FROM Raj Singh's takeover in 2018, the club have gone from the depths of the National League back to the Football League.

A lot has happened to get to this point but Pools are now embarking on a new journey in League Two. 

After a strong start to the season, the Pools Chairman has been giving the Northern Echo the lowdown on the very latest topics surrounding the club. 

What would you regard as success in League Two this season? 

“I agree with the manager one hundred per cent. When you come up, you always want to make a good start because that sets you up for the new season, which is what we’ve had.

“That first target now is that we’ve got to get to those 50 points which I’m quietly confident we should do without any problems really. After that, you’ve got to try and get as high up as you can then you never know where momentum can take you."

How have you rated the club's transfer business over the summer? 

“I think the manager has done really well. The lads he’s brought in and how he’s spent the budget.

"We were pretty close to getting one or two players on transfer deadline day, it wasn’t to be for one reason or another. It wasn’t because we couldn’t afford them or anything, it’s just different circumstances where the player’s agents couldn’t get the deal done or the club’s that the players were coming from couldn’t get the deal done.

"So we’ve missed out on one or two but we’re all looking at the free agent. We’re hoping that there’s still one, if not two, players that will come in."

Are the club close to bringing in any of their targets from the free agent market? 

“There’s one or two players mentioned. I spoke with Dave and he’s got a couple of lads he’d like to bring in and then I’ve got somebody who’s looking at the players who would be available as a free agent so hopefully, between the two or three of us, that we can get somebody in that will hopefully give us that final piece of the jigsaw."

How do you feel about the recent departures from the club's backroom staff and are you close to finding replacements?

“As everything else in football, it’s all speculation. People love speculation and the media love speculation and the like to put two and two together.

“Joe (Parkinson) has been an absolute gem for the club and I think we’ve all really fell for him. It was personal reasons that he wanted to leave the club and I wish him all the best. He’s gone with our blessing so there’s nothing there or anything more to say on that.

“Buster has chosen to develop his private business with his son which I fully understand again and I wish him all the luck. That’s it.

“There’s no cause for concern. I think the manager is well connected within the game so I’ve already had a chat with him regarding a replacement and he’s got some irons in the fire and he’s talking to people now. It’s going to be his man and he’s going to announce something pretty soon when he’s ready.

“It will probably be in the next two or three weeks. We’ll get the deal done and who the person is, whether it’s somebody local or somebody further afield, it depends a lot on that but sooner rather than later. At the moment the manager is doing both jobs or they are sharing it with him and Antony Sweeney. So we need to get that person in and then the whole thing starts going smoothly."

How pleasing has it been to see fans back through the turnstiles at Victoria Park? 

“It certainly is considering where the club has been over the last nine or ten years and it’s all been doom and gloom.

"Every time you speak to people, they say it’s been tough times really so it’s nice to get that feel good factor back and getting the fans behind you and we always knew, Hartlepool has always been a well supported club for the bottom two leagues.

"The fans have come back in their numbers and that helps the finances and that helps the players on the pitch."

Has there been an update on the Memorandum of Understanding that has been signed to redevelop Victoria Park? 

“Not really. I think we were all hoping to speed up now because I think it’s been a couple of months and I think we all got a little bit side tracked with the team being successful and getting back into the league and making sure we got things in place ready for the new season.

“It’s taken a little bit of a back seat but we’ve got a meeting, I think it’s at the back end of this month, with the council and the intention then is that we would put deadlines and targets in place and who needs to do what and then hopefully, we’ll see some real progress with the project.

“I’ve said before, it’s not going to be a quick thing but at the same time, you’ve still got to be moving it at a steady pace to get these things over the line."

Is it still part of your plan to make the redevelopment of the Vic part of making the long-term future of the club sustainable? 

“It’s one of those things that both go hand-in-hand. A successful club needs a new stadium and a new stadium needs a successful team.

"Hopefully we’re getting there with the team on the pitch and we definitely need a new facility that will work for you during the week that is bringing you revenue in and cutting against the losses that you make on the playing side."

How do you feel about your reign at the club so far?

“I think the feel good factor is back at the club. Fans are generally starting to get excited again. I always knew it was going to be an uphill task because of where they’ve been and a new owner coming in and it was always going to take time to win them over.

“The best thing to win fans over is to win football matches and win promotion so I’d like to think that we are getting there."