I agree that AP needs to protect his investment and that yesterday's performance hardly showcased the team's talents. But I'd also hope / expect that AP will make medium / long term decisions based on who he believes is the right man to coach Hull FC rather than short term decisions in the hope of gaining some sort of response and / or to appease a few fans.

At the end of last season I'm pretty sure we'd all have agreed that Gentle was the right man to coach Hull FC. We'd had a good season, performed well in the play-offs and started to play a decent brand of rugby. His contract extension was met with almost universal approval.

We lost Manu and Moa in the off-season (neither of which were Gentle's fault) but we recruited Gareth Ellis (arguably the best back row forward in the world) as well as Daniel Holdsworth and Shannon McDonnell to fill two glaring needs at half back and full back. All excellent signings.

Now 9 games into the season fans are calling for Gentle's head after what essentially boils down to 3 sub-par performances (Widnes, London, Rovers) when all those players were missing (along with Lynch, Yeaman and Seymour most recently). Really?

Sacking the coach at this stage of the season would be the kind of impassioned knee jerk response I'd expect from someone like Hudgell, not a rational businessman like AP. Except Hudgell didn't pull the trigger on Sandercock after their poor start to the season (and he had more reason to as Rovers were crap last season as well). And now their form has improved with several key players back in the team.

So the question is: are we looking at a long term downward spiral based on the inadequacies of our coach or a short term blip based on the absence of 4 or 5 of our absolute key players? The evidence very much points to the latter.

I'd expect AP to be p***** off after yesterday's performance - just as I'd expect the fans to be p***** off. I know I was. But that doesn't alter my opinion that Gentle is the right man to coach Hull FC. If we're still playing like this in a few weeks time when all our key players are back then I may change that opinion. But I don't think we will be.

Instead I think our perfornances will have improved dramatically, we'll have started putting a few wins on the board and we'll be climbing the table. It's far too early to be suggesting we'll miss the 8 or that we're looking at a trend rather than a blip.

I hope and expect AP will see it that way too.

As fans we need to be supporting Gentle and team through this, not putting them under more pressure.

spot on .if gentle got sacked players will say it was their fault.and it will be no passion and lack of effort

It is rare that you have the opportunity to read such childish drivel by someone who obviously has little grasp of the game and the transfer market. I DO blame Rule/Agar for leaving the club so lacking in resources, a position which the current regime have to deal with.
I would like to know what this person thinks the dismissal of Peter Gentle would actually achieve ?
Pathetic

[quo:148cpy7lte="TrevLovesJanice"It is rare that you have the opportunity to read such childish drivel by someone who obviously has little grasp of the game and the transfer market
Spot on -

...and now he is a tactical genius !

Jamie Shaul making his debut and new halfback pairing.

I seriously doubt another coach could do any better with the players we currently have available. Unless we can find a new coach who can bring a couple of half backs with him, I think we should stick with Gentle, at least until the end of the season.