Director of Rugby Richie Myler pens his matchday welcome, sent exclusively to 2024 members ahead of this afternoon's game against Leeds Rhinos. Good afternoon and welcome to the MKM Stadium as we play host to one of my former clubs, Leeds Rhinos, in Round 9 of the Betfred Super League.
We’re only about a quarter of the way through the season, but I can appreciate these last two months will have felt like a lifetime for Hull FC supporters, who haven’t had much to celebrate at all. I can honestly say that I have the bit firmly between my teeth as I take on this new role at the club and I will do everything in my power to try and turn things around here.
Firstly, the welcome from everyone at the club was really warming. Obviously, it was a crazy few days, what with all the fanfare and press coverage. But the welcome everyone across the club gave me helped me settle into the role in double-quick time.
It goes without saying that it’s a huge challenge. But all throughout my career, I have relished the opportunity to take a challenge head on and I have always wanted to be able to prove people wrong. And that’s absolutely no different in this role.
Make no mistake, despite being fresh into the role, the pleasantries are out of the way and it’s straight down to business. I’ve already had some honest conversations with people, which I think is a good thing for us moving forward. The work continues in our search for a new Head Coach, with a handful of candidates in the frame. That includes our current Interim Head Coach, Simon Grix, who we will continue to assess every week.
Not only do we continue toiling in our search for a Head Coach, but we are also scouring the market for players to bolster our squad. Ultimately, we only want to bring players to the club who will improve our current roster. We are not going to hit the panic button and sign the next available player who appears on the market. That’s not how we operate. There will be a thorough process in our recruitment strategy so that we are making better decisions on players who join the club, and hopefully we will be able to bear the fruits of our labours in the near future regarding some fresh faces in the playing squad.
Another one of my primary targets in the role of Director of Rugby is to really deliver a much stronger harmony between the club and the fans. Sadly, that connection appears to have burned out over the last few years. That has been severely hampered by performance and some very disappointing results. The way I plan to rekindle that connection is to work with our Head Coach and create an identity of how we play. I want people to watch Hull FC and know what the Hull FC style of play looks like. And I want people to be proud of their team again. We’ve got to be stronger. We’ve got to be more resilient. As I say, that’s a challenge I am really looking forward to getting my teeth into.
I will finish by mentioning how encouraged I am by some of the young talents at the club. That is an area of the club the supporters can be really proud of. Not only will I be working with our first-team squad, but I will also be in constant dialogue with our Head of Youth, Pete Riding, and the rest of our Academy set-up, devising a plan for how we can best utilise our young stars moving forward.
The key for me in that regard is not to over-expose them to the elements of heavy defeats. That can be incredibly damaging for a young player’s confidence. Of course, it’s difficult when you’re in a situation with several key members of the first-team squad on the sidelines through injury and suspension. But we look to protect our young players first and foremost, and that’s something I will be working hard on with the coaching team.
Once again, thank you for all of your messages of well-wishing. Enjoy this afternoon’s game and thank you for your support.
Richie
