Completely agree.

Also, if as Pearson says, academy players will get a higher level of coaching, well, from who? Let's be realistic, the new academy will be made up with current academy coaches from either club.

The blockage is at first team level. We're seeing it with a number of our current squad in their early twenties who made their debut under Gentle's tenure, but haven't kicked on yet (or left). How is this going to change?

Agreed. Green and Bowden are prime examples. Not bad players, but how much have they actually progressed since becoming first-teamers? They have both been in and around the first team since 2012, but have they really established themselves as good quality SL players? I don't think they have, as evidenced by our noticeable drop when they interchange for Paea and Watts.

.... maybe Bowden and Green are now as good as they'll ever be?
There's no guarantee that coaching will turn an average player into a good player, whatever the sport.

That is a possibility. I was using them as an example of a pattern rather than focussing on them individually, however. They are indicative of the rule, not exceptions IMO. As said, the problem seems to be that player development seems to stall not long after hitting the first team. That suggests one of 2 things; either you’re right and the players we have get to be as good as they’re ever going to by around 20-22, or they are not reaching their potential.

The former would mean our coaches do a pretty amazing job getting players to their absolute peak so quickly, going against the grain of it taking other teams/coaches/players years of continual improvement. It would also suggest that we are pretty unlucky with our choices of young players repeatedly looking the business up to academy level but hitting their ceiling almost immediately after with few exceptions. The latter would mean that something is going wrong somewhere.

So what happened at the meeting?

Probably postponed from lack of interest.

Some idiot who wanted to be 'in the know' broke the news on twitter forcing both clubs into a hurried and unplanned announcement.

The intention was to reveal a detailed and concise proposal however, as with most things in RL, someone could not keep their gob shut and the clubs were forced to act.

Can only be down to coaching at senior level?

Or they simply are and never will be good enough. I have my suspicions it's the former.

Mr Monkey lover said,

Quote:"Some idiot who wanted to be 'in the know' broke the news on twitter forcing both clubs into a hurried and unplanned announcement.

The intention was to reveal a detailed and concise proposal however, as with most things in RL, someone could not keep their gob shut and the clubs were forced to act

"

Aah!! a new poster what a surprise not seen you on here before...welcome!

So you think someone blew the whistle did they, well perhaps its a good idea they did!! For many of us there is too much going on behind the fans backs these days, we are the stakeholders in all of this, the pay masters and the customers, everyone is entitled to an opinion informed or not, just as obviously you are! To announce it however the day after Wakefield (one of the worst performance I have seen for a few seasons) was marketing suicide and to think that it would be taken as good news short sighted to say the least.

If you think that 'a detailed and concise proposal' for this wonderful new dawn (one that whatever the 'detailed proposal' will see the first ever merger between the two Clubs in 150 years, which according to many Rovers fans 'in the know' has another agenda altogether) will ever be taken as a fine idea by the hundreds of fans who have been around Hull FC through thick and thin for decades and decades , then you should think again! They might just put up with it, (because they love Hull FC), but in a lot of cases for many of us it could well be a deal breaker.

Perhaps its a good idea that its out in the open. I should just let it unfold gently if I were the Clubs, vast swathes of us in the fan base are struggling with the idea already and with the way the team is going in the league at present, to force the issue on us by telling us its for our own good, could see Season ticket 'Armageddon'.

The fans who have issues with it will decide whether they can stomach a merger or not and do what they feel fit thereafter, but if anyone thinks this will increase season ticket sales next season and that the fans will come streaming back whoever we sign, then they should I believe, think again! In any case we are far from guaranteed that we will survive this season and we have to survive the rigours of the new league system first!

There is a difference between two clubs plotting to have the fans over and two clubs who were deep into negotiations onto the pros and cons of something which has now had to be rushed into thanks to someone who cant keep their mouth closed.

The club's had no intention of making an announcement after the Wakey game or any time soon because things are still being sorted out, it was forced upon them by the person who decided to start the rumour on social media. Had the denied this to plan it properly and then done it at a later date you would be suggesting they were liars. They cant win.

Take off your Black and White or Red and White specs for five minutes and think about it. Think about what people are saying. I have heard people commenting about Rovers stealing all of Hull's best kids. People suggesting this is Hudge's way of getting better facilities. People worrying about the poor kids who will now have to stay playing for Dockers on a Sunday because there are only half the amount of places available.

The fact is Rovers and Hull have academies that are full of kids that are not good enough. No where near good enough. They should still be playing for their Club side on a Sunday. By streamlining this into one venture, one set of players, one set of coaches, the biggest thing to benefit is the Hull Amateur league which will be 20 players a year better off and perhaps less likely to see teams folding left right and centre as they are now at the age of 14+.

No secrets are being shared other than youth development and in the long run that will benefit both first teams.

It might be a tough pill to swallow but if people waited and let things be explained to them properly when the time is right the whole situation might just be a little bit less of a big deal than people are making out.

If you think Hudgell or Pearson have any intention of merging the first teams, financially motivated or otherwise, then you are not as smart as I thought you were having read your articles for a long time.