Fri 22nd Mar-Sun 24th Mar: The Betfred Challenge Cup Sixth Round Match Thread

[Bedfordshire Bronco]

9 hours ago, ATLANTISMAN said:

We have a core base of around 200000 fans max and we are asking them to attend

* Home matches 

* Away matches

* Dragons/Toulouse

* Magic

* CC Final Wembley

* SLGF/Manchester United

* Internationals 

 

Thats a fair old whack of money for many with lower incomes the game desperately needs to expand its fan base and the only way to do that is with Internationals.

 

P

Not many lower income fans will make a Tolouse/Cats game....if they do they need some financial advice 

Internationals I am happy to concede are now worthless after all 3 games were badly turned out and up north  (having seen the dismal turnout at 2 Tonga games in person I just think what is the point) 

The CC cup is the only big game fixed in the calendar for the south ....it's vital we keep it....move it to Spurs maybe but we keep it down here

Magic I'm 50-50 as I enjoy it but would rather ditch that than the CC

[corvusxiii]

3 hours ago, Jill Halfpenny fan said:

Didn't realise you'd already walked away from it Rob. That must hurt.  How much more can those who still attend take. Year after year you under achieve.  Year after year your recruitment is rubbish.  I watched the game against Leigh and it was an embarrassment. It's like you just want to throw away all the advantages that your support base should bring.

Nowt to do with me but I do feel this forum is diminished by your post. Let's hope things change for the better eh? 

[Bedfordshire Bronco]

11 hours ago, Hopie said:

Alternatively...in Kirklees somewhere 

 

 

Edited March 23 by Bedfordshire Bronco

[Daft old hooker]

3 hours ago, Leeds Wire said:

Very impressed with Mike Eccles in his post-match interview. 

Honest, realistic and proud. What a thoroughly decent bloke. 

I sincerely hope London come back soon as a competitive force in SL. I've enjoyed every single trip to watch Wire there over the years at various cuckoo nests. I thought Ealing would work but that's another story.

I wish them nothing but good luck and maybe another massive benefactor.

Under IMG it will never happen the best you can hope for is there will still be a club in 10 years 

[George Watt]

8 hours ago, Old Frightful said:

Been a long time coming mate but, as I've said numerous times before, I really despise the ground where they play their home games. The team produce their very worst performances there and there is very little in the way of atmosphere.

 

After leaving the UK in the mid 60's I made occasional visits to Hull before in 2010 finally seeing them play at home for the first(and last time.) It was a night match against St Helens and we won a thriller in the last minute. I remember a decent crowd being present but the atmoshere was almost non-existent and the whole experience a bit of a disappointment.

Perhaps the fact that I watched Hull play almost every home match at the Boulevard from the mid forties to leaving Hull in 1960 contributed- the atmosphere was always great there.

[Old Frightful]

18 minutes ago, George Watt said:

After leaving the UK in the mid 60's I made occasional visits to Hull before in 2010 finally seeing them play at home for the first(and last time.) It was a night match against St Helens and we won a thriller in the last minute. I remember a decent crowd being present but the atmoshere was almost non-existent and the whole experience a bit of a disappointment.

Perhaps the fact that I watched Hull play almost every home match at the Boulevard from the mid forties to leaving Hull in 1960 contributed- the atmosphere was always great there.

Hi George, the Boulevard wasn't everybody's cup of tea but the atmosphere generated by the crowd was unreal. Two games spring to mind for me, the 1979 Floodlit Trophy Final and the 1982 game v Australia. Both games were sell outs if memory serves and the noise was unbelievable. During the successful period of the early to mid eighties, when leaving the ground towards the Airlie Street car park, you could just about lift your feet off the ground and still be carried along with the crowd after a game.

Fantastic memories.

I have none like that from the 22 years at the new ground.

[MZH]

It's hard to see any light at the end of tunnel as a Hull fan currently. We are woeful on and off the field, and I don't see how that will change any time soon. Maybe Hull KR hammering us next week (and I mean a proper, historic hammering) would actually do us a favour as it would leave Pearson with no option but to act. By that I don't necessarily mean sack the coach (although that may well be part of it), but it might make him realise that the fans have had enough, and the way the club is run has to change. Although more than likely he will just bury his head in the sand, tell everyone to trust the journey that we are on, and then release a new shirt.

I don't mind us being rubbish if we are at least showing a bit of ambition and trying to make positive changes. Wakefield got relegated last year, and yet honestly, I would trade places with them in a heartbeat. They have put together a good squad, they want to bounce straight back, things are happing with the stadium. It's a long process but if you a Wakefield fan you at least have things to look forward to a be excited about. We on the other hand feel like a club that is dead on our feet. We don't even have the release of relegation to allow us to clear the decks and start again, because unless something drastic happens our grading isn't going to see us go down for at least a few years yet. I've never felt as downhearted about the club as I do now, and I know that many many other fans feel exactly the same.  

[Ovenden Grunt]

I remember going to The Boulevard in't '80's with Fax and it was a real experience. Not just a match, but a real day out with reight folk. We once had a pub crawl along Hessle Road meeting a sea of black and white in every pub. Fantastic days and the match was almost secondary. The opening match of the new ground was, of course, against Fax and whilst it was a good occasion it certainly wasn't The Boulevard. Thrum Hall was very similar. Some of my best ever memories are from up there, especially night games, the atmosphere was second to none. Go forward thirty odd years and it's almost a toil of a pleasure going down't Shay. We still do go down but nothing will ever bring back those days. Up The Fax! ️

[Daft old hooker]

Unfortunately it’s a sad indictment of the way the game has gone and is continuing to go. Clubs playing in identical grounds which lack passion and soul, the fans of those clubs sneering at the ones who don’t and people happy that spreadsheets are more important than the performance on the field.

Must admit not been to a live game this season yet but will go and watch it when the Ice Hockey season is over, reminds of when rugby was good.

Hull fans you have a decent Ice Hockey team in Hull you should give it a go you may just enjoy it!

[overtheborder]

11 hours ago, Bedfordshire Bronco said:

Not many lower income fans will make a Tolouse/Cats game....if they do they need some financial advice 

Internationals I am happy to concede are now worthless after all 3 games were badly turned out and up north  (having seen the dismal turnout at 2 Tonga games in person I just think what is the point) 

The CC cup is the only big game fixed in the calendar for the south ....it's vital we keep it....move it to Spurs maybe but we keep it down here

Magic I'm 50-50 as I enjoy it but would rather ditch that than the CC

Didn't attend the international games for various reasons against Tonga but as a spectacle I enjoyed them on TV. I've been to England games (and World Cup generally) in the past and I'd be inclined to agree if we're talking about internationals in the sense of playing friendlies against teams we're expecting to put 50+ points on. The old GB games and more recently England ones though were real contests and were well-attended in my experience when we played the likes of Australia/NZ. I get the impression people will turn out for internationals if they're competitive, but the organisation of the "right" games and competitions is crucial IMO.

I agree about keeping the CC down south, for me it has to be Wembley - keep the one opportunity we have for fans to have a Wembley day out and I think that to an extent sells itself.

I'd happily do away with magic and focus more on internationals etc. - if you really want to expand then I like the idea of "on the road" games personally.

[Hopie]

11 hours ago, Bedfordshire Bronco said:

Alternatively...in Kirklees somewhere 

 

 

Yeah its a real problem for Batley that a club that sells tickets for upcoming games online, is being criticised for not selling tickets online by people who don't take in information very well.

[getdownmonkeyman]

@Old Frightful Are the indifferent performances the main driver for your apathy? Or, has the move to Friday night home games to attract the commercial crowd,had a bearing on the atmosphere and your subsequent enjoyment of the game?

 

 

[Bedfordshire Bronco]

40 minutes ago, Hopie said:

Yeah its a real problem for Batley that a club that sells tickets for upcoming games online, is being criticised for not selling tickets online by people who don't take in information very well.

If you are happy with low/sloppy standards in a semi-pro sport then all good and you can continue the defense of it 

You are in the right sport for it anyway 

[meast]

I was on the south bank of the Humber at Barton yesterday watching football and there was a few FC fans there that I got into conversation with and I asked them about the so called issues at Hull and they both said AP was the problem but Hull fans are loathe to call him out because they fear he could walk away and then they'd really be in the brown stuff, amazing thoughts!

I know I've suggested the problems run deeper than just players and coaches and they seemed to suggest that Pearson runs things in a way that's not conducive to a harmonious working environment.

They too have stopped going as they prefer the non league football scene now as it's "less stressful and cheaper", one of them also suggesting that 10,000 still turning up at home games is also part of the problem.

Very interesting opinions.

[Tommygilf]

2 minutes ago, meast said:

Pearson runs things in a way that's not conducive to a harmonious working environment.

Sacking Radford on Sky was enough indication of that...

[MZH]

15 minutes ago, meast said:

I was on the south bank of the Humber at Barton yesterday watching football and there was a few FC fans there that I got into conversation with and I asked them about the so called issues at Hull and they both said AP was the problem but Hull fans are loathe to call him out because they fear he could walk away and then they'd really be in the brown stuff, amazing thoughts!

I know I've suggested the problems run deeper than just players and coaches and they seemed to suggest that Pearson runs things in a way that's not conducive to a harmonious working environment.

They too have stopped going as they prefer the non league football scene now as it's "less stressful and cheaper", one of them also suggesting that 10,000 still turning up at home games is also part of the problem.

Very interesting opinions.

A part of the problem is that because the communication is so poor you get all these rumours circulating about what may or may not be going on behind the scenes. The way we have conducted our business recently certainly suggests money concerns, but to what extent who knows. It often seems like the only times the club speaks to fans is when they want money for something. There used to be fans forums at least a couple of times a year but they have died a death. It's just silence from the club on all the big issues and that just adds to the concern.

[George Watt]

2 hours ago, Daft old hooker said:

 

Must admit not been to a live game this season yet but will go and watch it when the Ice Hockey season is over, reminds of when rugby was good.

Hull fans you have a decent Ice Hockey team in Hull you should give it a go you may just enjoy it!

Loved Ice Hockey as a kid in Hull but back then in the forties and fifties there was no team. Our school in Hull every year organised a day excursion by train to the CC final and after the match a visit to  the Wembley ice rink to watch the Wembley Lions play. Usually the opponents were the Brighton Tigers.

[Lowdesert]

I’ve been holding back on this as I thought it might have been picked up on here, but its going to be interesting to see whether Lucan’s injury, early in the 2nd half, was deemed caused by a Hip Drop.   Looked it to me.  
 

 

Edited March 24 by Lowdesert

[Daft old hooker]

43 minutes ago, George Watt said:

Loved Ice Hockey as a kid in Hull but back then in the forties and fifties there was no team. Our school in Hull every year organised a day excursion by train to the CC final and after the match a visit to  the Wembley ice rink to watch the Wembley Lions play. Usually the opponents were the Brighton Tigers.

Well they have one now playing in NIHL, equivalent to championship, good physical team also made NIHL cup final.

[Just Browny]

16 hours ago, Barley Mow said:

Toby King in the post-match interviews on 5 live extra calling for SL clubs to enter the cup earlier.

Mine won't be a popular view.

But the more I think about it, the more I think that the last-16 format we've got (12 SL + 4 best of the rest) is fine for the late season competition we probably need when (1) the Challenge Cup starts this early and (2) there is no automatic promotion and relegation.

We have cultivated a toxic notion, partially imported from football, that 'the league' is the only thing that counts. Fanbases of the 'nearly' clubs - mine amongst them - have had their interest sustained in the past by relegation battles or minor cups. Warrington haven't won many league titles but we have a cabinet full of Lancashire Cups and a few Premierships and Floodlit Trophies.

Now you can sneer at those (and people do), but look at London and Hull now: their seasons are on life support a month into the season.

Depending on the draw for the next round we could have 4 or 5 teams whose season is basically over by mid-April. Market that.

[Dave T]

30 minutes ago, Just Browny said:

Mine won't be a popular view.

But the more I think about it, the more I think that the last-16 format we've got (12 SL + 4 best of the rest) is fine for the late season competition we probably need when (1) the Challenge Cup starts this early and (2) there is no automatic promotion and relegation.

We have cultivated a toxic notion, partially imported from football, that 'the league' is the only thing that counts. Fanbases of the 'nearly' clubs - mine amongst them - have had their interest sustained in the past by relegation battles or minor cups. Warrington haven't won many league titles but we have a cabinet full of Lancashire Cups and a few Premierships and Floodlit Trophies.

Now you can sneer at those (and people do), but look at London and Hull now: their seasons are on life support a month into the season.

Depending on the draw for the next round we could have 4 or 5 teams whose season is basically over by mid-April. Market that.

I agree and disagree, and I'm not sure I 100% follow your post, which may be why. 

I'm not sure I agree that football is the issue here, they still have many cups, have great followings at cup finals and absolutely make a fuss of them. I quite like the balance they have. Of course some things will be more important than others, but I do think when we just abandoned many historic comps we did lose something interesting. Following the Aussie model somewhat has harmed us imo. 

The Cup has to survive, and has to thrive, the decade where Wire were prominent in the cup was one of teh most enjoyable times, the more clubs and fans that experience that the better imo. 

[Griff]

1 hour ago, meast said:

They too have stopped going as they prefer the non league football scene now as it's "less stressful and cheaper", one of them also suggesting that 10,000 still turning up at home games is also part of the problem.

Very interesting opinions.

Things must be bad if they turn to soccer.

[Old Frightful]

2 hours ago, Tommygilf said:

Sacking Radford on Sky was enough indication of that...

I wish folk would stop putting this out there.

Pearson saw Radford Immediately after the hooter, Wire at home after another shellacking if memory serves, and told him that he couldn't see any future continuing with him as coach, then told the Sky cameras a few minutes later.

So he didn't "Sack him on Sky".

Hull FC fans are always accusing Pearson of keeping them in the dark, well, they couldn't moan at the lack of publicity there. 

[Old Frightful]

3 hours ago, getdownmonkeyman said:

@Old Frightful Are the indifferent performances the main driver for your apathy? Or, has the move to Friday night home games to attract the commercial crowd,had a bearing on the atmosphere and your subsequent enjoyment of the game?

Hi Fella, the garbage served up by the team is the one and only reason for my apathy. Quite frankly it doesn't bother me one jot when they play. I always find night matches at traditional grounds have a far better atmosphere than day matches anywhere. Sadly, night matches at Hull FC's home ground have just as poor an atmosphere as day ones.

I get the feeling you're not keen on night games for whatever reason but I've traipsed across the Pennines many a time on Thursday and Friday afternoons for an evening kick off, doesn't bother me at all.

[Ant]

Regarding Hulls current struggles, a bad season can impact a club for years, a bad coaching appointment can do the same 

 

As a Giants fan, the appointment of Rick Stone as coach (combined with the truly appalling 888 league) set us back a decade imo. 

From league leaders, playoff semis, and genuinely looking like contenders we spent near a decade struggling again - so I feel sorry for Hull fans having seen my own club do this (and then some). 

At the game yesterday, you could see the kernel of something at Hull, Tony Smiths touch was in the good things they did, but it takes time.

I'd say unlike the Giants who had to scramble to fix things in the 888 era, Hull should at least be fairly comfortable that they'll be in SL next season.

 

Suck it up now, let Tony Smith work and I'm sure it'll come good - oh and a few bad injuries to key players will wreck any clubs season, no matter what (trust me, that's one major issue the Giants were poor last year!)

Anyway, COYG, let's win a final for once eh...