No mention of a/cs in Wednesday's Mail either , not heard sportstalk though

Maybe they didn't think it newsworthy or sport? I know this has come to be seen as something of huge import in certain quarters, but 'business (finally

) submits accounts' or 'Rovers running at a roughly League-average loss during period of rapid development' are not startling headlines. As has been shown on this board, with varying degrees of success, a more negative spin can be put on it. However, HDM and RH journalists won't necessarily share the worldview of a group of very committed (including a couple who probably should be committed

) Hull Trolls. The media's failure to follow the troll's agenda is either a dark conspiracy or a reflection of how mad certain obsessions have become - I look forward to finding out which it is in Wilf's diary.

Maybe Rovers should introduce player valuations to their balance sheet, that would make them look much better than they really are. I'm sure if Hull can value theirs at £942,500 Rovers can value theirs at maybe £1,545,348

Both organisations have been keen enough in the past to comment on both Hull FC's and Hull City's accounts. Were they not either newsworthy or sport?

Oh stop it. We were beaten with the £2.4m in debt stick for years. Now yours is £3.2m before 2009's stellar financial performance I think we can milk this for a bit yet. Anyway, a month tomorrow we get underway on the pitch so I can revert to injuries and Morgan's reluctance to blood Rovers academy players.

I think they include it in order to try and artificially inflate the value of the club for potential purchasers. I also think that's a forlorn hope as anyone with an ounce of sense will see straight through that particular ploy.

Players are not assets in any normally-accepted sense of the word. Which is why it's against normal accounting practice to include them as such. Harmless, but ultimately pointless.

have you sent this type of info to the other 11 teams that posted a loss? or are you just obsessed with our accounts?

And can you explain to us all exactly how that would affect your fantastic profit/loss and turnover figures please ?

Talk about scraping the barrell !! Just revert back to your 10 - 5 drivel, at least we're use to it.

Your horrible and obsessed little man has put your club's future in jeapordy for a couple of very short term gains and no amount of lamenting our stellar financial performance of the last 6 years will change anything.

Get over it !!

Oh dear





FWIW Rovers losses for the past three years will more than likely be covered by their directors (as were Hulls at a similar stage of their development), it's what they do from now on that matters. Also i'm sure Kath would be pleased to know you'd take the players valuations into account when making an offer for the club, do you want her e-mail address??

Or, put another way, our Chairman has overseen a rise from mid-table in the NFP, with average gates around 1,800, to the top 4 of SL with 8,500 punters.

Nice to know how much Neil gets under your skin!

Anyone can do that if they don't concern themselves with the financial consequences.

TBF that's what he's been trying to do for the last three years.



Arguably he's succeeded and will probably be feeling very pleased with himself.

But at what cost

I agree Gordon. All credit to Rovers' directors for their financial support during a critical period.

But how long will it continue and when it ends what will happen in its place?

Hull now has a sustainable business model, is trading at a profit and gradually repaying the directors loans. How are Rovers going to get to there from where they are now?

Keeping up with the Jones's, at whatever the cost !!



Well done to all concerned !!

I hope that competing with those B&W Bstds for two or three seasons was worth it !!



A small club like yours with it's small income and small fan base cannot compete and never will be able to compete financially with the big boys. Your on-the-pitch progress over the last three seasons is there for all to see but at what cost ?

You are £4M in debt (and rising), you are at your historic saturation point wth attendances and you rent a ground that needs much investment, and yet while Rome is burning around him, your Emporer Grudgehull sits on his throne, continuing to wonder just how to "get one over" on the big brother from the West.





You really do not need to be a Hull fan to see how his obsession has put you in some serious trouble.

Thats the million dollar question.

Without major investment in Craven Park i doubt their ability to take the next step. They can only streamline the business as things stand which may well impact on the quality of the team on the field.

I don't have all the answers but the clear difference between the two clubs is the ability to facilitate corporates on matchdays.

Think you need to take a chill pill

The retail sides of both clubs are also poles apart as are the attendance figures.

Attendance wise historically Rovers have always had less than Hull so i don't see that as too significant in all honesty. The retail and merchandise side if the business is a work in progress but the facilities for corporates are virtually non existent.

How do you know that Hull KR are not also adopting that accounting technique with tangible assets at Nov 2008 being valued at £1,302,758, when to the best of my knowledge Hull KR do not own Craven Park?


But should Hull KR have spent as though they had the luxury of such revenue that can be achieved from such a facility? A bit of heart ruling head from the Hull KR directors over the last few years. The board must have known for a couple of years that the sums are not adding up?

Just a guess here but i'm pretty sure they would have had to provide receipts
and they are depreciating these assets so it not likely to be Land or Buildings.



Dunno, maybe you should ask them. I am pretty sure they expected to run up some losses during their first 2/3 years but they backed these losses up with their own cash afaik.

Exactly the right questions. A plan needs to be put in place, as does a back up. If revenues can't be raised (which'd be the obvious plan A, shorn of any detail), costs would have to be cut. If, for 2011, Galea's place was taken by Cook, with Taylor and a reserve player each taking a step up, I'anson replaced Cooke, Hall (for example) was brought in for Webster and Walker was replaced more cheaply, then the team would be weaker - but probably not catastrophically so. Huddersfield would have to run an amateur squad to get close to break even by trimming the squad budget, if the figures bandied about on here are accurate. You have to be realistic - if most other teams are willing and able to continue running at a loss to spend to the cap, and Rovers are not then it is going to be more difficult. As long as it is planned for and accepted by fans, I can imagine worse fates.

The £482k added in 2008 could be the East Stand extension?

I think you're being generous there. There is huge unserviced demand for Rovers merchandise which pretty poor at this time of year. Rather than spend £100k+ on Joel Clinton, why not spend a third of that on someone with the experience and customer insight to sort out this side of the business. Bizarre allocation of resources to not prioritise this revenue stream. Corporate facilities need capital investment, but a decent retail manager is far cheaper and could have a big impact. FC can turn over £1m on merchandise in a good year - madness not to prioritise it IMO.

If it was been run purely as a business, then no, but I don't think it was. Sport can be a fun leisure activity too - remember?

Without a bit of heart ruling head Rovers would still be becalmed in the lower leagues, I'm 99% sure of that. The years of sums 'not adding up' have, with franchizing coming in, been ones of necessary rapid growth. Losses were anticipated, that has been admitted - whether they have been dramatically worse than expected is unclear. That they can't continue forever, is something fans have to accept.

Out of interest, is your sig aimed at us or the overoptimistic amongst Hull fans or both?

Tbh, much as I would like to see a new prop, if it was a straight choice I'd be inclined to agree. IIRC, Rovers did appoint a new marketing manager not long ago, so hopefully things will get better.

New signings create optimism that will feed through into sales of merchandize too - though I offer that as mitigation rather than justification.