Who remembers the Allam years? Dark times.

[BoothferryBoy]

Reading some of the complaints about Acun on here and I think some of you have forgotten what it was actually like under the Allams. Let me remind you.
They tried to rename the club Hull Tigers. Literally tried to erase City from the name. The fans had to campaign for years to stop it happening. The Football Association had to get involved. Can you imagine? An owner actively trying to destroy the identity of the club he's supposed to be running.
Then the boycotts started. Attendances dropped. The atmosphere at the ground became toxic. Ehab Allam was running the club into the ground while the fans were protesting outside. Season ticket renewals collapsed. The whole thing felt like the club was dying from the inside.
Players didn't want to come here. Managers couldn't work with the restrictions. We went from the Premier League and an FA Cup Final to a relegation battle in the Championship with a squad held together with sellotape and hope.
So yeah, Acun isn't perfect. The managerial changes are frustrating and the transfer embargo was embarrassing. But at least the man loves the club, invests in the squad, and wants to take us forward. After the Allams that feels like a miracle. Some of you need perspective.

 

[Wilko79]

100% this. People forget how bad it actually got.
The Hull Tigers thing wasn't just a name change. It felt like someone trying to tell you your whole history didn't matter. I was at a few games during the boycott period and the atmosphere was unlike anything I'd experienced before. Not the good kind of unlike. Half empty stands, fans arguing with each other about whether to come or not, stewards outnumbering away supporters in some sections. It was grim.
And the worst part was there was no light at the end of it. No sense that things would get better. Just this feeling that the club was being slowly strangled by people who didn't understand what it meant to us.
Acun walks in and within months you could feel the difference. The training ground investment, the actual ambition in the transfer window, the way he talks about the club publicly. Has it all gone perfectly? No. But you can feel that the people running things actually want to be here.
After what we went through under the Allams I will take imperfect ownership with genuine intent every single time.