In our current poll, Poolsonline is asking fans to vote on whether Danny is the man to lead Pools next season, which would be his third in charge at the Vic, or whether it’s time for somebody else to try to take the club further.
Now that League safety has been virtually assured and the team is playing arguably its best football of the season, we can probably safely describe 2007-08 as a season of consolidation. At times it’s looked like being a season of complete failure and once or twice it promised to be a season of achievement, but consolidation isn’t bad after last season’s promotion.
So is Danny the man?
Well, some of his decisions during the season have been questioned by fans, but clearly some of them have been spot on.
For instance, his only transfer fee this season went on defender Sam Collins (left), signed from Hull for an alleged £75,000 in January. Collins is great value for money and has not only played well himself, but also brought the best out of Michael Nelson.
Wilson’s previous money signing was Richard Barker, and while some fans who wouldn’t know a good player if he kicked them in the shins have criticised him, he has been a good signing, too. He’s injured now, but 16 goals for a team, which hasn’t played consistently well isn’t a bad return for a target man who played a major part in earning promotion last season.
But there have been some strange deals – like Danny Coles, signed on loan from Hull and clearly only here to get a move to home-town Bristol.
Godwin Antwi (right) came full of promise, but despite his hard work has not quite made it, while there’s still a question mark over the keepers. Jan Budtz has been prone to mistakes, while Arran Lee-Barrett lacks experience, but shows promise. His penalty save against Gillingham was brilliant.
Alan Thompson on loan from Leeds was a good signing, though there was no chance he would be staying, and Graeme Lee didn’t do a bad short-term job on his return to his first club from Doncaster before losing his place.

But we have to ask Danny Boy a few questions:

• Is it really safe not to have a keeper on the bench? If Lee-Barrett had been sent off when he gave away a pen against Gillingham, we’d have been down to ten men and without a keeper.
  Why has Joel Porter  not shown his true form until late in the season?
• Why was Andy Monkhouse’s return to the side delayed so long after injury when he clearly makes a big difference?
• Why is Gary Liddle not playing as well as we all know he can?
• Why has Jamie McCunnie not been given an extended run at right-back until now?

There are other questions, but these will do to be going on with.
So for next season, the squad needs a bit of an overhaul if progress is to be made from mid-table mediocrity, and our considered opinion is that it would be wrong to replace Wilson just because he has won nothing this season.
At times it might have looked as if he didn't know what was his best team, but he hasn’t lost anything (like our League One status) and he won something last season, so he deserves another go to see if he can take us further.
Injuries and loss of form have hbit him hard and you never know, he might even do it this season with 27 points to play for – Pools are only five points behind the play-offs and 13 ahead of the drop zone.

View a Printer Friendly version of this Story.

Bookmark or share this story with:

• Digg
• Delicious
• Facebook
• Reddit
• Stumbleupon

SPORTNETWORK SPECIALS

Hartlepool Utd Poll