TONY SMITH has launched a staunch defence of his coaching success following the current woes of Hull FC.
The Black and Whites have won just one game from five during the 2024 Super League season so far.
But, coming off the back of the disappointment in 2023 – in which FC missed out on a play-off spot with relative ease – some fans have let their ire now.
For Smith, he has referenced the success he has had in changing the cultures of his previous sides and what needs to be done at the MKM Stadium following a 54-4 thrashing by Leigh Leopards last weekend.
“We are changing culture – how we treat one another and how we are with each other,” Smith told BBC Humberside.
“One year I won the competition with Leeds Rhinos, we were beaten by 70 points by St Helens and then we went on to win the competition that year.
“It happens, you have days when you get thumped. When we get to where we want to be, we will get thumped sometimes as well.
“We are not a consistently performing team so we will have bad days if we’re not in great form or if we are being tested with our consistency.
“It’s my job to ensure those bad days aren’t too frequent. We haven’t been a front-running club for many years and we need to change that.”
Smith also referenced why he was brought in as Hull head coach to begin with and how his past has been shaped.
“I was asked to come here to change the culture and it is changing within. Anybody who is around the club will tell you that, the players themselves will see things changing.
“It won’t happen quickly and it rarely does but I was asked to help change things in that respect. If you look at my past, my first job was with a team on the verge of relegation each year at Huddersfield.
“We turned that around they became a mid-table club when I left – which was nice to leave in that way.
“My qualification for this position at Hull was at Leeds who hadn’t won a competition in 32 years. By the time I left, we had played in three Grand Finals and won two of them and should have probably won a Challenge Cup too.
“At Warrington, they weren’t part of the ‘big four’ but, by the time I had left, they had won three Challenge Cups and had been in three Grand Finals. They are now being talked about as part of the top four.
“Then I went to another perennial yo-yo team in Hull KR who were up and down, bouncing in and out of Super League.
“We had played in a couple of semi-finals by the time I left. My qualifications are ok for this. Maybe I have had a whole lot of luck or maybe I turned around the culture at places.”
Smith has called on fans to continue backing him and the players.
“We are cracking on at going through the processes. There will be hurt along the way but we are making progress.
“We need to toughen up and be harder but it won’t be overnight as it doesn’t work like that – anybody that runs a business knows that.
“Everyone goes through that tough time, but they need to persevere and work harder and smarter.
“We want to be a high performing team on a regular basis as soon as we can but it’s not an easy thing to do in Super League.
“I’m in the battle and I will be striving to take it to the next step. We will need to work hard to do that and smarter. We need to be more united.
“I can understand fans’ frustration but there are people who have been watching us for 40 years. It hasn’t been all rosy along the way.
“If you go look at Leeds Rhinos and their history. They have had their peak times and come through it and are looking to do it again.
“it was 32 years before their last period and it was probably another 30 years between that and the previous one. Sometimes we get caught up in our expectations of our teams.”
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