At the end of the day his perfomances in 2007 contributed fully to Rovers survival and securing of a franchise.
His loss to Hull has been monumental and seen them elbowed into 2nd place in the City in a remarklaby short space of time.
That will be enough in itself for some Rovers supporters im sure.
2008 was hit and miss confounded by his off the field misdomeaners but i thought he was pretty consistant last year and he proved the difference in 2 Derbie wins.
Not only that it blew away the myth that Rovers could not attract big name players to Craven Park as Hull fans always seemed to state on here that nobody would ever leave a supposedly bigger club for us.
Our want to play at a less modern stadium.
His crossing made it easier to sign Briscoe and Wheeldon im sure.
So when the dust settles and people look back even if his contract isnt renewed at the end of next season it will be remembered as the right signing IMO.
He hasnt played as poorly as some Hull FC fans would like to believe.
His role now means he has had to change some aspects of his game and as said he isnt the main go to man.

No matter how some of our monochrome chums dress it up , many are still just bitter that their pivotal player left them and joined Hull Kingston Rovers.

Once these individuals recognise this , they will be able to move on in life.

Talk about deluded. Cooke left Hull FC because he was in the crapper financially due to his court case and Hudgell thought he could get one over hull by paying over the odds salary wise to get him. Wanting to play for the team he supported was just a transparent smokescreen.

Briscoe left Hull partly due to Sharpe wanting Motu Tony as first choice full back and also due to trying to hold out for an international call up to help with his contract which never materialised. He also didn't want to leave Hull.

As for Wheeldon, he hasn't proved a loss to hull, so you're welcome to him.

At the end of another day, he hasn't been a patch on the player he was at Hull. I personally think you would of survived in 2007 without Paul Cooke. The big name players you have signed have all been players that have not had their contracts renewed elsewere ie. Briscoe, wheeldon even Newton! Nobody has deliberately let their contracts run out so they could leave for Rovers as you seem to be implying.
Let's not forget also that Cooke is a player that can win you challenge cup finals and be instrumental in getting a team to a GF. He will probably leave at the end of 2010, and then what for him? He goes to a wakey or cas or even Celtic! When he looks back on his career in 10 years time he will realize that the grass isn't greener on the other side. He could of been a legend at Hull but was blinded by your chairmans clear goal of just getting one over on FC. Yes he was a massive loss for us, but it wasn't "instrumental" in us taking as many backward steps as we have, that has been down to poor recruitment and retention by P. Sharpe. We have now adressed this and will get back on the wagon I'm sure, as for Cooke? Well, maybe rovers should see what he gave up in switching teams and show some loyalty towards him.

Cooke signing for rovers was for one reason and one reason only, money, it had nothing to do with anything else. He engineered it, because Hull wouldn't pay him a salary increase You make it out as if it was a case of him being made available to speak to clubs after the anti tampering deadline, where all the other clubs knew he was available to sign. That wasn't the case at all, and you know it. He had already been allowed to talk to other clubs by Hull before his contract renewal took place and no one was interested on what he was looking for salary wise.

Regarding Wheeldon, and comparing him with Sam Moa, they play 2 different games. Wheeldon is nothing more than a workhorse where Moa is there for impact.

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At the end of the day, any Hull fan who says we haven't missed him is badly wrong. Likewise any Rovers fan who believes he signed for Rovers due to his love of the club is deluded.
The move came down to him wanting more money. Rovers were happy to give it to him. The baggage he brings with him though means he's just not worth it.
He hasn't had the same impact at Rovers because the team wasn't built around him like it was at Hull.
While I don't like the guy as an individual (I didn't think much of his antics whilst he was at Hull), I think it's a crying shame that his undoubted promise will never be fulfilled. The guy could have been a GB regular, but his lifestyle choices have stopped him.
He will end up at Wakey with Kear, and both Hull & Rovers supporters will both be thinking what might have been.