Signing for Sunderland, apparently.
Believe we're due money for his transfer, could be put towards a new right back ?

That and the Budget Booster cash that isn't spent yet.

To say I would be disappointed if I was a Sunderland fan is putting it mildly. He is no longer a kid he’ll be twenty two in January surely Sunderland have better young players than him for example the kid playing for Harrogate last season who they have recalled. Good luck to him however and prove me wrong.

when i first read this i thought april had come early. actually never minded the lad but he,s got a big chance now and hope unlike a lot of younger players he does not piss his chance off.

Signing confirmed - for their U-23 squad. Nowt on their OS or the Sunderland Echo about whether they agreed to the compensation that is due to Pools. Hopefully someone at the Mail can ferret that out.

Hawkes badly managed at Pools. With good management of him , and maybe a bit more from Hawkes himself in terms of attitude and he could make a solid league 2 player IMO.

He needed to kick on last season , he didnt really, and even though season ended early, there was nothing to suggest anything would've changed, his body language was all wrong IMO , someone not happy in his work and who had given up.

Always been a fan of Hawkes , I' m pleased for him. Despite been mismanaged , starting one week , sub the next etc etc 13 goals from 60 odd starts not a bad return.

Sunderland have nothing to lose , I would after a dozen or so U23 games be looking to loan him out to a league 2 club though.

As you cant edit posts anymore. I meant to say 60 odd games, not all starts, in fact half were probably as a sub

Whilst I agree that Hawkes could make a decent league2 player but who has mismanaged him? He is now almost 22 and played under countless managers and coaches are they all to blame? I personally think it may be down to attitude.
However good luck to him and prove me wrong.

Harrison Bates Hignett primarily. Like you I am guessing, but I do think a mixture of poor management and poor attitude on Josh's part may have been the reason he never realised his potential at Pools.

At the end of the day though, if an employee has a poor attitude its up to the management to sort it out. His attitude didnt seem poor initially , only the last 18 months , when his body language suggested he wasnt happy. If you never get a run in the team, are constantly toing and froing between starting games, getting subbed, or starting as sub , maybe uneccesarily carrying the can for poor team performances then you would be pissed off. Then again maybe he was just crap, all about opinions.

hope they can develop him. Maybe one day he will be back.

May well be coached by Ged McNamee he’s back at Sunderland.

McNamee is the academy head of recruitment, so probably him behind Hawkes move

you can have as many coaches and managers you like but it does not mean that he and anyone else will succeed in the game. so much depends on the attitude in a players mind that only he knows.

Totally agree, of course it does, but it sometimes takes a good manager or coach can get a jack ass donkey moving , that is the whole point of management and coaching surely?. I suspect there were issues with Hawkes in respect of attitude and probably being poorly advised, a lot in life also depends on who you surround yourself with.

I believe it was a bit of both , poor management/coaching and Hawkes attitude.

He is gone now, another one that got away, we move on, will be interesting to see how this develops though

Hawkes has been doing well for Sunderland U-23s and will probably do well for Tranmere. Must be a good bet to score against us if he gets on!

It all went a bit pear-shaped towards the end of his time at Pools and he was glad to get away.

Tranmere must be aware of the ex player curse

Was talking to a Tranmere fan yesterday who said they have only scored once this season, & that up front is where they need players. On Monday a Sunderland fan said Hawkes did well for the U-23's last year & had now broken into the first team squad.

If he's been sent out on loan he's not actually made the first team squad, has he? Typical Mackem talking ballocks.

what really matters is would anyone want him back at pools. always gave me the impression that although he had a bit of skill i do not think he was a real team player.