Sacking Lee ‘not an easy decision,’ insists Singh
HARTLEPOOL United chairman Raj Singh admitted parting company with manager Graeme Lee had “not been an easy decision to make”.
Michael Nelson and Antony Sweeney will take charge of today’s season-ending home clash with Colchester United this afternoon after Lee’s departure was confirmed on Thursday.
The former Pools centre-back took charge of his former club following the departure of former manager Dave Challinor in November – but underwhelming results and performances in the league brought a premature end to his reign.
In a statement, Singh said: “While we had great results and occasions in cup competitions, unfortunately, our league performances have not been good enough with only seven wins since Graeme joined the club and as a board we have become increasingly concerned by the drop-off in form.”
“This has not been an easy decision to make.
“Graeme is a really good person and he has given everything to the job. I would like to place on record my thanks to Graeme for his efforts and I wish him and his family well for the future.
“After achieving promotion back to the Football League last year, we remain ambitious as a club to continue our progress with promotion to League One being our target.”
With the search for Lee’s successor already underway, Singh praised Pools supporters and revealed he is keen to continue the progress made since they returned to the Football League last summer.
He added: “We have a brilliant fan base and the crowds at the Suit Direct Stadium this season have been outstanding with an average of 5,200.
“We have put a lot of work into operating the club with a robust financial and commercial model to protect it long-term.
“This is allowing us to bring back the academy and we will be making a number of other significant investments into infrastructure and people this summer.”
Meanwhile, Pools left-back David Ferguson has signed a new two-year deal.