There has been a whole sequence of stories about football fans being unhappy about changes to their favourite clubs. Before we dismiss them as being for local consumption only, we should consider how important these are and the challenge they pose for major investors who now own large parts of our sporting infrastructure.

No better examples exist than the two stories that emerged this week from Bristol. There the billionaire businessman, Steve Lansdown, has bought both the rugby club and Bristol City football club. He has combined them with less glamorous sports like Badminton and Basketball to form Bristol Sport a truly innovative solution designed to put the City on the map.

The Rugby story this week was that his plan to rename it to Bristol Bears was meeting resistance from fans who felt they should have been consulted. The Soccer story was under the headline ‘Bristol City lack common decency as club shuns their own consultation group’ . It appears that the club’s Fan Consultative Forum was consulted about new ticket options and pricing for disabled supporters – but only after the decision had been taken.

This week, we also had Everton Football Club apologise to its own Manager, Sam Allardyce for inappropriate questions in a consultation with its own supporters. In Swansea, new American owners upset the Supporters Trust – which is also part-owner of the Club, and tales of dissatisfaction with overseas investors can be found in many on lists of top owners such as that on this page.

So, what is the problem? Would any new arrangements, proposed by a new management team incur the wrath of football supporters? Is there something different when international business people take charge? Does the average football fan reserve a special scepticism for those they perceive to be in it for the money or the status rather than just for the love of the game?

The truth is that sporting clubs are actually all about identity, allegiances and tribal loyalties. The issues that have got Lansdown and others into trouble, are because you interfere with people’s self-perceptions at your peril. Change a name and you change something deep inside a supporter’s own being. The good news is that with time and patience, new loyalties and new enthusiasm can be created.

Here are four things we think the new owners should consider:

1. The British sporting fan lives in a world where consultation is all around. He or she will be consulted by the local authority on everything from a new housing estate to the frequency of bin collections. Your parish council will even ask you where a new park bench should be placed. The NHS consults. The Police and Crime Commissioner consults. Damn it, everyone consults! In such an environment, when you are constantly asked your opinion about things you care little or nothing about, it seems inconceivable that the one thing you DO care about can change beyond recognition without any degree of engagement and dialogue. In short, fans will expect to be consulted

2. If consultation there is to be, it must stick to the rules. But, whereas Government agencies and public bodies are fully aware of such rules those who run PR exercises for sporting owners have little such experience. Remember that once a consultation is declared, the consultees can challenge its legality in Court by claiming they had a legitimate expectation that the Gunning Principles and other relevant standards are observed. Owners should avoid the temptation to spend arms and legs on expensive lawyers, but they DO need to be guided by those familiar with the law of consultation

3. The best form of building customer loyalty is to demonstrate respect for the views of fans and supporters. Long-term permanent engagement requires a range of stakeholder management activities that relies less on set-piece formal consultation (though that can be required from time to time), but more routine day-to-day dialogue based on a genuine exchange of views. Experience in consultation has demonstrated that what is said, how it is said and when are all critical factors in building trust, so if, as in the case of Bristol City FC, there exists established machinery for such interactions, they must be managed with care so that issues like those reported this week can be minimised

4. Owners need to undertake periodic exercises to measure the health of their relationships – not just with the fans but also with the wider community. That is the way to avoid unforeseen problems with planning or other enabling regulation which can affect their success on or off the field. Wise owners will know the need to invest in reputation management and may have inherited or built community programmes of immense value to local neighbourhoods. These initiatives play a large role in creating a positive climate that enhances the likelihood that changes that otherwise arouse opposition may be smoothly implemented

Bristol’s problems will almost certainly blow over and a well-resourced team of people working for Mr Lansdown will make the changes they desire. But they and everyone else would probably prefer to do it with the support of their fans, and not in teeth of their opposition. For that reason, they might benefit from help and advice from those of us who know how consultation should be managed.  Would that be a goal worth pursuing?