He's criticising others for proof when he clearly has none to back up his own argument. Hypocritical Double Standards.
So in answer to my questions: The club is still up for sale They are still progressing the re-branding
Simple you believe what they are doing is wrong with the name change which as i see it is the only thing they are doing wrong,they see it as a way to move forward and secure a better future for the club which up till the name change they had done they steadied the ship and helped the club move forward. Eventually if they do get the name change they will have to show something to prove it was right and only then will we know for certain wether it was right or wrong,although for the life of me why they have not shown anything tangible to show why it is best is beyond me but i will wait and see the result first.
Their long term strategy seems to be piss off/price out the passionate local Hull City fans and replace them with happy global "Hull Tigers" fans. Good luck with that!
That's the problem though, if there was credible evidence that it would have a positive impact then surely they would come out and show those facts. That's what annoys me more then the actual name change, is there blatant disregard for the fans who I am sure they think are stupid. Show us something to back up what you are saying and they will find that the backlash will subside, I'm not saying people will be all for it and happy about it but at least they will know there reasons as opposed to just been told 'it will increase revenue!' Show us how!
Well some of us have voted with our feet, my parents & brother are not renewing & of the group we sit with, out of 16 people only 2 have renewed. Pass sales look like being down by around 5000 this season (true some will be premier league plastics) just how many are not renewing because of the Allams & the name change fiasco ? I would guess it's around 60% of those not renewing so around 3000, yet that won't be all those opposed to the plans as many people will always want to follow their club whoever owns it & whatever it's called (however much they oppose that change) I have spoken to literally hundreds of fans over the last season about the name change & have only ever heard 3 or 4 say they are in favour of the change, many will say they do not like it but will accept it while others said they will stop attending the KC or will continue their vocal opposition. I do believe that the opposition will be less visible inside the stadium as like us many have voted with their feet, but I do believe there will still be a reasonable number of people left willing to voice their displeasure & you need less to be heard in a smaller crowd
Ironically that arrogance was their downfall, they underestimated the fans and the FA and thought we would be pushovers. Now it's their stubbornness that is keeping it going.
They are wasting there own time with this name change bollocks. Plus Ehab seems the think we will be back in the Premier league very soon. We have nothing to worry about.
I don't know what people were expecting with EA's interview, it was always going to be invasive, poorly questioned and full of deceit. And to those on here who think they are pro the name change, look at yourself in the mirror and ask yourself a simple unloaded question: Would I rather support a team called Hull City AFC or a team called Hull Tigers? If you come out with the latter you're a liar or an idiot
It was the average crowd. Care for a bet on the crowds this season? I'll bet they will be lower. 21,000 was with over 16,000 season ticket holders. This season you would need from 8,000 to 10,000 depending on away followings paying on the day to achieve those figures. Given the likely prices and the amount of people Allhas pissed off do you seriously think that is going to happen?
What an arrogant arsehole he is. Still, at least it's fairly obvious from that interview, that he knows he's going to get knocked back again. Just in case Assem's forgotten - ”no name change and I'll walk away within 24 hours. And I don't go back on my word.”
James Smailes (JS): It's not been an easy season for the club, does your enthusiasm as owners remain the same? Ehab Allam (EA): I think if you look at our characters we are all hungry for success. It is either in your character or it isn't and for me I always want to win. That desire doesn't go away just because you have had a bad season. We thrive on success and that is what we are looking for. We are not defeatists, we don't give in. We've had a blip and we get right back on it. JS: It's an important point so can we clarify whether or not the club remains up for sale? EA: Nothing has changed. We have said that all along, nothing has changed. JS: Have you fielded firm offers for the club in the 12 months that it's been up for sale? EA: I think it would be wrong of me to divulge any information on that while the FA application is going on. The whole position has not changed at all. JS: The reason the club was put up for sale was because an attempt to change the club's name was knocked back. Will you continue with this bid over the summer? EA: We are still progressing the application and we are still progressing the re-branding. I don't see it as a change of name, it is use of an existing name. image: http://m.hulldailymail.co.uk/images/localworld/ugc-images/276270/binaries/ehab.png please log in to view this image JS: How hopeful are you of changing the club's name to Hull Tigers this time around? EA: The difference between what you hope for and what is going to happen can be different so we'll see. JS: You must be hopeful though, or why push ahead with it? EA: We are still pursuing it because we think it is right. You have to fight for want you believe in, even if you think you are going to get knocked back or you think the chances are slim. Even if we think the chances are slim, we think we have a valid case. If you believe in it you have to do that. JS: Because of the reduced global market that accompanies a fall into the Championship the name change is no longer a pressing matter for financial reasons, so why continue with it now? EA: Are we never going back to the Premier League? It isn't needed in the Championship, it is needed in the Premier League. If you have aspirations of being back in the Premier League then you need it getting as soon as you can. JS: The name change has become a divisive issue with some fans, so have you ever considered dropping it for the sake of unity across all supporters at the club? EA: I'm not here to please 1,700 fans I am here to secure the long-term future of the football club for generations to come. We are trying to build in success for the future. We are all custodians of the club. I hear fans saying we are just custodians of the club, but so are they. We are all custodians who have to do right by the club and I am not going to let 1,700 fans hold back the club. What about the rest of the fans and the fans to come, we are seeing it through for them. image: http://m.hulldailymail.co.uk/images/localworld/ugc-images/276270/binaries/protest.png please log in to view this image JS: How do you see the relationship with the fans at the moment, has it deteriorated? EA: If you consider all fans and take out the 1,700, I think we have a lot of respect from the majority of our fan base for what we are trying to do. I'd like to think we have a good relationship with the rest of the fan base. JS: Opposition to the name change isn't something new. But we did see the emergence of a vocal presence protesting against yourselves as owners last season. How do you feel about that? EA: We are not naive enough to think you can please everybody. We understand when you are making tough decisions some people won't like it and some people will voice that. You have to take that on the chin. I would rather have more fans supporting the club but in terms of the long-term benefit of the club we just have to accept that. The hard decisions to make always result in some people not being happy. It is unfortunate, but it is always going to happen. JS: Can the club be more engaging to bring the unhappy fans back around? EA: You cannot please everybody. We have tried to engage with those fans in the past, unsuccessfully and we have to realise we cannot please everybody. The way to bring the fans back on board is to get the name change through and continue to grow as a club to attract more support. We will be proven right and when the fans see the fruits of our labour we feel many will come back on board. If we don't get an opportunity to show what a difference it can make, then, well, they won't see that. JS: Where are you with season tickets and are you confident you can get to a total you'll be happy with? EA: The prices are a reflection of our aspirations for the season. We do expect attendances to be down, obviously, but sales have been strong so far. The first two days of general sale have seen an additional 1,000 season cards bought by fans. JS: Did you anticipate reducing the costs of season tickets because of relegation? EA: The pricing is based on the club's aspirations and that's all I can say. http://www.hulldailymail.co.uk/#5FPhzhH0ddRxp4uK.99
For me there was a couple of telling bits in that piece Firstly they will continue with the name change (because they think it is the right thing to do) regardless of how likely the answer is. That leads me to suspect that if the FA say no this season they will apply again next season (assuming they havent sold to a "good home"!) Secondly "We are still progressing the application and we are still progressing the re-branding" Clearly they view the two things as separate. Which means that regardless of the name change decision the rebranding to remove any opportunity to see the clubs name around the club will continue.
