When Tony Smith took on a squad he INHERITED, not built, we then start the season getting absolutely battered most notably in the Derby, fans were fearing the worst, he ended up gett8ng our hopes up of a play off finish which let's face it with that start would have been nothing short of miraculous!
Granted we didn't end up getting the place and the same old players from past years have let us down, he is ridding the club top to bottom of all its rotten core, Savelio, Wynne, Griffin, Evans the list goes on... he's bringing in younger hungrier players with points to prove. He is building the club back together and it will take 2-3 years IMO to get us back up there as a regular play off contender, it wasn't overnight success at Leeds, Huddersfield, Warrington or Rovers either but he left every single club in a hugely improved position so trust the process!!!
Trust the process? Based on what? Our league position or general standard of performance? Trust is something you earn and I’m not there. A great Manager gets the best out of the tools at their disposal.
You say Evans, Griffin, Savelio, Wynne, the list goes on. Does it? It’s pretty normal to turn over 4 players in a season/off season. Swift, Clifford, Satae we’re all offered new deals so it isn’t a cull.
I’m glad Person is letting him go around again and I’m glad he is being reasonably enabled to bring in his replacements. I unequivocally hope it goes well, naturally.
But trust the process? No. He can do something more to earn that and I hope he does.
Trust the process? Based on what? Our league position or general standard of performance? Trust is something you earn and I’m not there. A great Manager gets the best out of the tools at their disposal.
You say Evans, Griffin, Savelio, Wynne, the list goes on. Does it? It’s pretty normal to turn over 4 players in a season/off season. Swift, Clifford, Satae we’re all offered new deals so it isn’t a cull.
I’m glad Person is letting him go around again and I’m glad he is being reasonably enabled to bring in his replacements. I unequivocally hope it goes well, naturally.
But trust the process? No. He can do something more to earn that and I hope he does.
I'm sorry but no, not when you inherit a squad not of your choosing, you are already at a handicap IMO and yes we could maybe have got a tiny bit more out of this squad this season but what realistically are you expecting at this present moment in time? We are no better than 10th simples... we ain't good enough a squad to be in top 6 or even top 8 so he's in theory got pretty much what's expected out of us. We will kick on next year on and off the field I have no doubt and you say its normal to turn over a few players, yes it is but look at the reasons we are led to believe for a large number of them leaving... Wynne Evans, Savelio, Griffin all attitude, commitment and overall buy in yo the new culture based I reckon, he's shipping out players that we cant carry any longer (still a few left) and Clifford, Swift im only gutted about those two but both decisions were out his and clubs hands. Satae I'm not too bothered about as we will have a better all round pack next year, he will get it right name one time that he hasn't..... he does it at every club Iver 2,3 seasons so yes be patient!
I'm sorry but no, not when you inherit a squad not of your choosing, you are already at a handicap IMO and yes we could maybe have got a tiny bit more out of this squad this season but what realistically are you expecting at this present moment in time? We are no better than 10th simples... we ain't good enough a squad to be in top 6 or even top 8 so he's in theory got pretty much what's expected out of us. We will kick on next year on and off the field I have no doubt and you say its normal to turn over a few players, yes it is but look at the reasons we are led to believe for a large number of them leaving... Wynne Evans, Savelio, Griffin all attitude, commitment and overall buy in yo the new culture based I reckon, he's shipping out players that we cant carry any longer (still a few left) and Clifford, Swift im only gutted about those two but both decisions were out his and clubs hands. Satae I'm not too bothered about as we will have a better all round pack next year, he will get it right name one time that he hasn't..... he does it at every club Iver 2,3 seasons so yes be patient!
I’m a pragmatist. I only have this season on which to make a personal judgement on Smith and regardless of what was inherited the results and performances have been poor, sub-optimal.
I’d quite happily have accepted our end position with grace and humility if I saw something on the pitch that suggested Smith can get the best out of what he has.
I’d admire your blind faith. I admire your “trust the process” and fervour to expect better. The club needs fans like you more than me.
I’ll go around again, it’s what I do. But using an evidences based approach over a trust based approach means my expectations are poor.
If you have been watching Hull Fc for sixty years you would have seen Brian Smith mould a team of really average players into a team that played for each other and were very difficult to beat. Now that what i call a coach.
Jesus Christ couldn't motivate some of our contracted players, we will still be stuck with some of them next season. I wish some of them showed the same commitment as Adam Swift, did more work than some of our forwards.Too many ordinary players got extraordinary contacts.
Trust the process? Based on what? Our league position or general standard of performance? Trust is something you earn and I’m not there. A great Manager gets the best out of the tools at their disposal.
You say Evans, Griffin, Savelio, Wynne, the list goes on. Does it? It’s pretty normal to turn over 4 players in a season/off season. Swift, Clifford, Satae we’re all offered new deals so it isn’t a cull.
I’m glad Person is letting him go around again and I’m glad he is being reasonably enabled to bring in his replacements. I unequivocally hope it goes well, naturally.
But trust the process? No. He can do something more to earn that and I hope he does.
Was Swift offered a new deal? I thought he informed the club quite early in the season that he would be moving back closer to home for family reasons?
I’m a pragmatist. I only have this season on which to make a personal judgement on Smith and regardless of what was inherited the results and performances have been poor, sub-optimal.
I’d quite happily have accepted our end position with grace and humility if I saw something on the pitch that suggested Smith can get the best out of what he has.
I’d admire your blind faith. I admire your “trust the process” and fervour to expect better. The club needs fans like you more than me.
I’ll go around again, it’s what I do. But using an evidences based approach over a trust based approach means my expectations are poor.
Mate i completely get your position and why fans like you are thin on patience i honestly do, I've been like it at times myself over the years but i just feel like for the first time in god knows how long the club is in really good hands with proper rugby brains in charge, Grix will be a breath of fresh air around the training ground and with him, Stanley and Tony taking a new look side forward next year full of speed, aggression and fingers crossed passion and hard work we wont go far wrong, You only have to look at Salford as one of the other forum members mentioned, there side has never been littered with top class NRL talent, they have a few standouts (Lafai, Croft etc) but other than that they are a team made up of hard workers who buy into the way of playing under Rowley and i genuinely believe we will have similar next season. Come back to me when we in grand final in two seasons hahaha
Mate i completely get your position and why fans like you are thin on patience i honestly do, I've been like it at times myself over the years but i just feel like for the first time in god knows how long the club is in really good hands with proper rugby brains in charge, Grix will be a breath of fresh air around the training ground and with him, Stanley and Tony taking a new look side forward next year full of speed, aggression and fingers crossed passion and hard work we wont go far wrong, You only have to look at Salford as one of the other forum members mentioned, there side has never been littered with top class NRL talent, they have a few standouts (Lafai, Croft etc) but other than that they are a team made up of hard workers who buy into the way of playing under Rowley and i genuinely believe we will have similar next season. Come back to me when we in grand final in two seasons hahaha
I hope you are right and admire the optimism of your post. It does concern me that a large section of the crowd, and some of them passholders, are genuinely questioning their commitment to the club, after another disappointing, and at times, appalling product served up by the players. It feels like Ground Hog Day, with this team and the end of season flop is no great surprise. What I was pleased by was the seeming shift in attitude and the club staying in games that we'd previously have been humiliated in. All of that optimism came tumbling after the Cas and Huddersfield games, though. we are in a critical period of this club's history; get it right and we'll continue a while longer, but get it wrong, again, and who knows what will happen?, In such a hard economic world faced by all of us, not just the club, hard choices will have to be made by many, and when its a choice between something you enjoy against the current state of our team, many may choose to abandon ship. That would hurt us massively, but could be the reality we face.
Last edited by GrahamBray on Wed Sep 20, 2023 11:00 am, edited 1 time in total.
Jesus Christ couldn't motivate some of our contracted players, we will still be stuck with some of them next season. I wish some of them showed the same commitment as Adam Swift, did more work than some of our forwards.Too many ordinary players got extraordinary contacts.
Maybe the contracted players just aren't good enough? He will get rid when he can.