Kelly has been appointed as 'Sporting Director' at Hartlepool. Will they need one of those in the National League?

Lot of games to go and a few twists and turns this league 2 is throwing up some strange results week after week .gillingham were dead and buried 4 weeks ago Crawley looked on the up only takes a run of wins or losses to be safe or in trouble,

IMO he must be one hell of an interviewee because he hasn't got a great CV behind him in League 2 Management or being a Sporting Director as he hardly set the world alight when with us and his appointment when he joined us was a shock.

So it was true he wanted to move closer to home then dispite the conspiracy

UPTHEPORT wrote: February 28th, 2023, 1:50 pm So it was true he wanted to move closer to home then dispite the conspiracy

Where's home Jim? Manchester? Derry?

Stan A. Einstein wrote: February 28th, 2023, 1:59 pm

UPTHEPORT wrote: February 28th, 2023, 1:50 pm So it was true he wanted to move closer to home then dispite the conspiracy

Where's home Jim? Manchester? Derry?

I'm told he lives in North East

Look at his career Jim. He's worked in Scotland , Wales, Ireland, ,Manchester, Yorkshire, as well as the north east.

I don't know, checking up on where people live I find a tad creepy, but like most professional sportsman I suspect .he follows work around.

Stan A. Einstein wrote: February 28th, 2023, 1:59 pm

UPTHEPORT wrote: February 28th, 2023, 1:50 pm So it was true he wanted to move closer to home then dispite the conspiracy

Where's home Jim? Manchester? Derry?

According to yesterday's SWA GC statement DK wasn't instrumental in any of the January signings so as far as he was concerned nothing as changed with him leaving! Only last week club statement mention when the announcement of DK leaving how he was .despite the conspiracy

A cynic might conclude he jumped before he was pushed.

Is Lennie Lawrence the connection?

I get that some might see his salary as a waste. However, when I think of the money we have wasted in the last few seasons on players nowhere near the level required you could argue that if a SD avoids us making a bad signing here and there then he pays for himself. My gut feeling is with Coughlan being an older and more experienced head than Flynny was or Rowberry that the club might be more inclined to not replace the role for now. I think the most important bits are that there is a pathway from the academy into the first team and that we have good relations with a few clubs higher up the pyramid for decent loans - I guess either of those could be done without a SD.

Collars like our present manager GC stated he would have the final say on who is signed under his watch .he knows football is a results business and those signings will be on his head .so I would imagine most mangers would be the same especially in Lower league level, most of JR signings were x Cardiff players whom he knew and previously coached.iam not sure if any player we signed under DK tender was directly down to him .

Would any manager have the same contacts as another? Did Flynn or Rowberry have contacts at Liverpool or Manchester United?
I would see a sporting director role to be slightly different approach to a manager, in so much as it better covers a transitional phase between managerial styles. We know Flynn didn't like the fact that we had someone in place to cover his leaving! Why should he? Likewise Coughlan, why should he?
Rowberry had a different vision of how the game should be played, and therefore having someone with different contacts to him, as a backup, if his didn't come off, was perhaps more important to Rowberry.
As we have gone back closer to a Flynn style, and Hartlepool are spending cash before the government caps on football spending are announced, it makes sense to me, for Kelly to sign a new contract at a club closer to his family roots.