Tbf to Gentle he managed to finish 6th with a squad assembled at last minute in 2012 with I think our best home record ever at the MKM. Even though the 2013 playoff defeat was embarasing lets not forget it was a round 2 playoff defeat and we'd lost at Wembley in a game spoilt by a downpour. Legend has it the players downed tools, we never know what might have been had he stayed (2014 and 2015 were poor under Radford)

Id take the above level of league and cup finishes right now!

Said it many times Gentle certainly wasn’t the problem and had AP backed him to do his job we certainly wouldn’t be anywhere to the mess we are in right now.

For me the way AP handled things then was probably the start of the problems that have become deep seated issues that are now ingrained in to the fabric of the club.

The one coach he needed to give time too he pulled the trigger on far too early and then hired the one who lead the revolt all because Gentle was a proper coach and made train hard

Smith saying that the players are fatigued after 5 games and that's why we're struggling puts Clifford's comments about pre season being a piece of pi$$ into context

Hi all,

This is my first post so wanted to just take a brief moment to say hello to all fellow FC fans and rugby fans in general. I have read posts on here before for quite some time and decided to join to get involved in the discussions.



I think the question of whether Tony Smith stays or goes isn't the right question to be honest. That's not in defence of Smith at all because, let's face it, yesterday's performance was pretty indefensible. No defensive structure, no attacking structure, no game plan. That all lays at the feet of the coach and the coaching staff.

But this is a wider issue than the coach. Because this kind of performance is something we have witnessed for years and it doesn't seem to matter who the coach is. I think back to the comments made by Shaun McRae all those years ago about there been a cancer at the club. Those comments came after a similar hammering with questions being asked about players' desire, effort, commitment and pride in the shirt. It's affected every coach in-between him and Smith at some point and it's often been the eventual downfall of those coaches. And so it may prove with Smith too.

So instead of asking whether we need to change the coach again, what we have to be asking first and foremost as a club is why does this keep happening regardless of who the players are or who the coaches are? We've also seen ownership change hands in that time and multiple CEO's. They all change but the malaise, culture, cancer, whatever you want to call it always remains. Until someone can figure out what the club needs to do to eradicate that for good then all a change of coach is going to be right now is a reactive move, a shot in the dark in the hope that it provides short term relief until the cycle starts to repeat itself once more.

The club desperately needs a long-term plan for me.

Spot on…I went to a u-21s game and Gentle was there to watch as was some 1st teamers.Always felt he was unfairly sacked as had us playing good rugby but his assistant was wispering in Pearson ear.For me Smith,Gene,Davidson and Grix can go..mayoharsh on Grix but not seen anything different from him to what Ellis was doing.Doubt we have the money to do that or go all out for Rowley.Pearson got his fingers burnt with Hodgson But there must be a assistant down under who would relish it.Another Peter Sharp would do…stood no nonsense and had us playing well.

You heard something or just hoping the voices in your head are right??

Well we all agree on one thing. Something has to change.

You missed "away from the club" at the end of your post.

At least there is one positive that’s come from yesterday it’s seems to have brought us altogether for once



Small things I know but I’ll take anything that scrapes by as a positive at the minute

Finally it’s took a year but you’ve all started to realise that Tony smith is well past it, he got gifted a great team at Leeds, gifted a great team at wire that’s it ?, by the way get used to the ‘we’re doing it tough’ ‘learning lessons’ ‘my boys’ his 3 main things he just repeats in interviews after everything the blokes lost it big time, not a modern day coach

Stanley gene, wow wow wow, all hes d about is his tee time at ganstesd, brought in to hold tackle bags up, knows nothing about coaching, just Tony’s right hand yes man.

Uncle Tony has done nothing since, the bloke is always bigged up by baz and Tez and the sky clown gang as if he’s some messiah… news flash he isn’t, he’s disinterested and hasn’t had a clue for years

You’ve got nu brown who had one cap vs Cook Islands (Oldham would give Cook Islands a run for there money) for 10 minutes and who played at fev .. championship

Liam tindall outcast from Leeds went to Bradford couldn’t get in either side and Derrel olpherts was his competition…..

Jake trueman had 2 major injuries both being ACL that man will never play full contact rugby again soon it’s a matter on when not if … on good money

Houghton bloke has been stealing a wage for about 5 years he should of been let go years and years ago

Mr okanbor well he’s just terrible

Morgan smith couldn’t get in the worst wakey side in the super league era last year at his position hooker and now he’s a SL halfback what ?

Jordan lane all the fc fans blew smoke up his to early calling him a future captain etc etc look where he’s ended up looks tired of playing for hull

Carlos t won the cup in 2017 and is still at fc in 2024 walking wounded

Ligi Sao not d and is very average

Pele Pele Pele , well what can I say about the wonder kid ? He got talked up via media, interviews , EVEN MERCHANDISE before he touched a blade of grass, why ? Why does fc have this weird culture of talking players up that ain’t even done a game yet, penalty machine, way out of shape

Tex has 1 good game every 10 games if he’s d


As for the hierarchy, James Clarke was a pitch announcer and now he has the keys to the runnings of everything ? Bizarre is an understatement


One last thing as for the people mentioning briers, Shaun wane and some other names, they aren’t gonna want to come ruin their CV in west hull, it’s a poison chalice,

It's Clark. If you rubbish our club at least get the spelling right.

I really find that annoying

Apologies and not trying to rubbish the club as much as I’d love too I’m past that phase, I just don’t get why everyone was loving the smith signing he’s just way out of touch and it’s easy to see

Think most fans now agree that Gentle was hastily dismissed. Even before the Huddersfield debacle there had been rumours circulating that Pearson had already decided to dispense with his services, hence why he looked somewhat dispassionate throughout that game, he already knew his fate was sealed come what may.

The irony is (compared to this weekend) that in 2013 most fans were more than happy to continue with Gentle, but Pearson had other ideas, whereas now the opposite appears to be the case. Today it's the fanbase who have lost all faith in the coach, with Pearson (for reasons unknown to us) clinging on to him like a life-raft.

But the situation with Smith looks similar to Gentle in 2013 (hence my earlier allusion), we've arrived at the same destination by a different route that's all.

Sod off, faux pity makes it even worse.

Yes it is

Gentle, smith and Hodgson were all similar, all nice guys, all very intelligent and all very laid back, they'd do well at top clubs, but the laid back attitude doesn't suit Hull as the players think they can also have that laid back attitude on the field and all will be well. The only thing that can sort us out is an absolute no nonsense coach like Wane, someone that holds players to account, gives them an absolute rollocking when they don't perform, can rise above the player power of downing tools, and stand up to Pearson and tell him what's needed to become a top club again

Hello Roam Ranger, welcome to the house of fun (to quote Madness!), keep your tin-hat handy, you'll probably need it if you are planning on visiting often!!





Excellent first post, good points well made. I would ask you the burning question of which camp will you be joining, the happy-clappers or the doom-merchants, but as of 15:45 yesterday the happy-camp is officially closed until further notice!!



We are all now doom and gloomers!!

My happy clapper subscription is suspended

plus 14 players out at one point

Wrong again! Nu Brown played 3 tests for NZ last Autumn and was in the team that beat the Aussies 30 - 0 to win the Pacific RL Championship.

The fact that he played hooker and we signed him as a half back is immaterial....

Hi Roam Ranger great first post!!!

I guess I'm a bit biased towards Peter Gentle because I still keep in touch with him and his family. Peter Gentle knew 'I believe', that several of the staff including a senior member of the caching staff had lobbied Adam about Him and apparently he listened. Why I have no idea but Gentle had done well when you look at his record and we were in our second play off game after getting to Wembley plus most of us who were there watching that game, had never ever seen anything that mirrored more a game being thrown than that one. This guy hasn't got us near a play off game or Wembley but I see the similarities as it almost looks as if Smith tells them one thing and they do the opposite.

Don't do it keep the faith. It's that pesky bonaire that's twisted your mind. The happy clapper posse needs you

throw in vete , takairangi, simms, richards, gee, at his last club the man dosent do his research pearsons fault ,think he wanted to get one over hudgell and has come unstuck and the fans suffer

Your not wrong. Quite a sobering piece really.

I predicted hull 9th on the thinking that Salford, cas, London wouldn’t even get out the traps but Salford look like a mid table team it’s gonna be a photo finish for the spoon this year

Idespised smith at rovers by the end and was glad to see the back of him, you could tell he wasn’t interested and if any journo asked a question he didn’t like he’d take offence and start going in.