Former Premier League star Lee Clark has quit as Hartlepool boss in a stunning post-match interview, where he announced his resignation after fan backlash and poor results
Former Newcastle and Fulham star Lee Clark resigned as Hartlepool boss immediately after their loss to Worthing, announcing his decision to quit in the post-match interview.
Clark only took over at Victoria Park in the summer after a short spell with Rotherham last season, but he’s overseen a poor run of results, which culminated with a home loss that saw him make the decision to walk away.
Hartlepool have lost six of their last seven games, which has seen them tumble down the table and they now sit 19th, despite having ambitions to end their spell in non-league. Fans called for Clark’s head during Saturday’s game and the former top flight pro has now walked away.
He told BBC Radio Tees: “I resign from my position with immediate effect. I wanted to give this club and the fans something to be proud of, what they deserve, but I haven’t been able to do that unfortunately.”
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Clark added: “I was excited to take the job and I wanted to be the man to get them back to where they need to be and deserve to be, but it hasn’t worked out.”
Hartlepool were taken over in January by American businessman Landon Smith with the club looking to return to the Football League for the first time in four years. However the bombshell news means they will look their ninth permanent boss since entering non-league.
Since 2024 no manager has taken charge of more than 34 games before being dismissed. Among those are former Sunderland striker Kevin Phillips, who got 16 games, and ex-Leeds boss Simon Grayson, who lasted 15 matches.
Clark previously made history as a manager when he was in charge of Huddersfield Town. He led the Terriers to a record 43 league games without defeat, surpassing the record held by Nottingham Forest. It was a period that spanned 11 months when they were in League One
He’s since taken charge of Birmingham, Blackpool and Kilmarnock whilst also having a period in the Middle East.
As a player Clark made 240 appearances for Newcastle during the 1990s before ending up at Fulham, via Sunderland. Whilst in west London he scored in a 3-1 win against Manchester United, Fulham’s first win at Old Trafford in 39 years.
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