Think next year is all about cutting the wage bill by all means necessary, and hope income exceeds wages to try to cut the crippling debt.

Tony’s going nowhere and will have to manage the budget team the best he can.

Long term, the sky money is down, the covid loans need repaying, and the clock is ticking on the stadium lease deal.

Even if a new stadium deal is reached, it will align with the true loss of running the stadium, so will be a big increase at best, and without the mystery 1500 tickets bought by the SMC per match which artificially inflates your attendances. Maybe only 2 stands will be opened per match is a real possibility. There is no way Hull City will continue to generously subside your tenancy.

In turn, I can’t see any upturn in player quality for some significant time, unless Adam moves on and new investment is found, which won’t happen without a new stadium lease in place.

It’s a doom and gloom scenario, but prove me wrong !

That's true. But I do think some sort of comms with at least a modicum of realism would be a fair expectation for passholders to have.

As Bombers Double Chin alludes to, it feels like the club's primary function now is just to survive financially with any on-field aspirations coming a poor second. The obvious outlier in this is the academy and reserves where we do seem to be performing well. So how does it all fit together? Some insight would be good IMO.

Survival has to be the only objective for the next few seasons, until a new lease is secured. That’s it in a nutshell

It has to be carefully calibrated because players and agents will hear messages intended for fans.

I’m sure Scott Taylor would have sought to join Hull FC anyway, but that Rovers were very open about entering a period of ‘building for the future’ while Hull FC were spending money to establish themselves in the upper echelons of SL doubtless made his decision easier. Just as Satae may have gone to the south of France, Swift a bit closer to home and Clifford at lot closer to home anyway… but together it makes you think they maybe felt the next couple of years [icould[/i be a bit rocky. Pearson won’t want to reinforce that impression.

As for the comms themselves - if the situation is difficult, a win against Cas might to the spoon full of sugar to help the medicine go down. Or if there’s a rabbit waiting to be pulled out of the hat, it’ll seem all the bigger and the relief will be all the greater if expectations are low.

What Hull have done with the reserves this year is interesting. I’m aware that if I find something interesting I tend to bore folk though.

I hardly ever post now giving my apathy for the club and the game in general but after attending yesterday thanks to a pass holder friend being unable to make it I can see the more things change, the more they stay the same.
FWIW I agree 100% with your post. As Wilf says, with no relegation I think the pragmatic AP will tighten belts to the maximum and look to reduce debt.
He needs to be honest about it though. The fans can all see it happening and don't appreciate his method of mushroom management.

I think the plan is improve the academy and then you in theory have several cheap 1st team players (and a chance in a few years we could sell them on)

But young players are unpredicable theres been many wonderkids who dont make it past being anything other than SL squad players, Tommy Lee for example was once on a 'best young players in the world' list but ended up having a solid but not spectactular career.

I also agree with no relegation the plan will be to save a few quid and if we finish a place or 2 or 3 lower then it doesnt really matter. Our ground and crowds will keep us in SL even if we are dire on the field. Also the game wants clubs to think longer term and develop youth and not just throw cash at panic buy Aussies. Cas for example arent any better for the transfers theye done over the last month, its wasted money.

Don't worry Mrs B, he'll be in touch soon enough with the annual plea to back the boys. While we more than likely will it would be nice if he spoke to us at other times.

How they price the passes will be interesting, there are thousands who are so loyal that theyd renew pretty much whatever the price but some marketing spin of a 'discount' for renewing passholders may help the mood.

Also I think we need to look at moving fans back into the East and South stands, i fail to see the point of having a couple of hundred fans sat in the North stand. Get everyone back in the busy stands for the atmosphere. Also it would mean giving Rovers ths full North stand for the derby to hopefully avoid problems we saw on Good Friday.

New beginnings this time ... no honestly , we really mean it !!!

we cant finish two or three places lower because thats bottom of the league given we are likely to finish this season in tenth.
Sad to say but i think Adam Pearson needs to try and find a new owner with a bit more financial muscle so we have a clean sweep at the top which in my opinion has gone stale.
Hoping that Tony Smith can turn around a sinkling ship with the cash restraints he seems to be under,or that we find a couple of gems from the reserves/academy is just wishful thinking.
You have to think who will be the first to go Smith or Pearson

I meant over the next few years, an average league finish of 6th doesnt generate much more IMG points than 12th, rightly ot wrongly our stadium and fanbase will give us a franchise for years to come.