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Past, Present and Future
Four years ago today a Frenchman collided with a Pole allowing Obafemi Martins to score probably the easiest goal in his career and secure the Carling Cup for Birmingham City, the first major trophy for the club in 48 years. Watching in the crowd was the then-President of Birmingham City, Carson Yeung – who was celebrating his 51st Birthday (and apparently winning a £250,000 bet with Balram Chainrai).
Bearing in mind one of the biggest things we criticise our claret and blue neighbours of is being “historians”, I’m wary of how overboard that we go as fans on “St Obafemi’s Day”. Thinking back to that magical day it was probably the highlight of my Blues supporting life and one I suspect will be a long time before we get close to let alone surpassing, and as such I think it’s fair that we remember it fondly – especially in the current times of woe.
This time last year I was in Hong Kong preparing for Carson’s day of judgement; when District Judge Douglas Yau Tak-hong would hand down his verdict on Carson’s money laundering trial. Although we didn’t get to hear the full guilty verdict until March 3, I can easily remember how many people thought that those days would be the end of an era and that the days, weeks and months following it would be nothing more than a postscript on the Carson Yeung time at the club. At the time I can remember saying it wasn’t going to be that easy; that there was a lot more to come and so it has come to pass – with even the news from yesterday showing that for every move BIH, the Panos Faction and Ernst & Young seem to make, there is a countermove from Carson.
Despite being incarcerated in Stanley Prison, Carson has managed to regain his house, keep hold of his shares in Birmingham International Holdings and while he seems to have lost his iron grip for a while he is doing his best to remain in control of things at Harbour Centre from his prison cell. Like a magician, Carson keeps pulling rabbits out of hats, managing to maintain an expensive legal team despite the rumours he was broke; I’ve actually lost count of the number of court cases the former hairdresser is now involved in.
I made a video last night which I put on Youtube in which I said that this new move – the calling of an EGM unilaterally – was one that will be another difficult legal fight for EY. As I understand it from contacts in HK, EY/BIH do not see the EGM as legitimate and are not concerned by it but part of me wonders if there is some hubris in that and if they will have another legal fight on their hands. Having spoken about this in two articles yesterday and for a while on camera last night I’m loathe to go into it again but I think the situation isn’t cut and dried and the next month is pivotal as to where control lies.
What I’m hoping is this time next year this is all an interesting detail in a closed chapter of Blues’ history – that we celebrate the fifth anniversary of THAT goal with the club pushing on to get back to where they were and we’re not all miserable that it looks so far from happening again. The longer these shenanigans in the boardrooms and courtrooms of Hong Kong go on, the longer we’re left to dwell on the past and what was instead of looking to the future and thinking what might be. Whether that happens or not remains to be seen – as much as I fear the worst I’m hoping for the best – and I’ll be at the ground tomorrow cheering on the team to try and win as they need us more than ever.
Tags: BIH, Carson Yeung, Obafemi Martins
25 Responses to “Past, Present and Future”
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Hear hear to all of that.
I know this is pie in the sky — but surely the only solution is for the two factions of the board to try and sit down and plot a common course of action. This stupid, crazy farce cannot go on.
Dan, I asked earlier on the SHA forum whether it’s possible for the “good guys” at BIHL to issue a load of new shares in the company that they can then purchase themselves and thus dilute Carson’s percentage? If they could do this, surely they’d pull the rug from under his feet?
Shares are suspended from trading so no – plus it would have to be approved via an EGM…
Although I have no wish to underestimate the significance of Martins’ winning goal, he did only play 10 minutes in the whole campaign!
National Zigic day, he who scored the winner in the quarter final, or national Gardner day who scored the winner in the semi final were arguable more deserving of this accolade.
Who put the ball in the Arsenal net?
Who put the ball in the Arsenal net?
Who put the ball in the Arsenal net?
Nikola Zigic did!!!… (first)
Unfortunately, Gardner undid much of his good work by getting himself foolishly sent off in a must-win game at home to Wolves. Ultimately, that cost us dearly.
True, but after the final Martins only played 2 more games for us 1 being a sub before getting injured.
In total Martins played 5 games for Blues, 2 of which were as a sub and scored 1 goal.
listening to what you was saying last night I think we will end up going the same way has Portsmouth or even worse going out of business completely. Just when you think everything is going right for blues and their is light at the end of the tunnel Carson and his cronies pull something out of their sleeve’s that seem to make things worse for blues. I think think these people would rather see blues fold rather than give it up hope I’m wrong but I think that it’s going to happen.
Richard, ime a big zigic and Gardner fan but martins was in the right place at the right time to score the most important goal EVER scored in our history..ime just thankfully that jerome didn’t come on earlier because if he had been there he would have put it wide ..,,, dugarry, Francis , zigic and Gardner have all scored great goals but we’ve never seen a better goal than obefemi martins and so he deserves is place in history because his time on the pitch and is short stay at blues as no relevance what so ever in my opinion….happy obefemi martins day to all blue noses !! Lol&kro
no John Gayle ? his two were class as well as significant, then Macari spoiled everything.
Good read Dan
Nobody can take away our memories, least of all
CY and his retarded sidekick. As you mentioned the
Other day Dan, March could be a massive month in
The club
” As I understand it from contacts in HK, EY/BIH do not see the EGM as legitimate and are not concerned by it ”
Well that’s good enough for me at the moment they have total power given to them by the courts EY aren’t going to be pushed around by a convicted money launderer and some fat balding bloke/pannu. Hopefully over the next few weeks they dig up some dirt on pannu and hes bought before the courts in the newr future.
We’ll never forget Obafemi’s goal and its importance in our history. But was Paul Caddis’ header at Bolton last May arguably more important?
Never in a million years squatnose .. That won us a major and caddis goal kept us in a division , sorry pal but no comparison what so ever ! Kro
Yes, I know what you’re saying and of course, that cup win can never be erased from our history. My only thought about Caddis’ goal was it wasn’t ‘just a relegation-saving goal’, it was a goal that potentially stopped our club disappearing down the plughole never to return, given the state of the club’s ownership.
Maybe I should say it was the most important relegation-saving goal in our history!
if you call an EGM don’t you have to attend the meeting ? how is Carson going to attened
No, he doesn’t – as long as one of his representatives does he’s okay.
Personally, I don’t think it matters what we call it and I’m happy enough to think of it as St Obafemi’s day (it does have a certain ring to it). Whatever we call it, it recalls the moment of our victory and that’s fine for me. I was at the game with my son and we will both never forget it!!
The only regret I have (if it can be called that) which I felt at the time and still feel, is that McLeish didn’t bring Kevin Phillips on instead. I have never doubted that he would have scored that goal as he always took up those positions and would have done so on the day.
I agree with your last paragraph squatnose but relegation to league one might not have been as bad financial than the mess were in already and we would come back again anyway like we’ve done in the past like under fry and it might have got the owners out sooner also so I agree with it being one if our great relegation saving goals! Kro
WASTE TIME CY and PP waste 4 years at blues from 2009 to 2015!!!…Brilliant Blues fans same time Carling Cup final 2011 and abroad !!!… CY and PP let blues fans down and time waste over 4 years !!!
Doom, Gloom and Despondency, seems to be the order of the day,??.
Between 2009 and 2011 was the most exiting time blues fans have ever seen as far as league position and cup final glory goes but from the day we went out of the Europa league it’s been a disaster of mega proportions ….but from a personal point of view I’ve had more great times on my travels over the last four years than I’ve ever had in the rest of my time watching blues away so from my opinion it’s not all doom and gloom.., ime a happy bunny all the time !!!! Kro
Dan, the video was a great idea- you should make it a regular vlog. Really appreciative for the hard work you undertake in your own time, for us fans to be kept in the loop…Cheers!
KRO!
You’ve lost count how many court cases he’s involved in & i’ve lost count of the number he’s lost!!, why does he even bother?.
As regards to St Obys day & why it means so much to Bluenoses, the answer is simple, these things don’t happen to us very often as we support the team we love & are not glory hunters like Man U fans or Man C fans or Liverpool fans, we’re a small team in Small Heath & when it does happen to us it means so much more