Hull FC have lived beyond their means for a long time.

Adam gambled with a massive wage bill (third highest in superleague). He continued to sign players such as Reynolds, when he knew Covid was still having a massive impact upon income, and he did very little to cut his cloth accordingly. The club still has a mega wage bill, as he has said so himself.

Hull FC have also not paid an proportionate share of the cost for use of the stadium for many years, as the stadium running costs have continually been met by Mr Allam. As the 25 year rental agreement is coming to an end, he knows that its either accept a rent increase to reflect the stadium running costs, or play on pickering park.

So now he starts mentioning a merger, as he is running out of options, and doesn't have a plan B. The Boulevard got sold off the last time the crap hit the fan, so he's got no other assets, apart from flogging off the players.

Any true lifelong supporter would never entertain such a merger proposal, yet he appears to be quite open to such a prospect, should the opportunity arise.

Didn’t we make a profit a few years on the bounce pre covid?
Not really living beyond our means.

Grudgell eventually got fed up of ploughing £300K in every year to cover the shortfall.

This isn’t about FC. It’s the game as a whole. It faces massive challenges due to mis management and self interest stretching back years. It’s all catching up with the game now post covid.

I honestly think it’s nearly too late now anyway.

I would not put it past Pearson to uproot the entire club, and move the franchise to another city, if it improves his prospects. That's how desperate he appears to be.

Oh dear. How I love Derby week

We should move to East Hull. There’s more Hull fans there than anywhere else in the city (according to season ticket sales)

The game is dying a slow death at the moment.
Pearson is right in what he is saying.

Think covid has accelerated the process as well, compounding all the issues the game had anyway.

He's missing all the points and coming up with totally wrong solutions. No wonder Hull FC are in such a state if this is the sort of management of the club.

The Hull derby is one of Super League's biggest strengths along with the Saints-Wigan derby. People tune in for it, it's destination TV viewing.
We need more games like that, not fewer. Merging would create one club no larger than the two currently existing but without the headline derby match and with a bitter legacy that would no doubt reduce for at least the medium term the number of Rugby League fans in Hull. It's idiotic thinking that applies market-based solutions to a sporting environment and is utterly, utterly flawed.

The Hundred meanwhile is the latest solution cricket has to the interminable length of that sport. THIS IS NOT RUGBY LEAGUE'S PROBLEM. Don't take another sport's solution to their particular issues and apply it to Rugby League because it's getting some short-term coverage. That is idiotic and lazy.

Rugby League in the UK, in my view, has the following pressing issues:
- Quality of the games, particularly over the last 2 years as the club owners decided to squeeze as many in as possible which has had a devastating effect with cancellations and walkovers. Get back to one game a week and adjust the rules so that messing and wrestling at the ruck is completely eradicated. Everyone knows the latter is a huge, huge problem but no steps have been taken to address it.
- Constant tinkering with the format. A twelve team Super League with a five or six team play off is a solid, rational top flight. Tinkering, yet again, with this will make no difference. The sport needs stability not more change. It's amazing how smart people can't see that one of the greatest problems is the constant changing of the structure. It's confusing and jading for fans, it gives off a real impression of desperation. The solution is NOT to change again!
- Hard, local engagement and marketing. And controversy. Controversy, on the pitch and between clubs, sells and Rugby League is just so conservative on this front. It's always "yes, they're a very good team, very well drilled, we'll have to play well to beat them" and "he's a great player, we're really going to have to number up on him". Goodness sake, that doesn't generate coverage, that doesn't generate passion, that doesn't make people want to go to games desperate for their team to beat the opposition. Big it up, make people afraid their club could lose to a bunch of thugs or cheats.
This rivals round is a bit of that but get some heat and light into our messaging. Rivals rounds, heritage rounds, venom-filled press conferences. Get people enthused about the game rather than jaded and distracted by constant off-field tinkering or by people like Pearson talking the game down.

As for private equity. Deary me, you'd get better rates at the local loan shark. It's short-termist and idiotic. It might help Pearson out of a short-term hold but it is totally counter to the long-term financial interests of the game. No wonder people like Hetherington and McManus blackballed it.

To be fair , he hasn’t mentioned specifically mentioning the Hull clubs. Just spoke in general terms.

I think the interest in the Hull Derby is overstated to be honest. People from outside our game aren’t that bothered about Hull vs Rovers. Or Saints vs Wigan for that matter. The interest isn’t there.

Casual sports fans will be more interested in watching the 100 final on Saturday.

Don't take the sport out of its context. By Super League standards, these are the ones which attract much larger ratings than the normal week-to-week, the derby games plus ones such as Leeds-Wigan or Warrington-Saints are the foundation upon which the Sky contract is built.

For me, it starts on the pitch. The quality has diminished in recent times. The players carry some responsibility with this - hands all over the ball, faking injuries, conning the referee. Play with some integrity. Play like you are trying to attract newcomers to the sport.

I would take set restarts and remove them from the game. They create a hectic style of rugby - which looks 'messy' to me, but more so, it means there are no natural breaks in the game. Players are fatigued, and more susceptible to injury. Look how many players are missing from squads for any given matchday - no wonder there is a lack of quality on the pitch with half of the salary cap in the stands.

Also, I wouldn't penalise as heavily any fights, or any biff. Super League, the clubs, Sky Sports themselves this week have been pushing out content of fights in games. You hear the crowd roar, the commentators get excited, yet if that happens on Saturday, there will be sending offs, and 4 game bans dished out! You cannot market using footage of stuff that isn't actually present in games any more for fear of Red Card's and bans.

Then, off the pitch - it needs to be a stable format. 14 team SL for me - with a top 5 or 6 play offs. Play each team Home and Away - with a Magic round, and potentially a 9's tournament in there in the Summer. It doesn't need radical ideas - it just needs a good, high quality product, utilising the athletes that are already in the game - and fans will return.

Games also need to be on Terrestrial TV in some way!

Sky don’t rate them that highly, as the deal is ever (massively) diminishing. And the game is powerless to do anything about it.