It's a good point and one I must admit I sort of gloss over because he's a nice old man with a friendly smile.



I've heard one or two dodgy rumours over the years about dubious transactions around that time so it would (never going to happen) be very interesting to hear a definitive account.

Sorry I did not mean you was

I meant the idiot who said it not you

Thanks MR i was

Thats ok mate we all make mistakes including me, just ask the wife .

Doubt it was just Colin. Just after the stadium opened I was working with a local councillor (who was on the committee who dealt with the lease of the land) and he was a keen Rovers fan. He said at the time he was suspicious of the 'values' put on the deal and asked a friend who was a commercial land surveyor for his opinion and was told that for where the old CP was and what was built on it, the value used was about 70% of what it should have been for such a commercial venture. He reckoned at the time that if the club had received a true market value, they could have paid off all the debts and built a decent stadium with cash left over (which was the original plan as talked about by the board of the day).



We will never get to the whole truth, but at least we now have the makings of a decent ground and a team back in the top flight, something I thought I might never see again at one point.

I'm on dodgy ground here, but Colin Hutton is not my most favourite person, all to do with some transactions around the early and mid eighties, no proof but in my opinion he does not warrant all the praise he is getting.

it does get to me a bit when he and others nearly destroyed the club and are now treated as heroes ive got no time for him

I don't know what happened with the stadium move, but irrespective I think the legacy of what he did to that point should be acknowledged.

When he joined as coach in 1957 Rovers had been rubbish for a generation. We'd finished 25th, 28th, 29th, 25th, 24th and 26th, the previous half dozen seasons - it was one big league of about 30 teams back then. This while Hull (with Hutton) were winning the Championship. By 1960 we were back in the top half of the end of season table for the the first time since '31. His time as coach, turned general manager, turned chairman coincided with us being more successful than at any other period in our history, and he deserves a share of the credit. If he deserves a share of the blame for what came next - well we only nearly ceased to exist and we're still here, as a club. And clubs dying isn't always fatal in RL anyway. You might as well make the best of your history.

There were several supermarket chains vying for the prime land that Morrison's is now on. One of whom offered to build Rovers a 15K capacity stadium in a more central location (but still in East Hull) in a desperate attempt to persuade the Rovers board not to sell to the company the eventually sold to.



The board got the land on Greatfield dirt cheap and proceeded to build the stadium on Greatfield.



I think a list of companies contracted to do the work on the new stadium including the names of the directors of those companies would make for very interesting reading.

Taken last night in Blacksmiths arms.

Indeed , whilst many people are of the opinion that Colin is a marvelous guy and is very polite and tells a great story , to me he will always be one of the men who wrecked a great club.



The facts of the matter are , Hull KR OWNED one of the best bits of land in East Hull together with numerous properties that gave the club a prime position in the heart of the community as well as a substantial book value running into millions and a location that could hardly be bettered . I still have accounts showing that Rovers were turning a profit of nearly £300,000 at this ground back in the 80s.



As the Popplewell inquiry (Bradford disaster) pressured sports clubs into updating facilities Mr Hutton and friends decided that instead of exploring any avenues to bring the existing PRIME LOCATION up to date , it would be a great idea if they would sign off on a deal to sell a fantastic bit of land for massively below the market value , and then build a replica of a 1920's designed ground miles out of the way , miles away from the best spot they could ever wish for.



They sold this idea to shareholders (who still had a vote on such things back then) on the basis that Rovers would have a new state of the art ground (ha ha) and a surplus of several millions with the use of which we would regain our recently lost position at the top of the game. Shareholders were advised that the developers, the Wright Group, were at the cutting edge of sports stadium building and would give us the envy of the league!!!!!!!



Shareholders were sold down the river whichever way you look at it. Not only was the new ground a hovel and shambles (anyone remember the £100 per square yard boardroom carpet), built the wrong way round etc etc but in a short space of time Rovers were in debt to the tune of millions , with a mediocre team and had alienated several thousand supporters. All for what..????



And top it all we now do not even now own the place , we sold out for nothing.



At the very least the acumen and professionalism of Mr Hutton and friends must be called into question over this

episode, they could not wait to get into bed with the Wright Group over this deal when nearly every alternative you can think of would have been a better outcome. They have never gone public on any of it. It seems to have never happened.



If this deal had taken place in the public sector than an inquiry would have been called and some people would have some serious explaining to do. Yet because it was a Rugby club run by some local "businessmen" it was all swept under a carpet fit for an oligarch...

How big are his lugs?!