By Charlie Summerbell
August 4 2010

The proposed takeover at Hartlepool United is dead - and that makes prospects for the new season a lot gloomier than they already were. The secret negotiations for the deal had been going on for far too long, and there was a significant four-word quote from boss Chris Turner a few days ago which confirmed fears that it was all over.

"There is no takeover," he said.
That means there are no new players and Turner goes into the new season, starting in three days, with the remnants of a squads that struggled last season plus a reserve goalkeeper and defender Evan Horwood.
Unless the likes of James Brown and Adam Boyd can hit the sort of goalscoring form we know they are capable of at their best, we have got to be realistic and admit that the prospects for the season look bleak.
Many of the rumours that circulated about the proposed takeover were wildly off the mark and as usual the club was saying nothing.
But we believe that the proposed deal would have brought as much as £20m to the club as a company in the oil business proposed to buy out current owners IOR.
That sort of money would have made Pools rich compared to many of their League One rivals.
But with the deal now apparently dead, Turner and the team are going into the new season without the depth of new additions he has admitted are necessary.
We will probably never find out the exact details of the deal, just as the details of Mike Newell's and Neale Cooper's departures from the Vic.
But whatever anybody tries to tell you, talks DID take place, there WAS an offer and it did involve BIG money.
Unless there is a surprise u-turn, it's now dead and Saturday's big kick-off at Rochdale takes on a whole new look.