By Charlie Summerbell
November 30 2009

Clever-dick critics who think they know best may want a new manager at Hartlepool United, but Chris Turner says that he won’t be leaving the role, no matter how loud his detractors shout their “advice” from the terraces and on internet message boards. Turner is not the team manager or coach, but the Director of Sport will be picking the team for the foreseeable future. A year after replacing the departed Danny Wilson in charge of team affairs, in an excellent interview in the Northern Echo – which in our view covers Pools far better than the Hartlepool Mail does – Turner says that he can take the criticism, just as all team bosses have to, and he won’t be distracted from his clear aim of making the team, and the club, better.
He told the Echo: “I have had the criticism from the fans this season, I wouldn’t get that in the stands. It would be someone else. The game has gone that way, one man takes all of the flack (sic – the Echo might provide good coverage, but spelling isn’t the paper’s strong point).
“Sir Alex Ferguson, Arsene Wenger, they take the flack (there they go again). You have to be able to handle that.
“Sometimes that is frustrating because people think one man can make a difference. “
He added: “We are only normal people but fans think managers are some sort of special breed. You can shout what you want at them, vent your anger and go home.’’
Turner insists that owners IOR and chairman Ken Hodcroft are running the club on professional lines without putting pressure on anybody to achieve the impossible.
As the Echo point out, after just escaping relegation last season, Pools have made a steady start to this season and are in what should be a comfortable mid-table position.
But being knocked out of three cup competitions in the early stages and losing regularly at home to so-called “big” clubs has provided ammunition for the terrace “experts” to have a go not onjly at Turner, but also at the players and the club.
Perhaps the fans who are not happy with the progress made in the second half of 2009 should take a look along the A66 at old rivals Darlo.
Would they rather be there?