POOLS PROVE THEY’RE ON THE MONEY

MANY players have said to me over the years that Richard Money is the best coach they’ve ever worked under.

Hartlepool United were impressed with how he approached the interview with them and the knowledge he showed of their squad and the division.

There’s little argument he knows how to turn a flagging side into a force.

At Walsall, he took a club slipping towards NonLeague into League One.

At Luton, he did a lot of the dirty work following their relegation by clearing out the squad and resetting them on an even keel.

Then at Cambridge United, he took a club treading water and apparently close to administration and turned them into a play-off winning side that also won the FA Trophy and, in their first year back in the League, to a lucrative FA Cup replay with Manchester United.

That’s exactly what would have appealed to the Pools’ board.

When I sat down with Money last season soon after he left Norwich City’s academy he pointed out football clubs tend to go one of two routes.

The young, fresh-face or the wily old boss who’s been there and done it.

Pools chose the latter option, which sees Lee Bradbury remaining at Havant & Waterlooville following his interview for the position.

His time will come again. Having started out at Bournemouth, he dropped into Non-League with the Hawks.

Many clubs would have cast him aside following their relegation to Step 3, but Havant stuck by their man. He repaid them and then some by winning the Isthmian Premier title at the first attempt and then followed it up with a successive championship.

Their recent National League form has been encouraging and offers hope they can beat the drop. It will be another fine achievement for Bradbury if they do.