Nothing to do with his contract, it's to do with simple logistics.

You claimed to know he'd be in Hull 4 days a week.

Personally i'd want him living in Hull, none of this staying half a week rubbish. You do not know his plans, he may want to move here and keep his place over there.

What will happen to his sponsored BMW X5 with his personal reg on it?

I have no problem with Long as a player. He is by far the best SL no 7 and has been for years. His short kicking and creativity are excellent.

What my concern is does he have the heart to put the effort in week after week regardless of how tough it gets. Is he mr committed professional or is he just going to get a last payday before retirement. He is such a risk and an expensive one at that i would not touch him. If i was a saints fan i would be dissappointed and i am sure that he could still do it for saints for two more seasons. I do not see him transferring his allegiance to another team on the opposite side of the country. Please feel free to save this post to hammer me with next year because i have pasted mugwumps and others and i will be back here with i told you so.

I have no problem with Long's ability - it is beyond question, at least in attack. What I do have a problem with is his age and injury record. I think we might have just signed another Adam Dykes.

Care to share this with us all.

He's missed 2 games this year, and over the past 6 seasons as missed on average 5 games a year.

someone posted his appearance stats for the last few years somewhere, and they were certainly nowhere near Dykes level. this season he's on 12 from 14 in SL. and has been pretty reasonable the last few years. (aside from the season he missed a shedload due to his bookie indescretion.)

Most of that has been through being tw**ted by some thug hasn't it??

Drew took him out for nearly a season didn't he?

He's a year older than Orford.

He's had a few injuries over the past couple of years and he'll be 33 when he starts playing for us. I've no doubt he'll be excellent when he's on the pitch, but I wonder if he'll get enough game time to make it a worthwhile signing. Saints obviously had similar doubts or they would have offered him the two year deal he wanted.

How the fk do you know! were you in negotiations????????

2009 2
2008 4
2007 10
2006 6
2005 8
2004 16 (three month ban)
2003 0
2002 14
2001 17
2000 1

Since 2003 he's missed 46 out of 200 which is roughly 25%, and that was when he was young


You mean that injury record.

I know.

I heard him say in an interview earlier on Humberside that he was looking at buying a home over here.

So TKOAH and Wilf know nowt

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told you viewtopic.php? ... &start=990

10 games in 2007 is what I was thinking of. Thought he'd missed a few more than four last year, to be honest. And you can hardly include 2009 as it isn't over yet.

If we were without a halfback for 10 games of a season, it could have a very detrimental affect on our performance - as we have seen being without one for the past two seasons. He's a good player, but I just have my doubts that he'll be able to cut it physically by the second year of his contract.

Some of our players are worse than that....and they are all younger

Quite. But halfback is the pivotal position - more so than any other in the team.

I look at it like this:

He's been at Saints for many years and has been a bloody good player for them. They have built their team around him. If they thought he had another two years in him - and bear in mind they know a lot more about the sort of shape his body is in - then they would have given him a two year deal.

i'm in two minds about this signing. on the one hand he's a great player and it's someone like him that hull need, but will he be another sicknote. at least it looks like thorman will be getting the boot.

True....may turn out to be their loss and our big gain......end of the day its a results buissnes ans if he gets the results...jobs a good un

Newton smashed his face in just before the play-offs so he didn't miss many.

which can only be a good thing

Oh, too right. If he's on the pitch, he'll be better than any scrum half we've had for many years. He's a very, very good player. I just can't help but think if he was worth a 2 year deal at this stage of his career, he'd have got one from the club he's built his reputation at and helped to win numerous trophies along the way.

I genuinely hope that at the end of 2011 someone drags this thread up and points out how wrong I was.

Best post i've read, well done and thank you.

This Hull FC fan has been craving that personality since Chico Jackson finished.

I have a feeling Long will be something special, and could end up coaching here. I have said for a while we need a born winner and have spoke about Hanley and Farrell and Cunningham. Long fits in alongside them, he wont chuck in a towel when 3 tries down and half hour left.