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OP Video Podcast – Tetchiness
Blues returned to winning ways at the weekend with a 2-0 victory over Reading. Goals from Clayton Donaldson and Ryan Shotton ensured that Blues faint hopes of playoff places weren’t completely extinguished while Adam Legzdins kept a clean sheet on his Birmingham City league debut.
People may think I’ve been a bit tetchy of late about Rowett – so I made a video to explain why…
As I’ve said before – I’m worried next season more than this year. I’m worried we’ll lose Rowett to a bigger team, and the idea of the fact we’re going to have to borrow £10million more from TTA – with no idea of when the takeover will be completed – scares the willies out of me.
Tags: Gary Rowett, Playoffs
68 Responses to “OP Video Podcast – Tetchiness”
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First of all – nice kitchen and (to me) the perfect colour choices.
I echoed your concerns in a previous blog and I am sure a lot on here will agree with the points you have made. If things don’t get sorted by the end of next season, we might not even have a ground to play at. If TTA aren’t in for the long haul, whatever assets we have are going to be sold to finance the loan repayment.
The problems on the pitch pale in comparison to what might happen off it.
Rowett put a physical side out Saturday and during the game you could see why, reading didn’t like it one bit with the game getting quite feisty at times, was good to see bodies hitting the box early doors which in effect won us the game, we defended brilliantly, stood strong and deserved the win, reading were very frustrated with us, one question, if the money made available by trillion was put in to keep the club afloat and without it we wouldn’t have seen the season out, how have we afforded to bring in fabrini, Buckley and laffery must be on 20-30k a week and Buckley isn’t even making the squad, surely this is an indication that financially things aren’t as bad as we fear, I don’t know, but when they go back then we are going to be a weaker side so surely plans are in place for replacements? I can’t see either of them being with us next season
I am also of the opinion that if the financial position is so critical we would not have brought in the players we have since January. I think Rowett is doing a super job. I do not think it is fair to criticise Rowett because it’s believed we desperately need promotion this season, it does not change what he has to work with budget wise.
Money for players is generated by sending players out on loan although in some cases the club still pays a percentage of a players wage. Also don’t forget we got 3 million plus for Gray……something that obviously won’t happen next season so that will make us worse off. I guess…don’t know this for sure as I haven’t checked the last figures produced….but the club could owe less as E&Y were reducing the clubs debt considerably. So this year, in comparison to start of last year, we could be paying out less too. I’m sure there will be a very small budget again but each season will be much same as the last budget wise less Gray’s transfer fee and if GR wants more he will have to generate it himself by selling.
Very depressing to be honest Dan,maybe pavlakis can come out and calm the waters a bit??i doubt he will though.
There’s no need to calm the waters. The club have to firstly satisfy the football league we can complete the season. After that the next thing to keep an eye on is the club’s financial position. We cannot argue against E&Y doing a great job in getting the books balanced. The only position needing clarification is TTA’s position given that they were supposed to be a company who kind of take on companies who have unrest in their boadrooms and act as a referee. They don’t generally keep hold of the acqusition. They were given first refusal and still haven’t indicated their intentions beyond that. As Dan says we will be up to 20 million owing to them at the start of the season…all secured on the ground. I do think that as soon as it is mathematically impossible for Blues to reach the playoffs, and subsequently go up, we will suddenly see more action in Hong Kong. You can be sure of plenty of interest in us had we achieved it but once impossible hopefully things will become clearer towards the sale.
I agree with OP, that next season is going to be tougher. If it were Burnley and Hull going up, that would be 2 parachute payment teams leaving and being replaced by 3 from the premier. But, if the likes of Middlesborough and Brighton were to go up with Burnley say, there would be an extra two teams with PPs next season compared to this. With every team that comes down with PPs, there’s the chance of us finishing a place lower.
With that in mind, we would see what Rowett is really made of, so, if he left, I’d be disappointed that he’d gone when the going got tough. I understand that it’s hard when you can’t compete with other clubs financially, but that’s when the exceptional managers shine.
I still have faith in him and don’t see him leaving. Realistically it was last season where he did all the hard work and steadied the shop. This year was a matter of improving on that and our league position. He said many times about having a long term plan, something you wouldn’t really do given the club’s position because that in itself could mean you’re history. I think he works well with the Chairman, is obviously privy to what’s going on in Hong Kong more than we are and I think he genuinely is learning more from our situation than he could at any other club. This is in itself will make him a good manager. I’m sure he will admit mistakes to himself at the end of the season but he knows that next year he has to learn from them and hopefully he will be a better manager for it!
I’ve said all along that I can’t really see him leaving. My guess is that he’s got, at least, a 2-4 year plan. He’s barely halfway through that yet, so I’d be surprised and disappointed if he left before the end of next season.
Also, if you listen to his pre-Reading press interview, he freely admitted to making mistakes, so it’s good that he’s aware of them.
Nobody likes to feel dependant on anyone- whether it is your Bank Manager,your boss at work or a family member. TTA have us in their palm 100%. Without them we are sunk. £10m. is what we now need for next season.if it comes then we are guaranteed another season in the Championship. To my mind TTA cannot lose as if they put another ten in then we owe them £20m.which virtually gives them the club totally-especially the ground as collateral. Are we in a precarious situation compared to 2years ago? It could be argued that we are.
As I’ve said many times recently it will be much tougher next season than this season and if anyone thinks we can push for the playoffs again then Ime affraid it ain’t gonna happen with or without Rowett , we are two maybe three seasons away from a real push IMO so let’s enjoy the moment . KRO
That’s probably a good assessment.
The only reason I personally wanted to get a chance to get in the premier ( the playoffs is only a 4-1 chance , Remember the pain under Francis ) was for the money .I don’t like the premier or what it stands for , especially the armchair supporters who have never been to their respective teams grounds , they make me sick.
That beside, wheres that KRO spirit that says if we win these 3 home game we could be back in with a chance given Saturday’s results repeating again. I posted before about a fervent Stans crowd making a difference , but it was the same old library last Tuesday . What’ s the matter with everyone ,both on here and at Stans . I’ ve been going since Barcelona 1960 and remember the passionate crowds always being a goal start for us. For gods ( or Rowetts , same thing ) sake get off your arses and get along and be a real supporter ( apologies to those on here who already are )
Deanblue you cant manufacture an atmosphere, it has to be created by the team on the pitch, this lot are DULL and poor no atmosphere at all
I agree Tony. Like most supporters I go to games praying for something to shout and get excited about. If I went to see a comedian that I really like and he was not funny, I would not laugh….as much as I was looking forward to doing so. If the Team get us excited we will react, so it is up to them.
Cart before the horse here. Without an atmosphere how do you expect the players to be motivated. Just from the bench ??
Did you really say that Deanblue? Footballers need the fans to be motivated do they? I would hope that is a ridiculous statement! Do you realize how many young lads actually get a chance to become a professional footballer let alone those that make it? If that isn’t motivation in itself, not to mention the wages they are on, then they are in the wrong profession. I’m guessing you wait for your boss to pat you on the back BEFORE he asks you to do something do you?!
I agree atko. I think oldburyblue and yourself have got it spot on.
See managers quits all around the country, whether successful teams or crap, praising their fans for giving them a big advantage – Yes I mean it, our support is useless and we get what we deserve.
I’m retired by the way and I was the boss so can’t answer your question.
Quotes not quits – bloody spell checker
…… And just the home fans I mean ,away fans are great
We have somebody putting money into the club as I see it, another payment to buy the club , I believe the two years grace was not only to sort out all the twists and turns to buy both which is needed to stay on the HKSE but also to get the team up the league and either in the prem or close to the top , I don’t believe it was a certainty to start with but TTA are out for profit and the rise of the team in the league has rubber stamped the the fact that TTA can now make a good profit out of both BCFC and BIH . So if TTA do put £10,mill more into the club then hold on to your blue and white Benny hats we are going for it , TTA have a dream of profit we have a dream of glory and more dramatics , so pull the ropes Dave , grit your teeth, grab hold of the tail of the tiger and hang on , we have a hunger COME ON Don’t give up get in there …..KRO…………
I think they are beanie hats, not Benny hats. But I take your point.
I agree and I think they have deep pockets too.
I hope you are not meaning me deanblue , as I have chronic lung disease , and catching a cold at matches could turn into pneumonia and death possibly , I make my comments on the basis of radio family ,friends and web printouts and TV , and other fans , I have been my own man all my life and don’t like being press ganged into anything …
Sorry about your problems, I would obviously exclude you.. I think I know how you feel .
I missed the last seven months of last season in hospital after a severe stroke, but am back now , albeit at a much more expensive cost in order to get a more accessible and comfy seat.
I realise your case is different , but people who use any excuse not to support the team and moan on boards such as this drive me crazy.
Yes me to Deanblue but as William points out some fans have genuine reasons why they stay away .. Those that don’t go because they can’t be bothered are not supporters anyway so I wouldn’t give them the right to judge my opinions but that’s the way it is Ime afraid . KRO
That’s true. There’s a big difference between people who stay away and those who aren’t able to attend. Yes, we had big crowds back in the day, but a lot of those fans are now a lot older and it stands to reason that a percentage of those older fans maybe infirm and housebound (or worse.) One never knows another person’s circumstances.
Totally agree ( though I am a bit infirm myself , see my post above )
It’s the couch potatoes I’m after ,especially when they moan on here
Surely Staffs those old & infirm were once capable of having children and if brought up properly they would be Bluenoses!! I have bought 3 of my lads season tickets for next season & 2 are adults so I’m doing my bit, looking forward to the weekend & the vile relegation party sotv.
If some premier league team come in for Rowett or some club with a more realistic chance of promotion, he will be gone. You cannot blame him.
The ownership question and financial situation is more of a concern, I am glad Dan is trying to find out more about TTA but its going to be difficult with these evasive owners. As has been quoted TTA are in this for profit nothing more, how they achieve this is by selling the club as it is the only asset, to do this they have to increase the value of the asset which presumably will mean further investment to push BCFC towards promotion. The problem is of course what happens if Blues do not become promotion candidates for the reasons already stated by others in this blog. Its this continual saga of uncertainty that is so frustrating and there does not appear to be end in sight.
If Blues win the next couple of games then who knows we might be back in play off contention, things change quickly with all these games coming thick and fast. It is unlikely but you never know.
Apart from Panos obviously I expect Gary to be in the know to some extent of BIH/TTA ownership plans and it is the realisation there will be jam being put on his toast is keeping him here and thinking medium term in his plans.
Agreed Julian. As far as we are concerned he has done a fantastic job but as far as other clubs are concerned he hasn’t really achieved anything yet so I don’t see that he will be overly considered for positions elsewhere which is a good thing. Sure the media speculate over the likes of Derby but no more than when Bruce was here and speculation over clubs he had an affiliation with. It’s part and parcel of any managers career when a former club needs a manager. Other clubs will look at GR and think well our financial situation isn’t that bad so we don’t need his expertese there but we do need him to get us promoted and that is something he hasn’t got on his CV yet. I think he will stay put and I think he will get us promoted…. not saying when but I think he will have learned a lot from this season.
Agree with all that.
Talking of Brucie, I wonder where Newcastle would have been now if they appointed him instead the last 2 or 3 managers who have got them where they are now. At least Bruce is a local lad and knows all about the club. A bit like Rowett at Blues.
Indeed. I think when you are a local or a former player you know what it means to the fans because you are a fan yourself. One player I have no respect for is Shearer who shoots his mouth off week in week out and I just think well if you can do better get off your arse and manage them. He must have been approached because he is always in the running when they replace their manager. Brucie is a good manager, I wonder where we would be now had we have kept him too. Same with Hughton.
What makes an exceptional manager is never to quit. Like Dan said about managers who think they’ve gone as far as they can now so move on aka Hughton but can you imagine if Man U or Alex Ferguson thought that all those years ago when he couldn’t buy a win? Perseverance and a willingness to never give up. I firmly believe GR has what it takes, he stands no nonsense in the dressing room but the players still respect him, he is honest and if he just learns from this season then just maybe we are all panicking over nothing for next year.
Shearer did the Newcastle job in a caretaker capacity… and he was crap at it.
Christ I despair sometimes lets get somethings straight Rowett is not going to be poached by any premiership side, he’s not up to that standard he’s achieved nothing yet
People are judging him by the standards of the Charlatan CLARK compared to him he is brilliant but then again who wouldn’t be?.
(he got his first win on Saturday) lol
As I have said previously the question to ask is would you trust Rowett with 20million? I don’t think so.
People are still coming up with permutations showing we could make the playoffs eeerrr we willnot the players are not good enough
At the moment it is not a question of whether the players are good enough but can we win six more cup finals and (Cardiff + Ipswich + (Shef Weds or Derby)) fall apart.
Yes agreed Tony, a win tomorrow and we should finish no lower than 9th so that would be an achievement on 10th last season . KRO
Dan, Very realistic summary.
You are right there KC it certainly brought the techiness out in me. …KRO
Disagree completely Dan, you’ve been more touchy than tetchy!!. KRO
I think with that beard… I’d be Scratchy more than Nicey. :)
Go carefully DAN in researching TTA people that do not want to be known usually have a reason , even if it is for their own personal safety they will not appreciate being exposed in the press to all and sundry especially if they have enemies……..
If people over there haven’t a clue who they are, then it’ll take some digging to find anything out.
Knowing our luck William it’ll turn out Randy Lerner owns TTA!!
with plans to merge us and build a stadium closer to Heathrow.
GOOD LUCK IN HK AND KRO
Good luck in HK Dan,i don`t give you much hope of finding anything out about these shady characters but at least you`re giving it a go.You may recall when it was made clear that St.Aandrew`s was collateral for the loan from TTA i came on here saying “what could possibly go wrong?” I mean borrowing shedloads of dough from faceless investors,having no real idea of their true intentions was always risky in my eyes.And now it seems we may have to double our debt to them just to survive as a club next season.This can`t continue because we`re only worth so much, what happens if that funding is stopped? And if TTA decide not to continue bailing us out into next season and wanting their money back how do we pay it? By handing over the keys to the ground. Gloomy? You bet i am. Ah well at least the Vile are going down. KRO.
I think you are being more than a little unfair Bluey and I would also tread carefully on your comments about them. There is nothing to suggest there is anything shady about them at all.
Shady as in we know next to nothing about them. Let`s hope i am being unfair to these wonderful people but don`t come crying to me if we lose our ground or the club goes into admin/liquidation. They are an investment group with no interest in the welfare of BCFC. If you`re not concerned then ok.
To echo Brian Clough to Trevor Francis “Take your hands out of your pockets young man”
Nice thoughts, although I think that TTA are unlikely to pull the plug on the investment, after all it is an investment for them, simply calling in the loans will be a failure. Having said that, look around the leagues at some of the owners, it could be worse.
How long did you spend cleaning the kitchen?
Well Dan you certainly have sewn the seeds of depression on here.
The bottom line is unless our financial fortunes turn around then we are a slow sinking ship. The fact is TTA saved us from going into administration and will need to do the same again.
OR how about we will be invested in come summer with some serious cash as BIHL emerges with some serious new owners who dont just want to dabble on the HKSE but also love football. this is the carrot keeping GR interested, if this does not happen then we might aswell all go down the pub and get blitzed.
Bluey echoes my previous comments. TTA are our lifeline and to be beholding to them is very scary. Questions as to whether they will be our new owners continue to be asked. What I would be asking in HK by Daniel is what chance TTA will turn out to be the owners. Could it be 25%’50% etc. Also, I notice EY are installed by the Govt.to sort out TATA and the sale . This reassures somewhat so although some optimism for BCFC I would like a bit of info. as I am sure most fans would welcome.
Dan
If we are losing 10m a year with a very modest budget and OK crowds, how do any teams in our league brake even? Surely those teams outgunning us in the transfer and loan market dont have incomes hugely different to ours. Also if FFP rules limit clubs to 10m in loses how are we to have an increase in our playing budget if TTA are already keeping us afloat at the limit of the Football leagues FFP rules?
Nobody said we are losing 10 million a year bluenoserob. It was an assumption by Dan that we will need another 10 million given that all overheads from the football season should be the same as nothing has changed.
So if the club needed £10m from TTA to make up the shortfall between the clubs income and its out goings how is that not a loss of 10m? TTA didn’t loan us £10m because we only needed £5m.
That was last year, nobody says it will be the case this year. We will have to wait and see, at the moment that is sheer speculation.
This time last week I accused you of being far too negative about the club and of its future.
Having just watched your latest report I am really concerned about the clubs future and believe TTA are not that interested in any long term investment but are more interested in making money from the interest accrued from the loans.With STA being used as collateral they are in a win win position .
Worrying times ahead I’m afraid and please accept an apology for my comments last week.
That is what TTA usually do. It is what they are all about. Dan confirmed that was what they usually do when he researched them right at the start. Whether anything will be different with us remains to be seen. Personally I doubt it but time will tell.
It is quite sad to think that our main source of info.that we are expecting has to be down to Daniel. His visit to HK is being monitored by many of us in the hope of some light being shone. What is really sad about BCFC is that apart from ourselves-nobody really cares. Radio WM,BBC Sport you name it . Brum Council understandably don’t want any involvement and the word Hong Kong business appears to create alarm. When Sullivan and Gold were our guardians I enjoyed every day never thinking once that we would end up wondering if and how we might get enough funds to secure another seasons fixtures. We in reality have no spokesperson or leader that connects with us the fans. Our consolation is Villa-but hand on heart we all know which club will be purchased and nurtured first.
The fans have a vested interest. They are the life of the club, the past, present and future of the club. Whilst I accept your points about the media, they don’t have a vested interest in Blues. The only time any media has an interest is during he successful times. They are happy to ride on the success of others, happy to print huge spreads and special editions to make money out of the situation but when they are really needed in the bleak times they have no real interest. It’s not a situation that will make them money so they are happy to wash their hands of it!
If they actually live in the British virgin islands the TTA consortium , to break it down there are around 32,000 people looking at religions those that are possibly Chinese would be about 1% ,so about 320 people in the BVI are possibly Chinese , I don’t think a Chinese woman would invest in football as a rough rule of thumb so that makes 160 possible males that are possibly on TTA about half of them are possible servants so that leaves 80 possible suspects ,the age of people being multi millionaire would possibly be only 20% of the total discounting younger men which equals 16 males left half of these probably wouldn’t be wealthy enough to be in this consortium which leaves 8 Chinese men left to be on TTA ..thats them there ,standing next to DAN …I know they are probably in Hong Kong and only registered in the BVI….KRO
Blimey William. What a list of fantastic facts! and statistics. if those numbers are correct-it’s Mayor of Brum for you if I have anything to do with it.
In Hong Kong it will be a lot harder for Dan there is about 2,800 soper rich but the lower regions of HK people suffer with malaria , so if you have that much money you head for the higher areas like the rich area called THE PEAK ….KRO
I couldn’t find how many Chinese were in BVI Mitchell so I looked up religions per population %, it had Buddhism /aetheism which is communism and other religions under 5% of the population left whilst the main religions were at 95% of the population , so I estimated that out of the other religions of 5% 1% was probably Chinese , just an estimate , the rest is as estimated , as read . KRO
I think while Daniel is out in HK,we can also do our bit in the search for a wealthy buyer. Fancy trying the States-we could hook up to Daves caravan pulled by your pink Cadillac and take Route 66 with Dave strumming ‘Mr.blue sky’. Trump will be our first target with a video of Wembley 2011 and the sea of blue and white.
Sounds good mate . KRO