Article in The Guardian today about managers getting sacked just before the end of the season. Was surprised to see Pools get this mention:

"In 2005, Hartlepool United sacked Neale Cooper after two glorious seasons in charge, probably the best in the club’s history, ahead of their final game. Under the caretaker manager Martin Scott, Hartlepool got the point they needed to get into the playoff and eventually lost to Sheffield Wednesday in the final. Scott was given the job full-time but lasted just over half a season before leaving the club by mutual consent."

20 years almost to the day since the biggest mistake and 'what might have been' in this club's history...

What a time that was, and what a cracking manager he was - playing great football in div1. Regardless of the actual play off result what a great day out, shame it wasn't Wembley though.

in the end it was far from a good day out. it was like getting a date with the lass you fancied for years who promised you the earth only for your hopes to be dashed in the end with only regrets and what might have been in your mind afterwards.

I still had a great day and although hugely disappointed with the result with 11 players on the pitch we were very competitive. Fantastic to be part of the huge following we took.
And, strangely enough, the disappointment didn't feel as bad as the disappointment of relegations or of losing in the earlier stages of the play offs against the likes of Blackpool and Darlo back in the day.
One of my best memories of Cooperman was him inviting us onto the team bus at axservice station after the last hame of the season (I think) at Charlton and we came off with a couple of cases of booze - top man, top times.

We'll never know whether having Neale in the dressing room would have tipped the balance in Pools favour. Shockingly bad timing all the same.
I'd have given my eye teeth and a bit more to see Pools in the Championship, even if it was only for one season.

Absolutely, the club never gave a reason for his sacking either although loads of versions of one rumour were rife.
Did a leg over cost Pools a leg up into the Championship?

must be me but relegations feel harder to suffer than any excitements promotion ever brought. the first one was a novelty i never thought would happen and the subsequent relegation made me wish it had never happened as i,d never feel that hurt.

Cooper’s ‘sacking’ was the shittest timing since my Great Uncle Jimmy got a pier head jump clutching a last minute ticket for the Titanic.

It’s difficult to determine wether he was sacked or not, watch Switch of Play with Hodcroft, he was having loads of family issues north of the border, rumour has it Scott told Hodcroft Coopers wasn’t focused on the job which is difficult to believe on how much success he had, Scott stabbed Cooper in the back to get the managers job and failed miserably.Remember when the players had a fight in a Durham pub when Scott turned up, he was a poison dwarf.

May be Ole Ken did not want us in the Championship

Ole Ken said in his Switch of Play interview they had plans to invest loads of money if Pools reached the Championship, easy to say after the event though.

A fair proportion of the blame lies with Humphreys. He was the one who went running to Hodcroft demanding Cooper be sacked. Cooper was going through some personal issues at the time and rather than support the bloke, supposedly saintly Richie went banging on Hodcrofts door. Worse still he spend an hour bragging about it at the Studio within earshot of many including me.

fucking judas twat.

Makes my blood boil, they should have been supporting Cooper in his hour of need after the success the club was having not going behind his back. I couldn’t believe when Humphries was named player of the century or what ever it was. He was a poor player in a very good team.

Agree 100%

He is one of the very few people, unrealted to me, where I have shed tears when I heard of his passing.