The Dentist Wilf wrote:
Yeh I agree with that we have signed some players who will no doubt improve the team if only culture wise because they are new to the club and the playing environment and hopefully they will bring a different attitude and work ethic to the group. That's almost as valuable to Tony Smith and the FC as their ability on the pitch for me.
However as you say, you do need game breakers and in Sneyd, Connor, Griffin (to a certain extent) and Swift and Clifford we have lost such players but with the exception of Walker (who needs to keep fit) we have gained few if any so far . You need them to change games for you, but almost as importantly these days you need them to have that reputation so that their signing inspires people to buy season tickets and get on board for another season.
the majority on here are fanatics who would watch Hull Fc in Division 1 playing on West Hulls pitch but its the 'intenders' we need to inspire and there needs to be a buzz around next season as the tickets go on sale. I don't detect that at present at all, in fact for me it all seems very flat and the situation isn't helped by the great strides forwards the other lot have made this year. For some reason, That somehow has always over the years dissipated the hopes of the fringe fans over at our side of the City. Back in the early 80's it was brilliant because both clubs were at the top of the tree trying to outdo each other signing wise but that symmetry rarely occurs.
I have spoken to loads of people in my age group who have said they haven't been much this season and They 'haven't missed it at all" and that as far as the club is concerned, in that committed age group, is criminal. I'd like to think the current inertia around the hopes and aspirations of the fans is all part of a bigger plan to bring a big bang impact when we put tickets on sale but I have my doubts, simply because times are hard financially, but unless our current position is to spiral backwards we need to draw a line in the sand and start to build again and I think Smith is doing that but we need to engage and inspire future subscribers to do it and that's the hard bit in the current market place. lets hope the next signings do that!
when you lose fans because of a lack of interest getting them back is much more difficult.
Its obvious due to financial restraints that the club are now prepared to tread water for the next couple of seasons in the hope that several of the younger players will and are able to step up and become regular S/L players.Thats a very risky strategy as it may never happen.
The only thing for me that would save a collapse in Pass sales next season and create the buzz the club needs is to go for risk and reward.
For example if we had made a bid for Croft and signed him then most of the transfer fee would have been paid by an increase in pass sales and the thought of seeing him play behind some big mobile forwards would have created that excitement the fan base is missing.
Regretfully we have to accept bringing in a star player is not going to happen but the club need to be realistic and wake up to the fact we are no longer a top club and are being left behind now by too many other S/L clubs.
Although we have strengthened on paper the forwards in weight and size,we have the weakest set of threequarters in S/L and apart from Jack Walker not one of them with any strike ability or ability to get on the end of an offload and break the line.
Without Clifford and a make do halfback partnership what Smith will have to do is get the team mega fit from day one so that we can compete with hard graft rather than just falling away due to lack of energy.
