Re: #backtheblackandwhited : Tue Sep 19, 2023 4:33 pm  

RockNRolla wrote:

At the POTY awards last night, AP said that the final COVID payment is under discussion with the government and be dealt with early next year which will put us on a firmer financial footing.

What does that mean though? That we're trying to get it written off (much like the billions on PPE) and if so things will be easier? Not a question for you (thanks for sharing) more it raises as many qs as it answers.

Re: #backtheblackandwhited : Tue Sep 19, 2023 4:43 pm  

Agree with pretty much all of what has been said above.

Our fanbase are very loyal but we perhaps arent so good at uniting to demand answers from the club. People grumble at the games, maybe leave early but we dont have a united front as a supporters group.

Also could the fans look at raising some funds? Just £10 of 8k passholders raises £80k which funds the wages of a decent SL player, and a lot of clubs would accept that as a transfer fee for a decent level player. Yes we already shell out a lot in pass and merchendise purchases but a coordinated fundraiser would feel like we are helping to improve the club.

Re: #backtheblackandwhited : Tue Sep 19, 2023 4:59 pm  

I think one of the biggest issue with Hull fc is a lot of the fan base are entitled. The reality is we’ve never have sustained success and a lot of the imo comes from our lack of academy success.

Fans expect big signings E.g Seymour, Reynolds, Gale, Evans, Holdsworth, Fonua (2nd time) and then when they fail they are used to crucify the club. Majority of which the club have had to pay off.

There’s also no patience from our fan base, during our early season wobble there’s was a few loons starting the Smith out bandwagon.

If we want success we have to be patient and support the club during these tough times. Salford have had a few good years of success by picking up left overs and unearthing gems. Hopefully we can follow suit whilst we get our ducks in a row financially.

I’ve also heard so many people want a fans forum, yet isn’t Jamie shauls testimonial one been cancelled due to lack of interest?

A lot of the time, the club can’t win. The way i see it is Pearson has the most expensive season ticket out of any of us and needs support moving forward and not opposition.

Re: #backtheblackandwhited : Tue Sep 19, 2023 5:39 pm  

Hullrealist wrote:

I think one of the biggest issue with Hull fc is a lot of the fan base are entitled. The reality is we’ve never have sustained success and a lot of the imo comes from our lack of academy success.

Fans expect big signings E.g Seymour, Reynolds, Gale, Evans, Holdsworth, Fonua (2nd time) and then when they fail they are used to crucify the club. Majority of which the club have had to pay off.

There’s also no patience from our fan base, during our early season wobble there’s was a few loons starting the Smith out bandwagon.

If we want success we have to be patient and support the club during these tough times. Salford have had a few good years of success by picking up left overs and unearthing gems. Hopefully we can follow suit whilst we get our ducks in a row financially.

I’ve also heard so many people want a fans forum, yet isn’t Jamie shauls testimonial one been cancelled due to lack of interest?

A lot of the time, the club can’t win. The way i see it is Pearson has the most expensive season ticket out of any of us and needs support moving forward and not opposition.

With Shaul the issue is his career fizzled out a good few years ago. Had his testimonial been in say 2018/2019 response would be greater. People are respectful of the good years he gave us but being blunt if I had a time machine id go back in time and not give him his last contract. The economy also isnt great so its harder to get people any additonal 'nights out' than it once was.

Re: #backtheblackandwhited : Tue Sep 19, 2023 6:06 pm  

Hullrealist wrote:

I think one of the biggest issue with Hull fc is a lot of the fan base are entitled.

The reality is we’ve never have sustained success and a lot of the imo comes from our lack of academy success.

Fans expect big signings E.g Seymour, Reynolds, Gale, Evans, Holdsworth, Fonua (2nd time) and then when they fail they are used to crucify the club. Majority of which the club have had to pay off.

There’s also no patience from our fan base, during our early season wobble there’s was a few loons starting the Smith out bandwagon.

If we want success we have to be patient and support the club during these tough times. Salford have had a few good years of success by picking up left overs and unearthing gems. Hopefully we can follow suit whilst we get our ducks in a row financially.

I’ve also heard so many people want a fans forum, yet isn’t Jamie shauls testimonial one been cancelled due to lack of interest?

A lot of the time, the club can’t win. The way i see it is Pearson has the most expensive season ticket out of any of us and needs support moving forward and not opposition.

A lot of the frustration goes back to the cup wins and the expectations thereafter. Not just the wins themselves but the fact we were competitive in SL and on the verge of being serious challengers for the competition.

Since then we have been absolutely appalling. A lot of it is down to our woeful home form and a series of absolute hammerings when the players clearly threw the towel in.

The recruitment and the management of the cap has been terrible. Compare 2016/17 team to what we have now.

Smith's appointment as the first genuine trophy winning coach we have for years filled our expectations. I still think that given time he can improve us. How long that will take is anyone's guess.

Mid season we had notable wins against Saints and Wigan and even in defeat we were competitive. Things were looking promising.

The last few games culminating in Huddersfield debacle and the recruitment so far makes you question are things going to get any better next season.

Re: #backtheblackandwhited : Tue Sep 19, 2023 7:24 pm  

This bit sticks in my throat somewhat but I have to say the rovers fundraising fans organisation which has recently disbanded has to be admired, no doubt about that, they have proved to be a big help to the club in tougher times and gave something for the fans to rally around and to enable them to feel that they were doing their bit to help. In fairness hearing detail of their situation from the Rovers administration has never really been an issue for their fan base and it wasn't for us at one time either.

Adam used to sometimes even be accused of saying too much at times, in some very regular interviews, but changes in the administration at our club has seen all that stop as have the fans forums. Now it appears the lid is firmly on everything. We will no doubt get a questionnaire from time to time to gauge our views, but nothing face to face. Some cite above Jamie Shauls planned forum but you're not telling me that where a fans organisation to arrange a forum featuring Smith, Clark and say Adam it wouldn't at present pack a place out. But who is there to actually press hard for it on behalf of the fans?

With exception of the vice Presidents association, which although appearing a tad elitist to some, does a fabulous job for the club, but we don't appear to have a representative voice at present at all or indeed a conduit through which to press the club for some explanation and answers.

There are two real models for fans organisations ones like HISA which was formed in adversity in 1998 (and which probably saved the club in one historic meeting with the then Gateshead administration). They had a paying membership, a fanzine etc which is great at times of massive trouble when everyone has one goal , saving the club. But once the big issue is settled, then managing a subscription based organisation with a wide spectrum of views, (from passionate folks all of whom pay their subs and believe they are right), through the more run of the mill fans issues, just becomes unwieldy, thus HISA folded. .

We tried to form FC voices in its wake, in an attempt to gain some middle ground without a membership but with a mandate and constitution recognised by the club and we tried to get the message through to the club with regular meetings with the owner etc. No one was ever refused when wanting to join the committee which worked hard to represent the fan base. WE had an agreement for two Forums a year which the club stood by, and we tried to bring the fans together with projects like regular memorabilia fairs, projects like the funding and creation of the boulevard memorial and the refurbishment of the Jack Harrison memorial, the annual Veterans Day service at the stadium, arranging the voting for the fans player of the year and providing the trophy, social events etc.Whilst taking up the broad issues raised by the fans in a monthly meeting between the chairman and the owner. they still exist I believe but are obviously finding it hard to fill the void. So in recent times that seems to have faded away too. Therefore, at present we have no voice directly with the Club. And perhaps these days that suits them, for it seems to.

If anyone wants to form an independent fans group they would have my support but good luck cos it aint easy.

But I guess what I'm trying too say in yet another waffly post is that (possibly by design but I hope not) the club has become a closed shop organisation who only tells its life blood the stake holders out there on the terraces what they want them to here when they want them to hear it. We seem to find out more from good old Dan Tomlinson on who's signed etc.
All we need as fans who love our club, 'bleed' when we get humiliated on the field and hate to see it going backwards is a bit of hope, but as always its the hope that kills us isn't it.

Re: #backtheblackandwhited : Tue Sep 19, 2023 9:22 pm  

The Dentist Wilf wrote:

This bit sticks in my throat somewhat but I have to say the rovers fundraising fans organisation which has recently disbanded has to be admired, no doubt about that, they have proved to be a big help to the club in tougher times and gave something for the fans to rally around and to enable them to feel that they were doing their bit to help. In fairness hearing detail of their situation from the Rovers administration has never really been an issue for their fan base and it wasn't for us at one time either.

Adam used to sometimes even be accused of saying too much at times, in some very regular interviews, but changes in the administration at our club has seen all that stop as have the fans forums. Now it appears the lid is firmly on everything. We will no doubt get a questionnaire from time to time to gauge our views, but nothing face to face. Some cite above Jamie Shauls planned forum but you're not telling me that where a fans organisation to arrange a forum featuring Smith, Clark and say Adam it wouldn't at present pack a place out. But who is there to actually press hard for it on behalf of the fans?

With exception of the vice Presidents association, which although appearing a tad elitist to some, does a fabulous job for the club, but we don't appear to have a representative voice at present at all or indeed a conduit through which to press the club for some explanation and answers.

There are two real models for fans organisations ones like HISA which was formed in adversity in 1998 (and which probably saved the club in one historic meeting with the then Gateshead administration). They had a paying membership, a fanzine etc which is great at times of massive trouble when everyone has one goal , saving the club. But once the big issue is settled, then managing a subscription based organisation with a wide spectrum of views, (from passionate folks all of whom pay their subs and believe they are right), through the more run of the mill fans issues, just becomes unwieldy, thus HISA folded. .

We tried to form FC voices in its wake, in an attempt to gain some middle ground without a membership but with a mandate and constitution recognised by the club and we tried to get the message through to the club with regular meetings with the owner etc. No one was ever refused when wanting to join the committee which worked hard to represent the fan base. WE had an agreement for two Forums a year which the club stood by, and we tried to bring the fans together with projects like regular memorabilia fairs, projects like the funding and creation of the boulevard memorial and the refurbishment of the Jack Harrison memorial, the annual Veterans Day service at the stadium, arranging the voting for the fans player of the year and providing the trophy, social events etc.Whilst taking up the broad issues raised by the fans in a monthly meeting between the chairman and the owner. they still exist I believe but are obviously finding it hard to fill the void. So in recent times that seems to have faded away too. Therefore, at present we have no voice directly with the Club. And perhaps these days that suits them, for it seems to.

If anyone wants to form an independent fans group they would have my support but good luck cos it aint easy.

But I guess what I'm trying too say in yet another waffly post is that (possibly by design but I hope not) the club has become a closed shop organisation who only tells its life blood the stake holders out there on the terraces what they want them to here when they want them to hear it. We seem to find out more from good old Dan Tomlinson on who's signed etc.
All we need as fans who love our club, 'bleed' when we get humiliated on the field and hate to see it going backwards is a bit of hope, but as always its the hope that kills us isn't it.

I think the leaking of info to Dan Tomlinson at the HDM is deliberate

Re: #backtheblackandwhited : Tue Sep 19, 2023 9:52 pm  

bonaire wrote:

I think the leaking of info to Dan Tomlinson at the HDM is deliberate

Agree with this and it happens all the time in the media.

Quid pro quo.

Re: #backtheblackandwhited : Tue Sep 19, 2023 9:59 pm  

The HDM journos are embedded with the clubs to all intents and purposes.

Re: #backtheblackandwhited : Wed Sep 20, 2023 6:41 am  

To expand on my original post. Culture has become the buzzword at the club since TS became coach but the issues with culture have been there throughout my time as a supporter. In the 70's, 80's and 90's the culture was very much "part time" and similar to most other clubs of the time (anyone remember the TV clips of the players and wives jolly on the eve of the 1980 cup final?). Shaun McRae was probably the first to publicly highlight the culture issue with his infamous "cancer in the club" statement. Despite numerous changes of ownership, coaches and players the "culture cancer" seems to remain and even grown. The piece in HDM about Gaz Ellis' take on what culture looks like is interesting and it's a shame that even a great leader like him was unable to instill that effort culture in a more sustained way after he hung his boots up. Brian Smith managed to achieve it with a workmanlike first team in 90/91, Shaun McRae and Shane Richardson gave it a good go as did John Kear before he was let down by the Hetheringtons.
It would appear then that Mr Smith is correct in prioritising club culture first in the root and branch overhaul of the club. After previous coaches have failed to achieve the support of other club stakeholders in their attempts to improve club culture I think us as supporters will play a major role in supporting him through what will be a painful process.