PAUL MURRAY has spoken for the first time about his swift sacking at Hartlepool United – labeling it “ridiculous” and “ludicrous”.

Appointed in October after Colin Cooper walked away, Murray lasted only seven games and just 45 days before being sacked.

He recorded only one win in that time, a first round FA Cup win over East Thurrock United, and left after Pools were dumped out of the competition, losing 2-1 to Blyth at Victoria Park live on BBC television.

Murray has returned to the game this week, joining the coaching staff at National League side Barrow.

He said: “When the Hartlepool job came along I couldn’t turn it down. But I had five league games….. come on, it’s ridiculous.

“It was good that three managers came out publicly and called it a disgrace. That’s exactly what it was. In some of the games we’d done well. That’s football. Actually, no, that’s bull****. It isn’t just football. It’s a ridiculous decision to give someone in their first-time job so little time. It’s ludicrous.

“I felt I knew what I was going into, but you learn a lot of things. On the surface you think you know people, but you don’t really. I played there for three years but when you really get to know certain people, your opinion can quickly change. I’m a very loyal person and if there had been a bit more of that, it might have been different.

“Trust, integrity...they are massive words for me. I felt they weren’t in abundance.”

Pools dropped to the bottom of the table after losing Murray’s first game in charge, at Cambridge on October 24.

They stayed there until beating the same opponents in the return game at Victoria Park on March 28.

By then Ronnie Moore had long been in charge and the squad revamped with a rack of new loan signings brought in by the new boss.

But Murray said: “It was funny – the list of players I had and wanted to get, Hartlepool ended up signing about five of them. To not even get the January window...it’s nowhere near long enough.

“The Blyth game was typical. There was stuff said about Alan Shearer going in the Blyth dressing-room to fire them up, but that stuff never bothered me. It was just a case of us being brilliant first half and poor second. It’s what happens when players don’t have confidence.

“Things start creeping in, like doubt. It was a big game, but I don’t think it was a sackable offence.

“Listen, Hartlepool did really well to stay up in the end. There’s no reason to say I would have done that but I was confident I would have. It helped there were two teams (Tranmere and Cheltenham) below them who couldn’t string any points together. But fair play.

“Ronnie’s got 900 games as a manager behind him and I had none until I started.

“I’ve no animosity towards the club, the fans or anything. Well done to them for staying in the League. I’ll just learn a lot from it. I thought I was good at reading people but at certain times you find out what their true colours are.”