Football

[back to the future]

Certainly, although you probably need to be a local to fully grasp the situation but I'll give it a go.

 

Hull City Council built the KC Stadium for the people of Hull. It was intended to be a facility in use all year round, with leases granted to both Hull City and Hull FC to allow them to play there, but also a facility to host pop concerts and the like and plenty of office and conferencing space for use by anybody wanting to hire them.

 

The stadium needed a body to run it so the Stadium Management Company (SMC) was formed and both Hull City and Hull FC were invited to join the SMC board for a fee. At the time Hull FC was being run by people with no long term interest in the RL club so they didn't want to spend any cash and turned the offer down. This was a fatal error for the RL club. Hull City took their opportunity, probably with some glee, and so now they are enjoying a 50 year lease during which whoever is the Chairman of Hull City is also the Chairman of the SMC.

 

Everything ran okay for a while until the football club were promoted to the top tier. The Premiership millions that this brought in attracted all sorts of unsavoury characters hoping to get their hands on some of it. It could be argued that, for a time, Paul Duffen was probably the worst. He stopped the concerts and treat the RL team and it's fans like they were lepers, once suggesting during a live radio debate that RL fans couldn't write. He wouldn't allow any RL internationals to be played at the stadium either, always saying it was "unavailable". During his tenure he was also accused of syphoning money out of the football club but this matter was apparently settled out of court. Russell Bartlett also seemed to have a chequered history whilst Chairman, apparently taking out a £4 million loan to help buy the club, seemingly using the stadium as collateral.

 

Then after a couple of seasons, the football club were relegated and once the money began to dry up, people like Duffen and Bartlett lost interest, Hull City's financial state took a drastic turn for the worse and they needed bailing out again.

 

Along came the Allams. They "bought" the club and apparently got it back on a relatively even keel, saying it cost them far more than they anticipated but, with Hull being their adopted home, they wanted to put something back into the city. It seems though, that all the money they've put in is actually a loan, and they are apparently earning interest on it all the time.

 

During the Allam's tenure at Hull City and naturally, the SMC, they apparently had a fall out with and sacked Adam Pearson who was still involved with Hull City as Director of football, held a consultancy role on the SMC and had recently bought Hull FC. Pearson reacted with surprise and anger at the sacking, but he was a big supporter of Nick Barmby who was Hull City coach at the time and had been sacked after suggesting the Allams didn't have the club's interests at heart. There was another apparent out of court settlement which Pearson afterwards said he was happy with and ended the matter.

 

Since that time, it looks like the Allams have taken it upon themselves to make sure they "get their own back" on Pearson, which obviously means the SMC giving the RL club a hard time. I'm not going to bother listing the recent stuff that's gone on, like I said earlier, you probably need to be a local to grasp it all.

 

It's fairly obvious that the Allams and plenty of the football club's fans want Hull FC out of, what they regard as, their stadium. Whilst they're in the Premiership with near capacity crowds when the big boys are in town and have all the money rolling in, they're in a fairly powerful position compared to their co tenants. When they get relegated and all that money and half decent players it attracts disappears, then they will be back on a similar footing to the RL club, or possibly far worse if recent history is anything to go by.

 

I've tried to remember stuff as accurately as I could in my explanation with a bit of Google help but if anyone can correct anything I've put then feel free to do so.

 

I hope that goes some way to explain my position.

Thanks for that

Fully understand now

[Wiltshire Rhino]

Great performance from Swindon Town tonight. table!

Top of the table! Keep it going Town!

[Futtocks]

Well bloody hell, well done Bradford City. Some come back and some victory. Chelsea must be crying into their, er, whatever it is they have to cry into (fails to think of analogy)

Middlesbrough too, knocking Manchester City out 2:0.

[longboard]

Well bloody hell, well done Bradford City. Some come back and some victory. Chelsea must be crying into their, er, whatever it is they have to cry into (fails to think of analogy)

 

Cold fizzy lager?

[gingerjon]

That'll do. I didn't know Chelsea were top of the PL by a few points either so it's even more impressive.

 

The goals are on the BBC website and there's a not a dud in there.  From listening to the commentary it sounded like Bradford more than deserved the win - no fluking it in the slightest - and when interviewed afterwards Parkinson said it never crossed his mind to defend when they got it to 2-2 as the only way you can beat teams like Chelsea is to keep going at them.

 

Brilliant.  Love sport.

[Futtocks]

Mentioned on Twitter, but I've only just seen it on MotD - when Chelsea scored their two goals against the 'minnows', they kept the celebrations respectfully low key. After all, they were going to score loads more and win comfortably. What happened next must have shocked them to their very guts.

 

Mourinho, to his credit, didn't try any of his usual childish gripes in the post-match interview either.

[Wolford6]

Some lads of varying ages out on the town tonight after having been to the game. No boasting, no boorish chanting, no aggression; just genuine high spirits. I dislike City but not their supporters.

 

 

Well done lads, you did your team proud.

[Mumby Magic]

Chelsea also donated £25k to the burns appeal charity.

[gingerjon]

Just seen the game highlights and the City goals looked first rate. I'm no expert these days but if I didn't know who were the top team here by miles, I wouldn't have guessed from this game. Someone at work told me that Chelsea allowed any lower teams (ie not PL) to keep all of the gate money in an FA cup game..is that true or BS?

 

I think it's BS but gate receipts are shared in the cup so, as well as £90,000 for winning the tie Bradford will have a share of the the 30,000+ crowd to add to the coffers.  No money from being televised this round but you have to think they will get that next round and that's another £60,000+ to add before gate receipts.

[shrek]

Wigan Warriors have won 4 times at the DW since the last time Wigan Athletic won a home game. 

[back to the future]

Wigan Warriors have won 4 times at the DW since the last time Wigan Athletic won a home game. 

Not looking good for Dodgy Daves Team at the moment

Better players leaving or wanting too

Relegation looks iminent

[shrek]

Not looking good for Dodgy Daves Team at the moment

Better players leaving or wanting too

Relegation looks iminent

Yep, although I'd argue there are no better players, them leaving are the ones who have spent the 1st half of the season securing 2nd bottom in the table!

[Old Frightful]

It's a good day to be a black and white!

[Ullman]

It's a good day to be a black and white!

The Newcastle fans in White Harte last night seemed to think so.

 

Do they have some kind of homing instinct that leads them to Scottish & Newcastle pubs?

[Wiltshire Rhino]

The Newcastle fans in White Harte last night seemed to think so.

Do they have some kind of homing instinct that leads them to Scottish & Newcastle pubs?

I think their homing instinct is actually called the internet. Edited February 1, 2015 by Wiltshire Rhino

[Ullman]

I think their homing instinct is actually called the internet.

That's because nobody can get on the 606 phone-in for Liverpool fans.

[Old Frightful]

The Newcastle fans in White Harte last night seemed to think so.

 

Do they have some kind of homing instinct that leads them to Scottish & Newcastle pubs?

I take it you mean "Ye Olde White Harte"? 

 

Can you talk proper please? 

[Ullman]

I take it you mean "Ye Olde White Harte"? 

 

Can you talk proper please? 

Well if we're getting all smarty pants about it it should be "Þe Olde White Harte".

[Old Frightful]

Well if we're getting all smarty pants about it it should be "Þe Olde White Harte".

Tell that to the bloke who painted the bloody sign then.

 

 

Up yours.

[Ullman]

Tell that to the bloke who painted the bloody sign then.

 

 

Up yours.

Don't you mean ye bloody sign?

[Old Frightful]

Don't you mean ye bloody sign?

Don't you mean "Þe bloody sign"?

[Ullman]

Don't you mean "Þe bloody sign"?

Up thine

[Wolford6]

Harry Redknapp has resigned at QPR

[longboard]

Harry Redknapp has resigned at QPR

 

"Tight lipped ashen faced supremo Ron Knee........................"

[Futtocks]

"Tight lipped ashen faced supremo Ron Knee........................"

His first move will be to sign 'Baldy' Pevsner and Wally Foot on a Bosman...