Simon Grayson gives his first sit down interview on becoming new Hartlepool manager

Simon Grayson gives his first sit down interview on becoming new Hartlepool United manager, expressing excitement about his new role.

He highlighted the club’s potential and his ambition to lead it to success in the National League, looking ahead to the 2025/26 season.

After discussions with chairman Raj and the board while on holiday in Portugal, Grayson quickly accepted the position, drawn by the club’s history and scope for improvement.

Despite turning down other English jobs, he sees Hartlepool as a club with the potential to rise from their 11th-place finish last season to playoff contention, leveraging their strong fanbase (3,500 average attendance, with potential for 6,000–7,000).

Grayson’s experiences in India and Nepal have shaped him into a better coach, forcing him to adapt to new environments and return to coaching basics.

These stints, including winning a league title in Nepal, reignited his passion for management, which he now brings to Hartlepool. Although new to the National League, Grayson has some familiarity through his son’s involvement with Gateshead and his own observations of the division.

Since starting, Grayson has been busy with recruitment, holding meetings with staff and players, and reconnecting with agents to build a squad.

He envisions a versatile, hardworking team that plays with passion, defends stoutly, and excites fans with attacking flair, reflecting the working-class ethos of Hartlepool’s supporters, while also aiming to create a unified, intimidating atmosphere at home games, drawing on his 40 years in football to foster a positive environment.

Interviewer: So, Simon, you’ve been in post for just over a week now. I’m sure you’ve been very hard at work over that time, but how excited are you and enthused are you by the the prospect of being hardly pulling out your manager?

Simon: Yeah. Certainly am. Obviously, after talking to, Raj and and the rest of the owners and the board, then it was just a decision that I was really pleased to take. I was in Portugal when I spoke when they spoke to me, and, within a few days, we got it sorted. And, my wife was complaining that within a couple of days, I was back on my phone looking at players and everything that comes with being back in football management in in this country as well. So delighted to be here. Certainly know the magnitude of this football club, the history and tradition of what it is, and where it once has been, where it is at this morning time. Hopefully, I can come here and, make the team successful and the club successful again.

Interviewer: The new season comes a bit of a surprise to a lot of people, but for you for you on the inside, can you give a bit of insight on how it all came about when you first heard about it and what your first thoughts were?

Simon: Yeah. Like I said, I was away on holiday and, got a call from Joe Monks asking would I speak to him and and ultimately to the chairman as well. And I spoke to the chairman a few years ago about coming, but I went to India and instead, to do something different. But, obviously, speaking to them, and doing a bit of research into what’s been going on and the players that are at the football club, made the decision that it was ticked a lot of boxes for me. This is a club that is certainly underachieved in the last few years, but it has got the scope for a lot a lot of improvement. And, and that’s why I’ve come. I’ve turned down jobs in in England over the last year or so just because they didn’t excite me really. And this is one that’s got the scope to go from eleventh in the National League to at least into the playoffs this season if we get everything right and going in the right direction. So huge amount of scope. I think three and a half thousand were on a regular basis last year in a struggling team. Ultimately, if you, get if we get it going, get results, that can turn to six, seven thousand. And I’ve been here as the opposition manager many times, and it’s I feel like felt a bit intimidated, and that’s what we have to try and create once that season starts. So I’m really excited about it.

Interviewer: You bring a lot of experience to the role, of course, in English football, but if you’re abroad now as well, how much did you learn over that period in India and Nepal, would you say?

Simon: Well, I think them two, experiences have certainly made me a better human being, but a better coach as well. Because I went into India at my comfort zone, never not knowing what I was going into, and Nepal was exactly the same thing. Probably Nepal was even harder because I went on my own. I didn’t have any coaching staff where in India I did. Didn’t know anything about players, didn’t know about the culture, didn’t know about anything. And what it did was it took me back to my roots as being a coach that in 20 years ago where you have to adapt. You have to learn. You have to go back to basics and and test yourself. And, again, that’s that’s made me a far better coach than, than I was probably when I won my last promotion at Preston ten years ago. So, yeah, these things are there to test you. Again, I mentioned the word out my comfort zone. That’s why I went. And I was successful there in in both Nepal and India. And I wanna come here and be successful as well.

Interviewer: And not a bad way to end your time. They win the league title, of course, last season. That give you that bit of an extra buzz to to kinda come back to English football and and kinda start again here, I guess.

Simon: Yeah. Look. It’s it was a reason why I went was to still see if I had that desire and fire in my belly. And I remember coming off a pitch watch and some supporters, actually English supporters, had our shirt on, and underneath, he had red in some shirts on, and they went to me. You’d never think that you were managing in Nepal. You could with a passion and desire that you’re showing that you could be managing still at Leeds and and all the other clubs that you’ve managed in the NFL. And that made me realise that, you know, something come. I’ve still got that passion, desire, that hunger to work every day, to improve players every day, but ultimately to try and be successful and move clubs forward and ultimately try and win things again.

Interviewer: This will be your first time managing in the National League. How much do you know about this level?

Simon: Well, people might not realise, but my son was in trial a couple of years ago here for a game, and he’s been at Gateshead for the last two years. So even though I’ve been aware a lot of that time coaching, I’ve been watching games all the time, watching him play. When I’ve been at home, I’ve brought up to Gateshead and watched lots of games live as well. So I know a lot about this division and, players. But, also, I’ve got good people around me that have far more experienced and understand this club and also the, the level as well. And I’m certainly willing to look to to help they will help me without a shadow of doubt. I went to Nepal in India not having a clue or anything about it. And so I see this being a little bit more easy based on people around me and what I know already anyway.

Interviewer: You’ve been here just over a week now. Can you give a bit of an insight into some of the conversations that that have gone on and some of the work that’s already been put in?

Simon: Well, I landed back on Saturday, and, from the from the moment I agreed, it was basically on the phone. All of a sudden, I’ve got lots of agents becoming my friends again, trying to bring players here. But between me and Joe Monks, there’s been, lots of discussions, chats about players to resign, players that we’d like to sign, and then meetings with Manny, Joe Greer and Tom Parkes came up to see me. So I’ve had lots of meetings, lots of conversations with current players and other players that we’re trying to bring to this football club, which we’re moving in a real positive direction within, very soon.

Interviewer: I’m sure you’re looking to shape a squad to to fit the style of player that you that you want to implement, like, next season. In an ideal world, how would a Simon Grayson, Hartlepool United team look like next season?

Simon: Playing winning football. No. That’s quite simplistic, but, I’m quite pragmatic as a coach, sort of play different systems. I know that I can play three five two, four four two, and change to either system during the course of a game as well. So we’ll have players here that are gonna be versatile players that can change. But what I want us to be is a team that defend and produce hardworking performances. But at the top end of the pitch, I want players to go and express themselves and get crosses into the box, get the shots off, take people on, be positive, and get the people here on the on the edge of the seats that they really love what they’re doing because this is a one town football club. It’s, a working class town where people play pay hard earned money to come and watch this football club. And a good example of that last year was when watching the game against Gateshead and the right wing, I can’t remember his name now, he run 50 yards back, made a sliding tackle, and it was as if the lad had scored a a world different 30 yards. And that’s what the demands of the supporters are here, rightly so. Working hard and giving everything and winning tackles is should be a given for any football player. But at this football club, it’s even more important. These supporters at Hartlepool would prefer a player to win a 64 tackle against them than seeing somebody not make somebody and put it into or in the crossbar or something like that because of the desire, the passion that they show week in and week out, that has to be replicated on the pitch. And all my teams have done that, I like to think. I like to think that the team will have a unity, a spirit amongst themselves where they realise that they’re very privileged to be playing for this football club, and they have to give the the role week in and week out because this football club can get going again. We’ll have big support away from them, and we are a big club in this division. And, whoever signs, whoever stays, I’ve got to realise that they’re in a privileged position to play for this football club.

Interviewer: I’m sure you’ve had a lot of experiences coming here as as a the pause and managing and pause and players as well. What are your experiences of being at this place?

Simon: Yeah. There’s it can be quite lively, to be fair. Fortunately, when you’re the opposition, manager, the hardcore of our supporters on the far side, if they were right behind me in the dugout, it would have been a little bit more uncomfortable for the opposition manager. But what I’m looking to do is to try and create this atmosphere where they put the so a unity, a unified group where supporters come on a Saturday, Tuesday, whenever we’re playing, and and they give everything to support the team, and we will try and give that back to them as well because it is a two way thing. We need them. They need us. And if we’re all pulling in the same direction, regardless what may be going off on the off the pitch, then we’ve all got to pull together because winning football matches can certainly get people coming back to this football club, going home happy, going down the pub happy on a Saturday or Tuesday night, and and, enjoy what they’re doing. So that’s that’s part of my job. I’ve been in clubs for forty years now and been some good ones, some bad ones, but it’s so I realised what it takes to try and create a happy environment. Not everybody’s gonna be happy. Not I’m not daft enough to think that I’ve got this magic wand that everybody suddenly is gonna love me. They’re gonna love the owner. They’re gonna love every player because that’s just football. But if we can get everybody, majority of people back on side, then that’s gonna be a massive boost for not just for the football club but the town in general because it’ll give it a good feel factor again.

Interviewer: Of course, now is all about laying the foundations for what lies ahead. How important are these next few weeks going to be as you sort of lead into pre season?

Simon: Yeah. Obviously, huge both at the training ground, but also in the room we’re in today where I’ve had lots of meetings. We’ve had we’ve got lots of lists, me and Joe Monks, where we were, looking at our recruitment. As I said, agents are now suddenly finding my number again, which is good because, again, this is a good attractive football club that can get players to come. And, hopefully, with my contacts at all the clubs I’ve worked at and others in the game that will will be able to attract some really good players. So meetings are going on with with the process of signing quite a few players over the next week or so. We’ll start back next Friday, for testing at the university and then fully in it on the Monday. Then we’ve got six clear weeks of preseason, and, that will obviously hard work on the pitch, conditioning work, tactical work, gym work, but also the games that we’re gonna have as well, like local teams and then some big games against Middlesbrough, Rangers and, and others as well. And so, yeah, looking forward to it. Can’t come well enough. And if anybody’s trying to kid me that Hartlepool in the Northeast is always like this at this morning time with the weather, then I certainly know that I’m in for a rude awakening.

Interviewer: You spoke about the potential of the club as well. Promotion was the the state of the imminent in the statement that greeted your appointment as well. What will go into creating a team that will sort of achieve something like that? What do you say from your experience?

Simon: Yeah. Look. I think the National League’s really tough. When you look at the likes of York and Carlisle, who are spending some big money, Forrest Green have spent some money. I’m not saying we’re gonna be on that level, but we were gonna be trying to be very competitive with the players that we bring in. But if we got a team that give everything every week and that they run through a brick wall for the supporters and the badge that they’re wearing, then that’s that’s all I can say. All of my mantra throughout football has always been have no regrets. And also so that goes to the players that you wake up on a Sunday morning after the game and think win, lose, or drive. You’ve given everything, then you can have no regrets. Don’t give everything, and you might think, I wish I could have done that. I want players to have no regrets, enjoy themselves, come into work with a smile on the face. But when we’re working, we work 100%. We’re 100% committed to training. Anything they ask them to do, I want them to do. But, also, we wanna be able for some fun and enjoyment because football is all about enjoying yourselves and playing with a smile on your face.

Interviewer: Just finally, what would your message be to the pool supporters as you start this new relationship together?

Simon: Well, let’s work together. Yes. And not naive enough to know that it’s it’s not been easy, and there’s some fractions amongst this football club, but let’s work together. Let’s when the team playing at home, let’s have that positive attitude that makes this place a real fortress because we’ve touched on it. This can be a place where the opposition quite dread coming to. And we’ve got to produce performances can do that. But let’s stick to one let’s stick to as one happy family where we can hopefully come the end of the season, we’re all celebrating something successful. And, whether that’s promotion or getting into the playoffs, that’s probably got to be the least thing that we have to do getting into the playoffs. So let’s stick together, enjoy ourselves together, win together, and lose together, draw together, but let’s, enjoy it together.