CT - needs a hand

By Stef Jelling
February 4 2009

The midweek draw at Huddersfield will have given Hartlepool United's players and fans a much-needed boost, but there's a bit of a crsisis behind the scenes at Victoria Park. Coach Ian Butterworth has left to become No.2 at Norwich City and Director of Sport Chris Turner is still being described as "caretaker manager" almost two months after Danny Wilson was shown the door. So how long do you have to be a caretaker before you either return to the warm comfy office you had as Director of Sport or are asked to do the job on a more permanent basis because it saves money and the club owners can't fiund anybody who is likely to do any better?
Every time he is asked what it happening in this respect, Turner says that he and Ken Hodcroft (right) will sit down and make a decision when the time comes, but surely that time has been and gone by now.
Ken, as usual;, says nowt. But if Turner is going to stay in the job until the end of the season, then let's say so and let him get on with it, appointing a coach as soon as possible to help him.
He's been allowed to make signings during the transfer window and although the club said there had been a lot of applications for the job after Wilson's departure, there has never been any news on whether there's a shortlist or whether anybody has been or is going to be interviewed.
We know the club is run along similar lines to the old KGB - tell them nowt unless you have to, and even then don't tell them much. But surely it's time the situatuion was sorted.
If Turner is staying, say so, if he's still the caretaker, say so. But let's get somebody sorted as his No.2 quickly.
Micky Barron has done the job in the last two away games, but he is suppoosed to be the youth team coach and young and ambitious though he no doubt is, he canl;t do two things at once.
The time to sort out the manager situation is long past. The time to sort out his No.2 is here now ... let's do something Ken, before your backroom staff start having nervous breakdowns.