Sadly I tend to agree.

I also wonder if an RL team would be lured by Union at some point. For example Saints have a great brand, own their ground and Union has minimal presence in the North West. There would be uproar of course but if it's a future of top class Union or part time in a dwindling RL league then it may get tempting...

It’s the future that is important now, not the past.

Pearson seems to be becoming more realistic in his predictions for FC’s future even if some fans are not.

On the field we are in the best shape we have been in for a few years, and I'm sure Hodgson will make further tweaks next winter. The big question is the finances and stadium situaiton.

I hope Hull FC and all clubs pull through this difficult period.

It’s a tricky balance flagging these sorts of concerns. The honesty is admirable and maybe necessary, but you don’t want to undermine confidence in your organisation. Pearson seems to have walked the line pretty well, in fairness, although from my perspective it does bring to mind Neil Hudgell’s announcement relating to covering Rovers losses in 2012.

However, someone mentioned value for money, based purely on this week’s League Table.

I fully expect Hull to now finish in the Top 4 this season and compete for a place in the Grand Final.

Rovers have had some decent results in the past few weeks, however with outstanding fixtures across the league, I’d expect them to most likely to finish between 6th-9th.

Obviously, the season will play out how it does and it is down to each fan to determine if they are content with where their team finishes and whether that justifies value for money.

Rovers are above us now aren't they?

Yes, of course.

Tonight’s win for Hull has seen us fall further behind Rovers.

We continue to chase their shadow.

A good season could help attract missing fans back next season...especially if we can get to the semi finals in the play offs at the least

We thought that about this season/year! Nearly July and looks how it's all turned out



Winter soon aswell you know when flu season starts again!

Better home form is key. As we all know we haven't won many at home in recent years. Tonight wasn't pretty but the fans appreciate a good effort in difficult circumstances.

Do you actually have anything positive to say about FC?

Can't you read?

It's clearly about lockdown restrictions regarding corona b*llox

Yes I can read thanks. Got the wrong post to highlight my mistake.

Interesting thoughts from Shane Richardson on the state of SL

[urlhttps://www.sthelensstar.co.uk/sport/19%20...%20by-league/[/url

Wouldent rule out his letter has gone to Pearson as they did negotiate the stadium deal back in the day, so at least know each other.

Agreed and wouldn’t be too surprised if AP has spoken to Shane Richardson.

Can’t argue or disagree with much of what he says really. The same situation happened in British Ice Hockey shortly after Heineken pulled out and money was difficult for top clubs to come by so they set up their own league and called it the IS and left the BIHA though still needed them for officials etc. It never worked and after fell flat on its face with the league going under, then became the EIHL but on the way teams smaller teams folded, struggled or pulled out the league. That seriously hampered the game here in the U.K.

The similarities are there to see and burn the RFL and SL need to get together and work as one for the good of the game as without each other the game is finished. Unfortunately clubs can not run things themselves because ATEOTD each club no matter what they say have their own interests at heart and you wouldn’t expect it any other way. The whole sport needs to be run as one with a fully independent body making decisions that will never be liked universally but they would be made for the good of the game.

I seem to recall how Ice Hockey imploded quite quickly but wasn't it always on a knife edge, the early promise of it being a prime sport seemed to ebb away.

Do you think there could ever be a consensus of the chairmen that funds that go to RFL are put towards running a seperate entity to include luring officials and those that organise and run the admin of the sport, whilst ditching the roles that we've seen in the past that contribute little to nothing (and do so for significant sums of money)?
I don't know how that financial contribution would work but it would need all on board to agree as to how to fund a body/organisation away from the RFL.

I don't think anyone would say that the RFL is streamlined, maybe the threat of revolution not evolution is what is needed and that the clubs through this seperate entity can run the administration and officials of at least the top 3 tiers.

I certainly can't see the changes that are needed will come through the RFL in its current guise because I think the workings/set up of it as an entity is out of date and has been failing for 40 years. No matter how much you 'work' with it, it's stuck in the past and not effective or efficient at what it does as a guardian of running the game.

Not sure why the Dobbins are crowing. Sorry, did I miss their new owner taking over?
Other than two or three clubs, every club is in the same boat. Pearson said that himself.
Think the comparison to EIH is a good one. Also think that if rugby league isn’t careful, we’ll drop into that level of sport where EIH is now - a minority one.
The cumulative effect of persistent bad management (clubs and the RFL) is now catching up with the sport, post covid.

That’s not denigrating EIH either. Like rugby league , it’s a great sport that deserves wider exposure. Hull Pirates is a great way to spend an evening.

I think its fair to say all clubs are in the same boat to be honest as the game itself is possibly precariously positioned and it would only take one club to go and it would likely be like house of cards with others tumbling. It doesn't matter how much money a club has if the opposition teams in the leaguie disappear.

With regards to the Ice Hockey comparision I made the sport is a great sport and much like RL has so much to offer but sadly due to mismanagement of the sport from top to bottom by the governing bodies and clubs themselves (particularly the arena teams namely Sheffield at the start) it imploded once the supportive arm of the main sports sponsor pulled out.
The similarities for me between the two sports is actually quite frightening as I was closely involved with the Ice Hockey teams (Seahawks & Hawks days) and see the same situation looming if the RFL and SL owners don't get there act together for the good of the game rather than themselves.

For the sport to grow it must work as a cohesive group from top to bottom and evolve with the times, for me the RFL still seem in the most part to come across as flat cap and whippet and certain SL clubs seem more interested in self serving and parochial. They need to act and act quickly before it is too late.

Rovers and Hull need each other, the Derby games are by far the biggest income of the season, and then there's a massive amount of free Marketing from all the banter and workplace chatter between the two sets of fans. While it was funny to see Rovers go down in dramatic circumstances I was glad to see them back in SL.

good post bud , 2 thriving clubs in hull would benefit us greatly and possibly secure our futures under the present circumstances

From Matthew Shaw's twitter - Talks between the RFL and Super League over realignment will begin next week, Ken Davy has just confirmed.

Some interesting points on the comparison with ice hockey. I have a passing interest in the BBL, and it is tough for minority sports. The slump in interest in snooker is also cautionary. In the same way Ellery Hanley and Shaun Edwards are still probably more famous than any current British players (starter for 10, who is the most famous British RL player still playing?), Steve Davis, Jimmy White and Stephen Hendry likely remain the most famous snooker players.

I think a key first question is, what do we want? The mines and mills and manufacturing that RL was born into, and the culture associated with it, have largely gone. The memory of it, even, is passing. How much is RL ‘just’ a game and how much is it the places it came from, what they were then and what they are now? If we ended up only having professional teams in Leeds, Manchester, Cardiff, Newcastle, London, Sheffield, Birmingham, Paris, Perpignan and Toulouse, would we have saved RL? I’d argue partially, at best.

There’s a lot of change coming. Think about the way we watch television now compared with just 5 or 10 years ago. Sky aren’t lowballing SL especially - the value of sports TV rights isn’t what it was, because TV isn’t what it was. People aren’t watching stuff just because it is there, as much as in the past - there aren’t as many floating eyeballs to grab, it doesn’t matter how good your marketing is. Not a reason not to try, but we shouldn’t think it’d be easy even if the RFL or SL bosses were great at their jobs.

The market place is a congested one now for RL
When I started going to Hull, nothing was open on a Sunday. Now (in a post covid world) you’re competing against shopping centres, cinemas ,restaurants and suchlike for time, attention and money.
You’re even competing against gaming, Netflix, live premier league football etc, where people don’t even have to leave the house.

Broadcast wise, we’re really weak. The advent of broadcasters wanting women’s sport, and the monopoly of the premier league means we continue to fall behind.

I can only see the sport contracting financially going forward, especially post covid.

It was also then a winter sport
for me the biggest loss to the sport is not been able to secure a terrestrial TV deal.A live game on a Sunday KO 18.00 or 19.00 would have been a huge success.