Last time I spoke to the person involved, they said it had been put on the back burner until season end due to everyone within the club just wanting to concentrate on promotion and then the title, I haven't had chance to catch up with them over the last week or so, so unfortunately I have nothing new or more detailed to add. My own personal view is still the same and it's that this is the best time the Allams will probably have to sell the club and recoup the most possible amount of ££ unless we strike lucky and hit the premier again. I also still believe we are probably one of approx 3/4 clubs in the championship that would be attractive to real serious investor(s) who aren't just after a toy or an ego boost.
If and when the Allam's do finally sell, I could see Ehab wanting or trying to keep some interest in the club. He just seems to enjoy the limelight.
To be fair to the owners, they have supported McCann with getting players in who have done the job this year. They have kept a low profile and helped the club to become champions. Maybe they have also learnt lessons this year?
He's been gone for three years now and he was more the catalyst than an ongoing issue, Assem just seems to hold a grudge. The refused planning and ongoing SMC/Hull FC issues probably haven't helped.
They maybe didn't get on, but he lost his 'influence' many moons ago from what I understand, so I doubt he could have affected much. I'm not sure which 'refused planning' you're referring to, but if it was due to malice rather than practicalities, there are plenty of avenues open to the Allam's to redress that. The fact they seem not to have done it tells its own story.
I don't think he actually influenced anything, Assem just never forgave the council for Geraghty's actions years ago. I never suggested there was any malice in the council planning refusal, I thought it a perfectly reasonable decision, just not one that the Allams were happy with.
Be nice to think so, and agree they have supported the manager well this year. I really hope we can build on this when we can get back in the ground, and that there will be more sense of unity. These players deserve it, and it would be nice to think having people back in the ground will improve things, not make them deteriorate again. Some sort of early season initiative from the owners on pricing (as they did for that home game v Derby in Nov 2019) could be a very good statement of intent. Get people back in early, and then hopefully the spirit of this team will keep people there. I'm sure there are still people who'll say they aren't setting foot in the stadium until the Allams have gone. That's their choice of course but it clearly doesn't benefit the team.
I am in no way an Allam fan, but I thought the fact that Ehab travelled down to Charlton when he could have stayed in Hull was a nice gesture. The players were all calling for him to be in the photographs, so they obviously don't hold any animosity towards him either. Those end of season celebrations were a picture of unity inside the club, something that's been missing for quite some time. Regardless of feelings towards the ownership, it really was great to see.
I couldn't believe people were melting on Twitter about Ehab "lifting the trophy" AKA walking it out and placing it on the podium. I get the animosity towards the Allams, but as you said, it was a nice gesture to travel down, he took pictures with the City fans outside the ground, and the players were all happy to have him there, many/all embracing him when they got their medals, so it's hard to criticise him for being there. Would we not be sitting here criticising and saying "Look how little they care, they didn't even bother to turn up" if he'd stayed away?
Maybe but a trip to the capital to be crowned as champions would appeal to most owners, however (un)committed, I recall the close up on big screen at Wembley 2016 when we outclassed sheffield as it focused on EA. Loud booing even in that historic moment. It's right that an owner identifies with the club but there may be an element of glory hunting photo opps a la John Terry also..
I, like many, can never forgive the Allam's for what they did or tried to do with the club. There is no doubt there has been a softening of their approach towards supporters, but this took some time to materialise, as when they had EPL money, and then the parachute payments, they still felt the fans were not that important to the scheme of things. However, Ehab was interesting to be involved in a club that could, develop players from the Academy, try to buy players in, and then develop them, this idea coming from the Robertson/Maguire sales. They did eventually realise that to alienate the fans was not good for business, hence the softening over the last couple of years, but again this fuelled by the stopping of parachute payments and the fall from the Championship into Div 1. As it has turned out, largely due to events out of their control, the fact that they have managed the club on a tight financial footing, with this Corona Virus situation, the club has come out of it better than many clubs. It will be interesting to see how they approach the next season, and how much they will support McCann to bring players in that can bring more quality to the group.
Decent post imo. Only TWT .... but based on 10 years of evidence, I am not holding my breath (about them having learnt lessons). They say leopards don't change their spots, and in this case at least I think that saying is spot on (see what I did there?). They've done a good job in driving down the cost base and re-building a squad based around young, hungry potential, and it's great that some of those are local lads, but to my mind any perceived 'softening' of approach to supporters has & will only come out of necessity now that supporter income is significantly more important to them. Of course if they bring further success, remembering that we are now only back where it all started, then it could be a win-win, but in my book they remain despicable characters in the context of being owners of 'my' football club. Let's wait and see next time they open their gobs in public, I suspect we'll soon find out that not much if anything has really changed. Not forgetting of course that it's now 7+ years since the promise.
You could say the same of anyone in a position of authority doing something good, or meaningful. Or you can not be a hard nosed cynic and just enjoy the fact we won promotion and that for a brief moment everyone in the club seems to be pulling in the same direction.
Fair enough.....enjoy your gift to the city.....I never lie....oh and you can die whenever you like...