AND so the battle lines have been drawn. On one side sits owner Assem Allam, the man who has put £75m of his own money into Hull City to get the club back into the Premier League. On the other side is the ever-growing section of disgruntled fans who so desperately want Hull Tigers never to see the light of day.
And after seeing Dr Allam formally register his intent to change the club's name with FA officials yesterday, the Football Association is the party which must sit firmly in the middle. Ultimately, it is their decision which will now determine whether Hull City or Hull Tigers take to the field at the KC Stadium next season. Because having spoken at length to Dr Allam just a few weeks ago, I know no amount of protesting or campaigning is ever going to get him to change his mind. The owner is not for turning.
Primarily, his desire to change the name of the club stems from the fact it is still haemorrhaging money to the tune of £1m a month. His money. To date, the club's latest accounts show he has loaned it a total of £72m, but he desperately wants to raise more cash to ease the burden on his wallet and make the club self-financing. With the Tigers currently standing to lose anywhere between £7m to £11m in their first season back in the Premier League (depending what's spent in January), he wants to plug that funding hole.
Dr Allam believes marketing the club as Hull Tigers, particularly in the Far East, can help him to pull in bigger sponsorship revenues. Unfortunately, to date, he has not produced any research or statistics to back up his theory. Understandably, fans who are opposed to the name change want to see the proof is in the pudding before they do the eating. They won't get their wish, though, as the Tigers owner has now pushed ahead with his plans by making a formal application to change the club's name with the FA.
Whether Dr Allam is right remains to be seen. But, as those who know him will testify, he won't alter from his chosen course. Never. Not unless the FA put a stop to it.
Because when he sets his sights on something, he doesn't change his mind. Compromise is not a word in his vocabulary.
That's not to say he doesn't care about Hull City. He does. Spend a decent amount of time in his company and you'll see he cares passionately about the club.
Not only does he dream of becoming a mainstay in the Premier League, he's determined to put an end to the days of City looking over their shoulder. Fighting relegation is not something he wants to become an annual fixture on the Tigers' calendar.
Whilst he accepts that year-on-year progress is the only way to go about achieving this, he's more than up for the challenge. Because, as he will happily tell you himself, the one thing he'd love more than anything else is to be the owner who first brought European football to the city.
So, while fans fondly remember history, tradition and the good old days, all Dr Allam wants to focus on is the future. And he's willing to be ruthless in order to get what he wants.
If that means sacking a home-town hero, so be it. If that means changing the name of the club, so be it. If that means upsetting the fans who follow his club, so be it.
So, now it all comes down to the FA and their little known rule 3L. A rule which states: "Any application for a change of playing name must be received by The Association before 1st April in any calendar year in order for it to be considered by Council for adoption in the following playing season. Council will use its absolute discretion in deciding whether to approve a change in a Club's playing name."
Before the season, no-one cared a jot about rule 3L. Staying up was all that mattered. Now, the single biggest decision in Hull City's 109-year history depends on it.
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