OPINION: Radford deserved more respect

Like most people who watched Sky Sports coverage of last night’s match, I was surprised to see Adam Pearson do the post-match interview.

As soon as the camera went onto him, I knew what had happened. Lee Radford had been relieved of his duties as Head Coach of Hull FC.

It is not like anything I had ever seen before. I had never seen a coach sacked on the spot after a defeat, especially in rugby league.

In that moment, it really did just feel like a knee-jerk reaction to a heavy defeat. They had just lost 38-4 at home to Warrington Wolves, their fourth defeat in five matches.

However, if you look at the bigger picture, something had to be done. Hull had spent a lot of money, and if anything, the club was going backwards.

Rewind to 2017, the club had just lifted the Challenge Cup at Wembley, their second in two years. They had backed it up with a respectable third place in the Super League.

But since then, they had an eighth placed finish in 2018 followed by a sixth placed finish in 2019. Their hold on the Challenge Cup also weakened after exits in the Quarter Finals and Semi-Finals respectively.

Usually when a team is starting to go backwards, it is because a change is needed.

I don’t disagree with the decision, but I do believe this could have been handled a lot better by the club.

This is a man who delivered the first silverware seen at Hull since 2005, and delivered their best league position since 2006.

I just feel he deserved to go out with a bit more dignity, than literally being sacked after the full-time hooter.

Whoever takes on the role next, it will be diffcult to replicate the passion Radford was able to bring to the job.

For seven years, he went through every moment with the club. From the highs of Wembley, to the lows of battling in the Middle 8s.