There is an old saying that goes something along the lines of, "without change there can be no nostalgia."
There is also a school of thought, favoured by silver tongued, sharp suited business gurus, that all change - good, bad or indifferent, should be embraced.
For football supporters there have been plenty of progressive changes over the past few decades; safer and more comfortable stadiums, the gradual demise of hooliganism and a far more welcoming environment for families.
Along with all of the good stuff, almost inevitably, there have been some less palatable alterations to the modern game. The proposed name change of Hull City AFC to Hull Tigers being one of them.
The recent announcement by owner Assem Allam that it is his desire to rename the club Hull Tigers, is a fine example of a change that not only defies logical justification, it also shows scant regard for a cherished and fundamental part of the football clubs identity.
Allam's proposal to rebrand the club comes hot on the heels of Cardiff City's controlling shareholder Vincent Tan's highly controversial decision last year to ditch the clubs historic blue home colours and instead adopt red as their principal colour, with a red dragon as their dominant emblem.
If one is not steeped in English football culture it would be easy to dismiss such changes as simply cosmetic alterations. However, to football fans up and down the country, club colours, nicknames, badges and club names are pivotal parts of their clubs respective DNA's. Indeed, the afore mentioned elements that make up the clubs identities often have their roots going back many decades - frequently to the late Victorian era.
In an age of crass and vacuous consumersim, together with a gradual decrease in community spirit, often a town or city's football club and its traditions are the most obvious link many people have to their local community. It does not seem unduly harsh to level accusations of cultural vandalism against those who seek to ride roughshod over such traditions.
The good news for those opposed to the genetic modification of our football clubs is that Hull City fans are determined to do all that they can to fight the impending name change. A community organisation called 'City Till We Die' has been formed in order to campaign for the protection of the clubs historic identity. The group, made up of a broad range of Hull City supporters, are calling for consultation on any plans to alter the clubs identity. The fledgling body has already put together an extensive leafleting and badge campaign to mobilise support and awareness amongst the wider fanbase. They have also organised an on line petition against the proposed name change.
Similarly, Cardiff City fans against the rebrand of their club have formed an organisation called 'Bluebirds Unite,' with the aim of persuading Vincent Tan to restore the club's traditional colour and badge. The organisation recently held a well attended 'celebration walk' to give fans the opportunity to proudly demonstrate the strength of feeling for the clubs traditional traditional blue home strip and long standing bluebird emblem. 'Bluebirds Unite' have a series of events planned and like 'City Till We Die' also have an online petition calling for the restoration of Cardiff City's historic identity.
Whilst both supporters groups undoubtedly face lengthy battles to conserve what they believe to be core pillars of their clubs identities, it is heartening to see that fans are prepared to take on football's money men on matters of principle.
Its also sends out the signal that in a game that, at the top level at least, has almost completely lost itself in the pursuit of money, dictatorial club owners may not get everything their own way.
Maybe, this is something fans of all clubs should pay attention to, as it could be their club next...