Sums it up for me too.

Wembley is special for me, my friends and family, always will be. Different generations travelled down there in the 50s & 80s, as well as recent losses in ‘08 & ‘13, only to come back disappointed, that made 2016 especially emotional.

It was as if the club was cursed, so to then go and win it back-to-back was huge. 2016-17 (and perhaps beyond) will be a lengthy chapter in future editions of “A History of Hull FC”, hopefully accompanied by a big picture of a grinning Radford.

I’m not saying that past eras should be erased from the memory or not reflected on, that would be daft. We’re just blessed, courtesy of Lee and Adam, with superb moments of drama and celebration that our entire current fanbase lived and breathed rather than having to rely on it being curated by elders. Personally, apart from Jack Harrison, I’m not overly interested in the club’s history beyond the parts of it I’ve experienced personally. I agree about Clint Newton though. Like Pavlov’s dogs, the instant association is “She fell over”. A nice memory. And I’m sure one that our derby record try scoring centre/water carrier/badge kisser remembers fondly amongst his large portfolio.

I don't know how the 2016 Wembley win could be diminished by any Hull fan. 1982 was great, but all those years of disappointment there, sometimes agonisingly close, sometimes just a disaster from the start and that infernal song. The get that monkey of the back meant a huge amount. You'd have to be a pretty serious Radford hater not to appreciate that and it was a good win as well - no easy draw to get there like 2005 & 2017 in that respect.

Can that moment be matched again? I would say the next unconquered peak is a Grand final win to complete the trophy set. Meanwhile there are other moments to keep it ticking over and Friday's 12 man special ended up good. Being in a good mood at the moment even the unacceptable trash served at Salford makes the next high seem relatively better.

Coincidentally, I was acknowledging my fondness for a slice BFG to Mrs Mild, as a guilty and unfashionable pleasure the other day. Turns out it is enjoying newfound popularity. The wheel is always turning.

Poor old Clint, he didn't have a lot of luck.
What, with Yeamo, having his women stole off him by another player, and his clandestine visits to one of the city's foremost Nail Bars.
What a t0sser.

BFG = 1980
Champagne & Rasperry Possets = 2016/17.

This 100%

No, just his highlights done and his nails manicured. -
Wish Radders had scared him to death instead of making Vella his pants.

No easy draw like 2005?
We played 5 Super League teams, including that season's champions, the previous season's champions and the cup holders (who went on to win the LLS that season). It was arguably a harder run because of the teams we played and the fact it was an extra game because of the format change.

Round - 2005 opposition - 2016 opposition
4/5 - Wakefield Trinity - Bye
5/6 - Bradford Bulls - St Helens
Quarters - Leigh Centurions - Catalans Dragons
Semis - St Helens - Wigan Warriors
Final - Leeds Rhinos - Warrington Wolves

2005 was harder IMO.

But you did say that if you (Hull fans) are still harking back to this in forty years, it would be an indicator of failure over the intervening four decades. My point is whether those years are good or bad (it’ll almost certainly be a mix), fans will rightly hark back to those wins, so I don’t it is a good indicator.

That you’re not very interested in your club’s history shouldn’t make me sad - we all take our pleasures in different ways and you’re understandably very happy with recent triumphs. But it does a little - these clubs are such valuable and interesting civic institutions, with so many varied and fascinating stories. As time passes, the passions fade but we get new and, in some ways, more meaningful perspectives.

I do wonder if, to some extent, seeing that we’re struggling in the here and now, while you’re flying high, you want to play down the past in an effort to deny us the consolation of brief refuge there. But it won’t work. As I type this, I’m looking at my Dream Scene picture that doesn’t fit with the decor of our house at all, and which contains only one player that I properly remember seeing play, right towards the end of his career. Maybe that is sad too, but since I started taking a real interest again circa 2006 (#bandwagoner), i’ve had a hundred little morsels that have made it worthwhile, and mitigated the misery of Wembley 2015 and the 2016 MPG. Most would mean nothing more to you than your Clint Newton story means to me - but they’re not there to be rhetorical weapons, they’re a shield, an impenetrable comfort blanket.

So (and well done if you’ve made it this far, but I know the day is probably dragging with HullKRfans still down), if you prefer to pay little thought to Kemble and Norton anD Whiteley, or to how Hull F.C. emerged from and was shaped by its local community, then that is your loss alone and its extent depends on how much you really do think that history is just so boring.

Reet, can somebody help me down from this pulpit?

As an alternative view from a slightly younger generation, I only started following regularly in 2000 having been to a few games between 94-99 as a young kid (and being sucked in by the early Premier League hype). I didn't witness the Wembley defeats, or even see any Wembley finals. I also didn't hear any Rovers fans singing about it except for a a meaningless annual friendly that began in 2003 (as they weren't in SL) so winning at Wembley wasn't really important to me - winning a trophy was. I didn't care where. I just knew that we hadn't won anything for a very long time and that it was always the same faces. In the time between 2000-2004, Leeds, Bradford, Saints and Wigan were in EVERY final. To break that duck was impressive enough, and to finally get to a final after so long was intense for me, but to go on and win is a moment I'll never forget. I just didn't think we could and was happy just to get there. The game was also one of the best I've been to in terms of drama and excitement.

In the following 11 years, we had higher expectations and different challenges. We reached the Grand Final the following year and winning that seemed the logical next step for us. When our form dropped dramatically, we became unrecognisable from just 2 years prior so the new dream seemed to just fade away - yet we still managed to reach another Cup Final. That one was important to me because it was my first ever trip to Wembley, but wasn't as big for me because we'd been spoilt with 3 finals in 4 years and we'd already won.

As our form picked up slightly, but still pretty bang average, expectations of winning the league slipped, a number of derby embarrassments began to build up, so winning at Wembley became more important. The nilling at Wembley was embarrassing, and the stick we got irritating, so it became it more important for us to win at Wembley and get that monkey off our back. For Rovers to get absolutely embarrassingly humiliated the year before made 2016 incredibly sweet, and to win there after seeing us lose twice and the collapse we'd had between times was incredible, as well as the history.

But for me, 2005 was the beginning of the making of the era. We had a bit of a bump, but are now back in track. That one will always be my fondest memory I think. It's what created my expectations for all future seasons. I think only a Grand Final win can top that... then a World Club Championship away from the UK!

you mean like "hand carved ham, served in a French bauette, with layers of tomato and lettuce and a mustard jus" aka, ham sandwich?

food hasn't got better, kust more expensive, and poncy.

(how the heck we derailed quite here is beyond me)!