How far back was that Wilf? My first recollection( mid 40's) of the FC reporter at the HDM and the Green Sports Mail was that he wrote under the name of 'Kingstonion'. When I left the UK in 1966 my family in Hull subsequently organised a yearly air mail subscription to deliver the Saturday Sports Mail to me weekly in Aus which continued to the turn of the century. It took around 10 days to arrive but I read every page!

In those days as well as 'Kingstonion' there was 'Ranger' for HKR and 'Three Crowns' for Hull City.

I hope the green mail was ironed for you FM

Well said FM. Those were the days when the Green Un was available while you were still having your tea on a Saturday. Nowadays we don't have a special sports paper and the normal rag (no longer printed in Hull) isn't fit to wipe your backside on. Is this really progress. PS Good luck to Dan, I've read his efforts without fail and I'm sure he'll be doing his bit to promote our great club.

Cheers HR- remember those days well when as a kid I obtained the the paper from Rogers Newsagents on Hedon Road at Marfleet around 6 pm. It was about a 5-6 min run from our house near Marfleet station.

Trivia alert! ... I sent a regular Saturday match report to the HDM when I was secretary of the Hull College of Technology Rugby Union team for which I also played. I dropped it in to Jamison Street every Monday morning on my way to the College in Park Street.
A heavily edited version of my report was published on the back page for 2 seasons spanning 1957 to 1959 with no name attached to the article.

What a great thread evoking some great memories I dug a couple of 1940's sports mails I'd been sent out last night it was a different and less complicated ages indeed

I loved Sportsman's Say the best!!! The James Smailes I was referring to was of coursed the Fc reporter for the Mail from 2007 to around 2017. he and his Dad were massive fans and I think it reflected in his reports at times. I met up with him after the 2016 Final and his passion and joy at what had happened was as big and as all embracing as it was for all of us. he was a top bloke. He went on to be sports editor and is now head of Sports for Yorkshire and the North East. Beards Buttons and Blue movies the book by Richard Tingle (or Tingly Dick as many of us knew him

) covers 21 years of reporting in the FC and is a great incite into being a rugby League reporter on a provincial newspaper and is recommended too.

Is this the guy who ran the podcast where somebody made a 'joke' about hoping Rovers plane crashed on the way to Catalan?

Wilf do you remember “Answerman” in the green mail, he settled a few arguments, wonder who his identity was.

Wilf did say “ not to everyone’s taste” Black humour doesn’t go down too well with PC brigade nowadays. Great appointment, especially after the joke reporters since Smailesey left the post.

Yeh he he was great certainly put folks right he had a lot of insider inf. too I remember. Then he suddenly disappeared off the scene apparently after one of the clubs or a supporter threatened to out him as a local councillor. allegedly of course!!!

Depends on the subject doesn't it? Those modern gammony 'free speech advocates' are far from immune to outrage if target is something they regard as inviolate. Hypocrisy unites us all.

Just to add my voice to the appreciation of the Smailes era of Hull FC HDM reporting... he was amazing!

I didn’t need a lecture on free speech, just merely pointing out that a lot of people in this Cancel Culture will see outrage in giving a child chocolate

I'm merely pointing out that it isn't limited to the PC brigade. Given how long and dreary most of my posts are, you got off lightly. Lecture indeed.

Do be careful offering children chocolate... and just hanging about near schools and playgrounds generally.

I did mean my own grandchildren of course. I’m reminded of a tale from the early 70’s myself and 2 brothers, all in our 20’s for some reason or another we’re walking with Mum on Hessle Road. She lagged behind because our very much younger sister was giving it the “Can I have” routine regards an ice cream. Mum gave her the “Hessle Road roundabout”, which consisted of her holding my sisters hand whilst trying to smack her bum as my sister ran around Mum trying to escape. A passing “gent” grabbed Mum and told her not to smack children, unfortunately for him, my eldest brother turned back and smacked him for laying his hands on Mum. I guess we’re just from different generations and brought up much more strict than the present day mamby pamby PC Cancel Culture brigade. Hope this makes you laugh, we’re here for a good time not a long time, do chill.

Well its early days as yet but, for me, I think the recent articles from Dan about the interest in Connor etc. have been good he's not scared to speculate a bit about the stuff fans are discussing anyway, (like throwing Bevan French in

) as well, which is refreshing, let's hope it continues.

Telling it like it is! About time a journalist says what we all are. https://www.hulldailymail.co.uk/sport/r ... le-7202290 Writing like it’s his last day not his first. Long May it continue and good luck with the interviews at the club!

Telling it like it is! About time a journalist says what we all are. https://www.hulldailymail.co.uk/sport/r ... le-7202290 Writing like it’s his last day not his first. Long May it continue and good luck with the interviews at the club!

Quote ="Irregular Hoops"Telling it like it is! About time a journalist says what we all are. https://www.hulldailymail.co.uk/sport/r ... le-7202290 Writing like it’s his last day not his first. Long May it continue and good luck with the interviews at the club! '" Brutal assessment but entirely justified. That's how it should be reported unlike the usual FC Pravda write ups. No cosy post training chats over a coffee for Dan!

Quote ="Irregular Hoops"Telling it like it is! About time a journalist says what we all are. https://www.hulldailymail.co.uk/sport/r ... le-7202290 Writing like it’s his last day not his first. Long May it continue and good luck with the interviews at the club! '" Brutal assessment but entirely justified. That's how it should be reported unlike the usual FC Pravda write ups. No cosy post training chats over a coffee for Dan!

Quote ="Irregular Hoops"Telling it like it is! About time a journalist says what we all are. https://www.hulldailymail.co.uk/sport/r ... le-7202290 Writing like it’s his last day not his first. Long May it continue and good luck with the interviews at the club! '" Let’s be honest firstly it’s refreshing that a reporter writes it as he sees it rather than sugar coating and secondly his piece is pretty much bang on the money. If the club, coach or said players don’t like it being said then it’s up to them to put in performances that would lead to different write ups. Most RL fans aren’t dumb and particularly fans in Hull so for BH to come out and say it’s a work in progress with two experienced players is laughable if not a little insulting. The fans aren’t blind and can see what little impact or affect these two are having in games and the lack of anything coming from either of them is not only alarming but glaringly obvious it’s unlikely to improve as it hasn’t so far and we are well in to the season. Dan has said nothing more or less than many of the fans have posted or discussed themselves after the Catalans game. As the saying goes if the truth hurts!!

Quote ="Irregular Hoops"Telling it like it is! About time a journalist says what we all are. https://www.hulldailymail.co.uk/sport/r ... le-7202290 Writing like it’s his last day not his first. Long May it continue and good luck with the interviews at the club! '" Let’s be honest firstly it’s refreshing that a reporter writes it as he sees it rather than sugar coating and secondly his piece is pretty much bang on the money. If the club, coach or said players don’t like it being said then it’s up to them to put in performances that would lead to different write ups. Most RL fans aren’t dumb and particularly fans in Hull so for BH to come out and say it’s a work in progress with two experienced players is laughable if not a little insulting. The fans aren’t blind and can see what little impact or affect these two are having in games and the lack of anything coming from either of them is not only alarming but glaringly obvious it’s unlikely to improve as it hasn’t so far and we are well in to the season. Dan has said nothing more or less than many of the fans have posted or discussed themselves after the Catalans game. As the saying goes if the truth hurts!!

He should have given the half time team talk.

Ouch !!

I’ve not seen honest journalism like that in my time supporting F.C.
Let’s be honest most pieces written by the RL press are bland inoffensive and uninteresting.
Kudos to Dan for bucking the trend and just being honest.

Chris makes a great point about BH’s “work in progress” comment. A former Man of Steel and a SOO player??
He doesn’t think we’re that daft does he , to fall for that comment?

Lets hope the club dont do a Hull City and ban Dan because they dont like to hear the truth.
Adam Pearson no doubt reads the HDM sports pages and will start to get the message if Dan keeps up the honest reporting.
The criticism of Gale and Reynolds and in part Houghton is justified but i have to say the way Hodgson handles any interchange with Houghton is pathetic
Again he is spot on with with his comment.woeful lack of discipline was nothing short of unacceptable but Brett keeps telling us they talk about it

In Hodson's defence, it was actually William Jackson that used the 'work in progress' phrase.

[urlhttps://www.hulldailymail.co.uk/sport/rugby-league/luke-gale-josh-reynolds-hodgson-7196706[/url

Well I applaud that write up for our half backs are at present probably the worst in the league, talk about a one man team!!!! If James Smailes is reading this I hope he realises that this is exactly the sort of reporting that every fan appreciates and what gets the supporters reading the Mail articles again.. The club won't like it and will no doubt complain to the paper and Dan will be ostracised, but for me, it's just honest stuff from a fan. It doesn't make it better or solve the problem but it at least gets the absolute thinking of the average dismayed fan out there before any sort of spin can be put out 'to explain it away'. It's not knocking the club its just animating the views of the rank and file, from a guy who loves the FC as we all do, Dan and I haven't always seen eye to eye, so this isn't some sort of love in, but when I started this thread I was just hoping for such honesty. its an honest appraisal of what everyone, particularly those who made massive sacrifices and travelled all that way to Southern France to witness that, feel at present. Good stuff but if you want a little tip for future reference Dan take your own tea bags to press day



!!!!

As you say it’s pretty much a fair assessment and honest and like many fans will feel and identify with. The club may not like such an honest appraisal in the paper but the facts are there for to see that have witnessed another very poor performance and in particular our 6 & 7.
AP and the club should be under no illusion that it’s not good enough which I’m sure Adam would likely readily admit as it’s very worrying for him.
Fans aren’t mugs and there does come a point when many after backing the club for years and during the pandemic when with the cost of living rising and the feeling of deja vue that they say enough is enough.

I myself had hoped that BH would be the one to improve us but we are yet again failing in many of the same issues that have blighted our seasons before. He has been here long enough now to have made a significant impact on the playing squad and our structures but in all honesty are we any further on or has anything really changed from seasons gone by?

In all honesty if Dan had wrote that as anonymous poster on here, he d of had shreds torn off him.

But yeahs he's an honest kid, used to enjoy his write ups for up the cream, calls a spade a spade, hats off to him, Miles better than will turner's cringe cheer leading happy clapper nothings ever wrong style.