HARTLEPOOL UNITED are amongst a rare breed - a debt free football club following the takeover from new owners TMH.

The company, headed up by Pools new chairman Peter Harris, was formed last week to replace IOR at Victoria Park.

And TMH – short for The Monkey Hangers in a quirky throwback to the town’s heritage – are ready to back new boss Ronnie Moore in the January transfer window.

Harris, 44, who hails from Watford, but is based in Warwickshire, said: “We have had the debt taken away. It has no debt, that’s £14m taken away so it’s a good start.

“IOR have wiped that off. It made it all a little more attractive! We didn’t have to find £14m. Ken (Hodcroft) has been very transparent and honest. What we asked for he gave us immediately. He wanted to get it done, we wanted it done before Christmas to give the manager time to look at the players.

“I know Ken hasn’t got a good name around here at the moment because of how the club has gone, but he has left a club very professionally run and it’s all credit to him.’’

Harris is the sole businessman involved in the buyout, but was at Victoria Park yesterday with a number of his associates, among them former Swindon general manager Steven Murrell.

There is no involvement from any other businessman in the buyout, but Hughes will be adding to the club’s board in the future.

Of taking control, he said: “We have no links with Hartlepool. We have looked into buying football clubs and, when we looked deep down into how they are run, there’s a lot of problems to sort out. We didn’t have to do that here. We were straight in and sort out the manager.

“It’s a very professional outfit. The business is well run, very efficient and that’s what attracted me to the club in the first place.

“Other clubs have administration issues and they need restructuring. This doesn’t. Russ Green is a very efficient CEO and we can concentrate on the football.

“We know it’s a tough ask, but we have the right manager, one with all the experience. The team needed a strong manager. Some players need a kick up the backside, some a father figure and Ronnie can do that.

“Heads start to drop when you have lost nine on the bounce, confidence disappears, tactics go and the game is gone.’’

Pools have reduced ticket prices for the next two home games, £10 per game or £15 for both the Oxford (Saturday) and Morecambe (December 28) and Harris said: “We encourage all fans to turn up on Saturday and be the twelfth man on the pitch for us. They were a little disgruntled with the last chairman. We want them to come back, don’t go Christmas shopping on Saturday, come here. Send the missus – she can do the shopping.

“Give us your support, it’s a new era, hopefully a successful one. Let’s look forward, and upwards, we can’t get any lower. Let’s move on.’’