It is hard to decide whether this is schadenfreude tragicomedy or setting off alarm bells over the potential plight of English Football. Loathsome supporters getting fucked over by loathsome "Businessmen," and there ennobled stooge. As a republican and football supporter ultimately my sympathies are shifting towards the genuine supporters.
We are approaching the point where doing a Leeds or Portsmouth or even a Glasgow Rangers is no longer the ultimate fear but doing a "West Ham," where a combination factors see a loyal fan base eased out of a club which is then transformed into a TV friendly US style franchise. The fact that this piracy is publicly funded is scandalous and will forever taint the legacy of a corrupt Olympic games.
This puts the Hull Tigers and other ventures into sharper relief. If the FA care about English footballing traditions then, club names, locations, kit colours and other key identifying factors need to be protected. If owners seek to alter beyond a certain scope then it must be deemed the original club is no longer in existence and league place deemed forfit and the new entity must come up through the non league ranks.