WHEN it comes to understanding what Matthew Bates has experienced this week, Craig Hignett has been there before.

Sacked by Hartlepool United in January last year, the club’s now director of football is in caretaker command this afternoon after Bates was dumped in midweek.

Six defeats in a row put paid to Bates’ tenure at Pools and they take on Dagenham today in need of a lift and a boost in confidence.

One win in nine games was enough to see Hignett off when Pools were in League Two, the club relegated four months later after the nightmare that was Dave Jones.

Pools and Hignett have spoken of the desire to become a stable operation, and have been prolific in changing managers over the last decade.

“I have sympathy. I have been through it,’’ reflected Hignett. “I feel for him. I am gutted for him - this was not planned.

“It just happened in a meeting we had.

“I don’t want to be that man who sacks manager - just look at Dario Gradi at Crewe. He could have been sacked 20 times and in the end he built something that was sustainable and was worth sticking with.

“I have been on the other end of this and I have sympathy.’’

And Hignett, back at Pools under the ownership of Raj Singh, is confident Bates will not be lost to the game.

“I know how he will be feeling, but I absolutely believe that he will get back in the game,’’ he said of the former Middlesbrough captain.

“He is a young fella who has loads of experience from the things he has done over the last two years. He definitely has a future in the game.

“You have to be a certain type to do this job and Matthew is that.

“He will be stronger because of this. He might not think it now, but it will.

“I saw changes in him, it's natural, but he was good around the place.

“We always talk with the chairman, it was a scheduled meeting we had planned, nothing different from what we normally have.’’

Hignett will be alongside coaches Ged McNamee and Ross Turnbull this afternoon, with any new manager likely to have to work with the existing staff at the club.

Pools have asked for applications for the post and have already been receiving a healthy number of CVs from prospective bosses.

Lee Clark, the ex-Sunderland and Newcastle midfielder, has long eyed the top role at Pools, Alun Armstrong signed a new deal at Blyth after he was linked in the summer.

Robbie Stockdale, the former Sunderland assistant boss and a one-time Boro team-mate of Hignett’s has been mentioned, while one outside candidate who fits the criteria Pools are looking for is Daryl McMahon.

The 36-year-old recently left Ebbsfleet after three successful years, departing by mutual consent after the club’s financial situation changed.

He led his club to the National League play-offs last season, losing to Tranmere in the semi-finals and spoke highly of Pools when he secured a 1-0 win at the Super 6 Stadium in August.

Of the criteria for a new boss, Hignett said: “We all want experience of the league, experience of success, someone to work in our structure.

“Someone to work with the players – no wholesale changes. The right character, not someone who has been round the block. Moving forward they have to work to our plan.

“We don’t want to be changing all the time, it’s an attractive club because off it we are as good as any in this league. Let’s not change at the drop of a hat. We won’t be influenced by outside factors, we make them for the good of the club. We won’t let anyone sway us to their way.’’

For now it’s down to Hignett to help lift the squad and, after a miserable run of results and form, the stand-in boss admitted: “You are going to be lacking in confidence the run that they are on.

“It is how you get out of it - the things you do to try and lift it.

“It is no good cracking on as normal, things won't change.

“It is hard to change in two days but we will be doing what we can to ready them for Saturday to go and prove a point.

“One or two in there will feel like they have let a manager down.

“You have a game, go run about like a nutter and get a result.’’

Hignett has not had an active role in training and on matchdays this season, but is a regular at games and helped Bates make his summer signings to try and build a successful squad.

And he added: “In the summer, we signed a lot of good players and it is strong. When they are good they are very good. We let some go with experience and we need to address it.

“Our hands aren’t tied behind our backs and we can plan. The squad is a top ten placed squad with a chance of play-offs. I’d struggle to name seven clubs better than us.’’