Amid a backdrop of off-field struggles that remain unresolved, Pools plummeted down the National League table last season, eventually finishing in an underwhelming 11th position.
Controversial chairman Raj Singh remains in charge despite ongoing talks about the possible sale of the club and opted to part company with former boss Anthony Limbrick.
Grayson was announced as his surprise successor, with the former Sunderland and Leeds United manager returning to England after a title-winning spell working in Nepal with Lalitpur City.
The Ripon-born 55-year-old’s last spell in English football came to an end when he left Fleetwood Town in 2021, and while he might now find himself presiding over a club that has been in a state of crisis for a number of years, he insists he is looking forward to the challenge of trying to turn things around at Victoria Park.
“After talking to Raj and the rest of the owners and the board, it was just a decision I was really pleased to take,” said Grayson. “I was in Portugal when they spoke to me and within a few days we got it sorted and my wife was complaining within a couple of days I was on my phone looking at players and everything that comes with being back in football management.
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“I am delighted to be here. I know the magnitude of the football club, the history and the tradition and where it once has been, where it is at this minute in time. Hopefully, I can come here and make the team and the club successful again.”
Grayson managed in India prior to working in Nepal, and claims to have had a number of opportunities to return to England in the last few years.
None of them felt right at the time, but the former Sunderland chief insists he was immediately excited by the possibility of leading Hartlepool.
“I’ve turned down jobs in England over the year or so just because they didn’t excite me really,” said Grayson, who led Sunderland for just four months before he was dismissed in the first half of the season that eventually ended with the Black Cats dropping into League One.
“But this is one that has the scope to go from 11th in the National League at least into the play-offs this season if we get everything and going in the right direction.
“Three-and-a-half thousand were here on a regular basis last season with a struggling team. Ultimately, if we can get it going, get results, that can turn to 6,000 or 7,000.
“I’ve been here as an opposition manager many times and felt a bit intimidated and that’s what we have to try and create here once that season starts.”
