If you'd told me 6 years ago that we'd be going to Wembley in consecutive years i'd have laughed at you. If you told me that we'll win on both visits i'd have asked you what you've been taking.

I really don't think they're doing too bad a job.

Interesting that it’s only since the Cup exit that Bumpy has really ramped up his criticisms of the club.

Whilst we were on the cup run, Bumpy had absolutely nothing in Joan locker to argue with. Now that’s over he’s got his stick back to beat Radford with.

And yet we got to Wembley three times and a GF in the 6 years before AP took over the club, won one CC, unlucky in both the others due to a heap of injuries and outclassed in '06 by a top St.Helens side.
The only difference under AP's tenure is we've won one more trophy but been to 2 fewer finals.
The simple fact is we have less home grown talent in the starting XVII now than we did in the 2006 GF team which had EIGHT home grown players in the side.
Yeaman (22)
Cooke (25)
Horne (23)
Radford (27)
Washbrook (20)
Wheeldon (20)
G.Horne (23)
King (24)
I personally don't think we've improved in developing the youngsters, we've gone backwards, buying a team that was over the cap to win the CC is all well and good but it's not a long term sustainable plan and that has come home to oost last year and this, even former players like Kirk Dixon have said that our youngsters are not experienced enough/not up to scratch. As I've pointed out, it's not that there aren't good youngsters coming through but there has been a decidedly lack of quality players or development of players to come through the system in the last 6 years, especially considering the investments that have been made.

….. and he calls himself a Hull FC supporter - what a joke.

"Worst type of fan."

The previous owners only planned short term, they might have has a few more local players at a certain time, but invested no money in the youth, they were training at Gordan St Gym FFS.

Radford and AP have a long term plan, it has maybe taken a few more years than expected, but they are doing a great job, look at how many players are in the England set up (Knights included), he has improved loads of the current players.

Personally I don;t see getting to finals as success, I want to win them, as for being unlucky in 2013, you can't have been there, the performance certainly wasn't unlucky is was really poor.

In the past we have had a few stick up for knockers, but I think people are seeing him for what he is now.

Do you not wonder why not one Hull fan agrees with you.

I'll say it again, AP and Radford are doing a great job with the youth, 99.9% of fans will agree with that, you just hate Radford for some strange reason,

Radford knows more about when the players are ready than you or me.

I'll ask again , are you still involved with Rugby coaching, as you talk like you are?

Certainly is, bet he was celebrating like the rest of us at Wembley, but the uses the a message board to slag off the two main men responsible for those wins.

This =#FF0000Quit the name calling, thank you. Karen doesn’t understand that youth takes time. Time from investment until 1st team.

Horne, Yeaman, Radford, Cooke and King all came through in the late 90’s/early 00’s, long before 2006.

Absolute =#FF0000And again.....

Did we? I thought Adam Pearson took over in July 2011. In the 6 years before he took over we got to Cardiff once (2005), Wembley once (200icon_cool.gif and Old Trafford once (2006). We won in Cardiff. Is that right?

Not really a surprise, he hasn't got s clue.

Constantly running the current regime down. Such depressing negativity when IMO we have a very good squad, are giving youth loads of chances whilst still attracting fed trained talent like Connor and Miloudi, have a very strong commercial operation and I think crowds are up? If we could have got the senior players on the pitch with any sort of consistency this year, who knows what might have been? Club's in good shape IMO.

I wonder how many of the home grown players in the 2006 Grand Final team bumpy would class as "quality", because that's the benchmark he uses when comparing our current crop of youngsters.

Quality enough for us to get to a GF with them so the youngsters on show in recent seasons are decidely poorer than those of 12 years ago right?

I'm not normally 1 of those that has a pop at you but even on this occassion you've really outdone yourself and are talking complete BS.

You cannot compare trophy wins, finals or youngsters from different eras under different regimes simply because the infrastructures of the club were completely different.

Youngsters came through the ranks previously more out of necessity for reducing costs and maybe landing that 1 big overseas signing whereas now we can develop them at a slower rate, send them out on dual reg, which we couldn't do before and we now have a fairly balanced squad in terms of playing personnel.

Ultimately I don't care where our players come from as long as we don't break the quota rules.
I'd rather the club be predominantly English but not fussed about local which you unfortunately seemed obssessed with. It's not always a viable option.
I'd rather the players here be proud to wear the shirt irrespective of where they're from and be successful.

Unfortunately you use this as your last little dig at Pearson and Radford.

The club is financially stable and moderately succesful and entertaining now all good platforms to build on.
Something we've not had for many a year, so enjoy it for what it is.

It's come to something when one of the worst trolls on this board is someone who (allegedly) makes a marathon round trip to watch our team and proclaims himself to be a "supporter"!!!

don't go introducing facts where delusion abounds...

You're saying I don't attend games,

Scraping the bottom of the barrel aren't we but no surprise from your type. calling me a troll is abuse and will get you a ban if the mods are being consistent

Are you insinuating the moderation process is inconsistent?


Oh how the whole world is against you Anthony.
Go steady or you'll be taking another holiday!

I've no idea who this Anthony person is
you need to get a grip or you'll end up in hospital with that aneurysm you're developing over chasing me. Get it checked before it's too late.

and you complain about abuse?

For the 3rd time, I am going to ask you a genuine question. Out of the many young players we have let go/failed, how many have gone on to develop, rip trees up in SL and come back to bite us on the booty?

So there were 8 players in 2006. If we were to get to a final this season we could expect to see the following in our matchday 17:

Shaul, Taylor (home grown as in club trained, or from Hull??), Houghton, Green, Bowden, Hadley, Westerman (came through the Hull academy) and then most likely Fash or Matongo. That is 8 also.

Considering that between 2007 and 2011 the academy was neglected, I don't think that is a bad turnaround

Knockersbump is not a Fc fan just a red and white wind up merchant

While he's got some very odd views for a Hull fan, he seems an equally unlikely Rovers WUM.

He's consistently critical of you're successes, further highlighting them - but his contribution to the Albert Kelly thread was to argue about enzymes that metabolize alcohol with Standee. Maybe he was building his cover, but opportunities like that don't come around very often, so building it for what?

Now, Sandro reckons Cabman (for those who remember him) was a B&W imposter, so it maybe wouldn't be the strangest bit of sock puppetry ever... but it'd be up there.

Cab woman deffo was.