Breaking: Former Birmingham City, West Brom and Aston Villa striker denied managerial job

Kevin Phillips spent a total of six years at Villa Park, the Hawthorns and St Andrew’s.

Kevin Phillips, a former Birmingham, West Brom, and Aston Villa striker, has left his position as manager of Hartlepool United.

A statement from the National League club on Saturday confirmed his departure from Victoria Park, only three months after his January appointment. The Monkey Hangers have since named Darren Sarll as the 50-year-old’s replacement.

Hartlepool were 16th in the standings when Phillips arrived, following the sacking manager John Askey. They concluded the season in 12th place, with the much-traveled former striker scoring 26 points in 17 games in charge.

A club statement read: ‘Hartlepool United can today confirm that Head Coach Kevin Phillips’ contract has expired. Furthermore, the Club Board has taken a decision regarding the Manager appointment and will provide more information in due time. Kevin was appointed Head Coach in an initial term that would last until the end of the 2023/24 season.

Pools chairman Raj Singh added: “Kevin has done a good job as Head Coach this season and has been a pleasure to work with.” When he was appointed, his first priority was to ensure that the club maintained its present league standing before moving on to play-off positions.

‘When the former manager left, we faced a challenging backdrop and a dangerous league position. We believed Kevin was the best person to guide us through the process, and in the end, he has helped the club comfortably avoid any relegation concerns that were lingering at the time.

‘We express our gratitude to Kevin and wish him all the best in his future endeavors. He’ll always be welcome at Pools.

Phillips, who had previously managed South Shields, made 27 Villa appearances and scored five goals after joining from Southampton for £1 million in June 2005.

But it was at the Hawthorns and St Andrew’s when he was allowed to show off the finishing ability that made him a fan favourite at his former club Sunderland. After joining West Brom for £700,000 from Villa, the small striker scored 46 goals in 82 games, with 24 of them helping the Baggies win the Championship title in 2007-08.

Phillips was promoted back to the Premier League with Birmingham in 2008-09, and he also won the League Cup with the Blues following their Carabao Cup final victory over Arsenal. The former England striker played 82 games for Birmingham, scoring 22 goals.

Phillips resigned from playing in 2014 and went on to coach at Leicester, Derby, and Stoke before taking over as South Shields manager in 2022.