Richie Myler has moved to set the record straight following a turbulent couple of weeks at Hull FC
Hull FC Chief Executive Richie Myler.(Image: Hull FC)
Hull FC CEO Richie Myler has spoken for the first time since the decision was made to replace John Cartwright with Steve McNamara as head coach at the end of the Super League season.
That decision was made public two weeks ago, with the Black and Whites releasing a statement to confirm that Cartwright would be leaving the club in the coming months. And, shortly after that news emerged, Hull Live broke the news that McNamara was in the frame to be Cartwright’s replacement.
What followed was a messy week of social media rumours and hearsay before Cartwright held an explosive, no holds barred press conference last week in the build up to the Black and Whites’ Super League clash with St Helens.
Ultimately, that would prove to be the Australian’s last game in charge of the club, with his exit and the 2027 appointment of McNamara being announced the day after that game.
And, in a bid to set the record straight on a number of issues, Myler has now spoken at length about the last couple of weeks and the thinking behind some of the decisions made.
“I want to stress, this isn’t a reaction to something that John has done or hasn’t done,” the CEO said in an interview posted on the club’s channels. “John has been a great appointment for us.
“He came into the club when the club was, let’s be honest, a mess. It was close to going bankrupt and if it hadn’t had Andrew and David step in, there may not have been a Hull FC.
“John has come in and galvanised the group, galvanised the fanbase, you can see that, the team are putting a proud performance in. But it’s OK to want a bit more. Ultimately, that’s what the board has reviewed over a period of time and the opportunity that arose in securing another coach that we thought could take us to the next level, we just didn’t want to miss.
“Our intention was just to secure a really good coach for the future of Hull FC for the next four years, but with a clear understanding that John was doing a good job for us and we wanted him to see the season out.
“It was a progressive move that we thought was the right play for Hull FC. It’s not something John has or hasn’t done, it’s just a case that we feel the club has progressed quicker than we ever thought it would.
“The club has got ambition and ultimately the club has got ambitious owners that don’t want to underachieve, they want to win and be a success and give the city of Hull a really successful team. That’s why this decision was made.”
Andy Last will be the man at the helm for the rest of the season then before McNamara takes over in the build up to the start of pre-season.
On the appointment of the Hull born coach and the timing of it, Myler added: “It all happened very quickly.
“I’ve known Steve for a long time and I worked with Steve when I was a player for England and he came into Catalans when I was leaving to go to Leeds. I know Steve as a coach, I know his strengths and I know what he can do to an organisation, I witnessed it at Catalans.
“For me and us as a board, constantly evaluating our environment, how can we be better? What are we lacking? What are we not quite there with?
“There’s a lot of qualities that Steve has got that would be perfect for this group. The speed in which it happened was all down to circumstance.
“If you look at the market of English coaches at the minute, Huddersfield just let Luke Robinson go, you’ve got the situation with Brad Arthur at Leeds and then the big and obvious one is Willie Peters leaving Hull KR. In my head I’m thinking we need a bit more and I know there’s a guy who’s in an assistant role at Warrington, I didn’t want to miss an opportunity.
“Let’s fast forward 12 months and Steve McNamara is the head coach of Hull KR and I had an opportunity I didn’t take, I think we’d be having a different conversation because I think our fanbase would be extremely annoyed.”