There’s a big difference between a ‘love in’ and bit of realism about the situation we found ourselves in. IMO the rot set in a couple of years before, but Covid was the final nail in the coffin and meant that there was absolutely no way the club could continue to compete in SL without outside money coming in. It was that simple.

Everyone knew that, thankfully pretty much all supporters were sensible enough to realise this and not make too much of a hostile environment and the club seemingly navigated it to now be on more of a level playing field with the new owners. It could have gone the way of Salford easily and people are rightfully giving AP at least a bit of credit for that.

I was talking to Adam last night he said amongst a lot of other things that "the last two years just about broke him" and he wasn't talking just cash either. When in the future if the the truth comes out people will realise just what our owner went through post pandemic and over the last two years and how easy it would have been to walk and leave us in a real hole but he kept to his word and now leaves us potentially in the best state we have been in financially in our history as a Club. he had his critics me included at times and he made some poor decisions, and oversaw an unthinkable decline but I think he at least deserves some thanks for ensuring everyone at the club was paid during covid and for keeping us afloat and being hell bent on finding the right buyers and leaving us as rich as any club in the game. Just my thoughts of course! And obviously not everyone's on here, but that's what this board is about isn't it?

It's obviously Pearson ran out of money and covid really hit the club hard. Wish he would have just been honest and sai this. Some terrible coached followed with terrible recruitment, Reynolds, Gale, Evans. The diaster of 2024 recruitment. Buy he kept us afloat a d it looks like he has found up some new owners who like rugby and are keen to make us challenge again.

Great post Wilf, very heartfelt sentiments there.

It's easy for supporters (myself included here) to lash out when all appears to be falling apart. All of us on this board have vented our spleen over the past couple of years about the club's situation and, unfortunately, it tends to be owners or coaches who get the most flak coming their way as they are the ones stood in the firing line with their heads above the parapet.

As your post perfectly describes, in situations like these there is also a human element to it, which I think we supporters can have a habit of overlooking or disregarding as we cast around for answers. People like Adam don't buy and invest in a sporting club lightly, and it's not as if there is millions to made out of a rugby league club, no matter how successful they may be (Wigan in the nineties being a case in point). I'm sure Adam suffered as much as us these recent times, possibly more so given his heavy financial burden, he certainly looked like a man under strain through last season.

I've only met him once briefly (through a relative), but he seemed a decent man and gave the impression to me that he had the club's best interests at heart, but events clearly conspired, particularly from 2020 onwards, to alter the landscape of how he could operate the club as best he could. Certainly he has looked like a man with a huge weight suddenly lifted from his shoulders ever since the news was announced about the change of ownership and that has to be good for him personally. Hopefully he can continue to watch the club in the future without the enormous weight of responsibility on his shoulders anymore.

I suspect Wilf, you know a great deal more about the back story to Adam's situation these past two/three years, more than the rest of us on here, but that is private conversations between you and Adam and not for general publication. I wouldn't expect you too either, too much of a Gentleman to betray confidences. But your post reminds us all that there is always a human element to these stories with people trying to do what they believe is right for all concerned. I do think we fans can sometimes lose sight of another human being trying their best in difficult circumstances (human nature I suppose!) but your post above has reminded everyone that there is always more to these stories than any of us fully know and we really should act accordingly.

Great post, nice one Wilf

Agree it's very level in terms of performance between the Kath and Pearson eras. I make it average place 6th under Kath (counting 2011 as still that era) and average 7th under Pearson so not a lot in it.

Pearson did get us to a 3rd final though, we sometimes forget 2013 in the dreary rain.

Wembley 2013, eh!!!
If ever the weather matched the mood of a set of supporters, it was us that afternoon. I believe the grammatical term is 'pathetic fallacy' (weather conditions describing a situation).
Flaming depressing (polite version) would be more accurate to capture how we all felt trudging around, soaking wet through, as the elusive dream remained out of our reach once more. Good things come to all who wait though



Agree with you about the Kath and Adam eras. In the end there wasn't much in it, either in terms of league placings or Cup finals reached. Highs and lows in roughly equal measures really, along with the usual Fc sense that we continue to fail to realise our true potential. Maybe that time is still to come, let's hope so

He may have wanted to walk but couldnt until he found a way to have his loans repaid and the only way out was to sell part or the whole club.
He made lots of mistakes but his heart was always in the club and he tried which is all you can ask of an owner

Jeez you been slagging the bloke of the last few years

I did say, in July - August, that none of this was Adam’s money and that he was stepping down.
I remember receiving an email from inside the Club saying everything was going to be all right.

It was from Adam himself and at that point I knew he was setting us up nicely

Wizeb will love this - I made an offer to buy a very small percentage of the Club but mine was too small a % to be considered.
Oh well alas but I think Thirkill has a bigger wedge than me that’s for sure !

Think Old Kent Road v Mayfair with hotels

Thrikhill saying to Hull live that Nigel Wood had said that Hull are only one of 3 clubs capable of crowds of 15k.

Now Nigel's maths are never that great...but I do agree we have potential there's a good few thousand who haven't been attending because games have be awful, atmosphere makes it a poor day out etc.

My plan would be to spend 2025 sorting the foundations out then maybe we do something dramatic with the season pass prices for 2026 to win people back. Or bring back the prizes for hitting certain targets that we did when Pearson first took over, holiday to Australia if we sell 10k etc etc.

In the fans forum it was also mentioned we can actually pay to have branding at the stadium but had chosen not to. But I'd assume any 'revamp' of the stadium would hinge on whatever is happening with Acun's plan for a sport village and the lease discussions.