Wigan and Leeds have played Friday night home games just about since the inception of SL. They have the top two averages and have no problem attracting new fans. Even in Wigans poorer seasons (2005-200icon_cool.gif they maintained high crowds. Leeds gates were already high before they won SL with Friday night games.

There have been plenty of good away followings over the years on Fridays. It's more just general RL fan apathy which stops a lot travelling. As an example, I live in West Yorks and know loads of Wakey fans, they would dream of going to Leeds or Bradford to watch their team. Crackers isn't it.

The key to increasing gates is a performing team. Of course that's asker said than done.

Makes me quite annoyed to read Pearson bleating on effectively blaming the fans for being fickle when in fact his rather large number of club feck ups have contributed to our current situation in a bigger way than the recession or the Allams.

Im sorry but I said ages ago that Pearson may be the worst thing that could of ever happen to this club and I stick with it. The guy has almost been clueless since the start and now he expects us all to carry on being blind sheep for another year or even two, well im sorry he needs to stop dreaming. Its his bad management of the whole club that's got us into our current predicament and nothing else

There is no doubt AP has made mistakes, mainly with his trust in certain people for recruitment and salaries handed out to players, but without him, this club would be in a far far worst state, he has put so much money into this club on and off the field, ask yourself who else in this City has the money or is would be willing to invest a few million into us?

There is no doubt that things need to improve on the pitch, but if he leaves I would really fear for the future of Hull FC.

I personally see nothing in wrong with what he is saying, if you want to see Hull spending a full cap and paying out 6 figure transfer fees on players then he needs to get the revenue from ticket sales, it is a two way street but with the money he has invested and improvements he has made to the club off the field do you not think he deserves our support?

On another note the HDM claims that our average attendance last season was 9662, this isn't correct is it?

I'll hold my hand up and say I'm 1 of those fans that Pearson is trying to blame instead of taking any responsibly for his terrible investment whilst he has been in charge of the club.

Personally last season I found myself going to the stadium out of habit or feeling like I should be there despite the fact I was rarely looking forward to the game or ever coming away feeling like we are heading in the right direction.

I started picking and choosing my games and did feel really guilty about it at the start but by the end of the season I felt like I had made the right decision.

You could just as easily make the case that it is the 'stayaway' fans that have been let down.

Bingo.

Ditto. I'm still genuinely hoping that I've made the wrong choice and end up paying more in match-day tickets than a renewal would have cost.

Can you listen to a recording of the forum online? FClive or something similar?

I don't like the stay away fans quote, it's very very simple. Give the fans what they want on the pitch each week and the crowds will sort themselves out. AP selling the club to the fans with prediction of top 4, stating he will not stand for top 8 mediocrity then delivering 11th position what do the club expect?

I'm exactly the same and don't feel guilty about it all.

Had a pass season before last but, like you, went to some games that season feeling like i should go because i had already paid but didn't feel any enthusiasm to go.

Didn't get one this last season and didn't regret it at all. Picked and choosed my games and some times felt i really can't be bothered to go tonight so didn't.

Obviously the performance of the team is the main contributor to that feeling but i am also cheesed off with the whole KC stadium and Allam situation. When i go these days it just doesn't feel like home. Too many Tiggers signs about and barely any mention of us.

Produce on the pitch Adam , and the fans will return , simple as that !
Most fans are sick and tired of the dross of the last few seasons.
Cut the propaganda and produce on the field , your missing fans will return then Mr Pearson !

So, despite paying a rent of about £600k, and a surcharge on gates above 8k, the SMC still managed to lose £80k at every home game.

In the clubs 150th year lets hope this generation of fans is able to see a growth in the average attendance and the team can perform and at least achieve the 8th we need. Would be great also if the 25,000 who went to Wembley are able to at least consider whether they could give support this season, when it really is needed, so that there may be other Wembleys for this great club. Supporting a club is not all about the good times.

Allam owns Hull City and runs the SMC.

So he pays himself

Bit of creative accounting there me thinks to show City make a profit for the stadium and we make a loss.

I have my own Business, and that is what FC is (a business, albeit, community based) and if that business was failing, the last thing I would do would be to blame my clients, which is what the fans essentially are.

IMHO, a business is only as good as it's staff, from top to bottom, so if you employ turnips, performance will be at turnip level and the business will develop or otherwise accordingly. If you employ quality, by and large, output will match the production quality of the staff.

However, the production of a higher quality staff can be undermined by poor management, however well motivated.

This is were the problem lies at FC I think, we have suffered from a lack of quality on the playing roster in recent times, but when that has been addressed, we've undermined ourselves by under cutting at the management level. Obviously the trick is to get it right, achieve this and the fans will support the club, consistently get it wrong and a percentage of the fans will naturally look to spend their limited disposeable income elsewhere, for the club to blame these fans on this basis, probably says more about the club management than anything else.

What is clear is that it is last chance saloon time, and IMHO, the fans should now rally to support the club we all love, the alternatives do not bear thinking about.

Trouble with Pearsons rallying call is fans who have decided not to go have usually made a conscious decision that they’ve had enough and will also have found they can do without their fix of rugby. Getting them to return will only happen if the thing that made them not go changes and this will need to be backed up with action not words. Even then there are no guarantees that they will come back, other things may have taken up their time.

I found that last year I was going to watch my club out of habit, I’ve stopped going to away games and one of the big reasons I went to home ones was the appalling radio commentary winding me up so much I felt it better go than put myself through that. I agonised over a pass but have got one again and I class myself as a relatively hardened fan.

The plight of pro-RL in Hull is looking pretty desperate at the moment and it is almost falling into terminal decline, this city needs a major boost of 2 teams at least challenging because if both teams have a poor year this time the combined attendance could fall below FC’s 2010 average.