Sat rock bottom of the Football League and shipping goals for fun, Hartlepool United fans believe their current team is the worst ever.

For a club which had to vote for re-election to the Football League a record 14 times after finishing at the bottom of the fourth tier, it is a big claim.

But does the data back up the almost universal belief that this is the poorest Pools side of the modern era?

Well, we have crunched the numbers to find out if manager Keith Curle has inherited the worst team seen at Victoria Park this century.

Other than the brief success of promotion from the National League two seasons ago, Pools’ fans haven’t had much to be proud of, having fallen from League One almost 10 years ago to the brink of a second relegation into non-league.

Very few fanbases have had it as bad as the Poolies in recent years – the club having almost folded after suffering relegation from the Football League for the first time in 2017.

Four long seasons in the National League followed before promotion in 2020-21 and a nervy consolidation in League Two last term.

But the appointment of Paul Hartley as manager this summer proved a disastrous move by owner Raj Singh.

Hartley may be gone, but do the numbers say that the team he left behind is the worst this millennium?

Certainly, this season’s stats prove Pools’ defence is not up to League Two standard, having conceded 39 goals so far – the club are currently on track to conceding over 90 goals by the end of the season.

Even taking into account their time spent facing teams a division up in League One, and the struggles which led to demotion to the National League five years ago, Pools’ average goals conceded across their last 18 seasons in the Football League has been 63.

So, this is comfortably the worst Pools defensive unit seen since the year 2000. But what about their performance at the opposite end of the pitch?

Without Josh Umerah, it is truly frightening to think how far Pools might now be adrift at the foot of League Two.

The former Charlton and Torquay striker has produced seven of their paltry 16-goal league tally this season.

Pools average a less than a goal per game, being at 0.8. Curle’s side are on track to score just 37 goals by the end of the current campaign.

This, is 17 less than any other season Pools have spent in the Football League with the club averaging 54 goals per season.

Not only is this Pools side performing at their worst defensively but aren’t scoring as much as they have done in previous seasons.

So how many points could Pools get by the end of the season?

Pools currently have a 0.81 points per game, which would see them end the season on just 37 points – nine points shy of the 46 that saw them relegated in 2016/17 and guaranteeing relegation in the last five completed seasons.

Pools over their last 18 seasons have averaged 60 points a season, with the current Pools side set to have the worst points total the club have had this century.

Overall, Curle’s men seem destined for another relegation into the National League but with fellow strugglers Gillingham, Colchester and Rochdale all struggling for form – there is still a glimmer of hope for Hartlepool United.