273 The Dentists Diary
It’s been a busy week for ‘Yours Truly’, so perhaps it’s a good
job that it was a quiet one for any news coming out of the Club.
The advent of Peter Gentle and his subsequent arrival last
Friday and the start of pre season training this Thursday,
should at least guarantee that we all have something to ‘chew
over’ next week, but in the mean time, I’ve scratched about a
bit to see what’s new. Of course today’s live Q&A with Peter
and the broadcasting of his first Press Conference, is certainly
an exciting prospect and I’ll be tuning in for that one.
In the mean time, the Internationals are of course a welcome if
not predictable distraction and I got my tickets for this
weekend’s game last Tuesday, when it looked as if it was
selling well. It will just be nice to get down to the KC and watch
a game. We’re down in ‘Chav Corner’ for the match and I’m
looking forward to it, as it’s do or die for England, I think it will
be a great game myself because despite what many said, I
thought we had a go at Wembley and with a fair wind we might
just roll the Kiwi’s. It will at the very least be good to welcome
Stephen Kearney back to the KC; great man and great
memories.
After a ‘deathly’ quiet week on the local scene, in this week’s
Diary I will look at our new Coaches upcoming Press
Conference that is ‘Live and Dangerous’, and what Aussie
Coach Tim Sheens had to say about Peter Gentle and Royce
Simmons this week. There’s Mark Fewings talking some sense
before having a relapse, an update on book sales and Steve
McNamara seeking guidance from the ‘Drunken Boys’. Plus
there’s a pals views on Mr Agar’s youth policy, and a lady who
wants me to write more quickly, Vera’s Campbell’s Funeral,
what next for Millennium Magic, a few more Whiffs and in
Codgers Corner, a villain who was once a hero and one of the
best 40 minutes of Rugby, and one of the best ‘hat tricks’, I
have ever seen.
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So, James Clarke has pulled another ‘Rabbit out of the hat’ and
promised us a first as far as British Rugby League is
concerned, with a live Q&A session at 1-00pm today, followed
by the first ever broadcasting live in this country of a ‘New
Coaches’ Press Conference. Both will be on the Club’s web
site. It’s certainly an exciting proposal and one that is I guess
fraught with possible technical problems, however I applaud
this initiative as another display of the new regimes open
information policy. It is quickly becoming apparent that it is
Adam Pearson’s policy that when there is anything to tell us,
they’ll do it as quickly as they can and to as many people as
possible. The point of answering the fans questions before
those of the Press animates that completely. What’s next? Well
if this technology works, what about a return of a live Airlie
Night type show every week on FC TV to showcase the next
weekends game? The fans would like that!
Australian and West Tigers boss Tim Sheens had a lot to say
about a few things this week, including British referees, but
what was much more interesting than all that, was what he had
to say about our new coach Peter Gentle. Gentle has been
understudy to Sheens for some time now and if anyone should
know our new Coach it’s him. He said, “Peter is a very
intelligent Coach and he will do a great job at Hull FC, I always
appoint Assistants who I think can replace me, I don’t do it the
other way round, like some Coaches”. He continued, “You
don’t hire people to say “Yes Sir, No Sir”. Sheens of course had
Royce Simmons as his Assistant at one time and the
comparison he made between the two Coaches was interesting
when he said, “Peter and Royce both have their own ideas,
Peter will play an exciting brand of open attacking rugby, whilst
Royce is very much a defence orientated Coach”
It was also interesting to see that Sheens gave Gentle
permission to start talking to Clubs mid season, and that he did
have discussions with Rovers, Castleford and Salford before
‘Bomber’ stepped in and he signed for Hull. I hope that the
current Australian Coach is right and we go back to an
attacking brand of rugby like the exciting style we enjoyed when
McRae was last at Hull FC. For me, those days were just so
exciting and as I always say, we didn’t always win, but you
knew whoever you were playing, you had a chance of winning!
In addition to that when we went behind to a ‘Big’ Club you
always felt there was at least a chance that we could get back
at them. I didn’t feel that was the case over the last two
seasons, when I like many others turned up hoping we could
win, but was soon just hoping that we could ‘Keep the score
down’.
If you have read this stuff for any length of time you’ll know that
I don’t ever condone what Mark Fewings does in his column
‘Fire off at Fewings’ and he certainly talks a load of tripe most
of the time, but what was interesting last Wednesday was that
he had received four letters about the possible sale of the KC
and everyone was against it taking place. As you know I
condone completely the Council’s stance on this and it looks
like a lot of other folks do too. I am concerned, as were two of
those contributors to ‘Fire Off...’ about borrowing money against
the KC. It seems that a lot of the community feel that to give the
Stadium away is a bad idea and believe it or not, Fewey
agreed, and I suddenly thought that perhaps he is mellowing a
bit; perhaps there is a flicker of sense there after all. Then I
knew this rare flash of wisdom was nothing more than a
temporary blip, as he went on to talk about what a good idea it
would be for Mr Allam to build a new Super Stadium at Caravan
Park for Rovers and City to play in!! “Nurse, bring the screens
back for Mr Fewings!!!!!”
It was interesting if not predictable to see the York Press
announcing on Saturday that we will be playing a pre-season
Friendly against the Huntingdon Stadium team, on Saturday
21st January at 6-00pm. It was something that was agreed
months ago as part of the deal to bring young winger Linemen
to the club last season. That will certainly be a cold night, and
of course it will only feature the second string and reserve
players being on the eve of the Hull v Rovers, ‘Loadsamoney
Challenge!’ I will probably be so starved of rugby by then that I
expect I’ll be at York in the ‘old tin shed’ stand and will no doubt
be joined by many others!
I was looking around the stock in the Club shop on Saturday
and there are signs that, in addition to the new shirts, (for which
they took over 500 orders in the first 5 days), the Christmas
stock is starting to arrive. There was a full range of Golf
accessories, some nice new shoulder bags and a new supply
of the ‘camper van’ T shirt I liked. I also noticed a new T shirt
featuring some rather topical meerkats, which was popular with
the folks who were in the shop when I was there. There is no
doubt that we have a great range of presents in there, and one
that is expanding all the time and it will be interesting to see
how well they go this year.
I am indebted to my old pal and FC fanatic from Lancashire,
Mike Jacklin, for the following nugget of ‘Agarist’ wisdom! Mike
wrote, “Hi Wilf, I noted in League Express last week that Kyle
Woods has signed for Wakefield saying, "Rich (Agar) seems to
give young lads a try, gets them out on the field and gives them
an opportunity ....". Is this the same Richard Agar that coached
Hull FC for the past few seasons? Personally I think Kyle Wood
must have had too many knocks around the head”. Brilliant
stuff and thanks Mike. I am also greatly indebted to the Lady
who showed so much faith in my writing ability last Tuesday.
She arrived at the Hull FC Shop when I was there, clasping her
£12-50 and eager to buy her copy of ‘Roamin’ the Range
Together’. However I quickly sank back into a rack of those
new T shirts when I heard her enquire of the Assistant, “Oh, it’s
only Part One, will Part Two be out by Christmas?”
I watched England on Saturday and my first concern was the
wide open spaces on the terracing and the empty upper tier.
The RL did their best, I am sure, to fill the place, but let’s face it
that was never going to happen. However it looks so bad to
casual observers and fans of other sports. We needed the
place to be full, however it was done and so why didn’t they
stuff it with school kids and possible ‘converts’ from the South
of England. To me it’s a no brainer! As for the game itself I
thought that the first half display by the English was good and
although the momentum switched to the visitors half way
through, we managed to wrestle it back brilliantly just when it
mattered, just before half time. After that there was lots of
passion some great rugby, but the better the rugby the bigger
the mistakes. It amused me a bit when all the pundits on both
TV channels said that try by Briscoe, that was disallowed, did
not make that much difference, when of course the question of
momentum had been totally over looked. Why do I say that?
Well, how many times have we been sat at the KC 6 or 8 points
behind and the FC have bombed a try or seen one disallowed
in dubious circumstances, only for the opposition to march
down the field and score, taking the game completely away
from us. I don’t say had that try been allowed that we would
have won, but it would have given us a better chance of
wrestling the initiative and the momentum back, and then who
knows.
As for Tom and Yeamo well, neither got many running chances,
and I think that Yeamo’s frustration got the better of him as he
dropped a couple of balls (although one was a good off load
that Chase didn’t read). So what of Tom, well did anyone else
watch the game and imagine the Owners and Coaches over in
Australia rubbing their hands and laying their plans to try and
entice him to the NRL; even in a difficult game where he found
it difficult to settle, he still looked a class act. Whilst on players I
know that Ben Westwood is a prodigious talent and the sort of
‘awkward handful’ type of player that anyone would like in their
second row, but he has to cut the petulant penalties out, they
just kill you. As for the referee, well I thought that Tim Sheens
had got at him with his comments last weekend, and he was
running scared. He was poor and I was therefore really
impressed with Steve McNamara for having a go at that
intervention (and the subsequent effect he believed it had on
the referee) by Sheens, on the ‘Red Button’ piece on the BBC
after the game. Still I’m certainly looking forward to getting back
to the KC on Saturday, and sitting in the “Who Are Ya” seats in
Chav Corner.
Although I felt that he conducted himself well on Saturday, I
was a bit disturbed last weekend when I read that Steve
McNamara intended to take advice from Martin Johnson the
English Rugby Onion Coach. Does that mean we might see our
lad’s bungee jumping, Dwarf throwing and boozing before a
game? Whilst we are on unbelievable statements, I was also
amazed to hear Phil Clarke say at the Australia v New Zealand
game last week, that he thought that the ‘Haka’ had taken too
much out of the Kiwi’s emotionally, to give them any chance of
winning. What a load of guff that was Clarkey!!!
In Wilf’s Whiffs this week, a story about a rumble going on at
the Xscape complex the other weekend after the England
Knights game, refuses to go away. It insinuates that a Hull FC
player and a Castleford player were allegedly involved and that
it saw the Police called, although no one as yet has been
charged! Is there any truth in the rumour circulating late last
week in Lancashire that following the shock resignation of St
Helens Chief Executive Tony Colquett, a tentative approach
was made to see what James Rule was doing!
I also keep hearing that the ‘Millenium Magic’ ‘extravaganza’ is
to be staged on ‘Mayday Bank Holiday’ this year, a rumour that
seems to be all but true, and about to be confirmed. However
there is still a lot of talk about the venue to be used and many
pundits still seem to think that the event will be staged this year
at the home of Manchester City, The Eastlands Stadium. This
is strange indeed because the RL still have, I believe, at least
one year to run on their original agreement with Cardiff and to
relinquish that would be a surprise. On the plus side for me,
(you all know my thoughts on expecting supporters who already
have a big drain on their finances to go trolling down to Cardiff),
it would be a better time, and a much more accessible venue,
but of course for those who enjoy Cardiff, the change of
location will spoil the principle of a City full of RL supporters all
mixing and mingling together, which is too far from home to
travel backwards and forwards for games. There is a school of
thought that says that if the match is staged in Manchester then
some fans will just attend for their specific Clubs games and
then return home and this because of the closeness of the new
venue.
Then there is the fact that at Eastland, unlike Cardiff, there is
no proliferation of Pubs and Restaurants nearby and so (as
was the case with Edinboro’), there will be no gathering of fans
around the Stadium. I guess we will all have to just wait and
see, but one thing’s for certain and that is the fact that Sky TV
like the ‘Bun Fight’ that is the weekend, so there is little doubt
that it will happen, one way or the other.
I went to Vera Campbell’s funeral last Thursday, and St. Johns
Newington on St George’s Road was packed. It was a fitting
send off for a wonderful lady who was Hull FC through and
through. In attendance there were players old and new too
numerous to mention, as well as many supporters, the family
and lots and lots of her friends. It was interesting to hear that
Thomas Leuluai (who was born back in New Zealand in 1985
just after our great Challenge Cup Final against Wigan) was to
be in attendance, but had to send his apologies because he
was in International Camp. It was Vera and Wally Campbell
that had made his Dad, James Leuluai, and many other players
from the Southern Hemisphere so welcome when they arrived
in Hull by ensuring that they settled into the area. The
enthusiasm she always showed for that task was just typical of
the attitude and passion of Vera and her late husband. It was a
sad day and as she left the Church at which she worshipped,
for the last time, and we all sang ‘Old Faithful’, I mused on the
fact that she will certainly be missed. RIP Vera!
Down our way, the Drum and Monkey has been shut all week
for a bit of ‘tarting up’, after the departure of the last Landlord
that I reported last week. It reopened last Friday, under new
owners, who incidentally have strong family connections to the
current England Coach! I was in there on Saturday night and it
was interesting to hear all the City supporters crying into their
beer after their defeat by West Ham. Many were actually
complaining that the football they were playing was ‘Too
attractive’. They should have had a bit of the disappointment
and frustration we ‘Egg Chasers’ have had over the past three
years to know what being ‘badly done to’ is all about, don’t you
think?
This week in Codgers Corner I want to take you back to 1984
and a game I remember because of a great hat trick scored by
someone who was back then referred to by the Media as a
‘Wizz Kid’. When I, as a totally biased fanatic about all things
Hull FC, stand back a bit from the reality of that situation, I have
to say that the player in question was without doubt one of the
greatest young talents I have seen pull on the Black and White
shirt. However when ‘I stand forward again into the biased
blinkered world of loving Hull FC’ he ain’t one of my heroes!
In reality for me, he will always be tainted with his title of many
years; ‘Judas’. Long before Paul Cooke’s treachery gained him
that dubious title, Garry Schofield was the one ex player that
the FC fans, particularly the Threepenny Stand, loved to hate.
Many are the times I have related in here the throwing of coins
onto the field (thirty pieces of silver) and the baying chants of
‘Judas, Judas’ that greeted Gary as he took the field for Leeds
against the FC at the Boulevard. His departure, which was, it
appeared to the fans, to be fuelled by his desire to earn as
much cash as he could, rubbed us FC fans up the wrong way
big style and was the signal for the ‘Faithful’ to make him
‘Public Enemy Number 1’. Something that I think shone through
in last week’s featured game when we stuffed Leeds (and
Schofield) in 1991.
That game though, got me thinking about Schofield’s former
glories, and this week I want to go back to 1984 and the first
season that he played in the Hull FC first team as first choice
left centre. He made his debut on 23rd August 1983, going on to
score an amazing 107 tries in 116 appearances for the Club, as
well as kicking almost 200 goals.
This week’s game took place later in that his first season at the
Club, on 5th March 1984. The opposition was Widnes who
stood second in the table with 30 points, whilst we were 4th with
29. It was a time that despite some excellent performances,
attendances were on the wane and a gate of just 10,836 turned
up to witness what was in essence a table topping clash. Those
dropping gates is a subject that I will look at in detail in my next
book, because it was an interesting phenomena that formed a
water shed for the Club and one that was to eventually almost
bring it to its knees. However for now we’ll just say that the
‘casual’ fans were probably a little ‘drunk’ with success!
The previous week we had seen our hopes of a third
successive visit to Wembley dashed in a defeat at St Helens so
as fans we were all looking for the team to bounce back to form
and we were certainly not disappointed. It all started badly
though as after just two minutes Andy Dannett hit Elwell with a
really high tackle and from the resultant penalty Burke gave the
visitors the lead. It didn’t last long though, as Schofield
experienced ‘a purple patch’ the likes of which I have probably
never seen since.
Firstly on 11 minutes Gary Divorty broke the line and went on a
mazy run beating three would be tacklers before putting
Schofield through a gap. Gary blazed down field with the
chasing pack getting further and further behind, to score wide
out but he missed the conversion to leave the score at 4-2. Ten
minutes later Norton, Topliss, Leuluai and Ah Kuoi combined in
a mesmerising move that saw the ball end up with Divorty who
came galloping into the line from deep. He flung out a superb
looping pass that Schofield ran and caught, to score his second
try, which again he failed to convert. Next up, a neat bit of
footwork by ‘Knocker’ Norton saw him ghost into a gap to link
with Dave Topliss and Edmonds charged through a ruck of
Widnes players, shrugging off the tackle of Andy Gregory, to
crash in again, wide out. By this point we were all mesmerised
by the standard of rugby we were watching and it seemed to
have the same effect on the Widnes defence as both Lydon
and Hughes were penalised for ridiculously high tackles.
The next try was probably the best of the game and covered
fully 70 yards. Swift passing across the line saw O’Hara put
Leuluai into a gap and he burst forward to race clear. As he fell
to a tackle by O’Laughlin, he spotted Schofield on his shoulder
and from half way the youngster outpaced Basnett and Burke
to scorch in for his ‘hat trick of tries’ all in the space of 24
minutes. The crowd went mad but then on the 40th minute, just
as referee Robinson was about to call an end to the half,
Norton again drove forward slipped what seemed like an
impossible pass out of the tackle to Dannett, who ploughed
over the line with Burke, Wood and Adams on his back. Had we
kicked the goals we would have had 30 points on the Board,
but as it was we went in leading 20-2, in a half the likes of
which we were to have to wait a long time to see again.
At least Gary Schofield found his kicking boots after the break,
(as the absence of Crooks through injury, meant that we
persisted with him, despite his apparent lack of form with the
boot), and he slotted over two penalties to stretch our lead. He
then improved a good try by Fred Ah Kuoi on 66 minutes but in
essence the game was won in that first half and although both
Myler and Basnett scored late on for the visitors, the score line
of 30-12 flattered the Cheshire team, and after celebrations
akin to winning a Cup Final, we all left for home believing that
we had seen one of the best halves of rugby the famous old
ground had produced. Schofield was a real emerging star back
then and scored an amazing 37 tries and 57 goals in that his
first season. Of course all that adulation for the young starlet
was to change, but on that afternoon, and for the time being at
least, he was a hero!
So with a quiet week it’s probably the shortest Diary we have
seen for ages, but there is simply no point in writing stuff for the
sake of it and as always I just reflect the thoughts that come
into the mind of this average fan, during the week gone by.
Perhaps we should imagine the conversation between Peter
Gentle and a ‘Friend’ back home, after our new coach arrived in
Hull. It might have gone something like this, “Well mate, they
must be pleased that I’ve arrived, there’s fireworks going off
everywhere!!”
It was great yesterday to meet Ian, a regular reader of the Diary
who popped round to Rosenberg Towers to enquire about the
book. Ian travelled for some time in Vietnam and kept up to
date, by reading the Diary whenever he got anywhere near a
computer. We had a great chat about old times and of course
everyone has a story. Ian had several great ones, but none
better than the fact that his wife actually worked with Adam
Pearson when he was a management trainee at Marks and
Spencers! Great story that, and great to meet Ian too.
Thanks so much for all you correspondence and whilst we are
on the subject, thanks also to those of you who have already
bought the book. It was a scary old day last Tuesday when
Roamin’ went on sale and when I found out that we had sold
over 120 in the first three days, I was flabbergasted. Everyone
has been so kind. I guess the mixture of local history and pure
unadulterated Hull FC might not be everyone’s cup of tea, but I
hope that those of you who have got a copy do at least find
something of interest or to jog a few memories in there. I
honestly expected to sell a few dozen whilst now it looks as if I
might not have bought enough! The way things are going I
might even break even one day! That said, I hope you were not
disappointed if you did buy it, and with the second part now
three quarters written you might just have to survive another
dollop of it, (1980-2005) next year at this time.
So, it should be an interesting week ahead at the Club, let’s see
what Mr Gentle has to say, and of course the Diary will as
always be back next week, with my analytically biased slant on
it all!
In the meantime,
Thanks again for all Your Support. Keep Believing!!!
Faithfully Yours
Wilf.