RICHARD MONEY looked up, took a breath and answered as straight as could be. No bluster, no nonsense. Straight-talking.

He had just taken charge of his first real game as Hartlepool United boss, an unflattering 1-1 home draw with Havant and Waterlooville.

The failings of his team, his players, were there for all too see. As stark as they could be. OK, it wasn’t quite the Hartlepool baptism John Hughes suffered in 2012 when Coventry thumped his new side 5-0. But Havant and Waterlooville aren’t Coventry. Then again, Hartlepool United of 2012 is a different beast to the one of 2018.

This is no longer a Football League club, but a non-league side, which is struggling to adapt to being a non-league side.

That’s why Money has been brought in, someone who knows the division and knows how to succeed in it. The past two managers, for all their efforts and honesty in adversity, didn’t have the nous and knowledge of the new boss.

“I have sat and watched back every game this season - I have been trying to work what this team was built on other than the fact it was meant to play with three centre backs,’’ mused Money.

“I am not sure the mix of the jigsaw really fits. We have to try and find that.

“I think there is a number in the group that we need to find the best shape, system to get the best from them. It is a conundrum the previous manager had, too.’’

Lack of pace, lack of strength up front, lack of goals. There’s three clear failings which Money has to address.

Pools were, as he admitted, better when they went from 4-1-3-2 to 4-2-3-1. Getting Josh Hawkes in the side is important, he’s one of the few players – Ryan Donaldson the other – who plays with his head up and tries to get forward and play the ball towards the opposition goals. Pools have some good technical footballers, but the technicalities of this division are more basic traits.

Hawkes could be felt hard done by to be left out after an impressive run, but he showed enough in 20 minutes to surely secure his spot.

Ahead of him and Luke James and Niko Muir were neat, energetic and willing. But there’s no strength, in the form of a target man, there and when Muir had chances he merely swept them into the goalkeeper’s arms rather than powering the ball into the net.

Jake Cassidy will return from his loan at Maidstone in early January, a player who isn’t a prolific goalscorer, but a striker who can hold the ball up and be a point up front. And at the moment Pools don’t have one.

Money added: “I think they will both be better with Cassidy. We are little bit lightweight up top. In this league you generally play against two or three big centre backs.

“That doesn't mean I don't think the both of them have ability.

“I expect Jake to be here. He will not go away anywhere else – to find forwards in January is difficult, but I do not see who is out there that will give us a better option.

“There will be times where we might play all three. But I know the team will have more strength and a focal point with Jake back.’’

Money had his drive home on Saturday evening to muse over what he saw, and the chance to come up with a plan to get the best out of what he has.

He will give players a chance to impress him in the coming games, there will be changes match by match in formation and personnel as he tries to find a formula to suit.

“I said when I first arrived I need to see the group, see the players live, see what they can and can’t do,’’ confirmed the manager. “Can they take information on board? The only way to do it is to give as many a chance without making too many changes and this period gives me the chance for that.

“I won’t come in and say we were this or that – this isn’t where we want to be. We have a lot of improvements to make, a lot of work to do. If anyone thought a new manager comes in and waves a magic wand at a club where results haven’t been very good this year, then they would be mistaken.’’

The consensus amongst the faithful was the same – it was as if nothing had changed. In terms of result and overall performance they were right to leave feeling a tad deflated.

There was a few signs of Money’s stamp being introduced. The centre-halves saw plenty of the ball, Carl Magnay in particular looking to build from the back, while he wants his full backs to plough forward when the time is right.

The rest? It’s going to be a work in progress. This was the sort of game Pools have lost plenty of times in recent years.

The visitors weren’t great, but were strong at the back and very good at time wasting. They did, in fairness, lose three players to injury before an hour had passed, but a goalkeeper going down with cramp and a left-back hitting the deck at will in the closing minutes?

But it’s up to Money and Pools to be better and overcome those difficulties if they are to get their heads around being a National League club and making a fist of getting back into the Football League.