Former Portsmouth, Coventry and Middlesbrough midfielder blasts ‘unprofessional’ Hartlepool following failed switch

The former Pompey midfielder spent the second-half of last term with his boyhood club in a loan from Burton.

During his stay, the 26-year-old made 11 outings for the League Two side, with his debut coming against Crystal Palace in the FA Cup.

Morris was originally signed by Graeme Lee in January and had an option to make his loan deal permanent, however new boss Paul Hartley decided against taking up the clause.

With a return failing to come to light, the former Shrewsbury man has since slammed the Pools claiming ‘there are no friends in football'.

The former Kenny Jackett signing, who made 28 appearances during a disappointing two-and-a-half years on the south coast, is now bidding to resurrect his career at Grimsby.

He told BBC Humberside Sport: ‘To be fair, I had a permanent deal at Hartlepool which was where I pretty much thought I was going to be for the foreseeable (future).

‘But for different reasons it didn’t come off but I knew that I didn’t have a future at Burton so I would be looking elsewhere.

‘I am a Hartlepool lad. I think the manager that brought me in obviously got sacked and the new manager said: “Look, I want to bring in my own players.”

‘To be honest, I think the way it was handled, if I’m being brutally honest, was really unprofessional.

‘Just in terms of the communication and little bits and bobs that I won’t go into. It left a bit of a sour taste to be fair.

‘There’s no friends in football. There’s not much in terms of loyalty so it is what it is. You move on.’

Instead, Morris completed a free transfer to newly-promoted Grimsby last week, penning a one-year deal with the League Two outfit.

The midfielder admitted there was strong interest from Crewe, but believes linking up with Paul Hurst and Chris Doig was the perfect option.

He continued: ‘I did like the idea and what they were aiming towards at Crewe, but for just a couple of different reasons it didn’t come off.

‘Obviously, you’ve got the financial side and it was only going to be a loan there, while their finances were a bit up in the air in terms of numbers, budget and stuff like that.

‘But I think probably just the pull of working with the gaffer and Doigy before and knowing what they’re all about just edged it for me.’