New Hartlepool owner Smith aiming to 'have fun'

New Hartlepool owner Landon Smith says he aims to "have fun" after completing his takeover of the National League club.

The United States-based real-estate developer acquired a full controlling stake of the club on New Year's Eve, with news of the takeover leading to the club's website crashing.

Smith replaced previous owner and chairman Raj Singh, whose eight-year tenure oversaw 14 managerial changes during a turbulent period in the club's history.

Hartlepool have been out of the Football League since their relegation in 2023, the year in which Singh also put the club up for sale.

"I wanted a working project and this seemed to fit the bill," Smith told BBC Radio Tees.

"I saw it and then didn't look back. I've been thinking about this for quite a long time."

Pools is the latest in a long line of US-owned clubs in the UK, with fans reacting warmly to the news of Smith's takeover.

He introduced himself officially to the home fans before his side's 1-0 victory against Altrincham on Saturday, which took Pools up to ninth in the National League table, now just two points outside the play-off places.

When asked if the notably successful takeover of Wrexham by Hollywood actors Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney - who have helped oversee the Welsh club's rise up the divisions from the National League to the Championship - influenced his decision to buy Hartlepool, Smith was cautious about making comparisons.

He said: "Hartlepool is its own club with its own identity, it's got it's own path. It's probably going to be a bit of hard work - it's a little further from Hollywood.

"If you ever remember when you were a kid, and you get to the high dive, you were either going to jump or climb down the ladder – I jumped.

"And so, here we are, but it's going to be fun times."

Brought up on a farm in north-west Iowa, Smith believes his humble upbringings have also helped him take very quickly to the town and its fans.

"I'm going to be comfortable here. It's humbling, surreal. [I'm] very appreciative of the responsibility of being a custodian of the club," Smith added.

"I expected some of the responses, but to actually see and feel it, you start to look forward to learning from a lot of the supporters of what they want and where they want this club to go.

"The long-term goal is to return to the EFL. At the moment, there's no timeline on that."

BBC Radio Tees' Rob Law returned to Victoria Park on Saturday for the first time in eight months after being banned from attending matches under the previous regime.

An Alex Reid penalty seven minutes from time sealed all three points for the hosts and, after the match, Law gave an account on the time when he was prohibited from going to Hartlepool games.

RL: After eight months away, returning to the stadium on Saturday certainly brought about many feelings.

I've commentated on Hartlepool United and covered them as part of our output for over 11 seasons now. Being banned was definitely a first.

No journalist gets into this line of work to be the story – at least it has never been my intention.

During my time on the sports desk the club has seen many managers come and go, changes in ownership, promotions and relegations.

Despite a turbulent few years, it's a club that has retained a passionate fanbase. One that punches well above its weight and that has, for the most part, been desperate for something to celebrate.

It's also a fanbase that showed us – BBC Radio Tees Sport – and me personally, a lot of support. I have to be honest, when I learned of the ban, I wondered how much people would care.

Maybe they would for a week or two, but soon it would become the norm. I couldn't have been more wrong.

Letters, emails and messages - to the club, local MPs and further afield – the fans didn't forget.

Football clubs belong to their communities and local radio exists to connect supporters to their club – to tell the story honestly, ask the questions fans want answers to, and to give supporters a voice.

It's never lost on me how privileged I am to play a very small part in that. I grew up in a household that couldn't afford to go to games, so listening to commentaries on the radio was the next best thing and I know how I would've felt if that was no longer available to me.

On Saturday, with a new owner in attendance, the ban lifted and a bumper crowd, we were able to be that voice once again for others.

It is a timely reminder that a free press isn't and should never be a luxury in football; it's essential.