Written by Peter Johnson.
“For many Hull City fans, it’s all very straightforward. As a fan, you go to games, as many as you want or as many as you can afford, at home, away or both. You may not like our owners the Allam family, you may dislike some of their policies or be wary of them as individuals. But that wouldn’t stop you going to games and enjoying yourself, seeing your friends and buying Hull City merchandise. It’s how you choose to support your team and you may believe that’s how all Hull City fans should be. After all, we’ve just won League One, the Club is on a high and we need to enjoy every moment. Prices are much improved. What reason could there be to stay away?
After the long enforced absence, 1,798 City fans travelled to see a fine 4-1 away win at Preston on the opening day of the season. We are top of the Championship. Spirits should be sky high with a packed MKM Stadium on Saturday for our first home fixture in the Championship.
But the MKM won’t be as packed as it should be on Saturday and here’s one reason why.
7000 memberships is still very low. Our fanbase remains split. As fans we are all different, some Hull City fans can forgive and forget, but some simply can’t forgive the Allams (though they long to forget them).
A large group of our keenest, most loyal, diehard supporters won’t be there on Saturday. These Hull City fans face a painful dilemma. For some the dilemma has lasted for years and there are no signs of it going away.
These are fans who desperately want to go to games, but who, if they did so would feel personally defeated, tricked, humiliated and mugged all in one moment. They are 100% behind the team on the pitch but feel victimised manipulated and lied to. Some see themselves as still locked in an ongoing battle with our owners. Yet at the same time by not going to games they are imposing pain and suffering on themselves indefinitely. The choice is excruciatingly painful and leaves these devoted fans in a seemingly endless dilemma. They are caught between the devil and the deep blue sea, stuck between a rock and a hard place.
For the good of Hull City, it is really important to understand the missing fans. Many have a passionate and emotional commitment to the Hull City cause. They refuse to return as they feel emotionally blackmailed. They believe the Allams have a clever end game, that no matter how badly they treat the fans most of the City faithful will all eventually drift back because of their deep emotional or family attachment to Hull City.
Big gaps in the stands may irritate on Saturday but the principled moral stance of some of the absentees needs to be respected. Large numbers simply can’t contemplate a return until the Allams leave. Many believe a mass protest or boycott is the right way to behave, that a more wholesale protest from fans years ago might have forced the Allams out or diluted their anti-fan policies. Others simply refuse to put money in Allam pockets.
Some are just disillusioned and don’t feel Hull City is a true football Club anymore with Ehab Allam as Vice Chairman. They believe it has been ripped from the Community it was formed to represent. Some may never return, and of course Covid-19 has hardly helped. For the moment there is no obvious solution or way to get them back. We need to accept that.
On the eve of the new season a further blow was dealt with the removal of streaming of games and radio coverage from BBC Radio Humberside, yet another bizarre decision from Hull City’s owners. It’s the latest in a long line of anti-fan decisions with no rationale or business reason behind them. To many supporters, it’s a further justification to consciously boycott, start to do something else on a Saturday, or just wait for the Allams to go. The radio rights incident again demonstrates all is not good at Hull City and there is still a wide gap between our owners and many fans.
“Many have a passionate and emotional commitment to the Hull City cause”
Football Club owners often have a dubious reputation. We have had our fair share of them at Hull City. But the Allams are fairly unique in that over a long period they have turned their anger on the fans when things go wrong for them.
All this may not bother a lot of Hull City fans, it may not affect them. But the purpose of this article is to encourage fans that do go to games to understand those who do not. Some fans on Twitter and other social media platforms have not helped the situation by criticising absent fans. Some of these critics admittedly are younger supporters who have not endured the many frustrations of the lengthy Allam regime.
But we need to remember boycotters and other similar absentees have families, they are part of the roots of a future Hull City fanbase. Hull City supporters need to be side by side strong and united.
Let’s not push the absentees further away. They are a central part of Hull City’s future. We hope that one day most will come back as part of a strong vibrant core fanbase with fans, owners, manager, players and all those connected with our great football club all pulling in the same direction.
Peter Johnson”
You can follow Peter on Twitter @PJohnnners
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