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In the wake of Hull FC's record defeat at Warrington Wolves, a seventh successive loss for the side, club chairman and owner Adam Pearson has launched a stinging attack on the attitude and application of some players.

Pearson has warned some of the squad that they will be heading for the exit door, regardless of if they signed a new deal this season or not, and has promised a revamp of the side ahead of next season.

The chairman says complacency has set in and he's about to upset the squad, while also saying any players that don't want to be at the club can go straight away, with Jordan Abdull's transfer request not sitting well with Pearson.

Hull Live sports editor James Smailes speaks to the FC owner about his frustration and why a change in transfer policy is now going to be implemented.

James Smailes: When you get performances like Wakefield last month and Warrington on Thursday night, what does that do for your philosophy in terms of recruitment and keeping the same side?

Adam Pearson: Thursday night, in fact the last two months of the season have been totally unacceptable for the club and the supporters.

We had seven key players missing on Thursday night and we will now be adding three or four proper signings, not youth players, so that come January we will have 10 or 11 players to go back into what will fundamentally be our best team.

We are going to move some players out and bring some new ones in and completely refresh the squad. We will move players on who we feel have let the club down over the past two months.

Obviously some of those players have contracts and if needs be and they don’t want to go we will send them to play dual registration at Doncaster and they can stay there. We’ll then sign three or four players who take us into a new financial level.

JS: You clearly didn’t want to be in a position to change the squad and you’ve backed them previously so do you feel let down?

AP: The players are letting the club down. I have always worked by the mantra that if you respect the players the players respect the club back.

But at the minute, from a number of players that is not happening and, therefore, that is unacceptable so we will be moving those players on and revamping the squad this winter.

In January we will have three or four significant signings and three or four development signings to add to the seven who didn’t play at Warrington who are our front runners anyway.

We’ll freshen the team up that took the pitch at Warrington with 11 or 12 players and we will go again.

And the coach who has won twice at Wembley will go again, and we will get Hull back to a level of performance that is acceptable as the last two months have clearly been well below the standards the fans and club have been accustomed to the last three years.

We cannot go from winning the Challenge Cup twice and finishing top four, being a team that nobody wanted to play against, to the side I witnessed on Thursday night. We will change it, we will refocus and get a new squad together.

JS: Clearly the injured players have been a factor, but that was no excuse for a record defeat was it?

AP: Yes, seven of our better players were missing, but Thursday was unacceptable.

I would urge the supporters to wait patiently and watch the changes happen over the winter.

We need a bit of time to sort the squad and reboot the team, but come back and support us in January because they will see a completely different team, a different approach and a different attitude to the one they saw at Warrington.

JS: How much of a risk is it ripping things up at this stage, especially with the whole squad under contract?

AP: I didn’t expect to have to be making these changes at all.

It is a risk, and there is no doubt it’s a financial risk to go and bring players in and therefore be over the salary cap in the hope that you can then move players out. That’s a risky procedure.

If it comes down to it I will have to find some of the players other clubs but it is a risk we feel we have to take.

The financial input this winter will be significant because I’m determined to make sure the supporters have a team they can respect, appreciate and support.

JS: Has this left you contemplating your recruitment strategy and rushing to get everyone signed up so early and not bringing new faces in?

AP: Because in rugby league players in the final year of their deal can talk to other clubs after May you have to have your players signed by May or June or they will sign for other clubs.

You can see that happening now at Leeds and Wigan to a lesser extent with players attracting interest from the NRL and some of our players had significant interest in them from elsewhere.

By and large we are happy with all the players we re-signed, but there are one or two who we re-signed who now we are looking to trade so we can freshen the team up.

It’s what the club needs now but we had to get our business done early because we didn’t want the majority of this squad to leave.

This squad has proved they can compete in the top four, but Thursday night and the last month has shown it needs additional strength and freshening up.

JS: Why do you think for some players they have gone so badly off the boil?

AP: It is complacency. We have a situation where the squad is all settled, the players enjoying playing at the club and they’ve all won things. I think complacency has set in among the players and I can tell them that complacency is about to have a bomb thrown into it.

And I really mean that. We will really shake that squad up.

The seven players who were missing last night were all starters and they’ll come back next year to strengthen us. For many others they’re about to have that complacency shaken up.

JS: We’ve reported Jordan Abdull has handed in a transfer request, can you confirm that?

AP: Jordan Abdull handed in a transfer request after the defeat against Huddersfield Giants. Jordan can go, he doesn’t need to worry about that.

Any player who doesn’t want to be at this club, pick up your bag and we’ll get you a taxi because if you don’t want to play for this club and give your all for this side, you can go right now.

JS: How disappointed are you that Jordan has asked to go?

AP: I’m very disappointed. As far as I am concerned he can go and find himself a club and good luck with that.

JS: Questions will be asked about Lee Radford’s position after a record defeat so do you still have full confidence in the head coach?

AP: Warrington was one of those nights, it has been one of those months and indeed one of those seasons where everybody in a position of responsibility needs to take a look at themselves.

That means me, it means Lee, who does that anyway, but everybody needs to look at themselves because it is simply not good enough.

The last two months are not the standard we have achieved in the last three years.

For us, 2015, 16 and 17 were very strong in terms of development years and winning years too.

You don’t go from being a top-four club, winning trophies and being well respected to being a poor team overnight. But at the minute we are not respected in Super League and that has to change immediately.

JS: But to clarify, Lee’s position is not in question?

AP: Lee will be coaching the team next year. With Lee and his staff, the players we want to keep hold of and some new recruits, we are more than capable of rebooting the side under his leadership and winning games again.

We can challenge at the top again and we have to because I am not interested in owning a club that isn’t challenging at the top of the league and winning cups. I am not interested.

JS: But you’re still as committed to the club?

AP: Of course. I will go again this winter and will take that financial risk and make sure we go about bringing the right players in.

It will mean we have surplus players and finances flying around, but we will take a risk and fix this.

We have had some success, we have shown we can win cups and finish top four and if the fans stick with us we will be challenging again and with a squad that will not cave in at the first sign of complacency or when we’re doing it tough.

(Image: RL Photos)

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