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Looking Forwards
Birmingham City continued to tighten their hold on midtable security with a 1-1 draw against Leeds United at the weekend. It could have been all three points but for Luke Murphy’s late equaliser for the home side but the result sees Blues lie 11th, just nine points off the playoff places.
I’ve been somewhat out of the loop over the last week and was forced to follow the Blues game via Twitter while on a rain-soaked early morning drive from Portland to Seattle prior to flying home from America. Having lost my internet connection in the backwoods of Washington State around the 80th minute mark it was frustrating as anything to see that Leeds had got the equaliser – and as you can imagine my input on what happened at the game is virtually nothing so I can’t talk about it any more than that.
However, as much as I was on holiday I did try to keep up with events in Birmingham and I saw the news about the Football League going public about their investigation into Birmingham City as it broke. The attendant reaction surprised me; despite many people wanting the machinations of Carson Yeung being investigated when it looked like the league might actually do something people suddenly got twitchy.
I guess I can understand that twitchiness when the FL talk about penalising the club – transfer embargoes, points deductions and expulsion are all scary in some ways and all hurt the club more than the people causing the problem. However, the only sanctions the FL are ever going to be able to make are ones that affect what they can control – ie the club’s continued competing within the league structure. There is no way that they can force Carson to sell or give up his shareholding without threatening to make what he owns worthless by removing the so-called golden share – something I have alluded to in the past.
I thought that the big news wasn’t that the FL were investigating – I’ve known that for a couple of months – it was more that they were going public about doing so, a step they rarely take. There is no timeline on any sanctions being placed on the club and I think people need to realise that the league will be reluctant to do so – firstly because it harms their own competition and secondly because they know any such sanctions will be tested in court – which means additional time and expense to be spent for them. Thus while there are people getting het up about the club being kicked out of the league the likelihood is that will not happen unless things massively take a turn for the worse.
If people read the announcement that BIH made to the stock market correctly, they’d see that BIH were doing their best to function properly as a company, to do things by the book and that they had made their own reports against Carson Yeung to stop him from doing something which could massively damage both BIH and by extension BCFC. The fact BIH have made representations to the HKSE and the SFC are huge; the SFC has the power to hurt Carson directly (along with BIH) rather than the club – and if as an example the SFC force Carson into giving up the voting rights on his shares it would hugely shift the balance of power within the holding company. I’m unsure as to whether this could or would happen but the very fact that the SFC can penalise Carson whereas the League can’t backs up why I believe the SFC are the people to put the pressure on.
We’re almost a week later now with no change which is a good thing; hopefully matters on the pitch will continue to delight and impress and hopefully the big news of next week will be Blues dumping the Baggies out of the cup in front of a sell out St Andrews. Now is not the time to lose our collective heads about what might happen but more to keep them and ensure that the right people are investigated (and if it’s proven they have done wrong are punished).
Tags: BIH, Carson Yeung, HKSE, SFC
21 Responses to “Looking Forwards”
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Without doubt, the biggest fear was/is, that the F,L. could/would hurt us as a club through various sanctions within their powers,?. so A little reassuring that you think they will not just ” lash-out ” blindly at us,.
Hoping that our good form continues on Saturday, against the Baggies, Tony Pullis, is no idiot, [ so worries me ], but hopefully our good run will continue and aid our [ Blues ] coffers with at least another match after we defeat W,B,A. kro.
I don’t think its fair the f l could punish the club when its cy and his cronies that have got us in this mess why should the club suffer as for the baggies game I fancy us to turn them over
‘Leeds United owner Massimo Cellino has lost his appeal against the Football League’s decision to disqualify him from owning the club.’
‘He was disqualified in December after the League obtained documents from an Italian court, which had found Cellino guilty of tax evasion.’
BBC has just reported this. How is it that he is disqualified from owning a club yet being in jail and laundering £50m isn’t deemed as such a pressing matter.
Yes the FL are looking into things but assume (I know you should never assume but this is football!) that this won’t be a quick decision on things.
BIHL are the owners of the club so where does this actually stand for Carson? Can they actually disqualify someone who is just the majority shareholder? Where would his shares then go? Sold to his brother-in-laws best friends uncles security guard? These sanctions need to be tightened up! quick!
Cellino is only barred till April when i presume his conviction is spent. So a pretty useless pointless action by the Football League, just a four month ban and i bet he is still having a say somehow just like Yeung is via his shareholding voting rights.
Cellini will be back in charge in April when his unsuitability lapses! Then he could be disqualified later in the year as he’s up before the beak again over tax avoidance on a boat import to Italy! Truth is it’s near impossible to force owners to sell regardless of the test.
About the WBA game coming up does the manager pick same team as last round ?or does he pick the first team and go for the next round in the hat ,difficult as a poor performance from the team in front of a full house could drive the crowd attendance away again .
Against a Premiership team and local rivals? Only a nut would not pick his best 11
Just signed Lloyd Dyer on season long loan. Good signing imo, although he is 32 he has the experience we need. He knows Morrison as they both played for Leicester at the same time.
Welcome to Blues’ Lloyd.
I do really enjoy the cup games – but I do want to see the likes of Duffy, Edgar, Thomas, Novak, Zigic (& now Dyer) receive much more game time – consideration also has to be given to the Wednesday match, and I can’t see the same eleven being picked for both games…
Luckily Gary and his team are ex Blues so know how important Bragging Rights are to the fans. I hope he picks his best team and we progress to the next round.
Looks like BIHL are getting there act together and smoking out the RATS.
signed lloyd dyer on loan. good signing. is he a replacement for demerai gray??? imo yes and for a disclosed fee!!!!
Club have said it’s not a replacement…
Thanks Dan, but pls excuse my ignorance but what is SLF and do they a lot more power than the fl.
Lloyd dyer could be good signing
SLF?
I’ve spoken about the SFC – Securities and Futures Commission – a lot in previous articles, how they oversee the HKSE and how they would punish BIH and it’s directors rather than the club…
Thanks Dan understand now and much better than fl
SLF = Stiff Little Fingers. Great band from the 80’s, still going I think.
12 league games and 24 points so on course for playoffs at the current rate…as for the cup game, I think it will be a stronger team than against blyth with propably only Randolph, Robinson, grounds and shinnie rested, I think we’re play4-4-2 and play … Doyle, caddis, Hancox , Edgar, Morrison, cotterill, gray, Davis, glesson , Thomas, Donaldson .. That’s only my opinion but looking forward to seeing 27,0000 plus at St. Andrews again and it should be a great game because both teams wont want a replay and its not the end of the world who ever looses as its pushing up the league for us and staying in the premier league for the baggies so bring it on!!! Kro
Dave
I think this is one game Robinson will really want to play in and a game he will want to leave his mark on so for me he starts.
Dan, let me know next time you’re here in Portland & I’ll stand you a beer
Probably won’t be for another 12 months unfortunately. Shame, cos I loved the place