Hartlepool United have confirmed in a Club Statement that manager Keith Curle, alongside assistant manager Colin West, have left the club after only five months in total charge.
The former Carlisle United and Northampton Town boss took over the reins on an interim basis to start with but was soon named full-time manager following the sacking of Paul Hartley after just over three months and 11 games in charge at the club with the club bottom of the table, signing an 18-month contract in the process.
However, a recent downturn in performances and results which has seen Curle win only four games since penning that 18-month deal has led Hartlepool to pull the plug on the 59-year-olds’ time at the club, with Hartlepool currently sitting 22nd in the table and sit a point outside the relegation zone, with Crawley in 23rd having played four games less than the County Durham-based outfit.
Curle’s last game in charge proved to be a late 1-0 home defeat to Newport County on Tuesday night, with Mickey Demetriou glancing in a header from an Aaron Lewis corner in the dying moments of the game to give his side all three points at the Suit Direct Stadium.
Club Statement: Keith Curle and Colin West#HUFC
— Hartlepool United FC (@Official_HUFC) February 22, 2023
During his time at the club in which he took over in mid-September, Curle took charge of 29 games in all competitions, winning a total of eight games whilst going on to draw six and losing the other 15, leaving Curle with a win percentage of 24%.
With the departure of Curle, Hartlepool are now looking for their third manager of the season to try and help the team survive in the EFL with only 13 games remaining.
Following Curle’s departure, a club statement reads: “Hartlepool United can this evening confirm the departure of First Team Manager Keith Curle and Assistant Manager Colin West.
“The club would like to place on record its thanks to Keith and Colin and we wish them well for the future.
“The club will now move swiftly to appoint a successor to ensure the team has the best opportunity to maintain our Football League status.”
With Curle’s departure, Hartlepool chairman Raj Singh has gone on to praise the commitment and professionalism shown by Curle and West, but has admitted a change needed to be made to help try and reclaim their EFL status for next season, even if it was a difficult one.
In the club statement, chairman Raj Singh added: “This has been one of the most difficult decisions I’ve had to make at Pools. Keith and Colin in so many ways have improved the football club and our culture. They are both consummate professionals and they have genuinely been a pleasure to work with.
“I will go on record with my thanks to them both and the way that they have conducted business. Unfortunately we have just not seen the required results and I feel we must act now to give the club a chance in the final part of the season.
“Following the transfer window we believe there is a group of players that can secure our place in the league. We will act swiftly and do all that we can to get an immediate and smooth transition in the manager position.”
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Writers View
I think for Hartlepool fans, the departure of Keith Curle won’t come as too much of a surprise, especially in the position where the club currently finds themselves in.
It was always going to be a difficult job to pick up the pieces left after Paul Hartley’s disastrous short spell at the club and although Curle did a job in steadying the ship, owner Raj Singh thinks a change in management is necessary if they are to avoid the drop back to the National League.
To make sure that doesn’t happen again, the club need to make the right appointment as quickly as possible with only a couple of months of the season remaining that are no doubt huge for Hartlepool United and their supporters.
