Hull City Owner Suggests Manchester City Should Change Its Name to Manchester Hunter: Daily Soccer Report

After recently stating that Hull City was going to rebrand their team name as Hull Tigers, Hull’s owner Assem Allam has now suggested that more clubs in England should change their name, giving the example that Manchester City should be renamed as ‘Manchester Hunter.’

In an interview with The Guardian newspaper, Allam said:

“In a few years many clubs will follow and change their names to something more interesting and I will have proved I am a leader – remember this discussion. City, Town, County: these are meaningless. In marketing the shorter the name the more powerful – think of Coca Cola, Twitter, Apple. By next year I will change the name to Hull Tigers. If I were the owner of Manchester City, I would change the name to Manchester Hunter – you need power. In time I would suggest names for all the clubs called City, but I do not have the time.

“As a businessman I am preparing the club to go globally selling merchandise. To do it you want a shorter name, and you drop the words which don’t mean anything and are common. Leave it to me; I am the businessman running the club – I cannot afford to run the club by fans’ feeling.”

This is an example of a club owner who is out of touch with reality, and out of touch with soccer fans. Many of the clubs in the Premier League have rich histories that feature over 100 years of history and brand equity. To throw all that away just for the sake of selling merchandise is irresponsible.

In the meantime, Allam may be better suited concentrating on his own club and its chances of staying in the Premier League rather than giving his opinion about other club’s names that he’s not affiliated with.

Allam plans on pushing ahead to have his club’s name changed from Hull City to Hull Tigers, but the name change will need to be approved by the FA Council prior to next season.

What’s your opinion about the name change ideas by Hull City owner Assem Allam? Does he want to ruin the tradition of clubs, or is he moving with the times? Have your say in the comments section below.

Here are today’s world soccer news headlines:

Premier League

• Assem Allam courts controversy and hands Hull City an identity crisis — The Guardian
• Arsene Wenger says Thomas Vermaelen is in contention for Arsenal vs Sunderland — Off The Post
• Brendan Rodgers and Daniel Sturridge won Premier League awards for August — FOX Sports
• Harry Redknapp admits chances of Emmanuel Adebayor loan deal are slim — Sky Sports
• Liverpool boss Brendan Rodgers reveals careful management of Steven Gerrard’s fitness — Metro
• Juventus star Paul Pogba confirms summer interest from Arsenal and Chelsea — 101GG
• How to pronounce Tottenham’s Vlad Chiriches name correctly — Who Ate All The Pies
• Tottenham: Adebayor had chance to leave, says manager — BBC Sport
• Darren Bent ruled out with hamstring injury as Dimitar Berbatov goes it alone — The Mirror
• David Silva likely to miss start of Manchester City’s Champions League campaign — Independent
• West Ham unable to put timescale on Andy Carroll return from injury – with Sam Allardyce labelling the news ‘devastating’ — Independent
• Swansea City will not make many big-money signings, says Huw Jenkins — Evening Post
• Clubs drop ticket prices to keep fans, but Spurs still costs double Man City — Inside World Football
• Sir Alex Ferguson’s live appearance in Manchester sell out in just SEVEN minutes — The Mail

La Liga

• Mesut Ozil did not want to fight for Real Madrid place — Evening Standard

International soccer

• Chile’s innovative 3-4-3 formation to secure a 2-2 draw against world champions Spain — 101 Great Goals
• 2014 World Cup Final to be broadcast in Ultra HD as live production in 4K proves viable — Sports Video Group
• FIFA opens investigation against Costa Rica following United States match — Tico Times
• Qatar hits back: “It’s the right place to host 2022 World Cup” — Pro Soccer Talk
• The money that goes to agents, technology and stadiums — SWOL

MLS

• Flame out in Bridgeview – Chicago writer blasts ‘sad state of affairs’ — Prost Amerika

The Daily Soccer Report is your morning guide to the latest world soccer news headlines, so you don’t have to spend an hour or more scanning the Internet. We do all the work for you. Read The Daily Soccer Report on World Soccer Talk every morning to stay on top of all the news that matters.