The only team to be consistent is St.Helens, we are a couple of wins/few points behind the others above us, if we'd have won on Saturday by 10 points we'd have gone 3rd, that consistency is hugely affected by injuries which we have had a lot of almost from the get go.
I don't think the squad is particularly any weaker this year, Hadley has certainly improved it, Connor has improved again on last year, Brad Fash is by far the biggest step up from the junior squad members. it's just that we've had a ton of injuries and to crucial/top quality players as well as losing Watts which we have not replaced (Westerman is an ok stop-gap but nowhere near Watts output/impact).
Throw in a couple of dubious selections when we have had injuries, not using Litten and continuing to use Washbrook who has been poor too often, chance to use Miloudi in the halves against Fev and indeed the utter nonsense that was Yeaman turning out!

Players like Harris even though a backup haven't worked out as well as one might have thought plus rushing back players from injury which means they are not at the races for a match or two so they look lethargic/out of sorts.

It mostly boils down to injuries to the backbone of the first choice XVII (incl Watts) that is affecting our consistency by far.
If we want an upgrade on Manu then we are going to have to pay for it, Manu isn't exactly going to be on small potatoes given he's an active international forward and a quality player in his own right, I'd be more concerned with having a front line replacement for Watts as the starting number 10 rather than another backrower.

We have backrowers, lots of them, Manu, Westerman, Hadley, Fash, Jordan Lane, Jack Downs, Turgut (and theoretically Griffin). Lane will hopefully step up, Fash to continue to improve and cement a starting XVII place, Downs and Turgut are clearly able to fill in but are at this moment in time a weaker option however do we sack them off simply for a few quid that won't make a difference in terms of money available for a big name, personally no, we develop them, that's the whole point of the youth system not to yet again snub that development and buy players in which we do a lot and is not and never has been a long term solution. This is why the quality of our home-grown youngsters is falling short compared to other top 4/5 clubs.

He's a far better lock than SR, struggles for the Warriors out wide. He's played 10 games there in 3 1/2 years for them. Apart from last year, he hasn't played SR for the Kiwis since 2014 and last year Kidwell was in charge and he's clueless

Without wanting to ask the question again (which I am clearly going to do) WHERE, AT ANY POINT HAVE HULL FC SNUBBED DEVELOPMENT?

c2008-2011 under Kath & Co.

He knows this period of underinvestment is the root cause of some latent years further down the line, yet chooses to ignore it and lay the blame at Radford's door.

apologies, I should have said "Under Pearson & Radford', Gary is still trying to ru(i)n the game, he will be heartbroken when the RFL move to Manchester and nobody will pick him up at Ferrybridge services.

I think Bumpy is possibly just best ignored.

If he was an out and out troll, I'd agree, but I think he's genuine. He just happens to have zero tact, a huge vendetta weighing him down, doesn't accept peoples points and avoids answering direct questions. I think he still needs challenging rather than ignoring, but that usually makes threads descend into chaos.

probably right, I just dont understand his opinions, and he fails to explain it.

Paraphrasing slightly but his mutually exclusive views are:
Radford is an abomination of a coach resulting in inadequate young players and mental frailties
Radford is in charge, we're outside the 4 with a tonne of injuries but these mentally brittle youngsters will get us to Old Trafford. It's like a psychology case study.

Sigh, I've writen this loads of times, if you can't be bothered to read how we as a club are restricting development then I'm not repeating it yet again. I mentioned part of it in the post you responded to in fact!
As I said in the other thread about the Pearson 'plan' and so often, who under Radford's tenure has debuted from within the academy to make a first XVII slot, which of the 16/17 year olds that Wilf and AP identified over 6 years ago have actually come on to make an impact, Brad Fash is the closest we have to an academy player to debut under Radford (i.e. the last 5 years) to get into the 1st XVII?

We have ONE player from the academy in the backs (Shaul), we have TWO players from the academy in our pack as part of the strongest starting XIII, (Houghton/Hadley), our strongest XVII as picked by Radford includes Griffin on the bench along with Paea, Bowden and Green. That's a maximum of five homegrown players in our strongest XVII, none of whom have made a debut in the last 5 years.

If you and others want to continue to ignore the lack of progress in ur youth/youth system and their development that's fine but it's there to see. No homegrown half backs in over 10 years, (Litten was a scrum half initially) no back up hooker with experience because the coach keeps playing someone who is woefully short far too often in that role and refuses to interchange so absolutely knackers our best player every season. We play loose forwards in the centres because there's no trust in the youth and then wonder why the loose man got hammered down that side. we played an over the hill/hadn't played for ages centre who was pitiful instead of playing a youth player.
it's the same old square pegs into round holes because there's no experience and no confidence in the youth until it's too late and they are exposed.
This is why we are stuffed cap wise, we bring in too many players on a bigger wedge and there are not enough in the 1st XVII from the academy. 2016 was poop or bust with an over the cap squad hence why 2017 we had to get shot of a load of players including loaning out Hadley and JA.

That 4/5 year gap where Radford had the youth system all guns blazing has seen a pitiful return and very slow progress.
When was the last home grown, as in from Hull and through the ranks player to get into the England team, Yeaman in 2011?
keep thinking the youth system is doing great and the coach isn't stifling the development.

The club can only give opportunities to young players to succeed. Beyond that it's down to genetics and inner desire of the player. The fact is Hull is an isolated place in RL terms with far less kids playing the game than 10, 20 or 30 years ago. Less kids playing results in less top class players coming through.

I'm sure improvements can be made but if the player(s) haven't got it then there is nothing the club can do but we do seem to have more young players in the squad than I can remember since the 80's.

The notion we should field a team made up of young Hull born players is nonsense. pearson and radford have to do their best to assemble a squad capable of challenging those at the top of SL. I'd love to see a team made up of home grown players but it's a pipedream and I'd rather watch a winning one

People have replied on the other thread, which you started and then ignored, not sure why you need to put the same thing on here.

RL is a squad game, it isn't about the 17 anymore, Masi is very established,

Griffin isn't on the bench in Radford strongest team, he was centre and Connor was on the bench.

Litten has always been a hooker, don't think he has ever played halfback at Hull at any levels.

Radford plays the young kids when they are ready are you say, he see them every day, are you saying that you as a fan who has seen the likes of Litten play 10 times max, knows more about when Litten is ready than Radford, if so what are your coaching qualifications, who do you currently coach?

Always I don't see playing for England as a measure of good your youth system is, it's about is tehy are ready to play SL, whcih now we have 7/8 in our sqaud who are ready to play when required.

How about you give Radford some credit in the the improvement of Jake Connor, a player many including you ddn't want to sign, his development under Radford has been massive and is about to start for England on Saturday.

Leeds have an almost complete Australian pack, and I wouldn’t swap, Taylor, Houghton, Green, Bowden, Hadley, Fash, Downs, Lane, there is a link with our guys, anyone spot it, keep up the good work Radders.

Okay then, how many of those that we have let go have gone on to make it in super league? Players that look like they're going to be amazing players at 16/18 can fall short of the standards required unfortunately, that's just a fact of life. It has nothing to do with us not developing them, because if it was the Crooks/HTWs of this world would be ripping it up at other SL teams instead of languishing in the lower leagues wouldn't they!