Re: Shopping list for 2024 : Thu Oct 12, 2023 8:33 pm  

be interesting to find out who the nrl half turns out to be..no one sticks out to me.

Re: Shopping list for 2024 : Thu Oct 12, 2023 8:46 pm  

It's also interesting to note how poor a financial situation the game is in at all levels (12m accumulative losses in Super league alone this year) and most clubs having to pay back loans this spring . Cas and Salford operating well under cap and tonight it looks like Gateshead are to go under tomorrow.

Re: Shopping list for 2024 : Fri Oct 13, 2023 7:08 am  

Didn’t AP say that they’re looking at players who can play up and down the spine?

Wonder if the signing will be a 7/9 rather than an out and out 7?

Re: Shopping list for 2024 : Fri Oct 13, 2023 7:16 am  

The Dentist Wilf wrote:

It's also interesting to note how poor a financial situation the game is in at all levels (12m accumulative losses in Super league alone this year) and most clubs having to pay back loans this spring . Cas and Salford operating well under cap and tonight it looks like Gateshead are to go under tomorrow.

It is dying, as a mainstream sport, Wilf and there is little doubt that the benefactors of Wigan, Saints , Wire, Huddersfield and Rovers, are keeping them solvent, despite all of these clubs posting huge operating losses. I do think the next two years may see a whole host of clubs in serious peril, us included, if things do not change, significantly. A return to a grass roots, part time sport beckons as was in the years before super league, unless IMG's vision takes an unexpected turn for the better.
I cannot see how Huddersfield, with such low attendances, would be sustainable without their amazing backer, as they simply cannot generate enough income, to fund their already bloated squad with attendances that are less than 5000, on a good day.
Whatever happens, we'll (hopefully) still have a club to support, although it maybe in a completely new format. A club isn't just a team, it is the essence of their fans, so Hull FC, will always be Hull FC, even if we played in West Park, for the many diehards among us.

Re: Shopping list for 2024 : Fri Oct 13, 2023 7:21 am  

Irregular Hoops wrote:

Didn’t AP say that they’re looking at players who can play up and down the spine?

Wonder if the signing will be a 7/9 rather than an out and out 7?

Probably that type of player, now looking at the targets still left to pursue. Turpin ticks that box , but he's not the best attacking half we would see , if it is him. What he is though, is an aggressive competitor and I wouldn't be overjoyed with him, as a half back as he is not the best attacking option we have mentioned, but he is a fierce competitor and better than we have if we don't sign anyone.

Re: Shopping list for 2024 : Fri Oct 13, 2023 7:30 am  

Turpin would be an awful signing, rather stick with have and wait.

Re: Shopping list for 2024 : Fri Oct 13, 2023 8:02 am  

GrahamBray wrote:

It is dying, as a mainstream sport, Wilf and there is little doubt that the benefactors of Wigan, Saints , Wire, Huddersfield and Rovers, are keeping them solvent, despite all of these clubs posting huge operating losses. I do think the next two years may see a whole host of clubs in serious peril, us included, if things do not change, significantly. A return to a grass roots, part time sport beckons as was in the years before super league, unless IMG's vision takes an unexpected turn for the better.
I cannot see how Huddersfield, with such low attendances, would be sustainable without their amazing backer, as they simply cannot generate enough income, to fund their already bloated squad with attendances that are less than 5000, on a good day.
Whatever happens, we'll (hopefully) still have a club to support, although it maybe in a completely new format. A club isn't just a team, it is the essence of their fans, so Hull FC, will always be Hull FC, even if we played in West Park, for the many diehards among us.

A thought provoking post thanks for that and it's just criminal really what a handful of clubs are spending on marquee players which will just bankrupt them should they lose their benefactor. However if he had his time again I doubt he would be our owner now for across the game that role is a real poison Chalice.

Huddersfield is an interesting one. When we moved from the Boulevard with all its magical mythology and charisma (not bad for somewhere that an outsider would see as a dump) we had just gone through the time when as a club, thanks to the voting rights of our neighbours, we were that close to going out of existence. The fact that Gateshead only helped us with the promise of the Stadium made our transition really easy we were literally relieved and, although there were a few dissenting voices, in fact our supporter base grew and we were proud to play at the KC.

When Huddersfield left Fartown many many fans particularly the older ones felt it had been foisted upon them (thus the chants of Fartown Fartown that you still hear at times) and so they stayed away in protest, got used to not going and were lost forever.

There is still a resistance to this day to attending their stadium. That has continued despite a modicum of success on the field and it's a real conundrum for their owner who has poured millions into the club. We are a failing game but as you say many many of us will be there, should the day come, stood on the touchline at West Hull cheering as the famous shirt runs out to play whatever the competition we are in.

However that loyalty should not mask the fact that with the game at an obvious pandemic initiated cross roads it is in a real mess. Increasingly deserted by the media shunned by attending supporters and lacking the money or the people at the top to change that scenario there are tough times ahead. For all his issues at times I think we have with Adam as good a chance as any of getting by. .However had he got his time again I doubt he would be our owner for across the game it is a role that has become a real poison chalice.

Re: Shopping list for 2024 : Fri Oct 13, 2023 8:19 am  

A lot of people are quick to blame Clarke and Pearson but without them we’d be finished. They provided us with 2016-2017 where we were fantastic.

I’m pretty sure we averaged 13-15k attendances that year. Now we’re averaging 11k and we’re proud of it. As a fan base, the glory fans are letting the club down. 3k tickets probably generates the club just shy of 100k per game.

With that we’d be in a much better position. I know it’s tough with standard of living etc but the reality is most that have walked away have done because they wanted to, not because they need to.

If you can’t be here now, you don’t deserve to be there when we hit gold again.

Fans say they want big signings and complain we don’t get them. If as a fan base we get the half hearted fans through the door, then we will see those sorts of signings again.

People keep saying the club needs to speculate to accumulate, maybe that’s what we need to do with season tickets, merchandise etc

Re: Shopping list for 2024 : Fri Oct 13, 2023 8:40 am  

Hullrealist wrote:

A lot of people are quick to blame Clarke and Pearson but without them we’d be finished. They provided us with 2016-2017 where we were fantastic.

I’m pretty sure we averaged 13-15k attendances that year. Now we’re averaging 11k and we’re proud of it. As a fan base, the glory fans are letting the club down. 3k tickets probably generates the club just shy of 100k per game.

With that we’d be in a much better position. I know it’s tough with standard of living etc but the reality is most that have walked away have done because they wanted to, not because they need to.

If you can’t be here now, you don’t deserve to be there when we hit gold again.

Fans say they want big signings and complain we don’t get them. If as a fan base we get the half hearted fans through the door, then we will see those sorts of signings again.

People keep saying the club needs to speculate to accumulate, maybe that’s what we need to do with season tickets, merchandise etc

Unfortunately we have a few of those. Just winge and moan sat in front of there radio . Hull FC is in my blood . Yes I rant and stamp my feet kick the cat. But always finish up going back. Without us happy clappers we wouldn't have a club. Of course it's everyone's right not to go and a part of me can see why. But don't sit listening to Radio Humberside sprouting on here how crap we are in everything we do. We really do need every penny we can get. As others have said without Pearson we would be in real trouble

Re: Shopping list for 2024 : Fri Oct 13, 2023 9:10 am  

Irregular Hoops wrote:

Didn’t AP say that they’re looking at players who can play up and down the spine?

Wonder if the signing will be a 7/9 rather than an out and out 7?

Like Connor Watson