I’ve been saying for years we’re unfit. All the desire and attacking flair in the world doesn’t matter if you’re not fit. Watch saints the last few seasons and all it really comes down to is they absolutely smother teams with their defence, then turn around and run at you like it’s minute 1, which all comes down to having the legs and the stomach for it.

What’s most alarming is we seem worse than ever this season, when we were already well behind.

Hope TS can turn it round before club Hull decide they don’t like the hard work and torpedo another tenure.

how are you guys feeling with tony smith so far? early thoughts?

Too early to judge to be honest, I think he now has a true gage of the severity of the job at hand. History proves he needs to be given a year or so before improvements become evident and I am more than happy to give him that time.

Strange thing is against Saints our fitness looked good.I think it's more between the ears what's causing us problems

Early days but I think he still getting to grips with what the squad can and can't do.
I get the impression he has a way he wants us to do things and he is currently finding who is and isn't capable of producing that, hence the somewhat erratic performances.
Definitely a project.

Agreed its almost a similar situation to when Peter Gentle was here and asked the players to do things and play a certain way but they either couldn't or wouldn't adapt. I seem to remember he even made comment that a number of players weren't able to take the information in. Unfortunately AP sacked him and we ended up with the Radford who I'll always be grateful for the Wembley wins however think that was the wrong decision at the time.

Think this time around Pearson will give the Coach time and back him over the players.

Absolutley. We've finally got an experienced coach in and once you do that you have to give them time.

He's got a big mess to sort out , Similar to yours last year .He's been given all rugby duties so it's going to take time to sort it out but Id say the vast majority of Hull fans stand behind TS .
We've had the same under different coaches now and the fans know the fault lies firmly at the players door .

I am expecting FC to improve in the second half of the season as TS systems embed and after contract decisions have been made on the 1st May. We won't make the play offs but we will improve. Onto 2024 to see how good TS really is, with his own players in place.

Absolutely spot on Chris, I will always be grateful for those Wembley wins but they were down to the other 'mafia' at the club, Prichard, Ellis, Minichello, Manu Michaels and Talanoa who 'persuaded' the rest of em (starting in the dressing rooms at Widnes) that they were here to win something, and that temporary broke Club Hull to get the right results. Incidental I keep in touch with the Gentle's and I remember Peter telling me just before he left to go back to Australia how it was.

Anyone who went to Huddersfield that fated night could work out that Club Hull decided that they didn't like what they were being told to do re-fitness, application and the game plan etc and decided they wanted one of 'their own' in charge and so it was! Big big mistake! Now with a proven experienced head coach and not a promoted assistant we have our best chance but he's only signed one player and inherited the rest and their culture. We have to stick with him because if he can't do it I wonder if anyone will. However, as I said, earlier in the week we have to be very careful this year, because the way we are playing is relegation form. At present looking back we look even worse than Warrington did last year at this time and they only just escaped the trap door. If it gets really dire I don't think our lot have the mental tenacity to pull it back.

I can only see a 40 point loss

Tony Smith isn't the issue it's the players has been for five years, TS has got the experience to turn it around and get rid of who he wants.

Fc under Smith remind me of Rovers under Smith in the second season, first season Toronto folded so we had no relegation pressure and just played crazy side to side rugby, but that second season we were similar to how you find yourselves, unfit, constantly losing the ruck, no line speed, and unstructured. He loves that heads up and play what you see scenario, and it's great to see when it comes off, it just doesn't come off that often does it.
We'd compete with the bigger teams and then not turn up against the lesser teams,

I was sad to see him go because he's obviously got a great track record of improving teams given time, but even fc fans can't deny that Rovers seem to have improved since he left,

One other thing that caught my eye in pre season was his interview that he stated that he was taking the fitness side of things easier, not wanting to push it too early, but not being fully fit leads to fatigue which leads to errors which leads to points against.

Time will tell whether he's still got it, and whether your owner has the patience to find out.

Jury still out on Peters, Rovers are only 2 points above FC. Peters could be the next Woolf or the next Sandercock its a bit too early to say. What Smith did was lay the foundations and Peters has been able to fill gaps this season.

Totally agree with you, he could go either way, but we already look fitter and seem to have that willingness to want to work for each other, as I said Smith may still have it, hopefully he'll get the time to show it.