ONE of Hull City's greatest-ever goalscorers has labelled the Allams' decision to re-brand his beloved club as "daft".
Ken Wagstaff, 70, spent 11 seasons with the Tigers, scoring 197 goals in 434 appearances.
And he is says he is firmly against the decision to rename Hull City AFC as Hull City Tigers.
According to Assem and Ehab Allam, the move will give the club a stronger "brand identity" on the international stage.
But Mr Wagstaff said he cannot see the logic.
He said: "It sounds daft. Why change a name which has been with the club for more than 100 years? It's daft and rubbish.
"You say Hull City to anyone and they know it is the Tigers.
"To change the name now is absolutely stupid."
In a statement released late yesterday, the club moved to clarify its position over the name change and said fans were free to use whatever name they prefer.
The statement, in full, said: "The business name at Companies House had its 'Association Football Club' suffix removed in the spring of this year, leaving the club to be named 'Hull City Tigers Ltd'.
"This will now be used in official club statements, regarding any of our commercial operations.
"The Tigers brand, with its powerful imagery, will be used in international markets to attract new interest and attention in both Hull and the East Riding from a worldwide audience.
"As has always been the case, supporters remain free to refer to the club as they wish, whether that be Hull City, City, Tigers, Black and Amber, or indeed any other variant of the Club's name.
"For many, the Club will continue to be known as Hull City, as it has been from its inception.
"A new badge, to be used from the 2014-15 season, will be designed and created in consultation with fans over the coming months."
Dean Windass fired-in the club's winning goal at Wembley to send them to the Premier League for the first time in 2008.
He said: "Twitter has gone mad about this name change.
"If the name is not broken why fix it?
"At the end of the day, I class the club as Hull City AFC and you will never change that mind-set. The Allams are trying to increase the club's recognition globally, but the only way to do that is for the club to stay in the Premier League.
"Success globally is down to what happens on the football field."
Hull City Tigers Ltd will be used in international markets to attract new interest in East Yorkshire from a worldwide audience.
But Chris Chilton, the Tigers' top-scorer of all time, chalking-up 193 league goals for the Tigers' in 11 years, said: "I can't really see it being of any benefit to people changing the name.
"I thought fans would have had more of a say about it.
"Cardiff City changed the colour of their home shirts recently, which I thought was a bit more extreme.
"The thing the club and fans need to concentrate on is the Premier League."
Councillor Terry Geraghty, portfolio holder for culture and leisure at Hull City Council, said: "They can do what they want as they own the club.
"Hull FC tried changing their name to Hull Sharks, but that didn't last long.
"Hull is known all over the world and we received a lot of positive publicity with the same name when we last reached the Premier League.
"Changing the name to me wipes the history and is a backward step at a time when we are shortlisted to be the City of Culture."
