Warrington Wolves v Hull FC: Tony Smith shares fan pain after challenging start

The Black and Whites have lost four games in a row since launching the Smith era with two wins, leaving them with the worst defensive record in Super League heading into round seven.

Fresh from a miserable home loss to Leigh Leopards, Hull must find a way to stop a red-hot Warrington Wolves at the Halliwell Jones Stadium this afternoon.

The club's supporters have a familiar sinking feeling after lowly finishes for the Airlie Birds in recent seasons – and Smith shares their pain.

"I'm hearing them and I understand their hurt," he said. "It does – it hurts.

"We want better and we're trying to be better for the future. I wish it had come earlier for everybody's sake – the players, as well as our supporters, our owner, our board, our juniors and all associated with the club.

"We want them to be proud of what we're doing out there and we haven't achieved that yet.

"I mean yet – it's going to happen. We will get there, however long it takes."

After enjoying wins over Castleford Tigers and Leeds Rhinos during a brief honeymoon period, Hull have had the look of a side struggling to get to grips with new systems.

Smith is optimistic the penny will drop in the not-too-distant future.

"I was hoping it wouldn't take this long," he added.

"We're going to try and do it as soon as we can. We'll improve and once we do we'll keep on improving.

"We would have liked to have done better already but it's not always what you wish for. It's only going to happen for people who want to work hard and I've got a group of players here at the moment who want to work hard, and have those tough discussions about things.

"We've still got hope within ourselves but – and I've said this before – we need to prove some stuff to ourselves before we prove it to everybody else.

"We understand the hurt. We're going to try and stop the hurt as soon as we can for our supporters.

"If they can stick with us, that's great. Once you get through it, it makes it almost worth it, but at the time it hurts a lot. We understand that."

Hull have as many as 20 players in the final year of their contract, drawing comparisons with Warrington who endured short-term pain before Daryl Powell could shape a squad in his image.

Smith is giving each of those individuals the chance to show they can be part of the rebuild.

"I'm not going to make big decisions after a few games," he said. "I'm still getting to know them.

"But they have got to earn the right. We might have 10 off contract at the end of the year. We might have 20. We might have three. That will be up to how we perform.

“The principle is still the same – go out and earn your contract. If you want it, go out and grab it. If you don't then that's fine too.”