Hull City manager Steve Bruce has backed owner Assem Allam by stating that he is well within his rights to re-brand the club as 'Hull City Tigers'.

The Egypt-born businessman courted controversy when he recently confirmed that the club's name will change in an attempt to improve their global marketing appeal.

"I think the PR could have handled it a bit better," PA quotes Bruce as saying. "I am a traditionalist. [But] the money our guys put into Hull City, if he wants us to play in pink and wants to call us something else, then he's entitled to do it.

"I think he just wants to do away with the 'AFC'. Why, I'm not so sure, maybe it's a marketing thing in his department.

"You'd have to ask him the reason why. I'm a bit of a traditionalist and maybe there's a reason why. There's obviously a reason why, maybe he thinks Hull City Tigers is the way forward."

Hull City AFC was formed 109 years ago.