Off Topic Well done Hull FC

I've asked a few who see nothing odd in singing "Marching on together" on a Saturday and singing "we all hate Leeds on a Sunday".

 

You forgot Scum

 

Always begs the question "Who are you supporting in the cricket? Do you support the US in the Olympics?" etc

 

I was reading an article about Boston USA and their sports teams recently ..
They are fiercely supportive of the 4 teams that play in the area and when they win a title parade it at the different grounds .
Could never imagine that happening here .!

 

I remember when I worked in Leeds they had a joint procession through the city ending with both teams waving from the town hall in 1968 when Leeds RLFC won the Challenge Cup and TWS won the Fairs Cup. Couldn't see someting similar happening in Hull.

 

To be fair, I'm just relieved I got away with the misplaced quote marks.

 

I've worked with some who spend all week going on about Wessies this, Wessies that, ****ing Wessies...Then travel 70 miles and spend a load of money to sit amongst thousands of them. Nowt as strange as folk...

 

I don't understand how HKR fans can sing "We all hate Hull". You are Hull, ya silly bastards..

 

Come on Kemps, do keep up - they're not Hull, the same as we're not; they're KR or Rervers ....... they know what they mean mate, leave em to it, we'll never fully understand

 

Nope no chance !

 

Top post Richard. My thoughts exactly. I too use to go to the boulevard when they played on a Saturday and City were away ( I was about 12) and loads of kids of a similar age supported all of Hull's 'Big Three'
The animosity started during the early 80's when City were at their worst and RL in Hull was at it's height, thankfully it didn't last long. FC rebranded themselves as 'Hull's Premier Club' and even tried to poach the few sponsors that City had, I know because I was one of them.
The fans, especially FC, developed the superior attitude which you speak of and the local media started pushing this 'Hull a rugby town' nonsense.
I don't think football and rugby league will ever sit comfortably together in a small city like Hull simply because we are all after the same support/sponsors/media attention as each other.
I've always thought that I'd prefer another football club in the city as rivals instead of either of the RL clubs ( although I don't see HKR in the same light funny enough) because at least it would be a level playing field to compete on and with.

 

Agree with much of what Richard G posted, and Phil's story about the "Premier Club" boast / claim is one I have heard several times in the past. It's quite humorous when you remember that just a couple of years earlier, Boulevard tenants Hull Vikings speedway were attracting more headlines (& supporters?) than their rugby league landlords. FC certainly weren't Hull's "Premier Club" then.

There were also tales of trouble at Boothferry Park between City and FC fans when the latter were invited as part of a Wembley send-off? What I do know is that even out in the sticks, rugby fans - and particularly Hull FC fans - adopted a really superior attitude that stuck in your throat as a City supporter. "We all agree... football is better than rugby" was often belted out by those of us rattling around the Kempton during those days when City struggled to compete with their oval ball neighbours' success, if only as a shout of defiance. And news of defeats for the RL clubs were often greeted with the biggest cheer of the day.

As for Phil's point about not seeing Rovers in the same light, rightly or wrongly I always considered Rovers fans to be less antagonistic and/or patronising to City supporters during Rovers' "glory years". Perhaps because of Rovers' location, there wasn't the close rivalry that existed in the west of the city?

Finally, as somebody with an affinity to my local football club and Hull KR, I too am bemused by the fact that some people see no contradiction between supporting their local RL club but not their local football team. And as others have said, I couldn't really see that happening in Leeds.

 

For a brief period Vikings attracted more than FC, Rovers and City combined.

 

The viewing figures, whilst very good for a small sport with limited geographical presence are not large enough to use as leverage when negotiating the new TV deal with SKY.

Football and F1 are king at SKY, all other sports feed off scraps and ultimately their TV deal is determined by who's in charge and how desperate the sport is for money. Unfortunately for RL the person who has championed the sport at SKY since the inception of Super League has now moved on and the sport itself is desperate for money, SKY can basically pay what they want and they have little choice but to accept it, the new TV will almost certainly be lower than the last one.

 

When was that ?

 

Some time in the 1970s. FC and Rovers were only getting about2,000 each, City getting low crowds and Vikings getting about 12,000. As I say it was only a brief period. About 1974ish I would think.

 

City's home crowds were up and down in 73/74, old second division, todays Championship level. 17,400 for the visit of Sunderland ( 2-0 City) 15,200 v Boro, (1-3), the rest around the 8,000 mark going down to the lowest of 5,348 v Swindon.
In 74/75 we kicked off with 8,700 v Villa, and dipped to 5,436 v Norwich three weeks later. 15,000 plus when Sunderland came visiting again and then 23,297 for the visit of Manchester United, the previous home game only attracting 7,571 v Fulham. No-one blaming the Allams for staying away in those days either.
We hovered between 5,6 and 7,000 for the rest of the season.
We also finished in 8th position so all in all in was a decent season too.
I can never remember the speedway getting regular crowds of over 10,000 which they will have had to attract to beat FC, City and Rovers combined crowds at that time.

 

Went to speedway when I lived in Hull with over 10,000 there. Worked in an office with a speedway fans who pointed out times when speedway's crowd was as more than City, Rovers and FC combined. It wasn't every week but it did happen.

 

Why do you think if failed then ?
I remember once 'working' there with Richard Tingle, mid week ? and being stood in the middle of the pitch with the bikes haring round the track. Personally I didn't see what the attraction was. But I do remember they attracted a couple of big name riders and some dispute with the rugby club and a continuing battle with the residents about the noise ?