305 The Dentists Diary

Our Coach said, “We’ll dust ourselves off and get up for a match against Hull KR, if they can’t get up for that, then we will have to give up” Oh dear Peter, this might be all new for you but we’ve all been here before, and having been there, we all wonder if some of our current squad can actually get up for it.

I am still bitterly disappointed by the result in Perpignan, well not the result so much as the manner of the loss. From a purely selfish aspect at least I didn’t make the trek to the South of France but well done to all of you who did, you deserve a bloody medal!

With 12 players out (and some pretty important players at that) I expected to lose, it was a no brainer really, however after the game Gentle said “It doesn’t get much worse than that, we do it all week on the training field but when it comes to game day we forget everything we have learned and practised” Is that down to Gentle himself, the lack of leadership on the field or the mental attitude and lack of focus of a group of players who haven’t embraced that particular requirement for years? My moneys on the latter and it looks like we might, on current form, be about to present Rovers with 2 points on a plate. If we do, then the games up this season I fear! Still Rangi looks like he might be a goer!

In this week’s Diary there’s a report from Caroline ‘our resident accountant’ on her adventures in Catalan, despite that great

semi on Saturday, I say my piece about what I believe is the parlous state of British Rugby League. Plus, there’s transfer news, (and Chase) and a trip back to the days when whoever pulled on the black and white shirt at least tried!

...................................................................................................

As I listened to Mike White on Humberside reading out a catalogue of texts from saddo Dobbins fans after the game, I reflected on the fact that it’s that time of year when (whilst Clubs like Leeds rise from near oblivion to Finalists and do it on an almost annual basis) we’re crap again! We always start well and finish poorly, we always have an injury crisis at this point of the season and as fans, July is a time when we seem to be perennially despondent because basically any hopes we have for a good finish always seems to quickly drain away. I have great belief in Adam Pearson and Gentle, but something is radically wrong because, in France, we all knew we wouldn’t win, but it’s the manner of the loss that worries me, it’s the mental thing and we’ve seen it so many times before, haven’t we?

However at this point I want to hand over the reins to Caroline (Mrs B to a lot of you), who travelled to the game at the weekend with her family, more I expect in hope than expectation. Her report below not only embrace the weekend but also her views on the future of our Club!

She writes,

*Warning - article written by sleep-deprived cranky old woman who's just checked her weekend's credit card bill. May contain exaggerated commentary of a doom and gloom nature*

“The main post-match discussion on the CST bus centred around the question: "Did we expect to win?". The undoubted quality of personnel on the Catalans team sheet, coupled with their daunting home record, suggested it would be a major test. Add in the collective absence of players who contributed hugely to our promising early season - Houghton, Tickle and Moa - and the evaporation of form of the departing Turner and Manu, it has to be said our chances of success seemed pretty slim.

However, perhaps predictably the game was a reasonable representation of the season, or more accurately the last several seasons, at Hull FC. A flicker of early success followed by the harsh luck of a crushing interception that ended with simple efforts at damage limitation and ultimate disappointment. But fear not because that was all backed up with "jam tomorrow" press articles on the impending arrival of the current Man of Steel.

For the eternally optimistic Hull fans (handy turnout considering the short notice) the game itself was officially over as a contest after that early second half score by Catalans. Realistically though Dureau's interception as Hull were pressing to convert a spell of reasonable pressure earlier signalled it was going to be one of those nights, in a slump that now extends to one win in seven.

The positives we can take from the game were unsurprising. Andy Lynch put in a huge effort, constantly looking for work in attack and defence; a fabulous signing, undoubtedly. Rich Whiting ditto. Briscoe played well in an interesting contest with Damian Blanche, his great chase back to attempt to prevent a try was well appreciated if ultimately unsuccessful. Game efforts from Cunningham, who threw himself at everything and

Ben Crooks who continues to show real potential, although the challenge of regularly covering 3 opposition edge players is a tough one. Manu stepped up to something approaching his usual quality too.

If the upsides to FC's game were predictable, the shortcomings were equally so. Lack of size and grunt in the forwards with Moa, O'Meley and Tickle sidelined. Inability to deal with the key opposition playmaker. Ball-carriers turning for an offload to find zero runners. Ponderous PTBs and lack of urgency. Clunky and disorganised attacking play. Lack of personnel can be an excuse in part for this, but was this really the best we could have expected from a decent enough starting 13? The absence of attacking structure and "die for the cause" mentality was alarming and needs sorting quickly if we are to avoid another reverse against KR in what's fast becoming our likely "cup final".

On a more general note, the run-in looks hard to call and games we'd have expected to win earlier in the season now appear tougher with season-ending injuries for several players, and teams like Salford finding some rhythm and Bradford winning on adrenaline, galvanised by their financial crisis. A third consecutive season scrapping for 7th/8th looks the most likely outcome. All a bit of a let-down after the promising early season form we showed.

On the plus side, there are some genuine reasons for optimism in the medium term. Adam Pearson's repeated statements of ambition are fantastic, with investment in training facilities and recognition of gaps in our youth pipeline evidence of his intention to deliver against them. The clear appetite to face shortcomings in the squad and create space for new signings - Gareth Ellis, maybe Rangi Chase, is encouraging. Would we have seriously been linked with them this time last year? The continued excellence of the club's off the field operations - whether online presence, retail operations or community

programme, shows that we're up there with the best in the competition.

The club's biggest challenge at the moment in my view is balancing the need for short term positivity with the management of fans' expectations. The last few months have seen a swirl of media conjecture on players coming in and leaving, unprecedented in my 23 years following the club. Some of this at least seems to have club sponsorship in the form of "The Mail understands" but when missing out on Lopini Paea is announced at the same time as the acquisition of Ryan McGoldrick, there's an inevitable "underwhelmed" undertone even though the two stories are entirely unrelated.

We're aware of most of the players going, and there are a lot of them, including some favourites. We've announced only a couple for next year, so inevitably the public picture is skewed and will remain so for a few weeks yet. In the meantime we need some positive PR to counterbalance the current run of results. Understandable that linkage to the likes of Chase, Finch, Paea etc are put out there, but equally understandable that as fans we feel deflated when we miss out. I get the feeling there'll be plenty more surprises before October, but as an FC fan that's pretty much ‘business as usual’.

So, another trip to France over, and a few final tips for next year. The Suite Novotel in Perpignan centre is recommended. If you have time, take the train to Collioure and enjoy a massive jug of Sangria at Restaurant San Vicens overlooking the bay. And don't kick a rugby ball into the tree at the Castillet, or contemplate dislodging it by throwing your shoe after it ;-)

Caroline

I am really indebted to Caroline for that fine account of her weekend in France and her encapsulation of our current woes,

I want to share her optimism, but sometimes it’s hard isn’t it, still top effort from a top lady! I never expected a quick fix this year but these shambolic performances are hard to take, all I want really is a bit of fight and players doing as they are told. Whether it’s the unsettling effect of all the movement and rumours or just the fact that many of the staff that the new regime have inherited are going through the (usual) motions that they go through at this time every year, who knows? Like Caroline, on Saturday I expected to lose but not with another capitulation. I’m sick of the reoccurring theme, the talk of next season and some of our player’s attitudes. I’m glad I’ll be watching the Derby from behind my settee with the volume down, the channel changer in one hand and a stiff drink in the other! Disappointed? You bet I am!

I think that the constant upheaval at the Club and all the rumours that circulate are certainly a disruptive element and perhaps it would have been better had McRae kept his mouth shut, because for me, the biggest mistake has been to announce departures and arrivals so early in the current season. Huddersfield have been in a similar situation since they announced the departure of Nathan Brown and some of their players. However there’s the rub, because our new transparent attitude to the fans dictates that the Club are ‘open’ with us and you can’t have it both ways.

This week has seen more rumour and counter rumour, Chase, Brough, Holdsworth and all the other names linked with the Club, being the subject of claim and counter claim from those reputed to be in the know, who actually know nowt most of the time. On Saturday the Mail told us what I have been saying for

weeks, that Chase is our number One target with a player plus cash exchange looking more and more likely and then, no doubt after he had got the word in France, Smailsey said today that it could happen this week for a lower fee than expected. However a lot of this sort of stuff is conjecture and wishful thinking and I’m cheesed off with it.

Those articles in the Mail told us no more than most of us already knew. Cas want a shed load of cash, but might not get it and realise that, with the players ambitions, they probably can’t hang onto him. Chase wants to come and our owners cash sees us in the box seat for the current Man of Steel. Time will tell, but Pearson’s a shrewd operator and ain’t gonna be throwing money at him indiscriminately, if he does sign we could all be a bit surprised by the fee involved I think. In reality to have both Ellis and Chase on board would see the seasons likely top import and the current Man of Steel, coming to us. We can’t complain about that can we? What I do know is that we have met with Rangi twice, with Cas’s permission and he wants to come to us, now it’s down to a fee and hoping no-one else nips in before us. To balance that, we have also to have enough money left under the cap to bring in the other key players we need.

On an even more positive note it was grand to see young James Cunningham getting the call to travel with the team to Catalan. Gentle said when asked in the early heady days of last November, that he would take an “If he’s good enough, he’s old enough” attitude and although his hand has been forced by as bad an injury crisis as we have ever seen at the Club, he must now throw kids in and see how they go. The fact is that with

Sharp, Martin, Moa and Tickle ruled out for the rest of the season, and at least 6 more out for another 4 weeks at least, it’s hard to see how we can get anything at all out of this season. Injuries, it is said, are part of the game, but why do we always get all of ours at this point when everyone else seems to be getting injured players back for the business end of the season.

I enjoyed Airlie Night more than I thought I would this week. When I saw it was Andy Last and Mark O’Meley (the rest were obviously having a night off before flying out to France) I thought, this’ll be boring, but it wasn’t. Mark confirmed that he has a slight chance of a return for the Derby and had been nearly ready for Leeds. He described his treatment which includes having plasma removed from his upper body and re-injected into his calf, which sounded pretty painful. Meanwhile Lasty, ever honest, said that he stopped playing and started coaching early because in his own words, “I wasn’t good enough”.

However it got interesting when James Clarke read out an E Mail which asked why Mark had been critical of the Club. O’Meley stared at Clarkey and said “That’s a hard question” before he admitted, “That was actually my wife! Hull is like living in a fishbowl and she has her opinions, which I don’t agree with, but she gets a lot of flak from fans, that’s what it’s like here. Some fans, just a few, ‘stick knives in you’, when we should all be sticking together”. Lasty waded in and said, “Don’t ever question this guy’s dedication, or his passion, last season Mark played six weeks with injections in two displaced rib cartlidges”. There was also some interesting stuff about Chris

Green as Mark said that he was never one of those kids who was knocking the door down and demanding a game (as many who are pushed by their parents apparently are) he just gets his head down, works hard and awaits his chance.

O’Meley was pretty outspoken about referee’s too, laughingly precluding his comments with, “They can’t ban me, I’m injured”. He said that referee’s send E Mails out to teams every week telling them what they will be looking out for particularly that week, what’s all that about I thought, before Mark answered my question by stating. “They are just trying to show that they’re in charge”. When asked about the McGoldrick incident at Headingley, Lasty said it was ridiculous particularly when Lauaki pushed a referee over earlier in the season and wasn’t even cited. Good show I thought. You know, I just wonder if with the deal for Paea falling through and a recent ‘Epithany’ I am told O’Meley had, after some straight talking at the Club, we will see Mark given a new contact. He’s still potentially one of the best impact props in the game and quite frankly the way our recruitment is going (or isn’t going) we’ll need a couple of those.

On the injury front as I say O’Meley isn’t far away, Danny Houghton could be back for the Salford game and Danny Nicholas isn’t as bad as first though and could just be out for 4 weeks. Kent hopes to be back for the Salford game as does Bowden so we’ll just wait and see. Talking of getting fit I had a quick chat with the England Coach at the gym the other morning and boy Steve Mac certainly looks to be in fine shape these days.

So to the state our great game and how much of a disappointment is Rugby League in general becoming for you? Are you just starting to wonder why this season the interest isn’t there, not just for our perennial and almost predictable decline into also ran’s in Super League, but more for the whole thing? This isn’t going to be a rant but in here I have always promised to try and reflect how I feel personally about my team and the game I love and quite frankly, I’m getting very none plussed about it all. Has it ever crossed your mind that there is, it appears, more interest across the game with what is going on off the field with transfers and signings, bankrupt teams and refereeing standards, than there is with what the players are actually doing on it? Our great game has over the 60 odd years that I have been involved with it, been built on the passion and enthusiasm of its fans, after all, it's been a battle at times in many quarters to gain respect, and even today, national exposure remains patchy at best. But now I find that even the die-hards are running out of patience and going to games feels more like a habit or even a duty for many of them these days.

For me it’s all getting a bit mundane and even exasperating, and I know dozens of others who share a bit of my ambivalence for everything Rugby League at present. There is no doubt that I love my Club and until the day I die I am sure I’ll support them, follow them and probably write this rubbish about them, but I have to admit to being a bit disenchanted about the general state of the game.

You see for me, it’s not just our own Clubs ‘on field’ woes that are of concern, I’m used to them, as you all are and I think Pearson and Co. will sort all that out eventually. However will there be a game left to support by then? Something has to be

done in this country to re-invigorate things PDQ because to me the once great game looks to be in terminal decline. Occasionally we get one-off show-piece games like Saturday’s semi final, which raise our spirits but generally the Clubs brush off the ambivalence of their fans, choosing instead to put their heads in the sand, to blame the economic situation in the Country and completely ignoring the real reasons behind it. Look at the amount of travelling support many teams bring these days. At least Hudge and Pearson have the balls to speak out, even if there are still fewer listening than should be.

So why has this happened? Well for a start I don’t think that the current standard of refereeing, the inconsistency of the disciplinary system and quality of coverage on Sky TV is doing anything to ingratiate the converted or the uninitiated. Do we often feel ripped off paying our admission fees and Sky subscriptions, because these issues continually conspire to p*ss us all off? Does the Rugby League, as the professional administrators of our great game make you want to scream when you see the way that they conduct themselves, particularly in issues like the purchase of Odsal, the de-valuation of the Challenge Cup, the continued creation of new Clubs in traditional Union areas to the financial detriment of traditional heartland teams, poor decisions like the Stobart trucks fiasco etc. etc.? The list goes on and on and there is little wonder many are getting fed up with it all?

I’m just an ordinary fan trying to put into words how I feel. I don’t like feeling like this, but at least I’ll admit I do. So, what can we as fans do about it? Well very little really, we don’t have a say and as long as we pitching up every week, the

administration of the game will not be consulting with us, we’re only the customers. However, we all have an idea about what should be done and could probably come up with ideas to improve things. As for me well, next week I’ll tell you what I would do for starters but it’s a worrying time for the great game.

Well our accounts for 2010/2011 were published last week and they showed a loss for the first time for many years. The deficit of £253,608 that covering the year up to October 31 2011, was actually smaller than I had expected, because in an interview last November Pearson indicated that the loss could be as high as £400,000. That, Adam said, followed a period under the last regime that he described as, “Several years of underinvestment that lacked any sort of financial foresight.” Although as the first time in seven years that Hull has failed to post a profit, that’s disappointing too.

These accounts of course mainly relate to the business that was done that year under ‘Auntie Kath and the Richard Agar Appreciation Society’, before Adam Pearson bought the club last July. In that last 10 weeks of that financial year however Pearson invested a deal of finance in developing the facilities at Chanterlands Avenue, including re-fitting the gym, improving the changing and office accommodation and the building of a new physio suite and video rooms. It also includes the pay-offs for Agar and all his backroom staff.

Adam Pearson also said at a fans forum that he expected it would take two or three years of loss to get the Club back on track and it’s pretty obvious to me that with current attendance levels, next year’s picture could be even worse, before, hopefully, we start to pull out of the decline that the need to re-

invest in the Club has facilitated. There is little doubt that the new regime has cut administration costs substantially, with Adam taking nothing out of the Club at present and Executive Directors, John Flatman and James Rule having gone and not been replaced. I would expect that Clarkey and Co have all got small pay rises to reflect their increased responsibility, and that Bomber is getting a wedge, but after Adam flattened the management structure to better reflect a modern business model, these savings, although not reflected in these accounts, will be significant in future years.

Add to that the fact that future accounts will also have to reflect the need to have structured method of paying off the Inland Revenue for the image rights and off shore payments hole the Club had got itself into, and which probably prompted the last regime to sell-up in the first place. Of course things could be a lot worse! We could be in Bradford’s position or that of the Saints who registered losses of £2.4m after £1.35m in the previous financial year and whilst Pearson’s buy out effectively got rid of our debts, some Clubs like our friends across the river are still in hock for over £2m. Although word on the street from the local business community is that the Dobbins are angling for another £1m or so from Mr Allam to ‘tied them over’.

I thought that the Daily Mail’s account of the situation was well constructed and balanced, although it didn’t suit everyone as Rovers fan and avid reader of this Diary ‘Philb’ tweeted ‘Smailes of the Mail’ immediately, to challenge the fact that he didn’t believe that Pearson had spent anything on these development projects in that last three months. Smailesey soon put him right of course. Let’s face it, things could be a lot worse and the deficit was, we are told, all part of the long term plan.

At a time of year when it seems that the whole game is pre-occupied with who is moving where next season, agents are in the spotlight as they try to secure deals for their clients. But, what do we know about Agents? Well, this silly season sees a real scramble by Clubs trying to secure a reduced amount of truly talented players across the 14 teams of the Super League. Of course that situation decree’s that the highest bidder wins out and although that’s good for the players, it is also very lucrative for the agents as well. However these agents are not just ‘shady’ creatures of the night who seem to flit backwards and forwards between players and Clubs wheeling and dealing and playing one Club off against another, because, the governing body say they must also take a lot of the responsibility for the welfare of their clients.

The RFL see them not just as ‘managers’ but also as mentors and guides for players and I discovered that there is a tight system of authorising them and that only agents or lawyers who goes through the process of accreditation, become an accepted ‘Authorised Agent’. There are 4 categories, firstly there are ‘Licensed Agents’ who have been licensed by the RFL and ‘Registered Overseas Agents’ who operate in the NRL under their licensing scheme and who have then been re-registered in this country by the RFL. Then there’s ‘Registered Lawyers’ who have affiliated with the RFL and ‘Registered Close Relations’ who are the relatives or family members of a player. Players, like Hull’s Kirk Yeaman don’t bother with an agent or family member to represent them and do their own negotiations but if they chose to nominate anyone else to represent them, then that person would have to be registered and authorised by the RFL.

Players who have an agent must have a signed contract to tie them to the agent and this must be reviewed and re-signed

every two years and they must declare who their agent is before they start any contract negotiations. Players also must either pay their agent themselves or give permission in writing to their Club to do it by deducting their ‘subs’ at source from their wages, but if a Club pay the agent on the players behalf, it has to be declared by the player as a benefit in kind, on his tax returns. So it’s good to see that all agents have to be properly accredited by the RFL before they can operate in the game and that they do have a duty of care placed on them by the games administrators.

I see that in his programme notes last weekend Hudgell was banging on again about the amount of teams in the Super League and the fact that despite the RL telling us otherwise, the Rugby League and Super League in particular are not in a state of ‘Rude Health’ There is an argument, which he subscribes to, that we would be better off with just 12 teams because there are too few quality British players to go around and not enough money in the game to sustain that amount of teams. However this argument is balanced by some clubs wanting 14 teams to generate more fixtures tp create more income. It is a ‘Catch 22’ situation for the British game which has to be resolved one way or the other.

So let’s have a closer look at this and why perhaps smaller is better. If you reduce the number of teams it would provide more sponsorship money (if the RL actually make any) to go around the other 12 teams. There would also be more talent to go round too, which should in theory provide for a better competition and with less games International and Exiles matches could be accommodated without too much disruption. With just 12 Clubs, it also possible that the pool of potential

Club sponsors that there are in the game, would be spread less thinly too, although I don’t say I have any strong thought’s on either 12 or 14 Clubs myself.

While I’m on the soapbox I really don’t know how the Catalan Dragons can be allowed to sell the TV rights for their home games to Aljezeera, while the rest of us who make up the opposition for those games, don’t get a cent! That of course makes the Dragons’ earnings much more than any SL side, because they still get the same Sky money as all the other SL clubs get as well. If there is equality in the game and we are all treated the same then why can’t Hull FC go out and sell all their home games to Premier Sports for a few hundred grand? This is the sort of inequality, I believe that as I said earlier really do p*ss a lot of folks off!

This week in Codgers Corner as we look back at less complicated and perhaps happier times in the history of Hull FC I want to go back to season 1974/75 and a game that was brought to mind by this weekend’s match because of the passion we showed back then when battling against the odds. Then we had no money, no prospects and few wins under our belt, times were really hard and all we could hope for was that we would actually have a Rugby team to support the following week-end. In the month of November we had already travelled to the bottom club and perennial underacheivers Huyton and got thumped 32-10. So the following week it was hardly surprising that there was only 1051 people ’packed’ into the Boulevard to watch us play a very handy and well placed Whitehaven outfit that boasted several really gifted players and a typically massive Cumbrian pack.

On arriving at the Boulevard we found the pitch was its usual muddy morass, with the centre line painted onto the mud for the full width of the pitch. I watched the game in the Threepennies where all we could hope for was that the FC could keep the score down.

There was a massive difference in size of the packs which was apparent when the beefy and somewhat statuesque Cumbrian forwards ran out onto the pitch and it was obvious that we would have to fight hard to get anything from the exchanges up front. As Referee Keane blew his whistle the heavens opened and it was so dark that the floodlights flickered into life after about two minutes of play. It never stopped raining throughout the game!

Kenny Foulkes resplendent in a shirt much more faded than everyone else’s, kicked off into the wind and for the first fifteen minutes, as the Whitehaven six tore into us, I looked as if our pack would be ground into the mud. It was no surprise when Cassie landed a penalty after Tony Duke was penalised for collapsing a scrum on our 25 yard line. Then straight from the kick off Shimming strode out of a poor tackle by Clarke and Salmon, to cross the line and after just 17 minutes we were already 7-0 down. The visitors certainly looked relaxed and confident and pressed again, before a couple of penalties saw us in their half for the first time. Duksey managed to slide through the ‘Haven front row to hook the ball back to win a scrum against the head and from this Foulkes turned the ball back inside for Geraghty to touchdown and with Alf Macklin (an unlikely goal kicker) landing the conversion, we were just two points behind.

It wasn’t long though before the Cumbrian’s extended their lead after a high shot by the fiery FC prop Alan Wardell on Maquire, saw Cassie kick his third goal before Shinning crossed again after some poor Hull tackling. Back came Hull with some

crunching tackles and as the crowd warmed to this, Steve Portz split the defence on the right and the mercurial Howard Firth shot is at the corner, looking like a Viking warrior with his matted wet blonde hair trailing in the wind. Macklin just missed with the conversion that many in the Best Stand swore afterwards went over the top of the posts and was good.

As half time approached both Casey and Wardell went close and it was with some renewed hope that we went in at half time just a point behind. That margin against a well fancied team certainly heartened the fans and a buzz of conversation in the Threepenny Stand continued throughout the break and better still was to follow in the second half. Straight from the kick off Tony Duke won another scrum near the visitor’s line and Casey almost squeezed through a tackle to get over. However straight from the play the ball Brian Hancock fed Mick Crane who passed onto Geraghty for the full back to shoot out an inch perfect cut out pass past Clarke to Alf Macklin who barrelling into the corner for a great try. Although ‘Super Alf’ missed the conversion from wide out, we had the lead for the first time in the match, but at 11-9 with 20 minutes to go it was far from over.

The Cumbrian Forwards regrouped and came at us in wave after wave of attacks and struggling to overcome the weight difference, three and sometimes four FC players continuously piled into the tackle to stop the visitors getting over the line. Casey hung onto the ‘boot laces’ of Evans who released the ball for Martin to lunge over the line, only to find Crane underneath him holding him up and preventing him getting the ball to ground. Then Morris shot down the wing, only for Crane to come to the rescue again, this time just stretching to push the player in full flight, disturbing his balance, and causing him to step in touch. It seemed like it was to just be a matter of time before our line was pierced but we battled and defended till the

end.

The visitors had a chance to level when Kenny Foulkes was penalised for ‘feeding’ a scrum with a minute to go, but as every one of the 1000 plus crowd booed the kicker, and the rain poured down, Cassie’s kick just shaved the wrong side of the left post, and we were home 11-9, if not exactly dry. After that humiliating defeat the week before we all ran on the pitch, slipping, sliding and falling in the mud, to congratulate our heroes. However as always it was great to win but as we left the ground in the pouring rain, amid rumours of bankruptcy we were still pretty concerned as to whether we would have a team to support the following week. They were really hard times but as has always been the case down the year’s tenacity and passion just got us through. We need some of that right now at the Club!

After it was such a hit last year it’s great to hear of FC Voices promoting the FC Heritage Day event again this year at the KC Stadium on Saturday 8th September between 11-00am and 4-00pm. Last year the event was attended by over 1200 fans and featured exhibitions of the fans own programmes, keep sakes, memorabilia, shirts, medals etc. The format will be the same this year and the Group are appealing for anyone who has a collection of FC items from over the years, to come along and share them with the rest of us. Last year’s event proved a great opportunity to meet friends old and new, whilst again this year there will be old games to watch over a pint in the bar. Who knows Sammy Lloyd might just be along again to give us a rendition of ‘Old Faithful’ on his ukulele!!

While I’m on the ‘Notice-Board’ I have, as you know, a lot of time for Chico Jackson and the lads of the Ex-Players Association and I see that they are hosting a Charity Dinner on Sunday, August 5 at The Willerby Manor Hotel at 12.30 for a

1.00pm start. David Howes is the MC for the day with local comedian Mike Lodge there to entertain us. The guest speaker is none other than Sky Sports very own ‘Stevo’ – so if you go, save your bread cakes as ammunition for his appearance! I also believe that, Peter Sterling’s 1985 Challenge Cup Final Hull FC shirt is up for grabs at auction too. Tickets are priced at £35 per person, including a three-course meal and there are as I write still a few spaces available. You don’t have to pay in advance as you can pay on the day! If you would like to book your place or you would like further information all you need to do is drop Chico Jackson an email at info@hullfc-explayers.co.uk and he’ll get back to you.

Well once again we approach another Derby and our annual visit to our noisy neighbours to see how the other half live. Please note that next week’s Diary will be out on Tuesday so I can cover the game. I can’t see anything but a defeat myself but good luck to all you hardy souls who are braving the delights of the South Terrace, you are as I always say, much better supporters than I will ever be. Will Rangi be our man this week it looks like it might be another interesting 7 days doesn’t it? Thanks for reading this guff and a big well done to all those who travelled to France at the weekend. The response to these Diaries of late has been simply phenomenal and thanks to everyone for all your loyalty, friendship and staying power. I can only write about what is happening as sadly on the field tough times are here again, but try to keep believing and of course....

Come on You Hulllaaarrrr!!!!!

Faithfully Yours

wilf