Often Partisan

The Accounts and Pannu

This week has been a busy week for Birmingham International Holdings with the release of the accounts for the year ending 2014 and with the news that Birmingham City FC have ended the service contract of Acting Chairman Peter Pannu. I’ve put together some analysis of both having had chance to read and digest both announcements.

Before I start, I must as always provide the following caveat – I’m not a lawyer or an accountant, and I’m working on what I know and what I’ve been told. I will cite facts where I can but where I have speculated I will make that clear and I will invite you to treat that speculation with the scepticism it deserves.

The Accounts

The accounts didn’t make for good reading in particular. The headline points as I see them are follows:

  • Turnover was down to approx £20.4mil from £23.76mil the season before.
  • Wage costs are at approx £18.84mil – or 92.35% of turnover. That means for every £1 BIH took in, they spend 92.35p on wages – an unsustainable level.
  • BIH made a loss of approx £12.61m for the year ending 2014 – this is an increase from £9.73mil the year before
  • The accounts once again have a disclaimer of opinion meaning the auditors refuse to comment on them

So what does this mean for Birmingham City?

The chief takeaway is that it shows why Blues are continuing to shop in the bargain basement for players – turnover is still steadily dropping and without the benefits of parachute payments will drop even more heavily. It was well publicised last year that barring Nikola Zigic we had the second lowest wage bill in the Championship and yet that constituted 92+% of the turnover of BIH – this season we have the lowest wage bill and we should be in a slightly better position although turnover will have been hit hard.

The accounts also show our dependency on TV income. Just a shade under 60% of the entire income generated by BCFC comes from broadcasting income; as much as people boycotting think that they will starve out the club the money from gate receipts amounts to just 1/6th of what the club gets – in essence even a total boycott of the ground (which would never happen) wouldn’t achieve much in the grand scheme of killing the company’s finances from a maths perspective – that logic is flawed.

Debt

There was a bit of a brouhaha about money secured against land owned by the Group in the UK (assumed to be St Andrews) but closer inspection shows that just £167k is borrowed against that – which is a long term loan as I recall and was used towards building the Academy up some time ago. Borrowing by the group is down overall from approx £14.40mil to £10.75mil; however there is a debt owed to iMerchant’s Asia Ltd (a company whose parent coincidentally has two executive directors who were formerly directors of BIH) of HK$16.856mil – of which HK$6.856mil or (about £550k) is interest which is rising at 0.5% per annum plus 2% per month penalty interest as the debt is overdue. To owe £550k interest on a loan which was only originally around £800k is pretty shocking and it strikes me that it seems there is no effort being made to pay it – especially as BIH negotiated settling another debt for HK$27mil when they owed HK$60.275mil.

Transfers

Transferwise, the accounts show we received approx £1.25mil for Tom Adeyemi and that we have had to pay out £400,000 in transfer fees for performance achievements with a total of £1.185mil outstanding in add-ons if we achieve everything in them.

Auditors

The disclaimer of opinion is for two reasons – firstly, the money owed to/by Xtep STILL has not been sorted out – with it having gone on for this long and knowing how litigious certain members of the board are I cannot believe a claim has not been filed in the courts in Hong Kong. Secondly, the auditors cannot see how BIH can continue trading as a going concern – something I believe many of us are also struggling to understand.

Pannu

Four days ago, the club made a statement to confirm that Pannu’s service contract with the club has not been renewed and that Panos Pavlakis will continue in his role as BIH’s representative in Birmingham and will oversee the running of the club in the future.

My understanding having spoken to sources in Hong Kong is that there will need to be a BIH board meeting convened to remove Pannu as a director of the board of BCFC and BC PLC and that a shareholders meeting will have to be convened to remove him from the board of BIH – whether either are to happen any time soon remains to be seen. What I would say is that there does seem to be some open insurrection between Pannu and the board now and that I don’t think the former policeman will go quietly.

On a personal level, I invited Mr Pannu by email to meet for a beer on friendly terms, to discuss Blues and to give him a signed copy of my book while I was in Hong Kong. I was politely rebuffed by Mr Pannu who told me he had already received a copy of it, warning me of legal consequences should I have broken any rules and congratulating me on “making quick bucks in HK and China on your book.” As Mr Pannu’s BCFC email address apparently no longer works, I have no choice but to use this website to communicate a quick reply as follows:

Thanks for your congratulations on my enterprise Mr Pannu; sales have been okay although I have yet to make £989,611 this year! Maybe I’ll get lucky and get a nice consultancy contract out of it…

I note you have failed to have your BCFC contract renewed and I wish you the best in trying to find a similar contract to reward you in a similar manner.

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146 Responses to “The Accounts and Pannu”

  • Adam says:

    Nice response to Pannu there Dan

  • StaffsBlue says:

    Love the little message at the end. He who laughs last, laughs longest. :-)

  • Richard Cooke says:

    The club has vacancies for conference and banqueting supervisors. Salary £7.50 per hour. I wonder if Pannu has considered applying?!!! A little less than £989,611 but after all, a job is a job!!
    Dan, best of luck with the book sales, I will be buying it for certain.

    KRO DNM SOTV

  • Oldbluenose says:

    THE THRUST OF YOUR COMMENTS, UNDERLINES THE DIRE STRAITS THAT B,C,F,C. FIND THEMSELVES IN UNDER THE ” STEWARDSHIP ” B,I,H., !!!.

    MANY THANKS DANIEL, FOR CRISTALISING THE REPORT SO WE CAN UNDERSTAND IT EASIER,

  • tamuffblue says:

    Congrats as usual brilliant and concise view of the shit we are in

  • Chris W says:

    Another well detailed analysis of the recent events and a cheeky swipe at the outgoing Mr Pannu.
    I read with interest regarding your webinar, sadly i was not able to get to a computer on that day, that you believe that Carson is still in a position to pull strings and is reluctant to sell the club even if HKSE sanctions or rules allowed.
    After speaking to people in the know at the football league and being informed that the only way they could get involved was if actual proof or evidence came to light, has any such evidence become available that could be used by the FL to put pressure in the right places to force a sale?
    As this seems to be the only way forward now, we know we can’t starve them out, a full boycott would never happen and from the actions of both Blackpool and Newcastle by supporters that protests are not going to have any effect, especially since our owners are 6,000 miles away.
    KRO+DNM

  • Mickey07 says:

    How does the hkse let this tin-pot outfit continue too trade,surely someone with any power at the hkse should been able too boot them off…can’t we start a campaign to get them delisted.

  • Bluenosesol says:

    Fantastic work Dan and thank you for it, I will also be buying a copy of the book. I hate to join the growing band who believe that admin now looks like the only way of ridding the club of these barbarians who have no love for either the club or its supporters. I am sickened that they are now looking to offload Gray to keep the lights on to ensure the Chinese water torture prevails.

  • StevieW says:

    They do have cash in the bank not much I know.

    Making a substantial loss, dwindling revenue, large liabilities, sliding share price, over due debt payments, how long before they are forced to quit, and who has the authority to pull the plug????

    • Shirley Blue says:

      What would happen to Blues if BIHL actually went bust. Would that be good or bad?

      • BhamCityJulian says:

        Disastrous I would say. Those will loans outstanding would want a decent chunk repaid so that would mean selling BCFC as a football club for an amount greater than the sale of Stans plus player registrations. Who is going to pay £30m goodwill for a club on our position?

        • Shirley Blue says:

          If they actually went into administration doesn’t that mean most if not all of the debts are written off and they no longer have control of the club. Isn’t that we actually need.

          • Chris W says:

            For that to happen it needs those who are owed money to call in their debts. Since most of the debts seemed to be owed to current BIHL directors or major shareholders that is unlikely to happen.
            If the club failed to pay the players wages or their tax bill then the Inland Revenue would be demanding their money and administration could become a reality.
            KRO+DNM

          • BhamCityJulian says:

            Really not that simple. Creditors need to agree to write off their debts

  • blueb says:

    I don’t quite follow the £18.84m on salaries.

    Taking out Zigic – then salary costs are roughly £15.5m.

    Given a wage cap of say £5k pw (£260K) * 30 players = £7.8m .
    Even allowing for half of them to be on £10k = £11.7m.

    Assuming the higher number and allowing for management costs in then this would mean circa $4m per annum on admin, catering & stewards. Even assuming they are on £30k each allows for 130 staff. Do we have that many??

    I have no idea on the workings of a club and if someone can give a better view of the above then all the better but something doesn’t stack up for me.

  • railwayblue says:

    could we not get a few of us to together and go to the football lge hq,this would get the press interested.
    The way it stands at present we are dieing a slow death.

  • Darra BCFC says:

    blueb,
    The salaries aren’t just for the playing staff don’t forget you have
    Directors Pay
    non playing staff @BCFC

  • gibbi says:

    Nice one Dan

  • tony jones says:

    what the sun of dracular dares have a go at you what a thick skin he has does he think we are all blind to his antics tell him to go on master chef he is great at cooking the books i have supported blues for 51 years and although i cannot go to matches now as i am in wales they are still close to my heart infact everyone here knows keep right on off by heart and always look out for the scores i am reduced to the blues player for coverage i just hope this great club with the best loyal supporters gets back into sanity again k r o

  • hawk says:

    The bit i don’t understand is the £12m loss by BIHL. Is that what the club BCFC is losing or is that what BIHL is losing, or both? If it is BIHL, what are they losing it on considerig I thought that 95% of BIHL is BCFC.

    • StaffsBlue says:

      I wouldn’t have a clue about the finances, but wouldn’t the drop in TV revenue account for a decent percentage of the losses? Just a thought.

      • Shirley Blue says:

        We had been in the Championship the season before so no. It says that 60% of total income comes from broadcasting income. I wouldn’t be surprised at that if we were in the Premier League but I was given we are in the Championship. Less than a sixth comes from ticket sales. That is very significant because it means a boycott in this division would have very little impact.

    • AussieBlue says:

      Hawk – the company losing the $12 mill is BIHL, listed on the HKSE number 2309. BCFC is a subsidiary of BIHL and therefore the revenues from BCFC go into BIHL coffers. What happens to them then is a matter for the accountants. There can be all kinds of ‘management fees’ (eg Pannu’s old 1 mill a year); expenses, disbursements in HK etc etc…so no, BCFC may not be losing that amount but sure as egg noodles are egg noodles; BIHL has.

  • Thanks for the breakdown of the figures in a way we can all understand.The more you read into figures like this the more of a mess we appear to be in. Something has to give sooner or later,but how many times have we said this. ? Surely we deserve better than this for our wonderful football club. Heartbreaking. KRO.

  • Shirley Blue says:

    We wonder why no-one is interested in buying the club when you see numbers like £550k to service an original debt of £800k. You would have to be mad to go anywhere near this lot. Even a boycott would seem to have little impact as most of the turnover is generated from TV money. It is very difficult to see where this is going to come to and end. Personally I wish this rabble had never come near our club even if that meant not winning the Carling Cup. It wasn’t worth this. Many will not agree I am sure. I still think the only way to get them out is to prove Carson Yeung is still pulling the strings but the utterly pathetic Football League is not interested in our plight.

    • Chris W says:

      The only way the football league will get involved if someone can produce evidence that CY is still pulling the strings, it is probably their cop out for not taking any action before.
      KRO+DNM

  • Shirley Blue says:

    Having just said that if we did get relegated then presumably the income generated from TV would drop significantly. At that point a boycott in buying season tickets might be be effective in terms of hitting their cash flow. Not a nice thought or anything I am suggesting should happen but somehow we gave got to get away from BIHL to have any sort of future.

  • KeepRightcroydOn says:

    Now that we’ve off-loaded the high earners, does anyone know what what percentage the wage bill is of turnover?

  • John says:

    The problem is still the same, as the season we won the cup and then got relegated. The board of directors, know nothing at all about running a football club. The day after that wonderful day at Wembley ,they should have been drumming in to McLeish and the players, that from now until the end of the season, their only thoughts should be concentrated on staying in the premiership. In any failing company, the buck and blame eventually falls on the management. Sure, McLeish and the players were, very unprofessional, but if the Directors, had had any knowledge of football, they would have jumped on the manager and players, when we lost disgracefully to West Brom, the following week. While these bunch of incompetents have any contact with our club, the future is bleak.

    • Shirley Blue says:

      Injuries played a very big part in us going down. We only had Jerome left fit for the final few months. Zigic and Martins hardly featured after the final. Gardner was injured in the final as was Ferguson who played with bust ribs for a month or two which he sustained in the final. We lost Scott Dann in the semi final and I don’t think Jarinek played much after Wembley. While it was great winning the cup it cost us dear.

      • bluenoserob says:

        The turning point for me was Gardener getting sent off against wolves , we had just made it one one and we were battering them .A win in that game would have seen us safe.

        The arse would have fallen out of our club the season after anyway because of CY but we would have had another year in the prem.

  • DoctorD says:

    Being in the Premiership with so much money flushing around can hide a multitude of sins at boardroom level. For any team in the top division, the board can be pretty incompetent and it normally doesn’t matter all that much simply because they have so much cash to burn. Drop down a division and it’s then that you need razor-sharp minds. Sadly our board leaves a lot to be desired.

  • Art Watson says:

    Great fairwel message to Pannu and good ridence to the man who has helped to destroy our club.

    As for the future -I’m at a complete loss to understand as to how we move forward- it’s just a bloody mess.

  • Graham says:

    Pannu is doing alright on Strictly Come Dancing

  • Art Watson says:

    Let’s hope he breaks a leg then!

  • WalmleySteve says:

    Dan, given what you said on your webinar about a takeover being (and always has been) a million miles away, have you now concluded that Pannu’s announcement in May regarding SMW’s bid for the club was merely a cynical ploy to ‘get the fans onside’ and sell more season tickets, as many speculated at the time?

  • dave mann says:

    so boycotting games doesent make any difference Dan…..thanks for telling all those bone heads out there who think not going down to see there beloved club ( yeah right ) at st Andrews under this regime will make them go away….major intelligence needed ime afraid, there here to stay so those who don’t go I hope you enjoy your shopping trips with the better half because your be doing them for some time to come…enjoy!!! while the rest of us go to the pub have a few bevies and watch our team play..in my case home and away, love it!!! KRO.

    • Art Watson says:

      Living in Cyprus I’m unable to see any of the games but I have not renewed my Grand Kids season tickets for three seasons now and I will continue not to do so until these morons have cleared off.

      It’s my choice and I’m not a bone head!

      Many fans have also voted with their feet because of the teams performance and Clarks absymal home record.

      Are they bone heads as well?

    • almajir says:

      Dave – don’t call people boneheads for not agreeing with you. I’ve said before attendance is an emotive issue and people should accept other’s opinions on it (on both sides)

  • dave mann says:

    you support your club Art no matter how the teams doing and how ever crap you think the manager is or the owners are, if we were in the conference ide still go down but then unfortunetley theres not many of us around these days who do that…..if its financial then fair enough ive got no problem with that but to not go down because were playing crap ( and by the way were better this season ) is not for me so yes those in your last paragraph are bone heads, sorry my opinion and nobodies changing it. KRO.

    • StaffsBlue says:

      Birmingham City is Birmingham City, no matter what division they’re in. I’d still pay money to watch them, regardless.

    • Art Watson says:

      So there must be at least 15,000 bone heads out there and they must be all wrong!

      • dave mann says:

        yes aswell as part time supporters who go down when it suits them and not there club, sorry my opinion. KRO.

        • Art Watson says:

          Ok ..I repect your opinion but disagree as I feel calling fellow supporters “Bonehead” is being very disrespectful to those who actually care about the club but decide not to support the current owners.

          • A Turton says:

            Im with you on this one Art….

            I remember going down the Blues during the late 80’s and early 90’s when we were bottom Div2 and Div3/League 1. The standard of footbal was dire, but I enjoyed it because I ‘felt’ it was my club.

            Now we have these vultures picking the bones off the club i love. Selling our home grown talent and replacing them with journeymen who really couldnt give a toss.

            So I dont go anymore, cause its not my club whilst BIHL are in charge. They only i way feel I CAN do anything about getting rid of these bloodsuckers is to withold the thing they love most…. and that is my money. Personaly, I disagree with Dans comments about matchday income only being 1/6 of the clubs entire income, so boycotting would achieve nothing. As BIHL cannot justify how they are a going concern, then surely any reduction in income will be disastrous for them?

            Anyway, thats just how I feel. I dont think I am any less a fan

    • Chris W says:

      I think it is all about choices Dave, I was banging the drum to not renew season tickets in the close season and I still think I was right to make my point.
      There were those all calling for a boycott, but no one would stand up and organise it or a march.
      I thought long and hard about renewing my ST and left it to the very last minute, only because it worked out cheaper than paying week in week out, and as I live in Nottingham would have been easier to say”I can’t be bothered”.
      Like you I support the team as often as I can away, a majority of away games are in Yorkshire so nearer then Stans.
      I don’t think LC is the manager to take us forward but he is our manager and while I pay good money I believe I have the right to praise and/or criticise, which I do.
      KRO+DNM

  • Tony says:

    One thing is for sure Pannu couldn’t give a monkeys what any one thinks or says about him, hes proved this in the past. He has a skin like a rhino all attempts at sarcasm will just roll of his back.

    • AussieBlue says:

      That’s dead right Tony. His character is well defined in the snide comment he shot back to Dan about the book. The man is a money freak above all else – morality included. Let’s all be satisfied that he’s no longer suckling on the BCFC teat. Unless he sues because he was sexually harassed by an imaginary transvestite staff member!

    • Mickey07 says:

      I don’t know how pannu sleeps at night after some of the stuff he’s done immorally at our club…

  • Strettonbluenose says:

    I was there at the Blackburn game when our “fans” threatened Gold and Sullivan because they wanted them gone. Well be careful what you wish for because they went and look where we are now.

    • Agent McLeish says:

      Good point, I was ashamed that day – completely out of order by a moronic ‘fan’. I actually think that BIHL who have destroyed our club have been treated better by the fans than G&S who improved the club!

      • StaffsBlue says:

        I doubt that would be the case if they actually attended a game. I shudder to think what the abuse would have been like this last 2 seasons if they had actually bothered to turn up.

  • Strettonbluenose says:

    I think BIH are a bunch of clowns and don’t have a clue about how to run a business, let alone a football business. However, if we have the lowest wages in the Championship and are still running at a loss, then every club in this league must be similar and what does this say about the state of football?

    • A Turton says:

      Thats exactly what stinks about this…. Im pretty sure most of the clubs with a low wage bill are not making a loss. If thats true, then why are we?

      Dan has pointed out that funds have not been flowing out to China, rather, they have been spent on wages. However, I think funds have been flowing out to China in the form of ridiculous interest payments to loans from Board members, deals like xstep and of course “pocket expenses”.

      There is one big club over in HK. BCFC have business arrangements with what purport to be several different businesses, but I think they are all looped in so that they can extract money from the club and none of these ‘arrangements’ are in the best interest of the club whatsoever.

  • sw16girl says:

    It is worth pointing out that 2% monthly interest penalty clause on the loan equates to 27% APR which makes it a little more obvious how the amount of interest owed is so high on what was originally a loan of around £800k .

  • mark says:

    Daniel you may have upset PP because you did not offer your book for free…………..he will know doubt go through it with a fine tooth comb… On the plus side he maybe not be able to use bcfc lawyers

    against you…. ;-)

    • almajir says:

      Mark

      Before making a witty comment you should read properly – I offered him a signed copy and a beer gratis ;)

      • mark says:

        he obviously got his own before you offered him ;)

        • mark says:

          q1) on another point Daniel what the chances OF YOU meeting with the new MD ?? its been reported he has a excellent working relationship with Clark….Just to see if he is any more transparent than PP???

          q2) I know by your blog you think clark limited….is the any chance you will ever get a opportunity of one on one interview with clark…..so you can ask why you think he limited as a manager??

          hope your books sales are doing well KRO

          • Tony says:

            The question to Clark should be ( In view of your dismal record, and the opinion of a significant number of fans who feel you are utterly useless have you ever considered resigning)?.

          • Tony says:

            Mark You are asking Dan to ask himself a question and then answer it, do you ever read what you write?.

          • Tony says:

            Defy anyone to make any sense of Marks comments

          • mark says:

            nah in view of the extreme circumstances you have had to endear since taking the job a significant amount supporters understand there you are at…..keep going..kro

  • John says:

    To give money to any organisation, that is at best, (choosing my words carefully), very vague about it’s intentions, would be considered by most financial advisers , as not the wisest thing to do. This is ,in my opinion, a good reason to stay away from St. Andrews. You can have a couple of pints with your mates and watch some football at Solihull Moors or any one of the local non league teams, in the midlands.

  • BluesBlues says:

    just a question for you stay aways why give up something that you enjoy with your mates and family. By staying away you not only harm the club but the local pubs who rely on match day drinking to keep open. There will always be fans that go to games and the money from TV and match day sponsorship,will ensure the club carries on no matter what level we are at. The Hong Kong lot will sell when it suites them and no matter weather you go or not it will make very little difference.
    The money from gates pays for the people who run our club from the UK. The club is now stable following the departure of Ziggy and the other cling ons plus Mr I’m worth it Panu.

    Lee Clark has his limitations and in the real world would of been sacked by now but the team we have now is coming together and once again we have the young blue noises getting into the team. These young guns are brummie lads making there way in the game and could do with our support.

    The next home game is a must win for us – so perhaps we could all forget the problems at the club have a good day out in the local pubs and cheer the lads to a victory.

    Just my opion but if you are a supporter you try and go to games if you can .

    KRO

  • Tony says:

    Not all supporters spend their time in local pubs as you put it.

  • Goodie says:

    Oh for a Todd gemmill and worthington

  • BluesBlues says:

    Yes I agrre that not all supporters do spend there time in pubs but some do and the local pubs reply on the match day trade.

  • dave mann says:

    if ive offended any supporters because they wont go down because of the owners then thats there perogative its just that i dont agree with it , you should support your team in bad times as well as good and thats the point i was trying to make….its a great day out going to whatch the blues either home or away and a lot of fans are missing out because of there hatred towards the owners and i find that strange…..sorry if your one of those cuz your missing out in my opinion. KRO.

    • mark says:

      dave with a blue heart…you could never offend me, like yourself want all the peaky, and blue scarf waving fans down the stans…….rightly so our young guns need our support….non-attenders keep tuned in lol

  • dave mann says:

    that’s the problem mark, our team needs all our support and its just ashame that a club that carries the second city banner struggles to get near 15,000, I bet you any money that even when this lot have gone and we have new owners were still struggle to get over 20,000 in this division…..so ide like to ask art where the other 10,000 fans will be…..sitting in there arm chairs waiting for premiership football to return when it will be more expensive….don’t make sense to me…..I always thought that you go to watch your team play and not the opposition but then ime one of the old
    brigade I suppose. KRO.

    • mark says:

      spot on me dave…….waiting for premiership to land on their lap…..just heard watford, cardiff and bolton have got rid of their managers…………well done clarky you are like durcell batteries you just going,going,going,going…lol

      • Art Watson says:

        That’s right Mark…..going going down and that should trim another 5000 off the gate- but know doubt the fans will get the blame for not turning up and Clark will walk away with his big pay off-Funded by the fans of course.

        • mark says:

          nah at 20 quid for the bolton game, and our young players coming to the fore, things are looking brighter……………

          2500 tickets to the dogs i can only see a sell out when what comes around by the way Art those are £27- pound ticket…………kro

          • Art Watson says:

            Young players coming through means more money for BIH when they are sold.

            This is not about football or the success of the club it’s all about money -your money -so keep on giving it to them.You might even be offered a seat on the board Mark.

          • Shirley Blue says:

            Mark – when our young players come to the fore what do you think our wonderful owners will do – they will sell them eg Mutch, Redmond. We cannot move forward with these people in charge as every season we will get slightly weaker in terms of playing strength and one season their will not be three clubs worse than us. We are in grave danger this season already because Wigan and Fulham will improve and probably Bolton. The three that have come up are doing well so the division is stronger this season – there isn’t the dross there was last season.

          • mark says:

            shirley blue players leave for many reasons, better contracts burke,ziggy, others may want to play for their hometown clubs or referred managers mutch, Redmond wanted to play in the premiership whether you like or not…..or to help the club financially whether we like it or not…..
            the great TF LEFT blues because he would have won nothing if he stayed ….he went on to fulfill his dream

        • dave mann says:

          you’ve got it right there Art….fans not SUPPORTERS. KRO.

          • A Turton says:

            Mark, Redmond did not want to go. He would have stayed if we did not invite any offers

          • mark says:

            a turton, yes somethings are done for the greater need of the club, whether we are in agreement or not… I am massive fan of Nathan who i believe will get full England first team caps…

            What will be interest in January whether Gray is touted by some of the big guns…..what figure could attempt blues in to a sale, do we need to sell him?/

  • dave mann says:

    the Duracell kid does go on and will keep going and going until these lot get lost but that will be a long time yet me thinks. KRO.

    • mark says:

      with the changing of the guard it wont be anytime soon……..Know doubt PP will just blend in where necessary…….. he still got his directorships or has he…………..is Carson still the man or is he………questions, questions, oh dear no answers……….i think your spot on their Dave………
      But the love of our club should never wavier what ever the politics in the boardroom…….

    • Tony says:

      He goes on because he has no pride as a professional, or as a man.makes you wonder where his thick skin comes from, oops think I know oblivion erases all pain.

  • Frankie says:

    Excellent article.
    Am sure Pannu will have ‘feathered his nest’ adequately to not have to work anymore.

  • tttpaule says:

    Art Watson i totally agree with your post, Clark is a total waste of space, the reason supporters don’t go down isn’t solely down to the board,if our performances on the pitch were better & the results were better what was happening with the owners wouldn’t matter as much. I know Clark has no funds but he is tactically inept and his decision making is diabolic & laughable at times, he should walk now to give us Chance of avoiding the drop.

  • tttpaule says:

    Cardiff, Watford & Bolton have got rid of their managers because they were poor!!! Clarks record over the past 2 seasons is the worst in the football league & the only reason he is employed is the idiots who employ the idiot, Duracell my arse lets see if any of the 3 clubs mentioned come knocking for Clarks services ” i think not”.

  • tttpaule says:

    Correct 2 out of the 3 have financial muscle,i don’t believe Bolton have i believe they are in a lot of debt,, in my opinion he is a very poor manager & blaming the financial problems at the Club for all the poor results is wrong. I don’t hate Clark i just don’t rate him.no offence to all that like him which is a lot more vile fans than Blues i think.

    • mark says:

      because i have a difference of opinion than yourself i am a viler , it much too early to fall over laughing at your comments, sorry…….
      You have to accept that players need time to gel, we may not have the quality we had before, young kids willing to run though walls in a blue shirt….seeing a team of your own grown players than over aged players looking for their last day….when this experimentation takes place in consistences occur whether you like or not yes we have lge 1 players + our kids if this concoction comes off it will make Clark even better. Hopefully the players realize after the international break we are back at the races, and continue with our momentum……..kro

    • Chas says:

      There was a report last week of Bolton being in debt of something like £162 million.

  • Art Watson says:

    Mark…your analysis of why the youngsters are leaving the club is a classic.

    A man of your intelligence must be a prime candidate to become a member of the BIH board -please ask PP and CY to put your name forward-you’ll be the saviour of our club.

    • mark says:

      thanks Art never knew you care, but i am happy supporting my team in thick and thin…..i am modest work class associate who will continue to wrap himself up in his blue and white scarf, as you know the winter coming here….You look after yourself remember to put on factor 50 on in the sun…..kro

      • dave mann says:

        well said mark, at least were be supporting the club through the winter months while others sit on there back sides feeling proud of themselves for not going down and thinking there doing there so called club a favour….total and utter codswallop, if they think that all our money spent is going straight in there pockets then there not as intelligent as they think they are…just one excuse after another and when there is new owners there find another excuse not to go. KRO.

    • Tony says:

      Art, Intelligence and Mark do not go together.

  • StaffsBlue says:

    I have to agree with mark about the players we have this season. Most of them have never played at this level before, much less played with each other (no pun intended.) It was always going to be a case of them taking time to get used to the way each other play and gelling… let alone getting to used to new tactics, etc. I think if some fans can’t see the improvement already from the last 2 seasons, well, they’re definitely watching different matches to me. Yes, they’re still making mistakes, which, we have to accept, they will do for the level of player we have, but they’re 100% committed and they’re improving game by game. We’ve reached 11 matches now and, if they can keep up that improvement over the next 11 matches and then the next 11… we’ll be more than ok this season.

    • dave mann says:

      we can see the improvement staffs because we go down and watch it, its those that don’t who criticise when they don’t even know what there criticising. KRO.

    • Raymondo says:

      Only trouble is, SB, every time somebody starts playing well, somebody else wants to buy them and gets them on the cheap thanks to BIHL. We seem to be well and truly trapped by them. Can’t think of an answer, can you? KRO.

      • StaffsBlue says:

        That’s the nature of the beast I’m afraid Raymondo. But, there’s nothing the manager can do about that, except bring others in to replace them. The biggest problem with that, is that he has less and less to offer new players every season. I think he’s done bl00dy well to bring in the players he has.

  • tttpaule says:

    Just got up!! Sorry not out of bed but off the floor from laughing at Marks comments, firstly i can laugh anytime because if i didn’t i would have walked away from the circus down st Andrews when that Clown Clark was employed,secondly i would never call a Bluenose a Viler so read the comment again if you can hold your laughter,what i meant was they love him because he’s so shite for us!!! Sorry i needed to spell it out for you. Thirdly Clark get better than what he is damn awful.

  • dave mann says:

    nothing wrong with a good circus tttpaule and the clown is always the star …….I love widing up ” blues fans” who sit in there arm chairs and never go down and find excuse after excuse that they should be a viler because there not doing us bluenoses proud what so ever. KRO.

  • tttpaule says:

    Dave Mann i am a Blue nose through & through got my season tickets been to 3 of the away games too this season so i feel i can have my say & in my opinion Clark has ballsed up to many times & i don’t believe he is learning.Blues Fans who don’t go down for what they believe is right shouldn’t be called such horrible nasty & downright offensive names as Viler you should hang your head in shame.

  • dave mann says:

    ive got nothing to be ashamed of tttpaule when it comes to having my little digs at armchair blues fans because there not proving that they are bluenoses and if they believe that there right not to go down then I wouldn’t want them in the trenches with me any way…as for lee clark Ive said many times that he should go because hes ballsed up many times like you rightly say and hes not learning so there you go we do agree on something and also yes you are a bluenose so good on you there mate and your opinion is well respected because your entitled ok. KRO,

    • Chas says:

      Dave, what right do you have to tell anyone they have to go down or not. Just look after yourself and leave everyone else to watch themselves. I went down from 1961 to 2011 and still go occasionally, but I don’t need you to tell me what a good/bad supporter I am.

  • BluesBlues says:

    To all you stay aways your argument about starving BIHL of funds by not going to games does not add up. We all know that when the going gets tuff thousands of so called blues fans prefers to sit on there armchairs and if it the give it the big one on the Internet about the team and how they are doing there bit to get rid of the Hong Kong lot.

    Just have a look at other clubs supporters from various clubs who have suffered over recent years they have stayed loyal and I’m sorry to say put our support to shame.

    We are all supposed to be blues supporters and the clue is in the name supporters. So get of your backsides and support the team. We have a new bunch of young brummie lads coming through they need us now

    Rant over KRO

    • Art Watson says:

      Make the most of the young Brummie lads coming through- you won’t have them for long and that’s why I’m boycotting the club…as for the argument against boycotting I’m not conivinced that Dans views are correct. If you add lost revenue from sponsors and other commercial revenue (programmes/refreshment/car parking/club shop purchases etc) it’s comes to a lot more than one sixth of turnover.and boycotting also reduces cash flow….this is not just my opinion but is shared by others.

      • StaffsBlue says:

        Personally, I would have thought that a boycott would have an effect, but all the figures I’ve read say the opposite. Whichever opinion you believe, there’s no proof either way. Unless you’re a financial expert, with all the figures to hand, you’re never going to get a definitive answer. I wouldn’t know what to believe tbh.

  • StaffsBlue says:

    I always think it’s pretty sad when people start to throw insults around… like it somehow validates their opinion. It doesn’t. In fact for me, it does the opposite. As dave, tttpaule and mark have pointed out… everyone is entitled to an opinion, that doesn’t mean we’re open to verbal abuse for having that opinion. Think on… we all support the same team.

  • dave mann says:

    its that last line staffs ” we all support the same team ” …if you don’t go down then your not a supporter, makes sense really but I see your other points though I tend to not so much throw insults but try to encourage those to watch there team and give opinions that would have more substance and not throw there love of the club away because of some idiotic morons that are attempting to run the club but as you say its there prerogative and they have the right not to go so were leave it at that. KRO.

    • StaffsBlue says:

      I was talking more about the name-calling dave. Different people have different opinions on going to see matches or staying at home. That’s their choice, nothing to do with me. I just don’t think name-calling is called for that’s all. Whatever opinion someone has, even if I disagree, the only thing I’ll call them is a Blues fan.

  • StaffsBlue says:

    As for attending games, people have all kinds of reasons for not going. Health reasons, financial reasons, distance reasons, etc. They’re all very valid reasons. They can’t be criticised, because none of us know their circumstances.

    Those who are boycotting matches also have valid reasons. It’s not something I would ever do, but I respect their right to do so.

  • dave mann says:

    that’s fair enough but ime just glad that ime not in that position where I cant go to games or wont go to games and I thank my health and state of mind for that so I promise to stop the moaning know and just talk about the positives on the field which has been encouraging of late and I just hope that we can win at home Saturday week against Bolton so I can actually see a league home win and from then on climb up the table…come on you blue boys.KRO.

    • StaffsBlue says:

      Hey.. you moan as much as you like mate, we all like a good grumble at times. I just don’t see the need for silly name-calling. It’s just the same with the manager. A lot of people don’t feel he’s up to the job and that’s fair enough.. but the guy is honest and he’s putting 100% into the job, so deserves a little respect for that… not all the childish names people are calling him. That’s my only issue.

  • What we need now is every supporter of our wonderful football club to pull together. We all know whose fault this whole sorry episode is and until we are rid of him and his board of directors for good,we have to make do with what we have,it is where we are as a club at the moment. We all have our opinions about the manager,his tactics,etc,but what we need now is to get behind him,and the boys in royal blue on the pitch and sing loud and proud. Owners will come and go,but there will always be a Birmingham City Football club. KRO.

  • Tony says:

    Only time I will get behind him is to kick him into touch where he belongs.


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