Jonathan Woodgate has ruled himself out of the running for the vacant Hartlepool United job and slammed the club for their decision to sack Graeme Lee.
The former Middlesbrough and Bournemouth boss became an early front-runner among the bookies for the vacant role following the club’s dismissal of former manager Graeme Lee.
The club finished 16th in League Two after finishing the season on a poor run of form under Lee, who only came into the club back in December of last year.
And when Woodgate was asked if he would consider taking the role, he told Northern Echo:
“Absolutely no chance. They just sacked my pal. Why would I go and do that to my mate? You’ve got to be loyal by the way but that is not something I would look at. No chance.
“I can’t understand the decision. But that’s football.
“Spike did a good job there. He was brought in there to keep them in that league and he did that. He had to go in there and do that job.”
It seems loyalty is at the forefront of Woodgate’s mind and maybe the Pools could’ve taken a leaf from the former Real Madrid player’s book.
Woodgate didn’t really impress whilst at the helm of Boro in his first managerial role, but when handed his role on the south coast, there were definitely improvements to be seen.
He’s been out of work since June 2021 and maybe Woodgate seems League Two as a step too far below his level.
Who is most likely to replace Lee?
Another name circulating online is Ross Turbull.
Turnbull began his coaching career as an opposition keeper analyst for Leeds United and then Chelsea.
He was later offered a coaching role at Hartlepool in 2018 and soon saw that become a full-time paid role although he left at the end of the 2020/21 campaign and joined Chelsea again, this time in a scouting position.
The question begs, would he be willing to return to the north east as a number one this time? Not far behind him in the odds currently is Andy Woodman, the current manager of Bromley United.
He’s the father of Newcastle keeper Freddie Woodman and is a former coach at Newcastle, West Ham United and Crystal Palace.
