From January last season. A story about the Big Man’s old club and home town.
Luckily towards the back end of the season somebody took over the club and they were saved from liquidation.
At first glance, Hartlepool looks like almost any small, provincial town in England's urban sprawl.
There are roads with too many cars; a slightly tired High Street, currently undergoing an ambitious redevelopment; a cavernous bingo hall, and fast food restaurants - lots of them.
The town's one major tourist attraction, the world’s oldest war ship, HMS Trincomalee, bobs gently on the North Sea, moored outside the National Royal Navy Museum, the centrepiece of an impressive Marina development. But even that is ageing. Money is tight in a town which feels forgotten.
In the midst of all this, it is easy to miss the football stadium. Five minutes' walk from the railway station, Hartlepool United's Victoria Park is sandwiched between two large supermarkets, a small grey edifice in keeping with the town's rather brutalist appearance.
Yet this is also the community's beating heart. Football brings more people, more regularly, to Hartlepool than anything else - and with people comes money, up to £10 million-a-year by some estimates. But the lifeline is now in danger of being cut: Hartlepool need to raise £200,000 by January 25 to prevent sliding into administration.
“This is a working-class town that has had some tough times," explains Adrian Liddell, 47, over the sound of building work outside his printing business on Church Street. "It’s not the only northern town that has been marginalised, but there is also a lot of pride here and a resilience and people do not give up on their town.
“This is a working-class town that has had some tough times," explains Adrian Liddell, 47, over the sound of building work outside his printing business on Church Street. "It’s not the only northern town that has been marginalised, but there is also a lot of pride here and a resilience and people do not give up on their town.
“If we lose the football team, it’s going to be an economic disaster. It is about tourism as much as anything and some clubs bring 1,000 fans with them. They step off the train and the idea was, they walked out on to Church Street and there would be places to eat and drink. Same for home fans. The football club puts the town on the map.
“Forget the people who are employed full time, there are 100 people employed just on a matchday. They are part time jobs that cannot easily be replaced in this town. In fact, they won’t be replaced, it’s that simple. The economic loss if the club ceases to exist will be felt acutely. We’ve already felt it because the National League teams don’t have a large away following.”
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/footbal...tlepool-united-town-loses-football-team-will/
