I posted this up some while back, I'm sure you can find it with the average points conceded per game. With the very best squad we have assembled in 30 years we conceded 1.5 fewer points per game than the injury ravaged 2013 season, prior to that the 2014 and 2015 seasons were on average 1 point per game worse than the 2012 and 2013 season (combined) but we also scored fewer points overall in the 2014/15 seasons on average, that's why we were much lower down the table than the previous two seasons obviously. (2015 was 5 points fewer points scored per game than 2012)

If you don't agree with what I said with respect to those players I mentioned just say and make a case why. I just don't feel we've improved defensively in the areas that we needed to, just that we've improved leaps and bounds in attack in 2016 which was by far the biggest difference as to the table.

We can go further still IF Kelly can do what we know he can do and if we can improve defensively those areas we know we were weak as I mentioned, it's there to see to all but the blind and was mentioned throughout on these very boards by pretty much everyone even when we were on our winning run.

As I said, the result on Boxing day isn't important with respect to the points against, it's a run out as part of the build up so in that I'm not concerned in the slightest, I stillmaintain that I would like to see our defence shored up in those areas we have been weak consistantly.

No, read what I've written above, let's compare like for like shall we and we still need to improve on our edge defense, Talanoa is still a liability, Shaul needs to improve on his goal line defensive duties and Fonua needs to really up it if he is to play centre because at times he was all over the place. Yes he scored/made loads but if we are talking about defence he should be better.

Michaels is as bad, but you there are certain players you won't have a word against and others you hold a grunge against. I know you will come back about Michaels but before you go watch the highlights of the Wigan play off hand and the Cas friendly to see Michaels at fault for a few try's.

Do you have any examples last season of Talanoa being a liability in defence?

As long as we play like we have been and keep competing for trophies , does it matter if we have a few players who at times struggle in defence as other factors make up for these.

With the salary cap, it's impossible to have the perfect team that some fans want.

Imagine what bumpy would be like if we hadn't had our best season in living memory.

It doesn't bear thinking about.

Happy?

.... sounds about right.

Let us know how the championship standard is this year. It'll be good to have someone on the inside reporting back.

Rovers troll don't feed this crap.

Back tracks all the time after he spout e, then doesn't respond when asked to explain, he knows nothing about our club.

What's this tripe about Talanoa being a liability? Does he even watch games? Odd 1 that

Radford's defensive records are OK for me. Better than Gentle's and this year around 18.5 I think including big defensive performances in the cup - 18, 8, 12, 10. Perhaps a reflection of him getting his side and driving value from the cap. Pleasing.

You've compared points from different seasons, but did you take into account the number of games? Without looking I would have thought in 2016 we played more minutes, as we reached the CC final & semi final of the GF, maybe you should compare minutes of all campaigns then come back with your stats correctly.

To be honest who really cares after one of our most successful seasons ever in SL history? I know I dont.
I was critical of Radfords appointment but will admit AP got it right and was right to give Radford time to make changes behind the scenes that were needed.
There are so many factors that differ in the teams over the past 10 years or so its impossible to to compare like for like.

Bumpy you seem to take some sort of personal pride on finding negatives or negative slants with the club so why the hell do you supposedly follow the club?

For me the club is at last moving in the right direction and AP has learnt from his earlier mistakes along with Radford. The addition of Motu behind the scenes is paying dividends. The 2016 team have achieved something no other Hull FC team in history has and that was winning the cup at Wembley.
So just reel ya neck in and enjoy the upturn in the fortunes of Hull FC, if you can't do that and just want to post negative slants on anything Hull FC then I say politely go forth and multiply elsewhere.

Good post.

Bumpy is a troll, basically. The Talanoa thing is absurd really, he's one of our most improved players in recent seasons, across many aspects of his game. I imagine Bumpy is thinking about his favourite game of last season, the loss at Widnes, the one where Talanoa was running around concussed and they scored a couple of tries from kicks in behind him as he didn't know where he was.

Comparing the defence of a team a few years ago versus now, whilst applying only one varying factor (the coach) is pretty naïve really. The players are different, the fixtures are different, the number of games played are different for starters.

It's a pity the festive season and a great season for Hull hasn't softened his dislike for Radders, nor have we ever seen an apology for his campaign of hate in 2015.

Wasn't Radders our defensive coach under gentle?
So he's basically competing against himself.

You also can't look purely at average points to decide how good a defence is. How, where and when are points being conceded? Would previous Hull teams have been able to keep Wigan at bay towards the end of the cup semi? Or indeed Warrington in the final? You've also got to remember that in past seasons our defence was our strong suit. It kept us in games when our attack was poor. This year there was much more emphasis on attack, so for our defence to improve at all that's great.