Often Partisan

Blues Trust in the South China Morning Post

The Birmingham City Supporters Trust have featured in the South China Morning Post (Hong Kong’s leading English Language newspaper) today.

The article focuses on the poor governance of Birmingham City and Portsmouth by their Hong Kong-based owners.

Mr Pannu refused to comment to SCMP until there was a legitimate offer made for the club, but the one quote attributed to him is telling.

The fans’ grievances do not come into the equation

Whilst I can understand that the BIH shareholders’ interests must come first I also think that it’s damning evidence that for Mr Pannu at least the fans don’t matter and make his exhortations to Tom Ross that he was one of us just that little bit more cheapened than they already were.

Tags: ,

64 Responses to “Blues Trust in the South China Morning Post”

  • manicmac says:

    This is one of the most telling comments we’ve had throughout this whole sorry affair. It’s proof positive that the board do not care about the fans or the club. This is all about money. When you consider how focused the board are on money and what they are or have all been accused of in the past, they come accross as complete idiots.
    The fans MUST stop going to the games to dry up the funds. We will go into Administration and be relegated, but at least we’ll get the club back. THAT’s when the club need us to fill the ground (It’ll do some good then)

    • harborneblue says:

      The fans MUST stop going to the games to dry up the funds. We will go into Administration and be relegated, but at least we’ll get the club back. THAT’s when the club need us to fill the ground (It’ll do some good then)

      Really!!!!!!
      How about getting down the ground & supporting the club! you sound like a viler to me or a paticularly thick blues fan!
      We really need to stay up even if by the skin of our teeth as relegation will leave us facing into the abyss even under new owners
      Going into administration would result in not just relegation but job losses for the staff (but not players as they’d still get paid in full until we exist no more) local suppliers not paid so probably out of business as well and what a horrible stigma to have around our once great club.

      KRO and keep the faith!

      • manicmac says:

        Having thought about it you’re right. The problem is how do we force the Hong Kong lot to sell the club. We are suffering death by a thousand cuts at the moment. I truely think that we can put the club back on track if we can get it off these crap owners. I’ve been a bles fan for almost 50 years (first game in 1963) don,y accuse me of being a villa fan or thick. what do you think we should do, because the way it looks to me is we will go down this year. and then go into admin next year if we don’t get them out now. Believe me I love the blues and can’t stant whts happening

        • harborneblue says:

          Apologies for calling you a viler that obviously hurt!
          What can we do? Unfortunately I don’t think there is anything we can do, in the words of the song they don’t care about us! So nothing matters to them except getting money which is why I think we will not go into administration.
          We need to get St Andrews rocking again and make it as intimidating as possible for opponents and squeeze every last point out we can. Only way that will happen is to significantly cut admission prices (I’m season ticket holder and couldn’t care less about price just fill the place) Hopefully we’ll just stop up, Carson will sell up in summer,new owners will come in and we’ll have great feel good factor again just like when Sullivan and Gold’s took over from Kumars. I can dream!!!!
          Keep right on, keep the faith and remember we’ll be there for joys and sorrows too!

        • chris says:

          if you keep going and supporting pannu’s bank balance and pannu can sell enough players to get through to the summer or next xmas, he won’t care what league we are in and they won’t sell the club because they are on a gravy train and just want to keep taking £680,000 pounds back to hong kong.

  • Bluehobba says:

    It’s time he earned his wages. Might as well put up a “For Sale” sign in the classified column of the papers while he is over there!

  • Oldbluenose says:

    I openly admit to being fooled by Peter Pannu,!!. I did believe that he had some sympathy with our club. Alas, Such is obviously not the case, it would seem, !!.

    That his alegiance is first and foremost to C,y. was/is quite understandable, but his [ non ] actions towards us leaves the bitterist of tastes,!!.

    More and more, I am fast becoming [ almost wishing ] that we do go down the Administration route, as that would surely un-entangle this web of deciet and tangled mis-management that has besmerched our Club, !!.

    Painfull, It would be, !!. but surely after all it would strip away this present ownership, [ Hopefully at a high cost to them ], and we would have to start again like after the Kumar’s debackle, ??.

  • Tony says:

    My biggest worry on his comments is that the most valuable asset that BCFC is St .Andrews Stadium. Off course they would never contemplate selling the stadium would they?
    Maybe we should ask the Brighton fans what they think.

  • Atahualpa is a BlueNose says:

    You really do fear now about whether PP is really in control of what is going on. The point he makes of an official bid going in is when he’ll make a statement, leaves one wondering whether there really is anything going on behind the scenes. He might just be as clueless as to
    if anyone who wants to the club as the rest of us. Worrying. I can now see why many suggest we should not go to matches anymore because that will really force their hand but of course that has serious repercussions for all involved. The telling line for me in the newspaper piece was by Chainrai – he said that to run a club properly you have to based here and be involved on a day to day basis….

  • Kaje says:

    I know people attribute protests to the Villa (no idea why, it’s a human right to be able to take part in peaceful and purposeful assembly and should not be seen as ‘beneath’ anyone) but is it not about time we thought about organising something to show the current owners that we mean business and we’re not happy?

    Might force their hand a little in terms of accepting an offer.

    • Ali Duncan says:

      I agree. We’ve pretty much sat back and taken it up the behind like docile customers. I think now is the time to take a bit of action and make our voices heard.

      • Kaje says:

        Absolutely, we’ve just taken it. The odd little song from the terraces does absolutely nothing, it’s time for action, for protest, for making our voices heard in a stern and final sense.

        • stu says:

          The only form of protest that will get any attention from the board is one that prevents them lining their pockets

          • chris says:

            protest outside the ground or inside, letters to the club or evening mail or calls to tom ross or radio wm count for nothing as they aren’t in this country to feel this concern / pressure.
            writing to hong kong press and addressing concerns to bihl shareholders may create pressure on them or asking taxman to look at accounts may do so.
            how about writing to chinese embassy, fa and sports minister or even immigration over chinese workers being paid via pannu’s salary?

    • Tony says:

      Although I agree with our right to protest, The problem is that there is no one at St,Andrews to protest too. Any protest would depend on the media reporting on the protest and then it filtering back to Hong Kong,
      With that in mind the best time to protest would be when we are being shown live on TV. This if done properly would need to grab the medias attention.
      Remember the Cisse placard display? That’s the sort of thing I mean. Maybe the Blues supporters trust could organise something.e

  • Thongs says:

    Whilst all this is going on spare a thought for the good people who work at the Blues. Yesterday my lad was one of the mascots and the time and effort that the staff put in to make the day special was fantastic. They went the extra mile to make all the kids happy and realise a dream. First class, top notch…Premier League efficiency. It has reignited my passion for the club. When you see things at a personal level you realise again what we have at St Andrews. Its a family club for local people and I urge you all to lend your support in these difficult times.

    Thanks BCFC, another generation of support was cemented yesterday.

    • Kaje says:

      The staff are superb, which is why we – the fans – must now take a stand to protect them and our club, and let the current ownership know that not only are they not welcome but we will make it very hard for them to refuse any current or future offers.

  • Evesham Blue says:

    Now we know where all PP’s pocket money went. Paying for his hidey hole in Hong Kong and all his air fares. Miserable little rat.

    One thing is for sure – the ownership have lost the fans for good.

  • John King says:

    Funny really, when all this started to break at the begining of last season, when I (along with many others) suggested protests to remove CY, PP & BIHL from the club and a small group of friend even appeared on Central News to voice their concerns, we were lambasted ridiculed and called un-loyal. The fans who followed Pannu like sheep have to take a portion of the blame for sitting on their hands over the last season and a half. If we had acted quickly, decisivley and most important as a whole we may well be in a position now where admin wont mean relegation to league one. When I questioned where all the money was going I was told to “Stop moaning and get behind the team” . The whole not turning up to matches thing is a double edged sword because we ALL want to get behind the players and even to a certain extent support each other as fans. In many respects we supporters have made our bed and it seems for the time being we have to lie in it.

    • daddyblue says:

      Clever old John King Kro4ever Ps Still don’t think you were right.?????????????

      • John King says:

        Not clever at all. All the signs were there for all to see, when the sale of the prem players began. Remember we went down a couple of seasons before kept All the squad except for Muamba and even added quality came straight back up. Some of us knew it from the start of the fire sale others maybe took a year or so to realise that blind faith is not the golden ticket…….KRO.

        • Kaje says:

          Agree with you, John – it’s time to rekindle those feelings and start showing these fools that we want them as far away from our club as possible.

          • John King says:

            Well Kaje, trouble is I reckon its too late. Our position in the league is the key issue, we stay away dry up the funds and we go into Admin loose 10 points and end up in league 1. We have missed the boat we should have done things at the begining of Chris Hughtons reign but everyone was caught up in the europa league and the league performances hysteria under Hughton all this did was serve as a smokescreen for Pannu and Yeung to continue to strip the club and award themselves massive pay rises . I’m not even sure if Pannu bothers to attend the matches anymore so any protestd will probably fall on deaf ears. Like I said we have made our bed and now we have to lie in it. We need a lucky break in the form of a takeover. We should have acted as soon as we started to sell the Premiership players and replace them with free’s, kids and Journeymen.

          • chris says:

            The only way John is to stay up and go into admin in April as points won’t be deducted till next season.

    • Asif ashiq says:

      Hi john. I like u was blazed silly on here for saying my piece. It was on the same lines like u. And i agree with ur comments. And still maintain that we will carry on down this road for a long time. Til there is nothing left of our club. Players gone. Money gone. Peter pannu nowhere to be seen. And then carson yeung done in court.

      • John King says:

        Agree Asif….The last 2 years will take us 10 years to recover from…..KRO.

        • almajir says:

          two questions – who are you protesting against and what are you trying to achieve?

          there is no one here who matters and they ain’t listening when they are here.

          boycotting the games hurts the team and the club – i don’t think it will affect PP or CY.

          in short protest is futile

          • Atahualpa is a BlueNose says:

            almajir,

            Totally agree with you that protests are going to get us nowhere. PP and CY probably could not make it any clearer that they really do not consider us to be of any importance to them.

            The point regarding boycotting games, would it not lead to PP and CY having to be more realistic in their valuation of the club if they knew things were desperate with no money coming into the club??

            Not saying that admin would be the way forward, but the HK mob’s hand would be forced in accepting an offer – assuming there are any – rather than holding out for their bullshit valuation and unrealistic expectations??

          • Kaje says:

            So we shouldn’t bother trying to make our collective voice heard, then? It’s futile?

            I’ll be sure to let the trade unions of the world know not to bother with protests either in future…

          • almajir says:

            standing shouting slogans in the kop car park will achieve nothing.

            there are smarter ways to act

          • Mickey07 says:

            FFs then mayor what should we do then??write a feckin email everyday to them?because that ain’t doing jackshite by the looks of things is it.you tell us what we should do to help things get better and I will do it..how many times do you keep hammering a nut before it finally cracks?we are at our wits end with them.

          • almajir says:

            The trust are having a meeting on Feb 2 at the George to work on a plan of action. Attend that for a start.

          • John King says:

            I agree the time for protests has been and gone, as I state above “We have missed the boat”. Above all we need to stay out of league 1and hope that we keep some of the players after January. We will be a far more attractive proposition for any bidder then.

          • chris says:

            get off your backsides and get to the meeting of the Blues Trust on Feb 2nd and bring a £5 and sign up, it’s slowly working for Pompey and Wrexham.
            THIS IS POSITIVE ACTION

  • Roger Jones says:

    Administration would be disastrous. Having been a creditor in such an event when a firm chose the route, I lost a few thousand pounds (some lost a lot more), and the previous owners got away with it. The best we can hope for is that this “Hong Kong Phooey” lot cut their losses and accept a low offer from Paladini’s group.

    The way PP and CY have behaved towards us fans and the City of Birmingham has been obscene. They now know we know about them! Let’s hope they go very quickly.

    Please, everyone, be so careful about boycotts and protests. The Chinese don’t care about such things, (notice Lerner at the Vile took no notice!) but the wonderful BCFC Staff don’t need their job and loyalty made harder. Let’s keep going and cheering, so that potential buyers see there is a heart to our club that PP/CY can never rip out!

    KRO!

  • Quokkasskip says:

    One key point is that the Trust has made the news in HK. That is a good thing.

    We must keep the pressure on

  • Paul Presley says:

    Tme to boycott the games and dry up the funds, its a shame for the players and real fans but, if adminstration comes and the FL don,t relegate us (assumming we don,t manage that ourselves) then we will see the back of these inept comics once and for all!

  • Think of the children says:

    Protest on the pitch at the next game, get some national media chasing Pannu, because none of us can track him down.

  • Think of the children says:

    I thought Pannu used to comment here – I can’t remember the usernames but it was pretty obvious it was either Pannu or one of his stooges. Almajir, did you think the same?

  • Paulo says:

    I caught this article this morning, and to be honest, the Pannu quote is just disgraceful, arrogant and just the kind of selfish statement that is to be expected. It is obvious now that any hope of salvaging any trust between BIHL – PP – The Paying Fans is over.

  • james says:

    I’m usually in full agreement for anyone wishing to protest, but in this instance where our innocent until proven guilty (cough) owner and our MD is in HK, there is little to be gained.

    If we are as skint as Mr Nursey pointed out then the backroom staff will be first to go; it’s of paramount importance to financially back the club. Even though it’s fairly evident ( xtep deal, expenses & alleged money laundering) that they have/will continue to bleed the club dry – anyone else that states ” what will you do If Carson is proven innocent?” should book themselves into the nearest clinic. Innocent people do not delay trials 68 times.

    United We Stand….

    KRO

  • Blueboy88 says:

    The Raison d’être of Balram Chainrai at Portsmouth is
    “I still have a debenture over the club as security on the club’s full assets, so one way or another I’m going to get my money back,”

    Question – If HSBC have a similar debenture on the Blues , & the lack of cashflow takes the club to the edge of administration cliff , would HSBC then intervene & take day to day control of the club ?

  • andy says:

    Where is the taxi driver? I cant remember his name but iv seen him on the tv a few times, i think it were central news and they seemed to like talking to him about events at Blues. Are u on here? Can someone track him down and get this mess aired on central news.

  • Bluenosesol says:

    Our priority until the end of this season has to be to get behind the team and get us 10 points clear of the drop zone. Any action must not affect the match day event. For starters, why dont you add comment to the Morning Post report? Why dont we organise a protest outside the HMRC to Pannu’s admitted tax evasion in the UK?

  • bluenoseneil says:

    “The fans’ grievances do not come into the equation”

    Maybe we’re reading into this comment in the wrong way?

    Seeing as how there are clearly opinions opposed to PP (and its clear to see how most feel as I read this blog as intently as any) is it completely inconceivable that he is simply saying “Blues fans need to butt out until I have something to say, and until that point I am not going to spout meaningless platitudes or make false promises which – if I don’t keep – I will be derided for and hated even more”???

    Are we all (well, not all, but you get my drift) so unbelievably arrogant that the only way we can read into this is negatively?

    I am concerned at the provocative nature of these posts just gives license to some to rant and rave, boycott games and create an even more toxic atmosphere in and around the club.

    The Forest game will be DOUBLY unpleasant now what with the pent up anger, McLeish returning as anti-hero and never forgotten Judas and the almost inevitable baiting and screaming at Lee Clark and our cash-strapped squad of rag tags which is set to make 2nd February a date to remember and not for any other good reasons than we might, MIGHT win…

    I am not pro-PP but I am not really anti either. I would just rather wait for facts to emerge until the flaming torches and hoods come out.

    • Bluenosesol says:

      Neil, the original article does not provide sufficient context, hence the comment is open to interpreataion, but if PP agrees with you that an injustice has occured and he really did not mean to make derisory comments about the value of the fan base, then believe me, he has ample opportunity to put the record straight and as soon as he likes!!

  • prewarblue says:

    comment edited

  • Chris Smith says:

    The fan’s grievance quote appears to be related to whether or not he comments on take over bids. Seems sensible, though the formating doesn’t help.

    Good article too, closing comment is correct.

  • Dabron says:

    I totally agree this is the only thing left to do we must stop going the games to get rid of this rot in our club k.r.o

  • Ernie says:

    Pannu changes with the wind and makes it up as he goes along. A lot like Nursey. He is a man out of his depth drowning in a sea of ineptitude caused by his and Yeung’s business ‘brilliance’ and football ‘knowledge’. They are never here and protests won’t do any good as they just ignore fans and refuse to answer questions from the media when the heat is on.

  • Blooflame says:

    Almajir, I can remember you sending me a rollicking for accusing most of the board of being crooks (it was a personal opinion). Whilst understanding the legal implications of what was said, you’d have to agree that not everything has been transparent. We will go into administration and it will be then some canny businessmen will buy the club and hopefully do what was done at Southampton. the potential for BCFC is massive. We’re the second city, Villa are in decline (also) and I believe with a change of ownership fans will return….. I miss Sullivan and the Golds!!!

    • almajir says:

      Simply because using the word “crooks” is defamation – it might be your opinion but it can still be construed as libel and I’m very very cautious. Please bear in mind no matter what you feel that no one has been convicted of anything yet.

  • KRO21 says:

    It might be the only Blue nose that doesnt know, but how long has Zigic got left on his contract?

    I know the circumstance were a lot worse than we are in at the moment, but if its 12 months+ would it be counter productive to look at doing what the pompy fans done with Ben Haim? Deep down he must know his wages are massively affecting the club. If the demand comes from the fans it would hit home a bit more than the club asking..

  • Andy says:

    Anyone who has dealt with pannu will tell you he is a horrible , self righteous, arrogant so and so, to this there is no argument
    His media comments just confirm that his professionalism is severely lacking
    His financial plan for the club since the initial takeover shows he is incapable

    KRO

  • higgsy says:

    Ocupy the pitch before the game, let the police trt to remove thousands of fans.

  • pompeypops says:

    Feel sorry for your supporters and your club , You have be misled just like us hope you sort it out as we hope to do, With Chandari he took over the club from the Gydamacks because they owed him 18 million from a business deal that was awarded to him in an Israel court ,so when the Gydamacks walked away from the club he took it over and from then on all his has done is sold every player that worth money then put us into admin ,These foreign owners are only in for the money nothing else no loyalty to the supporters ,Fit and proper test is a complete joke until the F/L and the F/A do something about it there will be more clubs going the same way ,Seems to me they will only act if your a top 4 club ,All the best for the future

  • mike says:

    our illustrious previous owners stated we will only sell to a person who can develop the club and not to a hairdresser and yes greed set in they bit the took their pieces of silver , i beg these fools to pack up their chop sticks and jump on their rick shaw and get out of birmingham for good , dont the other share holders realise that their investment will be worthless soon the this idiot is running the club .
    our previous owners did well but never spent the money they are putting into the one eyes , they had the chance to make us successful but wouldnt

  • BobBobandTrev says:

    Here’s an idea, a bit off the wall I know, let’s fill the ground to bursting,sing our hearts out and show the world what the Club really means to us all.
    This would generate a great media opportunity and create a massive feel good factor, lets show the world how much we love our club and what a proper football crowd looks like.
    Shite, I’m asleep aren’t I.

  • Wingman Blue says:

    Think we all need to face some facts 1) PP has finally admitted that the fans are irrelevant;2) we haven’t found a realistic way of influencing the Board; 3) Even if we influenced the board, what could they do – they’re up the shiny creek themselves 4) Administration means another fire sale, this time of all the back-up staff, and we would become a byword for failure, like Portsmouth; and finally 5) What are we doing to attract genuine interest? Where has the fanbase gone, the support? All any potential buyer will see is a club at war with itself., with little prospect of success.

    Forget Carson & PP. We have to start believing in ourselves.


Leave a Reply

Personalised Gifts for a Bluenose
Haircuts and League Cups
Open Tax Services
Corporate Solutions UK
PJ Planning
Rodal Heating

Archives