I know it's been mentioned but what a farce, it's none of our business and it affects other clubs near and far but it could happen here, how would you feel about enforced name changes, playing in a different colour or because of local legalities our owners ups our team and takes it to a different area, it can't happen you say, it has happened and all in the name of profit and loss. Wimbledon moved and became MK Dons, Cardiff City turned Red from Blue and now Hull City will become Hull Tigers, how would you like to watch the Bristol (say) Flyers, playing in Orange shirts with a new ground located in Chipping Norton..? Remember Bristol Rovers are moving out of Bristol to South Gloucestershire, so it can happen, some people are even suggesting we ground share with the "gas" or even merge the clubs, give up our heritage, ground location, Red shirts and become Bristol United. I'm not joking all of these things are being discussed in secret locations by dubious characters pretending to be loyal supporters all in the name of the mighty dollar, from China to Malaya, India to Russia and Frenchay to Guernsey.. I will always be a Red, following my side in South Bristol in the name of Bristol City FC and I am sure most " gasheads" feel the same way about theirs but watch out, be steadfast, the money whingers are looking over our shoulders.. What would they call us..? What colour makes the most money...? What location is cheapest...? There is a Franchise near YOU....... http://sport.uk.msn.com/football/hull-apply-to-fa-over-name-change
I'd like to think that the FA will step in and say that the owner cannot change the name of a club that has existed for over a hundred years because he doesn't like it. Given the changes to football clubs over just ten years (Cardiff, MK Dons, Hull) I think we're at a point where the Premier League and Football League need to be petitioned to stop investors owning a ruling majority in any club. I truly believe that if all fans can back this in a well-planned matter the ruling bodies will take notice. If the FA don't step in, and they allow the owner to change the name to Hull Tigers, the only option for the fans in my eyes is to go the Wimbledon route, and to try and push as much support as possible into the new team at the end of the season. A team with the support of Hull City could probably set up AFC Hull City (or even just Hull City) as a new club, and could probably rise through the lower leagues fairly quickly. There are a few well-known business owners from Hull that would probably be more than happy to invest in a new club. It was never an option for Cardiff, due to them being in Wales, but if the fans branch off into a new team they'd be well-supported. If the FA want to run football like a free market, then the fans need to coordinate their actions towards supporting the values they hold dear. If the Hull City owner wants to make the club a franchise the fans need to ditch the club and support a new AFC Hull City club.
It's Cardiffs fault, the Hull owner must see the Cardiff fans lie down and die over the colour change etc and think I can do what I like.!
To be fair your say South Gloucstershire but huge swathes of Bristol are in this area from,Downend,Staple Hill,Emerson Green,Yate,Thorbury,Frampton Cotteriil,Chipping Sodbury,Coalpit Heath,Bitton,Warmley just to name a few. There are massess of city suppoters in these areas.
Their owner is an idiot calling the fans hooligans and saying that they can die, hopefully the FA have a bit of common sense and reject the name change.
Total joke and all about money as per usual Take a bow the twats (owners) at Newcastle and Cardiff amongst others
Wizered, I agree with the great majority of what you have said with one exception. The South Gloucestershire area with Filton, Downend, and all the other former villages, are now effectively part of Bristol even if not within the City boundary. And the Rovers new stadium if it does ever get built will be only a couple of hundred yards at most, outside of Bristol. All the rest on club and colours changes, I am 100% in agreement. PS. I have just looked at Bristol boundary map on internet and was amazed to note that Ashton Park and ride and D Lloyd tennis centre are in North Somerset, while proposed Ashton Vale stadium will be on the very edge of Bristol with the boundary running between the stadium and the tennis centre. Of course if it ever happens.
Cider it was just done to provoke a discussion point mate, interesting about Ashton Vale, it had to get planning permission from 2 councils, Bristol and North Somerset, the only bit of the North Somerset control was 100 meter length of road leading up to the stadium, crazy...
A surprising amount of what I'd call Bristol is outside of Bristol. Perhaps it's time to start pushing the boundary out a bit more? Frankly, I think that if we are to ever build a new stadium, we absolutely need to do it outside of Bristol. There's a reason why so few large companies want to set up shop here, and why it takes a ****ing age to get anything built. If we decided to build the new stadium outside of the boundaries somewhere like Keynsham we'd probably be greeted, rather than hounded. It'd be cheaper too!
I do totally agree with tradition and generally dislike the idea, however, when it comes to Franchises, money etc today, that is where the power is. People generally dislike change, but it was the Swiss watch makers of the world that declined the offer to patent LED and digital watches and then watch the far east overtake them. Would Man City fans still want to be playing League 1 football at Maine Road, or Chelsea in the championship?- Not so long ago, Hull were £35m in debt and had a dilapidated, old ground. Gone are the days when a football ground was used once a fortnight to play a football match in. These are now big, corporate venues, in use for hospitality 7 days a week. Locally to me, Exeter Chiefs play in a new ground, it only has 10,000 capacity, but the main stand (Match day tickets are £43) during the week can hold conferences, dinners, weddings etc. which probably brings in more money than the Rugby, yet only 10 years ago, Exeter were playing in the equivalent of League 2 on an old speedway circuit. Yes, we can keep with tradition- It irritates me the way that our kids talk today and without the use of punctuation, though if the English language didn't evolve and change, we would still be speaking like Shakespeare.
This isnt the first and wont be the last club to go through this as it is all about making a "brand" that will sell and increase profits. In most cases it wont work as Bristol found out when they for a time became Bristol Shoguns. Cardiff is a difficult one as they changed the badge and colour to suit the Asian market as thats where their owners are from to try and compete on the open market against the giants like Liverpool and Man Utd. on one hand they are now a Premier league team so it isnt all bad and I think most fans are ok as long as the results keep coming. Similar to Newcastle where the ground has been renamed, their local bar has been renamed (bye bye Sherear) etc etc. There was a big out cry, then eventhe Newcastle fans went quiet when they went on their run and were unlucky not to finish top 4. Maybe Chelsea will one day be renamed Chelski Moscow or Liverpool to be renamed the Liverpool red shirts. Its all about image and branding to increase revenue I think we have already been in this position and most of given the chance would have the robin back on the badge but there are some supporters on here who prefer the current badge. Our issue I think is that in the days we were known as the robbins where we know have other nicknames like the ciderheads If some rich multi billionaire came along and said I will buy the club, pump endless money in to the club as my goal is to be premier league champions within 5 years but I am going to change the name of the club to Bristol ...... and change the club colours to make the club more marketable I think some fans would find it hard to say no.
Because fans wouldn't tolerate the name being changed. I hope the Hull owner is told that a name change will never be allowed to happen.
