New Hull FC director of rugby will appoint next coach, Adam Pearson says, as he reveals timeframe for appointment

Hull FC owner Adam Pearson has revealed that the club’s soon-to-be appointed director of rugby will appoint Tony Smith’s successor – and insists the process will be sewn up relatively quickly.

Pearson was speaking on Radio Humberside in the wake of Smith’s dismissal on Thursday – with fresh reports since then from Hull Live suggesting that a new director of rugby will head up rugby matters at the MKM Stadium as part of a wider restructure at the struggling Super League club.

Pearson infamously declared that Smith would be his last coaching appointment – and he reiterated that stance on Friday evening, insisting that responsibility now falls on the newly-created role at Hull.

“That appointment process has started now,” he said.

“We have a director of rugby starting next week, he’s working on that process now. I will rubber-stamp it but it will be his job to find the next coach.

“I’m not going to get into conjecture and guessing games, there’s a director of rugby starting next week and he’s sifting through the process now. He’s working behind the scenes to identify the next coach and some interim players for this year.”

When asked about the identity of the new director of rugby, Pearson was coy: but insinuated that the individual in question was currently under employment somewhere else.

“I’m almost certain we’ll be in a position next Tuesday to announce his name,” he said.

“We’re going through a professional process and soon as the director of rugby can free himself up from his contract at present, he can emerge.”

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Pearson also discussed the departures of Tex Hoy and Nu Brown – with Brown released on compassionate grounds, but Hoy let go because, in Pearson’s words, he didn’t take the opportunities handed to him on the field.

“They’re different circumstances,” Pearson said. “Tex has been given plenty of chances and I don’t think he fulfilled those chances to Tony, so that was in the pipeline for a couple of weeks, really. I think it was just felt that it wasn’t quite working out, so we’ve taken the opportunity to release both.

The Nu one has come this week, mainly compassionate grounds. His wife’s father is seriously ill, she’s gone back home, he went last week. After much persuasion from her, he’s decided to join her and that’s a big loss. I would say the form of the team has played a part, getting thumped every week, he won’t enjoy that, but it’s predominantly compassionate grounds.”

And when asked about Smith’s departure, Pearson stressed it was a decision that had been weighing on his mind for some time.

“I didn’t just start thinking about it on Monday – it’s been an evolving thought since the start of the season,” he said.

“The manner of the defeats in last four have got worse, they’re not acceptable and unfortunately it’s Tony who has taken the brunt of that. It’s my job to make those decisions and after three days of this week I decided to make that call. I’m not sure three days is that long, it’s been a thought process for a lot longer than that.”

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