Richie H - testimonial

By Charlie Summerbell
May 12 2010

If you thought that Pools might respond to the terrace criticism of Chris Turner by getting rid of him as manager, think again – the fact that he has drawn up the club’s retained list surely proves that he will be in charge once again next season.

And one or two of the names on the list of players being shown the door suggest that he has had to make some tough decisions after battling through the end-of-season traumas and tears.
Out go Ben Clark and Richie Jones, both of them regarded as first-choice first-teamers for long spells of their stays at the Vic, but both have had their problems in the season that has just ended.
Clark, a top pro and a good bloke, has been hampered by injuries and always appears to be flirting with red and yellow cards, while his shortage of pace is a clear drawback in modern football.
Jones, meanwhile, has had problems off and on the pitch and has not had the best of times recently. The former Manchester United midfielder was persuaded by Turner to withdraw a transfer request last season, but has never really looked settled since then.
The others released are Julian Cherel, Mark Cook, Alan Power, Jonny Rowell and Matty Tymon, who have never quite made the grade, though there were high hopes for Rowell and Tymon as they came through the club ranks.

Meanwhile, Turner has taken up the options for a further year on the contracts of James Brown, Sam Collins, Billy Greulich, Antony Sweeney and Richie Humphreys.

No surprises there, of course, as Humphreys goes into a testimonial year he fully deserves, but hopefully the club will be aiming to extend one or two of those contracts, especially James Brown’s.