What Hull FC must do this week to stop the club going irreversibly toxic

Described by some fans as the worst day in the club’s history, Hull FC fell to a ninth consecutive defeat on Sunday afternoon losing 34-18 against previously-winless London Broncos.

The result leaves the Black & Whites joint bottom of the Super League table with just one win and two points from 11 games.

Hull also have an astonishing points difference of -264, leaving owner Adam Pearson and new Director of Rugby Richie Myler with a big decision to make.

It’s a decision they probably should have made weeks ago, with the club now seemingly dragging their feet in the search of a new head coach.

Hull FC must appoint a new head coach immediately

The words from Myler in his press conference earlier this week suggested that FC were planning on keeping interim coach Simon Grix in charge until the end of the season.

“Grixy (Simon Grix) is in the pole position for it in the sense that he is doing the job day to day and the boys are responding really well to him,” Myler said in the week.

However, things have changed following the humiliation in London. Few could have seen such a poor display coming after the improved performances against Leeds and Warrington. This is not just a setback, it’s another crossroads for the Airlie Birds.

During the week, Myler went on to state following: “Performances have improved after several 50-point defeats. In the last few weeks, you can see they have responded well to him.

“Ultimately, the question will be, is any coach going to add to what we’ve got, is anybody going to give us that little bit extra that we need?

“If that person is out there, then we might go down that route. However, at this current moment in time, we’ve had numerous conversations with numerous coaches, including Simon (Grix) himself.”

Despite these words from Myler, the fact that they tried and failed to land Paul Rowley from Salford shows FC’s intent to try to find their next head coach sooner rather than later.

The time afforded by IMG and no relegation this season has almost been lost following today’s defeat. The loyal Old Faithful have had enough.

The board at the MKM Stadium must politely tell Grix and Cummins to step aside and start a serious, well-structured hunt for a new head coach with immediate effect to stop things getting worse.

The fans have now seemingly turned toxic against the entire club, but what is the club without the supporters? The answer is nothing.

Pearson and Myler must act now, get their new coach in place and start progressing. This sleeping giant of a rugby league club simply should not be in this much of a mess.

Hull must take advantage of Challenge Cup break

The next week sees the Challenge Cup semi-finals take place. It means all the teams not participating in them, such as Hull, get a week off from Super League action.

This break in the calendar is perfect for Pearson and Myler to get to work on finding their next head coach.

“There are lots of options, and as a club of Hull FC’s stature, we’ll always have them,” Myler concluded on his chat around the club’s next head coach during the week.

If there are options, Hull need to speak to them. After admitting Paul Rowley is the only coach they have tried to bring in, it has left many scratching their heads.

That head-scratching has become a little more regular over recent days, with Hull bringing in players for next season, such as John Asiata from Leigh, without knowing who their head coach is going to be.

Momentum is everything in sport and time is a precious commodity. The sooner Hull FC appoint their new head coach, the better.

He needs time to sort out the current group, build a stronger culture, create a better team spirit and then decide what he wants the squad to look like in terms of personnel.

To many, it seems like FC are doing things the wrong way round. The focus is on signing players instead of appointing a new head coach.

Build from the top, get a new coach and start building a new DNA at the club. The more time someone has to do that, the better.

Hull won’t be relegated this season, but their chances of achieving anything next season could depend on what happens over this next week.

The hard facts are that Simon Grix has had three games in charge, he has lost all three, with the latest one of the worst defeats in the club’s history against a team tipped not to win a game all season.

Adam Pearson, Richie Myler; make the change now before you lose the one good thing that remains – the club’s loyal fans.