top of the pile and in 1st place, is Paul Hurst, with odds of 4/1*, meaning a £10 wager would payout £50. His track record of seeing Grimsby Town re-promoted to Football League Two and his experience in the National League could prove a good fit for the club’s hierarchy and overall ethos.
Currently 18th in the table and with upcoming games against relegation zone fighters Oxford City and Flyde, this coud be a pivotal time for the Monkey Hangers to secure a few points and move further away from the drop zone. It seems for the moment, however, that with no confirmation of interim manager and no obvious candidate to take over the vacant role, that all that is left to do is wait. In the meantime, why not check out our other next manager odds or have a dabble on some of our many football betting markets as we wait for the first weekend fixtures of 2024 to come around.
*All odds are correct at time of writing and are subject to change.
