Erm, you lot did that for 36 years with your stupid little song. As for gloom, I think the future’s bright, it’s black and white.

No there was no supplementary discussion. Only statements by FC fans.

We have not won anything recently but for the last two seasons have been the better of the two Hull sides getting to two semifinals. You can gloat as much as you like about the past but in the present you are definitely second best.

You hang on to that then Keith. You don't know what's going on within our club so anything you come out with is guesswork. As good old Bob Dylan used to say "The times, they are a changing!.

Margaret Thatcher hasn't won a General Election recently and Shakin' Stevens hasn't had a number one recently.

Only time will tell but for 2023 I would much prefer our squad to FC’s. We were stronger than you in 2021 and 2022 and I expect our signings will take us up a level. I cannot see that FC’s signings will have the same effect although surely there will be some improvement. We will only know as the season plays out.

Both where/are decent for Rovers, Hodgson improved massively with good NRL coaching.

Would we have won two challenge cups with Hodgson instead of Houghton, probably not, we would have got 3 years out of him, as he had NRL ambitions, whilst we have had years of good service from Houghton, including playing a huge part in the cup wins.

Always said we should have kept Litten, but he has a long way to go to match what Houghtom has achieved and in reality this won't be achieved at Rovers, same as Lewis, if he wants to win things in his career he will need a move away from Rovers.

Pretty happy with our recruitment we have signed 4 good players, all of whom are signed on the back if good seasons at their previous club, changes off the field with coaching and training will also help. Still need a couple more signings, but feeling alot better about the season than I did with Hogdson I'm charge.

You have made a few solid signings, but I don't see any players you have signed to take you to the next level.

Add to this a massive gamble with a rookie coach and a few key players who are aging, I'm not sure I get your optimistic view.

In a salary cap sport, the quality of coaching is often the difference between success and failure.

Maybe KTR is nervous because we finally have a proven head coach, and they have an unproven assistant, from a struggling NRL club, that you can’t take on a works night out.

What makes you think I am nervous. I can assure you I’m not.

Yes TS is a proven coach but when taking over a failing club like FC has never achieved much in the first season. Hudds relegated, Rovers just managing to escape relegation. It’s only in the second or third year that he has managed to start turning things around. You may be lucky with him in 2023 but history would suggest you are in for another miserable season. Jam tomorrow in 2024?

Might get us up to 8th, which for some clubs is seen as a success.

We see what we want to see to keep up the interest as hope flickers and dies. Same as about two thirds of the league. Tbf, when I bought my 2007 Rovers SL shirt it was partly in expectation that’d be my one chance so I maybe shouldn’t complain too much.



The move-to-win thing is a real and undeniable problem. I mean, if one of the clubs outside the evil empire elite times a peak just right… well, Hull showed it is possible. But it was off the back of some heavy and sustained investment. Radford and Motu Tony did really, really well too. Cas had too little to show for what a good team they were too.

Given what has happened, I think you will likely be better off under Smith, whereas we reached a point where his departure became a cause for optimism. Both things can be true.



In this particular salary capped sport the difference between success and failure is still almost invariably money.

I suppose that is an oblique reference to Rovers.

I can assure you 8th was seen as a failure. TS was solely responsible for that. Up until his unfortunate announcement we were doing well. After Danny M managed to steady the ship we did quite well as you witnessed in the last match. It was only the poor results TS presided over between his announcement and departure that spoiled our season. The big mistake we made was not terminating his contract immediately.

If you think Hull are in the same position at Rovers and Huddersfield, you are even more clueless, we have a basis of a good squad and a established academy with some good players coming through, Huddersfield or Rovers have neither when he took over.

He also got you to two semi finals you where gloating about previously in this thread, you can't have it both ways. Smith is a good coach who all Rovers wanted to keep up to the point of that press conference.

You might see it as a failure, but others seem happy, I'm sure someone has even written a book about your season, why would some write a book about such a mediocre season.

Given it was published about 3 weeks after the end of the season, I imagine the book was planned before and written during the season.

There are loads of interesting sports books and documentaries that cover fascinating stories of mediocrity, struggle and failure. Graham Taylor: The Impossible Job, Another Bloody Sunday, the Miracle of Castel Di Sangro (with its change of tone twist), Domestique, Ball Four. Rovers’ own trouble at the top documentary.

Would anybody outside of St Helens and in possession of a soul prefer their end of season review?