When I say real fan, I mean a fan who has supported the club from Division 3 and upwards (or we can settle on most of their lives, give or take), I started going with my dad when I was 6, now 15 years later I'm still here. (It does seem to me that since I became a fan, just after Adam Pearson took over, that we have been on an upward curve) Notice how our attendances were between 2,000 & 8,000? Now they range between 18,000 & 24,000 in the Premier League? Even if you compare Championship to Premiership attendances, it goes up by a few thousand, with each season that goes by when we get promoted, more fans come to watch us, not only because of our heightened position, but due to our higher class of opposition. These are not real fans. Real fans would still be here cheering on the team against Cheltenham in League 2 in 4 years time if things went tits up.
This was my exact point and I was ridiculed for saying I would still support the team if they were called Hull Tigers, because the vast majority of my life consists of Hull City. But at the end of the day it will always be Hull City A.F.C to me, the only Hull Tigers chants I would sing are "You can shove your Hull Tigers up your arse" or "I would rather be a Tiger than a c**t" to the away fans who make us having Tiger in our name. (My personal favourite)
What about those who supported them in Division 4? Must admit you are pretty observant, us being on an upward curve since AP took over might have escaped the notice of many people. I am afraid all this we will still be Hull City stuff is not the case. We won't be. The name will not be seen anywhere. In time fans will eventually tire of chanting about City when it is not the name of the team on the pitch. That is the fans who chant, who are a minority. Others will just sit there not bothered what we are called as long as we are called it in the PL. The fun will start if we get relegated after being renamed. The PL junkies will disappear and this time a lot of the real fans who watched us in Division 4, witnessed lock outs, administration, defeats at home to non league clubs (something these real fans experienced and stood by the club, unlike younger fans who have only known good times over the past 15 years) in a crumbling stadium will not be there either.
As long as you believe that then you are fully entitled to be a real fan, that's fine, it's a nicely contrived view on life, enjoy it. Bless.
Like you mayo I would carry on going and HOPE that we could go back to being HULL CITY in time ... I would always call the club HULL CITY . just a case of different people making different choices in life that's all. Chances are I would only go to away games as my protest having thought about it .
