Adam Pearson reveals surprising name in contention for Hull FC job

Hull FC have bitten the bullet and removed Tony Smith from his role as head coach after a torrid start to Super League with just one win in seven and the question now turns to who will be next in the hot seat.

It certainly is a hot seat at present with no head coach having true success since Lee Radford who helped the Black and Whites lift back-to-back Challenge Cups but was unceremoniously sacked on live TV after defeat to Warrington back in 2020.

Under Andy Last, Hull FC finished 6th that season but results have continued to dip with 8th, 9th and 10th-placed finishes in the ensuing seasons with FC currently lingering in 11th.

Thus, it was no surprise when Tony Smith was sacked on Thursday which saw Simon Grix and Francis Cummings take temporary charge whilst the search for a new head coach began.

Chairman Adam Pearson spoke to BBC Humberside last night in which he revealed a timescale of when a new head coach could arrive, but he first outlined the criteria that he is looking for.

He said: “Obviously we want somebody who can get more out of this team than we’re so far getting, to create an identity of play and also understand Super League.

“These are the usual criteria we’ve got a very short list of about three that he’s working through and I think we’ll have some positive news very quickly on the head coach.”

Pearson reaffirmed that it would be the new Director of Rugby, whom he claimed he was “certain” would be in place by Tuesday, that will appoint the new head coach.

“We are going through a professional process. As soon as the Director of Rugby can free himself up from his contract at present then he will be able to emerge and he will be able to update everybody as to where we are in the process but it’s not going to be a long time.”

Who will be the next head coach at Hull FC?

Serious About Rugby League has recently compiled a list of possible candidates that Hull FC could hire to replace Tony Smith, however, speaking last night Adam Pearson continually stated that he would not get into “conjecture” or speculation as to who either the new Director of Rugby or which names are on the head coach shortlist, but he did offer a timescale of when an appointment could be made.

In making that point, he also confirmed the name of a possible surprise candidate: “I would have thought the process to name would be relatively a short one. Obviously, if we go overseas, then the transference of that person to this country will take longer, but we have Simon Grix and Francis Cumming in charge of the team, who we’re very confident in.

“If it’s a hire from in the UK then I would expect the appointment to be pretty prompt. If Simon Grix wins the next three matches then obviously he’s in the frame.”

Simon Grix would be a surprise appointment given that Grix only joined the backroom staff at the club ahead of the 2024 season having previously coached Halifax Panthers.

The 38-year-old was successful in his time at The Shay and could well be a future Super League head coach in the making but throwing him into the fire this early would be a bold decision, but should he manage to win Hull FC’s next three incredibly tough fixtures then it’d be hard to argue against him.

Currently, on a four-game losing streak in Super League, FC face trips to St Helens and Warrington as well as a home clash against Leeds Rhinos in their next three.

Defeat in those three games would extend the losing streak to seven, an unwanted feat that the club achieved in 2023 before finally snapping that with a win over Huddersfield Giants.

This season that eighth game comes away to London Broncos, a match that will be highly-anticipated for fans all across Super League.

“Underperforming squad” that has “forgotten how to win” – Adam Pearson’s damning summary

Pearson’s interview was concluded with questioning around the matter of how culpable are the players, after all, it is them who have put in performances that have seen them ship 36 tries in their last four games.

Despite that, it is Tony Smith who has taken the hit, the old adage of it being easier to sack one coach than 20 players perhaps comes to mind and that is something that Pearson alluded to.

He said: “In modern sports now the pressure really is on the head coach, and it also sort of emanates slightly up towards the top for the chairman and owner. But the head coach faces the brunt of all the criticism.

“Now, obviously, the players are culpable, and I think the players would hold their hand up and say their performances this season are not good enough. They appear to me to be lacking in confidence and sometimes that can come across as a lack of desire but I don’t believe that is.”

Specifically on what is lacking at Hull FC currently and why the players are performing as such, Pearson claimed: “We’ve certainly forgotten how to win and that culture obviously needs changing and we have to change that immediately.

“They are not bad lads, they’re good professionals, I think they’re going about themselves in the right way. They want to turn things around. They want to do things now for Simon Grix but the proof is in the pudding.

“I think the squad is underperforming, but I still think that it needs strengthening in a number of areas.”