They will take the piss at first it's expected. People take the piss out of their mate's new haircuts, it's just something we do.
I think all polls have more than that against any change. Whether the people who don't enter will be as representative I doubt but I don't know how much difference they will make.
Well, I have to say I'm pretty conflicted about this and perhaps my user-name gives a bit of a clue to that but overall my sympathies lie with those who oppose the change. For those of you who can be bothered, here's a little story that explains my personal involvement in just this issue here in Australia. As I've explained in the past, my family background is Hull. I've visited many times, actually love the place (and the East Riding generally) and still have family in Hull, but I was actually born in a suburb in the west of Melbourne called Footscray. Growing up in Australia before going to England as a young teenager, and then returning to Australia again, I was an avid fan of Aussie rules and my team was the place of my birth - Footscray. Footscray is known as a relatively poor suburb and it's supporters have had to endure (along with the lowest success record in the competition), battles against bankruptcy and attempts to force a merger with another club. ANY of that sound familiar? A few years ago, about 15 maybe, a new and very wealthy club president was installed. A bit of money was put in and in the view of most supporters he was a white knight that was going to ensure the clubs survival. HOWEVER, in quick time, the club was being relocated, the club song was changed, the jumper (we don't call them shirts) was redesigned with a funny looking bulldog on the front and wait for it - all of a sudden the club (officially just the team) had a name change and is known to virtually everyone as the Western Bulldogs. Suddenly I found myself part of a supporters group calling itself the Footscray Forever Committee. The objective was to force a ballot of the clubs members. Sensing a defeat, (the clubs board really held the whip hand) a compromise was negotiated. The team plays with the letters FFC (Footscray Football Club) on the back of the jumpers AND the club is still officially - though not really publicly - Footscray Football Club, trading as the Western Bulldogs. Importantly, at least from my perspective, this achieved three very important things - 1. It showed some sensitivity to supporters who felt strongly about the issue and showed some respect for the clubs history. 2. It prevented a serious and damaging rift between groups of supporters and between supporters and the club management and 3. Perhaps most importantly, by avoiding a ballot defeat, those who still value the Footscray heritage have retained the possibility of the name reverting to Footscray simply by a resolution of any future board that might have a desire to do so. This is a highly emotional issue and although there are obvious similarities between the Hull City situation and the one I have just described, there are also some major differences and if the Allams chose to do so, it would be my contention that it is not too late for them to make peace. Although I am an avid City fan, I must confess that I feel a bit like an outsider that's handing out a lecture. I hope it doesn't come across that way and I'll risk it anyway with the following suggestion. The Allams should apologise for the manner in which this has been handled without adequate consultation. They can use the EPL statement to save face and put their plans on hold until a full and open discussion has occurred with the various supporter groups. With just a little compromise, they can pursue the international marketing strategy they desire AND guarantee the continuing existence and use of the name Hull City AND Tigers at home! For what it's worth, it seems to me that the debate about AFC should be centred around the issue of the clubs legal identity and that's coming from someone who has the club insignia tattooed on my shoulder but if I'm honest that's not the most important part of the tattoo for me. I recognise that what I'm suggesting here lacks for obvious reasons, detail and requires a little compromise from all parties - but sometimes it's worth it!
The polls are awful and don't show the bigger picture. They allow people to vote twice. People from other clubs who hate City are voting in them.
If you're going call names and accuse people of being dense, you should probably sensecheck your comment first.
