1. It’s difficult to put into words the monumental stupidity of what Hull City AFC has been up to during their jaunt to India. But we’ll give it a go. 2. Overseas and therefore freed, in their minds, of the constraints imposed by the immoveable opposition of City fans, most other football fans, Supporters’ Direct, the Football Supporters Federation, the ERCFA and the FA itself, they’re indulging in their witless little “Hull Tigers” fantasy with merry abandon. A new Twitter account, “HullTigersIndia” has been set up. The word “City” has been eradicated from everything. Unlike every other club’s stall at the event, we use our nickname, not our name. “Hull Tigers” explicitly appears everywhere. Sometimes just “Tigers”. 3. It’s clear that the club isn’t going to drop this. Ever. And even a change of ownership may not help, because there are people other than just the Allams who genuinely believe in this utter rubbish with quasi-religious certainty, and for whom no quantity of facts or reason will ever help. Convinced of their rightness they press on, certain that one more push is all it will take for the scales to fall from our eyes and for mass genuflection for their visionary genius to occur. Yet history is emphatically not on their side. Few demographics have longer memories or better grudge-holding skills than football fans, and we’ll be here long after this shower have taken their GCSE marketing theories elsewhere. 4. It isn’t just the undisguised contempt for City fans and the FA that grates. It’s the epic incompetence. On Saturday, a short-lived competition was launched offering Indians the chance to go England to watch “the Hull Tigers” [sic] was launched (here), and pulled shortly after, perhaps when it was pointed out on Twitter that according to the FA’s ruling of April 9th, this is a literally unwinnable prize. 5. But it’s worse. Not only is City removed, but even our home city’s title appears only fleetingly. This appears atop the club’s stand. So what happens when giddy new Asian fans, who’ll never visit the Circle or buy anything but who pose for a photo and make Assem Allam feel all warm and vindicated, go home and see where Tigers are in the Premier League? And then see nothing? 6. And what a tragic missed opportunity. A golden opportunity to take the name Hull City AFC abroad has been deliberately spurned. Brand consistency, a term we don’t care for but whose existence we at least recognise, has become secondary to these infantile attempts to spite the fans and the FA. All because the name Hull City AFC was retained. It’s pathetic. Absolutely, cringeingly, shamefully pathetic. 7. Hatem Ben Arfa has gone to France and won’t be back. Good. 8. A huge number of people who may have been considering making the trip to Arsenal for the FA Cup tie have had their decision made for them by the BBC’s boneheaded choice to screen it at 5.30pm on the Sunday evening of third round weekend. If the commentator that day questions any shortage of numbers in the away end, then he can expect plenty of colourfully-worded tweetage regarding television company interference and restricted train services. 9. City played okay against Chelsea but were undone by a combination of the opposition’s obvious quality and the utter cowardice of an experienced Premier League referee who yet again showed that the Big Clubs™ gain favours when it comes to the antics of their players. Chris Foy booked two players for dives; a third, Gary Cahill, was let off a second caution for something Brian Phelps (there’s one for the teenagers) would have winced at, essentially because it would have involved dismissing England’s best defender in front of his home fans and a manager who is rarely forgiving of officials that dare disrupt his plans. 10. Tom Huddlestone is now going to miss at least three games through his red card at Stamford Bridge. The challenge was dreadful and Steve Bruce was gallant enough to admit the sending off was correct. Yet while nationally there will be howls of faux-sympathy for our plight without this allegedly great creator, it wouldn’t come as a shock if the majority of City fans actually thought we’d probably be better off in our next three games without someone whose skill is considerable but, presently, whose facility to flatter to deceive is somewhat more considerable. Against Swansea, Sunderland and Leicester, we need players who understand the need to fight. Huddlestone, at the moment, doesn’t have that trait. http://www.ambernectar.org/blog/2014/12/things-we-think-we-think-166/?
