Former Cove Rangers manager Paul Hartley is excited for his new challenge at Hartlepool United.
The 45-year-old was appointed as Hartlepool boss earlier this month after initially rejecting the club’s offer.
His assistant Gordon Young has also made the move from Cove to the English club.
Hartley, who guided Championship side Cove to two promotions in three seasons, hopes he can do the same at League 2 Hartlepool.
The 25-times capped Scotland international had helped Alloa to successive promotions before guiding Dundee to the top flight earlier in his managerial career.
Pools finished 17th in the 24-team division last season but Hartley sees no reason why they can’t push for promotion to their third tier of English football in the new season.
He said: “I have had a bit of success over the years. I think it is five promotions in just over 10 years as a manager.
“I want to try to continue that trend.
“We are not here to just float about the middle of the league.
“We want to be competitive and challenge.
“That is my job and the job for the staff and the players, including the new additions we want to bring in.
“We want to challenge at the top end of the table.
“We have got to get the team on the park that can do that.
“We need to get the right culture, the right spirit and the right players.”
Hartlepool’s Suit Direct Stadium has a capacity just under 8,000 and had an average home attendance of just over 5,000 last season.
Hartley said: “You can see the passion of the fans. We want to have an attacking team that play on the front foot, score goals and create chances.
“We want to play with a lot of power and strength. There is a lot of work to do and we have to bring some quality players in who can improve the squad.
“We’ve been used to success and we want to bring more success to Hartlepool. I think the club is a bit of a sleeping giant.
“We want to take the club forward and be really positive with how we want to play. We want to get the fans excited and get them on board.
“There’s a lot of work to be done but we’re really looking forward to it.”
Hartley follows in the footsteps of Gothenburg Great Neale Cooper who had two spells in charge at Hartlepool.
The club renamed the Mill House Stand as the Neale Cooper Stand following Cooper’s death in 2018.
Hartley said: “Neale was a great man. He was a great player and the fans loved him here.
“We want to do a good job here and it is about getting the spirit, culture and togetherness right.
“That comes from the players, staff and supporters all fighting for the same thing.”
Fans excited by appointment
The Hartlepool United supporters appear happy with Hartley’s first interview at the club.
David Riley wrote on social media: “That’s about as good as a first interview gets. He’s here to score goals, win games and stop us conceding with a little bit of flair added in for good measure. Cannot wait to see what he builds.”
John Wilkinson wrote: “Really excited, what a great appointment.”
Micky Burns added: “Like the rest of my fellow Poolies I’m really excited about Paul and Gordon coming to our club. They sound like they’ve got a plan and they mean business.”
That's about as good as a first interview gets. He's here to score goals, win games and stop us conceding with a little bit of flair added in for good measure. Cannot wait to see what he builds
— David Riley (@Davidjrj123) June 13, 2022
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