Said it at the game the other day but I think we'll end up one win short of the 8, for me a good indication how we have improved towards the back end of this season would be if we ended up with a positive points difference, currently we are exactly 100 points down so we'd need to win on average by 15 points each of the remaining games.

The table doesn’t lie, and we have been through it this year with all the changes at the club, but it finally appears to be looking a little better for us.

I’d be a lot more concerned if we had started the season like a house on fire and then lost our last 8 games. The team have eventually got a bit of momentum and it’s vital now they keep it going until round 27. It’s looking unlikely we’ll scrape into the eight, but what matters above all else is that we keep improving and gaining more cohesion and confidence to take into 2015. What we should be aiming for longer term is that we make the top 8 come round 13 next year when the table splits.

It’s been a disappointing year so far and we have seen a couple of clubs playing way beyond expectations, although next year is a clean slate and these clubs may just have peaked a little too soon.

I'm not sure how the quotes were taken out of context. People over on the Hull forum were saying daft things, like how Salford were there for the taking. How? Salford are a team that had already beaten you at the KC this season, were one place and two points below you, playing at home, showing a huge improvement in form over the past few weeks culminating in a very comfortable and dominant away win over a team in - I don't know - fourth was it? who had won 9 of their last 10 home games. How were they there to be taken? There is a context here. In the past, people have generally ignored us. Now they no longer do, and it's apparent that they tend to say daft things about us. I think I preferred it when we were being ignored.

As for us being at best average, I'm not sure how you can make such a judgement. We beat you by one point more than the current league leaders beat you earlier in the season, which suggests they're average too. None of us (well, none of us bar Mike87/Red League) are daft enough to go bragging about ourselves. We are where we are in the league because we were dire earlier in the season. We're like a different team now, but there is obviously still room for improvement. Those improvements are being made, though, and we can see them every week.

I also think you're being harsh on your own team. We've seen worse at Barton this year. You seem to lack a bit of guile in the halves, and maybe a bit of power in the forwards (although the new slimmed down Feka Lite looked good). Danny Houghton is very sharp at dummy half, and you've got some pace in the backs. I think you're also being harsh on your coach. Like Iestyn, he's inherited a squad of players that he didn't choose and it may be hampering the way he wants the team to play. We're fortunate enough to have got some of the players earmarked for next season with us now, and it's made a huge difference. The people who were expertly telling us that Iestyn wasn't the right man for the job because we kept losing now seem to be conspicuous by their absence (another example of the daft stuff people have been saying about us). The difference is, he's now building [ihis[/i squad. You maybe need to wait until next season when Lee Radford has got the players he wants in before judging him.

So why are you 12th?

Regards

King James

Honestly, who gives a hoot what Hull Fans think.
all this thread will do will attract the sites challenged to forum faster than 'Calliphora vomitoria's to guano .

We're where we deserve to be in the table. There's been two or three games that we should have won but we didn't. Hopefully results go our way and we make the playoffs but I think we'll fall short. I'd say 5 of our final 7 are winnable but I'd be surprised if we picked up 10 points out of a possible 14.

If we did power rankings like the American sports (basically rankings that the media produces that are geared more towards form rather than number of wins) then we'd be around the middle of the pack at the moment, I'd say. Looking at the table, I think we're currently capable of beating anyone from 5th downwards.

Depends how you define good. If you define it by points won over the season then they are. Imagine if someone had said something similar in 2006 about us, this board would have exploded.

A lot of people were saying that from what I remember. We started the season on fire and then fell away towards the end. I'm pretty sure a lot of people mentioned us not being as good as our league position suggested. We were losing a fair few close games by 4 points or less in the 2nd half of the season but we weren't showing the same form as the 1st half and then obviously got destroyed by Bradford in the playoffs.

Disagree with Mike87/RedLeague, Castleford more than deserve to be where they are. They've played some great stuff this season. They should have 2 points less than they do because we should have beaten them but unfortunately we switched off for the final minute of that game!

Tbh I don't think we were really worthy of 5th that year, don't get me wrong we were a hard working team but not a top team as the first playoff game shown, a lot of things went in our favour regarding teams like Wigan Warrington and Huddersfield not having good seasons at all, kind of like Hull FC and KR this year, and Warrington catalan and Huddersfield again having dips in form, I just don't think Cas will back 5 his years form up next season.

Good post by Red John regarding Hull.

As a Hull fan i think Radford should be judged on a year down the line from now too. Our problem is indeed at half back, its fine margins, put Chase in our side we probably win, I've lost count of how many times a close defeat would have ended in a victory if we had any real class in the halves. We're not far off, our goal difference is better than the next 5 teams above us, because we have lost 6 games by under 1 score. To beat us by 13 is a decent performance by you.

I think you have made a good appointment in Harris and for all the Doctors 'ecentricities', I hope Salford kick on and are really challenging next year.

The table shows thus far you've won enough games to be the 12th best in the league - the form table (or power rankings or whatever ridiculous name the Aussies gave it) might show that between now and the end of the season you can improve that - but that's nothing more than conjecture, well find out in 7 games tables never lie!

I am a saints fan, but I'm also a mathematician and have to defend the honour of numbers

My point was in reference to the previous FC gorp who said “we are 12th for a reason, because we are not great”. I informed him that the league table gives a false understanding as to the level of performance were currently at. Granted we haven’t been great all season, but for the last 4 games we’ve looked a different team. If we beat KR at weekend this will prove again that the table does in fact lie (ie my initial point).

What I meant was that most hull fans were not having a dig at Salford, or possibly rather the rest of their post explained what they actually meant.
Before the game, I expected to lose, I went with that expectation, largely down to the reasons you wrote. However, for the first 20 minutes, Hull (and a better side would have) scored 3 tries. You never looked like coming close to scoring until Rangi intercepted. You then played well for 20 mins. Second half was pretty ,uch 50/50 IMO, and IMO Salford did not play well. Probably backed up by Harris' comments after the game that you need to play better to beat a good side.

The problem as a Hull fan is that we have been fed garbage, watch garbage and see unexplainable idiocy from players and coach alike. I want Radford to succeed, but I never thought he would and I don't think he will now. Some of our transfer dealings this season have been lunacy.

In any event, I like Marwan, I want him and you to succeed and so all the very best. Hull fans are not bitter or bigheaded, just annoyed and disenfranchised. Best of luck in making the 8, I hope you do.

Hull fans rubbishing opposition teams after taking a beating, it's what they do best, they are a top 4 team after all

Yet another troll joins a sensible chat.

I think we're getting to the point when we'll be putting out "Not a Troll Alert"