…explain the situation, you need the club to survive very well at the highest possible level with or without me, and a suggestion came, said sensible, if we can come up with an alternative way to generate income would you change your mind. I said of course yes and I welcome the idea. I’m still waiting and the minute someone come up with another idea, they can have a meeting with me at short notice.

Sure. So the textbooks say go for a shorter name…

Yes.

But what about this global impact that you’re trying to get for Hull City? How are you going to test the market overseas?

No that’s… no. I’m not here to discuss, er, market research ideas. Is not really for the programme and it is for my advisers and myself and using my experience and the specialist. It is not something I can sit- you need two hours. For me to explain this you need two hours. No. But the main thing is, shorter name, I think no dispute, shorter names have a stronger and quick impact on the market place. That’s fact. Everybody knows it. You don’t need to be a marketeer to know that.

You spoke to the fans last week. They’ve seen your statement and they’ve issued another one of their own, I’m sure you’ve seen it…

[Nods]

…But just to remind you, they say ‘We remain puzzled that Dr Allam cannot distinguish between the name of the holding company and the football name of the club he owns. Until he registers the new name with the Football Association, the club remains Hull City AFC. Dr Allam believes we are already called Hull City Tigers, a name ripe for shortening, Therefore that’s spectacularly,’ in their words, ‘ill judged and erroneous.’ What do you say to that?

Free country! Believe in what you want to believe in. Is a free country. Say what you like. I don’t answer these questions.

They go on to say, ‘Our group has already had extensive contact with key figures at the FA, and we anticipate they will take a dim view both of this announcement and of Dr Allam’s rubbishing our club’s proud history at the meeting we had with him last week.’

Please yourself. That’s your opinion. No, that’s not the case. I don’t rubbish ideas, I never done, I wouldn’t have had my business you see now by rubbishing other people’s ideas. No, I listen to all ideas. I made the effort to meet with the fans and erm we discussed everything and explained the situation and, err….The only thing to change this is someone to come and say – as they did suggest – we have a different way of creating income. But anybody who says to me they want to… What do we want? Do we want quality of football or a long name. If you want quality of football, I think I know how to do it and we have taken the club to, err,  Premier League, and my ambition is to take the club to Europe.

And what’s your final message would you say to the group you met the other day, the group that calls itself City Till I Die?

Yeah they can City Till They Die as much as they like, nothing will change. Look it is me who is paying. They can City Until They Die as much as they like. The criteria is, one of the colleagues attended said, the most sensible thing said at the meeting, what if I can I come up with ideas, alternative ideas. That’s how to conduct a discussion.

 I work ten hours a day. I haven’t got the luxury of time. I have responsibility of this company. I have responsibility of the club. The fans will not forgive me if things go wrong with the club. And I wouldn’t let this happen. So is the last time today, deadline, no more discussion. People can talk to themselves, but not to me. I want to maintain, I want to look after, to continue to look after my business, and certainly to continue doing my very best to the football club and get the best names. Now we are getting the best names in English football in your back garden for you to come here and watch. Err…, I will continue try to do that. That’s my objectives. I have no other objective, and I wouldn’t let go.