Mate, how many of this squad were Super League clubs in for? Half? A dozen? A few? Or Lunt, Greenwood and Blair? Ellis only found out last week Rick Stone wanted rid. We have a chance but I'm underwhelmed with what Sheens achieved at Salford where he was responsible for the playing culture etc. I think it could be very tough and a lot depends on Lunt whose fitness record has been patchy. Hope we have some aces up the sleeve.

We shouldn't lose sight of the fact that whoever finishes in the bottom 4 of superleague is now aware that it is possible for a superleague team to be relegated.(unlike us)
So they also will be looking to strengthen for the middle 8's, it really is worth a million pounds to stay up.
The pool of talent available will be small so our recruitment needs to be done earlier if we are serious about regaining superleague status.

I agree we were not the worse team in superleague last year if you throw in the derby at home and the last minute loss to wigan and wakey at home all dumb stuff not outplayed in any of them, we did it before im sure the club is big enough and strong enough to gain promotion again with the fans backing

Leigh have signed 8 players with "it sounds like" one more player to come in "Harrison maybe but no hurry" and then I think we're done unless some players aren't up to it.

I agree with you about wakey putting kear in charge probably sooner rather than later

I like who Wakefield have signed in the backs. Caton-Brown and Williams. Wood excellent at hooker. Grix average at FB. They need some better forwards though. That's Chester for you.

Sheens has a lot more on his cv than DOR at Salford I think we're very lucky to have a coach of his pedigree certainly an upgrade on our last 3 coaches

Wakey should be a better team this season after all they have more money to spend but how weird was last season? They were utter crap then brought Chester in and won loads of games on the bounce and then went back to being crap again.
You know more about Chester but Imo if they stay up this season it will be down to kear

Bradford... Another administration for them to try and come back from.

Whilst it benefits us for next year, I feel for the fans having gone through a lot of bad stuff with Rovers in the pre-Hudge days

It really shows how important this season is and how we should be very concerned if we aren't able to make it back to SL at the first time of asking!

Were it not for the sheens appointment then I think you'd struggle to get back into SL but with him as coach I think you have a decent chance. You almost have to feel sorry for the bloke that he's gone from coaching Australia and ended up in the English 2nd division but I'm sure he'll look upon it as a challenge and get stuck in. As things have panned out, maybe being relegated wasn;t a disastrous thing for rovers and it has allowed you to bin off some players you wanted rid of and negotiate down contracts of palyers who you wanted to keep but were overpaid. had you stayed in SL it could have taken another 2 or 3 years to do it and you'd still have been a middle 8's team

The problem you have if there is no quality opposition is that you're not really prepared for the middle 8's properly.

pearson went from landlord to tenant ok he didn't mind the comedown did he

He had several £million in the bank to soften the blow so I doubt he cared

I hope he wasn't expecting to see the money back he blew on FC.
More of a supporters sport than a money making venture.
FC owes him around £2.6 million according to duedil

There's a business man for you. Buys something parades around as the owner yet has no responsibilities 're any financial loss. The organisation has to keep owing him money and he loses any responsibility on any debt he runs up. Mean while employees cop any bill, usually through loss of their pensions.
Someone should run BHS and the rest of the economy like that...

Of course he will lose money. Unless somebody else has funded the debt.

He probably has all his assets off shore or in his Mrs name etc etc whilst borrowing money against the club.
I'm guessing buts that's how these folks work.

I think you need to lay off the Wolf of Wall Street.

Perhaps I'm giving our banking system too much credit here, but who is loaning him the money in this scenario?

You funny man. Hu, Hu, Hu.

You say, I am, sofa king...

No, say quicker.

I am, sofa king...

Lessons to Learn from Bradford:

Aside from the obvious admins etc.

2015 - We managed to keep the same team when relegated and bought some solid players (Mullaney, Clough etc) yet invested poorly in a halfback (Seijka) and other poor players (Uaisele, Tahroaui, Walshaw) so wasted money. But even with a poor 7 we ripped the league up (except Leigh) and finished 2nd. However our recruitment was poor for the Middle 8's (Matt Ryan etc) and we recruited class to late to settle and do damage (Dane Neilsen, Omari Caro). Yet only lost the £1million game by a few points.

2016 - Recruited well again (Welham, Kavanagh, Haggerty etc) and wasted money on others (Mathers, Walker) also we did not recruit a genuine halfback which is a must no matter the league. We took for granted last season's results and under performed. Coach wasn't happy with behind the scenes going ons and left causing a disruption to the season. Throughout the season we struggle because we had no halfback to lead the team and then players refused to play (Gaskell, Clough etc) which damaged te team further. Coach remained positive. Brought in some class (Moss, Chisholm) with Chissy being a genuine half but this class was too late to change the course o the season.

TLDR - Make sure you have a halfback. They are vital. Sign quality at the right times. Don't treat Champ as a pre-season otherwise you'll be unstuck for the 8's.

We also uncovered a gem in Mitch Clark! Runs his blood to water everytime! Hope he goes well for you! See you in Game 1 and don't stay in the Champ for too long!

The thread title was lessons from Leigh and Bradford, yet you seem to have managed to turn this to almost slanderous assertions around Pearson and BHS - really?

You have your own issues to resolve, without having to sit there having a sock fest over Pearson. He has no lessons currently to learn from Bradford or Leigh, as we are not in the Championship and can hopefully look forward to a financially successful season on the back of a good 2016. Perhaps this may mean that the embittered employees of our club don't have to foot the bill this season.

Here is one lesson for you also; Hull are now so far out of your area of interest, you may as well concentrate on those that are and leave us to our own challenge. It is not impossible that we finish bottom 4 and play you later in the season, but I would say that the odds are against that currently. So you sit their and calculate your little lessons from your areas of interest and have some fun.

I would say one main lesson is that of the lack of recruitment of mercenaries. You do appear to have created a team spririt with backs against the wall. This coupled with the normal slackjawed halfwittery of the fanbase attempting to get one up on everyone else by being the best superfan should stand you in good stead.

there is no money to be made out of rugby league, whoever you support, the sooner rovers get back in superleague the better for both clubs obviously moreso rovers both clubs have excelled in season ticket sales etc which in a city like hull is superb fc will be nearer the top than the bottom next year and going on our support and recruitment we have minimum a shot in the million pound game I also think we will have looked at were Bradford and leigh (first year) went wrong and go about it in a professional manner the fans are loyal and deserve better than last year

I reckon your recruitment guarantees winning the league, and I believe as stated you are at somewhere 66-75% of cap leaving you with adequate spend for later in the season - which is the key. I don't think any side finishing bottom 4 will relish going to CP to play you, so you clearly have a chance.

Calm down dear.

It was a general point mainly about the ownership and management of businesses. It happened to be in reference to Mr Pearson as it was in response to a previous post. He'd be a c#nt even if he didn't run the Sharks.


Slanderous about the financial management of BHS...you've missed a year I think.

Perfectly calm thank you sweetcheeks.

I think most Hull fans like Pearson, but we do know he is not a fan and I suppose could do one and leave us in the lurch. But, whilst you can sit back and wish this, he in reality has put his money where is mouth is, and I personally hope we can become profitable for him. We have the potential to be profitable albeit not to significant degrees.

You were clearly casting aspersions to Pearson and Hull Fc being ran like BHS.

I am sure that Pearson wishes he was Neil Hudgill, in the most upstanding of industries, but I guess like most people he can only dream about certain things.