Hartlepool United appoint Lee Clark as head coach | OneFootball

Hartlepool United have appointed former Sunderland and Newcastle United midfielder Lee Clark as first-team head coach, the club said in a statement.

The National League side parted company with Nicky Featherstone at the end of the season, and were recently taken over by American real estate developer Landon Smith.

The 53-year-old’s arrival was confirmed on Thursday morning. He said he was proud to lead a club with a strong identity and bond with its town, and that talks with Chris Maxwell and the chairman showed determination to rebuild belief.

Clark said his focus now is building a team that mirrors the town’s energy, honesty and work ethic, competes with intensity and plays with purpose. He stressed standards and wants players who demand the best from themselves and each other.

He endured a short and testing spell at Rotherham United at the end of the 2025/26 campaign, winning one of nine matches as the Millers were relegated from League One.

Born in Wallsend, he began at Newcastle United and made nearly 200 senior appearances before moving to Sunderland in 1997. He later played for Fulham, then returned to Newcastle and retired in 2006.

In management he spent a lengthy period with Huddersfield Town, followed by spells at Birmingham City, Blackpool, Kilmarnock and Bury. In 2019 he took Blyth Spartans, then had two stints at Sudanese top-flight side Al-Merrikh, either side of a brief time in Oman with Al-Ittihad, before joining Rotherham in mid-March.

Source: Sunderland Echo