IT WAS 1971 when Ronnie Moore started out in football. Some 44 years later and the enthusiasm hasn’t waned.

From his early days as a Tranmere striker to managing Rotherham in 1997 to taking charge of his first full season at Hartlepool United, the spark is still there.

His bright and infectious persona is just what Pools needed last season as the club threatened to implode. Now, with his Great Escape act complete, it’s all about taking it onto a new level.

“It’s all exciting – we are all up for it. Look at the all the changes here, ten new faces. Pre-season could have gone better, could have gone worse, but it’s about fitness levels,’’ he enthused.

“You like to win games, but we have worked hard on the back three as we have conceded too many pre season and last season. We need to keep it tight and not chase games. Up front we will be alright, it’s at the back we are careful.

“Expectations mean all of a sudden, we are going to win the league by 20 points after finishing third bottom! It don’t happen.

“We have to get established and play our own game. There’s new owners, new players – a real fresh outlook.

“We won’t take anything away from (former chairman) Ken Hodcroft, he’s been here a lot of years and his company put a lot of money into the club. Now we have to make sure we don’t get into that same position again.

“The new company have been fantastic with me. Last season was great way to end, but we don’t want to go through that two season’s running.’’

To ensure there’s no repeat of the malaise of the last two season’s Pools have revamped the playing squad.

Ten players left, ten have arrived. Moore has been big on getting the right characters in, as well as players who can fit into his preferred 3-5-2 system.

He long bemoaned how quiet the place was when he took over, the players bereft of confidence, as well as belief. Some would also add ability to that list.

“There is a totally different outlook in there now,’’ he said. “They all knew the colour of the tiles but not the ceiling when I came in.

“At least now they look at you, they are not always looking down at your feet.

“At half-time they would come in and look at the floor, I always said ‘you still have your boots on and the tiles are the same colour’.

“The atmosphere in there now is tremendous and you can’t ask for anymore.

“We need to carry that camaraderie in there out to a 3pm on a Saturday.

“If we can do that, great. It is about clean sheets this year, I have been drumming that into them.

“Keep clean sheets and pinch one off a set play. We had the worst defensive record in the league last year, if you look at that then if the goals for and goals conceded don’t improve then you are snookered.

“You will be behind the black before you have even started properly.

“We have to make sure and keep as many clean sheets as we can.”

And there could yet be one of last season’s players returning. Stuart Parnaby was released, but has played for Pools in pre-season and trained with the squad.

Moore is looking into the possibility of Parnaby combining a playing role with a place in his backroom team.

“Stuart has been doing some fitness work with Buster, he wants to get into that side of things too,’’ revealed Moore. “He has pre-seasoned really well and we will have a look at him and see whether he can combine both roles.

“We have a fitness coach here, but there’s the physio side and rehab side and also being able to play.

“We are looking at it but the most important thing for him is to play.

“We are monitoring it and I will probably make a decision in a couple of weeks as to what road we go down with him.’’

Pools bright new away strip goes on sale from 10am this morning at Victoria Park.