Hull City: Bruce relaxed about name change

Owner Assem Allam caused a stir last week when it was revealed he had dropped the ‘AFC’ suffix from the club’s official name after 109 years and would be focusing on marketing the team as the Tigers at home and abroad.

The move was not met with much enthusiasm by the club’s fans, with a petition to contest the change quickly gathering over a thousand signatures.

Bruce, though, sees it as little more than a storm in a teacup.

“It’s a couple of words, it doesn’t really make a difference as far as I’m concerned,” he told Sky Sports News.

“The furore will die down a bit and we’ll still be Hull City next year, albeit Hull City Tigers not Hull City AFC.

“I think if it’s more commercially attractive abroad then surely it’s up to the owner, who has bought the club, to say what he thinks.”

Bruce has had a busy summer since winning promotion to the Barclays Premier League last term, bringing in Maynor Figueroa, Allan McGregor, Curtis Davies, Yannick Sagbo, Danny Graham and Steve Harper as well as making permanent the loan deals of George Boyd and Ahmed Elmohamady.

But he is still looking to strengthen the centre of the park, with Corry Evans and Tom Cairney both leaving for Blackburn, the latter on loan, and Stephen Quinn struggling to be fit for the start of the season.

“You’re always looking, that’s the manager’s job...always wanting one more,” he said.

“We’re a little thin on the ground in midfield areas. We’ve let a couple out and it’s one area we are looking to strengthen. Hopefully by the time the window shuts we’ll get two or three bodies in that department to help us.”

Bruce, whose side have an imposing away trip to Chelsea to start their campaign on Sunday, distanced himself from reports linking the club to Wolves striker Kevin Doyle.

“It’s an area we don’t need strengthening in at the moment, it’s a little bit wide of the mark that one,” he said.

“I’ve been linked with about 150 names over the mast few months...speculation can be wide of the mark but that’s the time of year.”