Often Partisan

Our Time is Running Out

Birmingham City moved quickly today to try to clarify a slightly ambiguous statement within the recently released Birmingham International Holdings accounts.

The brief statement on the official Blues website gives the reasoning that the two players that were referred to were Jack Butland and Jake Jervis, and the statement referred to outstanding sums from the transfers that were completed in January.

I guess it’s only natural that after eighteen months of delays it’s inevitable that when the BIH accounts were released that they would subjected to an almighty amount of scrutiny. In one way it’s a good thing that Mr Pannu has moved quickly to try to stop conjecture over what was in all honesty a badly-worded paragraph in the accounts. However, I also believe that there are far more questions that require answering in the accounts and it’s going to take more than a brief statement or two on the website to sort those out.

However, judging by the comments on here and that I have seen on social media, the bigger interest amongst fans is the bigger picture – what do these accounts mean for Blues? Does it mean a sale is closer; is the club screwed financially – essentially, what lies in the future for Blues. Accounts always refer to a snapshot in time – the finances at a particular point in the past – but we live in the here and now and it’s the here and now that matters to the fans.

From my standpoint, not much has changed realistically. A hurdle to the sale of the club has now been removed (albeit not completely until the Interim to December 2012 accounts are released sometime in the next fortnight) which is a good thing – but it doesn’t mean the sale of the club is going to happen any faster. Tom Ross this evening on his radio show alluded to there being two parties in the UK who are interested in purchasing the club however from what I have learnt from my own contacts at the moment it’s nothing more than interest.

With the auditor having disclaimer of opinion all over these accounts any prospective purchaser is going to want to have a proper, in depth look at the accounts to ensure that they are getting what they are think they are getting and that kind of due dilligence takes time. Indeed, parties have to come to some sort of agreement before that can even happen and I’ve heard nothing to suggest anyone is close to sending in the bean counters to St Andrews to check things out.

What concerns me is that the club may be running out of time. One of the chief concerns of the auditors was that they couldn’t say for sure if the company was solvent and it doesn’t require much imagination to see that the financial situation at Blues is perilous. With the regulatory stuff that needs to be done prior to a sale even if a fee was agreed right this second it would be a push to get it completed before the end of April – thus it’s not beyond the realms of imagination to wonder if a sale will be actually be completed by the end of May or even June – and then the attendant worry whether Blues will run out of cash by then.

As much as I would really like to take Mr Pannu to task over these accounts and ask him some awkward questions right now I think his efforts have to be concentrated on selling the club. There is no question in my mind that Blues absolutely have to have new investment or new owners within the next three months if the club is to continue; if you are reading this Mr Pannu the time has come to take what you can get for the club and for yourself and do the deal, whilst you still can.

 

 

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114 Responses to “Our Time is Running Out”

  • Woodlands says:

    Good post – there is nothing in the accounts that moves the issue of a sale forward other than it clears a hurdle. But it is just as likely it clears the way for new investors WITHOUT TRANSFERRING OWNERSHIP.

    I am still of the opinion that Carson Yeung wants to hang on to the Club, until someone buys him out for what he values the Club at. And my guess it is a lot more than has been quoted elsewhere. Failing that he will try to get new investors. Neither scenario will not be resolved until his Court case is over.

    As a Club the risk is that it drags on too long and we run out of money – administration and a points deduction OR we run out of players (inability to bring in replacements for those out of contract in the summer or even a transfer embargo because the Football League think we cannot meet commitments to new players etc). Either way we drop out of the Championship.

  • Paul Carter want's shooting he says:

    You are assuming that there is an actual desire to sell the club at a massive loss.

    I think nothing will change bar some fresh far east investment.

  • Euston 9.18 says:

    Can’t get my head round the accounts,so may I ask you ALMAJIR (IN YOUR HUMBLE OPINION)

    If someone walked into your local,sat opposite you & said they had the money to buy BLUES (Think the going price is £40 Million) what would the buyer own ??

    Would it be just the name BIRMINGHAM CITY FOOTBALL CLUB & the players contract’s.

    • almajir says:

      not sure what you’re getting at. They’d own the club.

      • Euston 9.18 says:

        Sorry for being vague.

        So with £40 million you classed as the owner of BIRMINGHAM CITY FOOTBALL CLUB.

        Any assets other than the players ??

        • Vern says:

          The players are assets of the football club, you would own everything.

          • Vern says:

            Sorry so other assets would be the ground, the training ground (if we own that) all the equipment footballing or otherwise. Everything connected with the club.

          • almajir says:

            We don’t own the training ground but we do have a long term (99 year) lease on it

          • chas says:

            Vern, we dont own the Training ground..Ther Blues rent it on a long lease from Birmingham University..But it has cost a fortune to update it to it’s Present state, which is something that is overlooked by Fans when they complain that no money has been spent by different Owners.

        • Keith G says:

          What about the Holme flats behind the Main Stand? I seem to recall they were bought by Sullivan, when he had the idea of redeveloping the Main Stand and needed more space. Then the council listed them, and they couldn’t be demolished, I believe. Were they sold to Carson Yeung? Would they be included in a sale of the Club, alongside other land associated with the stadium?

  • bluenosegoat says:

    Not sure if this has been raised before but, prior to Carson getting into his financial problems at home, we were all sort of happy, if suspicious, with his leadership of the club.
    Now, if he gets off (unlikely but possible) and has his assets unfrozen, if he comes back and wants to make a success of the Blues are we all stating that we want nothing more to do with the man?
    With a clear name, some decent money to spend and a fresh start is it possible he could carry on?

  • DoctorD says:

    We’ll probably get a fairer picture when the Interim results to the end of December are out — as you say, they’re the closest in time to now so will give us a more accurate view of the current situation. To me the biggest single drain on resources is a certain Mr Zigic. Why doesn’t he just do the honourable thing: resign and bog off? Never gonna happen of course.

    • Alex T says:

      If he was doing a crap job, then yes Zig should do the honourable thing and go… but he isnt! He is doing exactly what he was contracted for. Its not his fault some idiot didnt realise that blues have a habit of getting relegated and put a clause in his contract that he could have pay rise year after year, rather than a ‘relegation release’ clause that any self respecting blues FAN would have done.

      • tmsblues says:

        It is questionable whether he’s doing a £60k per week job !! I made this point yesterday that Zigic’s contract is one of the most significant reasons the club is in a financial mess. Not his fault maybe but that of the owners but he clearly isn’t worth 5 decent champ/low prem level players.And it didn’t help recently when his agent took the p in this regard. Nothing we can do about it but how it must affect morale at times must be challenging hence LC’s taking him to task.

    • Ali Duncan says:

      Doc. If you were in his position as a professional doing your job and nearing the end of your career would you really do that? Absolutely no chance. We’re stuck with Zig until the end of his contract and it’s not his fault that he is a drain on resources. If you want to point the finger ask why there wasn’t a relegation wage reduction clause in his contract. That would have been standard on Gold, Sully & Karen’s watch.

      • DoctorD says:

        Ali Duncan – you’re right of course, he’s a professional and will expect his contract upheld. But could you imagine going into work every day knowing it was YOU personally who was playing a big part in shafting the club and its fans? Not sure I would. Zigic has had a long and presumably well-paid career – it’s not as if he’s a young un like Nathan Redmond we’re talking about who’s had barely a year or two to earn his corn. It’s why capitalism sucks sometimes.

        • tmsblues says:

          Thats right Zigic, despite opportunities to move on a shared salary basis, has refused and so shafts the club and other players that could be retained or encouraged in. He will break all records if we should be relegated.. can’t think of any other Div 1 Club likely to be paying £60k pw for one player!! And he’ll still struggle to score more than 10 per season!

          • Marky mark says:

            Don’t blame Zigic, blame Pannu

            You dont know the standard of any proposed moves for Zigic, they could have been detrimental or an insult, so how can you say he should have.gone.

  • Retired&weary says:

    The biggest investment in the short term is season ticket renewals. How many people will renew under the current regime? Not many!
    New ownership & new hope is essential before that. I don’t think more investment from Carson’s mates will do the trick.

    • Dee says:

      I will renew regardless, I will stay with the sinking ship and be the last man aboard if need be. I personally know 7 ST holders that are thinking of NOT renewing and I am doing my damn best to persuade them to stay on.
      One thing is for certain, if we all take the view that we won t attend whilst these owners are still here then we won’t have a club to support anymore.

      I know what I want
      Kro

      • Paul Carter want's shooting he says:

        Brilliant Dee

        Same here. Never would I consider leaving. had a ST since 74 and will have on til I die as will my kids

        You’re in my heart you’re in my soul.

        • suenoble says:

          simple for me. Me and our kid have had season tickets since the tilton was caged in, actually since the late 60’s. Now we and his son and my two sons have been in block 19 since the seats were bolted to the floor, if these owners are gone we will renew, if they are still here, regrettably and with a heavy heart and a wobbly lip, were off, cheers

      • Ali Duncan says:

        Dee – I agree with everything that you’ve written and applaud your efforts to get people to continue to renew but I think the club are in for an alarming wakeup call when renewal time comes round. The apathy from people I go with has reached an all time high and unless the club take drastic action with massive financial incentives the club are going to take a huge hammering on cash flow. I won’t get into the old chestnut of why as I think we all know why people are fed up but I worry about how we the club go forward with parachute reductions and a large loss of revenue from ST holders not renewing.

        • Paul Carter want's shooting he says:

          We don’t , we go backwards

          Then all the internet boards will be full of people who never go slagging off the club.

          Bit like errrm now really.

          True blues though, all of em dontcha know.

  • Pete says:

    I love how it’s all really professionally written and then out of nowhere: “is the club screwed financially?” :D Is that the technical term?

  • Evesham blue says:

    I thought these were BIHL accounts and not Blues accounts? We are covered until the summer when we will get another parachute pyt to tide us over the summer. The playing staff will be totally restructured over the summer and the wage budget adjusted accordingly.

    I’m working on the assumption that we won’t be sold anytime soon. CY court case will probably be delayed further. If a takeover were to happen I would have thought it is more likely to happen in the summer.

    We should be looking forward to an exciting summer of squad comings and goings?

  • Bluenosesol says:

    We are all speculating on where we go from here, did the publication of the wooly accounts make any differenence? do PP/CY stay or go? will CY be incarcerated? what will the playing squad look like next season? will the club be sold? will the creditors reduce the club to rubble if we go into admin or liquidation? etc etc. The season ends in 51 days. Whatever will happen, nothing of significance will happen in the next 51 days. It is of paramount importance that Pannu communicates to the fans and explains his Plan A,B and C. If he does not, then apart from the 5000 Bluenose diehards who would pay to watch us in the Blue Sqaure North, there is going to be an exodus of devastating proportions next season which could push the restoration of our club to Premiership status beyond many of our personal expiration dates!! KRO please God!

    • almajir says:

      Absolutely massively disagree.

      I fear if significant progress isn’t made with respect to a sale in the next 51 days this summer is going to be pain of the magnitude we have not yet felt.

      • Ali Duncan says:

        I share your opinion. With so many players out of contract I expect very little coming in to replace them and a lot more kids getting squad numbers.

  • Masaccio says:

    First rule of any financial statement, always head for the Remuneration Report first!

  • Marky mark says:

    We simply have to find a buyer in the summer, otherwise we are in serious sh-t street.

    The situation with CY and Pannu has gone way past the point of forgiveness, they have to go and soon.ST sales will be shocking next season if these clowns continue, there comes a point when its hard to argue with supporters for not going and standing there ground in protest.

    I will still renew but fear it will be a cold and empty place. Is there nothing positive we can do, it feels Luke we are doing nothing ? but standing by and watching, I appreciate Almajir and the trust are doing all they can, but the rest of us feel utterly helpless to intervene.

    Time to say a prayer to Pope saint Francis

  • Atahualpa is a BlueNose says:

    There was always the possibility that CY might have returned (if he was found not guilty) to Blues with his unfrozen assets and we could have moved on. But there has been so,so many issues, that I do not believe anyone wants to truly see him or PP resume control at BCFC.

    Even the interim accounts to Dec ’12 will more than likely have a disclaimer and will not really tell us anything we do not know or suspect. We all know and accept we are in financial turmoil and something really needs to give at the end of the season. PP and CY need to realise and acknowledge that they are not disposing of a much sought after product – however much BCFC means to us – but that potential purchasers are alive to the fact that CY and BIHL are in serious difficulties. They have the luxury of having the time to peruse and taking a “wait and see” policy – something that the club simply cannot afford.

    It might be said that PP has more than likely budgeted up until August and the start of the new season; if not they’ll simply let most of the out of contract players go and force LC to again rummage around to get a ‘team’ and ‘squad’ together, and we’ll again just drift aimlessly. If CY is sent down and convicted, well, it’ll be interesting to see what plan B they had thought of in that scenario.

    The accounts for BIH are so topsy-turvy because at the time they never thought that CY would be in the predicament he is, and things would have been much better on the playing field if he could have invested more of his finances. He could have used his influence to “show” that things were going well and if Blues were in the EPL or about to be promoted, the mega-bucks were again about to roll-in. Shit aint gonna happen now, hence the hotch-potch manner of their construction.

    Any prospective buyer/investor will know that there is the real risk of taking a big gamble with their money in Blues at the moment. What if even if some friend or associate of CY’s “lends” the club x amount of millions – who is gonna pay it back and when?
    If someone buys us, what if there are surprises lurking in the background similar to what was discovered by CY when he bought us (only the universe knows what has truly gone on in the past three years or so)?
    Buying the club is not enough – many millions are needed to keep it functioning and rebuilding the team and squad in order to get it in a realistic shape to become contenders for promotion.

    I for one just want the end of the season to come around as quick as possible so that we can try and take stock.

    Last summer was not even a taster to what we can expect this time round.

    • almajir says:

      interim accounts are unaudited.

      • Atahualpa is a BlueNose says:

        It just gets more and more interesting…

        Almajir, I recall once reading that you had friends/contacts within the Pompey Trust who are trying to buy their club and ground.

        Would you consider doing a blog exploring if this would be feasible for Blues in anyway??
        Even at present nearly 3.5% of BC PLC is owned independently – mostly by Blues fans I would have thought. What are the chances of us all trying to get a small stake in the club collectively??

  • Evesham blue says:

    Doom mongering again over things we can’t do anything about. I am tired (& weary) of this useless speculation on how dire the state of Blues is.

    How about we just concentrate on the team ?

    • Ali Duncan says:

      We can do something about it Evesham. We can encourage friends / family / colleagues to renew :)

      • Wearynose says:

        Buying tickets just encourages the owners to hang on. Don’t buy, don’t go,’fiscal cliff’ the revenue and they will realise that the cow’s milk is drying up and that a sale is the best option. When they’ve gone then fans can return and the long rebuilding of the club can start from whatever level we’ve fallen to. Giving them money only prolongs the agony. Stand outside and shout but don’t pay money into the club.

    • Marky mark says:

      Shall we just brush it under the carpet, it isn’t gonna go away.

      If things do take a serious turn for the good we won’t have a team to concentrate on Evesham blue

  • Paul Carter want's shooting he says:

    ‘I wanted freedom,bound and restricted
    I tried to give you up, but i’m addicted
    Now that you know i’m trapped, sense of elation
    You’d never dream of breaking this fixation

    You will squeeze the life out of me

    Bury it, I won’t let you bury it
    I won’t let you smother it
    I won’t let you murder it
    and our time is running out
    our time is running out
    you can’t push it underground
    you can’t stop it screaming out
    how did it come to this?’

    Very appropriate title Dan, keep this up and you’ll have a half decent blog on yer hands :)

  • Evesham blue says:

    We will be in the same situation as we were last season. What has changed? Only clubs with huge investors will challenge for the automatic positions. Our predicament is we have an owner with frozen assets. Thinking positively we have been through a lot after relegation but this will only put the club on a more viable budget going forward.

    Most clubs the money is tight. It’s about time we had a reality check and realised we are no different than the majority of clubs in the championship. Fact of life Bosmans, youth and loan players from the premiership.

    Just maybe we could have another tilt at the playoffs and the big time again next season? That’s the beauty of the championship.

    It’s an opportunity this summer to rebuild from scratch.

    • Marky mark says:

      Evesham

      The money is running out !
      We have no investment !
      Our saleable assets will not last forever !

      Normal clubs don’t operate under these restrictions

      • Evesham blue says:

        Mate none of us knows how much money we have or haven’t got! The problem is cash flow. If we were in such big do then how come we didn’t sell our squad in January? It’s not burying my head in the sand it’s called wait and see instead of believing every media hyperbole

        • Marky mark says:

          Your right mate we dont know exactly how bad it is, but we know form the information gained that we cannot survive as a going concern unless drastic action is taken.

          In Januray Pannu sold Butland to help see us through to the season end, who knows what his next move will be to keep the ship afloat, Redmond, Zigic, King. We are on a slippery slope that will decend at a faster pace the longer we are on it.

          If this was any other business we would be counting the days.

          Lets hope your right Evesham blue, and a buyer comes forward and we can rebuild next season with hope.

          But if not, I agree with Almajir we should brace ourselves for a summer of pain.

      • Blue in Spain says:

        90% of league clubs operate under those conditions!

        • Marky mark says:

          No they don’t Blue,

          90% of clubs don’t have an owner with frozen assets, no investment and a complete and utter twat in charge.

          I agree lots of clubs operate on a shoestring and have to match the wage bill to there turnover, we cannot do that right now.

  • Oldbluenose says:

    Almajir;, To try and crystalise the differential between B,C,F,C. and B,I,H. !!. Can I ask you a simple question,??.

    Someone decides to purchase our club, !!. he peruses the ” Official ” B,C,F,C. statement of accounts,
    Which one assumes, — Covers full running of said club [ admin, etc;, ] plus Staff, [ players, management, etc;,].

    Now that should tell him/them, all he needs to know about our state of health [ or not ]..

    B,I,H. acounts presumably,?. Are different in WHAT way,?. — Any debts/ credits, surely, would be covered by the clubs accounts, ???.

    • Pete says:

      I suppose it depends what money BIH want back from BCFC. If they are happy to sell BCFC debt free, the BIH accounts would be fairly unimportant providing the ones for the club are in order and are accurate.

      Knowing Pannu & Yeung, it won’t be that simple though.

  • Tony says:

    After reading that headline I am for the first time seriously concerned about our future, very dramatic

  • Andrew Whalley's hat says:

    What puzzles me is that even with a different set of auditors they feel unable to sign off the accounts off without putting a disclaimer on their findings. There must be some really ‘interesting’ business dealings within them that they are simply unable to get to the bottom of.
    If I was in the position to take over the club now I would be waiting for it to go into administration and get it at a rock bottom price, rather than risking purchasing it based on half a story.

    • carlos says:

      You also have to remember that these were Pannu’s hand picked auditors selected to specifically do a job ie get the accounts out, and even they were not happy to sign them off.

      • RichardM says:

        Says it all really – makes Pannu look even more of a joker with zero credibility. Unfortunately Andrew, I think you’re right, I can see administration becoming a real possibility, and any potential buyer probably knows this as well. We may well have to brace ourselves for relegation / administration in the next 15 months – but maybe that’s what needs to happen to cure the cancer within our club. Blues will survive, I’m sure of it.

  • James says:

    Slightly off topic – Blackburn sack another manger!

    • RichardM says:

      No kidding? Michael Appleton gone already??? Do their owners now Carson Yeung and Peter Pannu – did they all attend the same “how to manage a football club” online course???

  • Tony says:

    Almajir in the forthcoming trial will the discrepencies in the accounts be taken into consideration if they are found to be fraudulant in any way, or is this a seperate issue@.

  • GB Blue says:

    It has been so long ago now but is there any reason why the shares cannot be unsuspended now the accounts have been published? If the HKSE allowed trading again would be expect the shares to drop by mind blowing amounts and therefore seal our fate?

  • Paul Carter - The Voice Of Reason says:

    These auditors, both firms, should not be allowed to hide behind corporate speak and put a disclaimer out.

    They should be legally bound to state which aspect of the accounts is causing them concern.

    Just putting a disclaimer out leaves folk thinking dodgy with a capital D

  • Tony says:

    James who have they sacked? I have lost track.

  • Paul says:

    Well I don’t know anything about BCFC or BIHL finances, but if I was the owner, I would wait till the end of the season if there was the remotest chance of a play off/promotion chance. Yeung has already lost 40/50 million. What else he got to loose, apart from his liberty maybe!! So unless an Arab or Russian come knocking, nothing will happen until at least the summer :s !

  • dave mann says:

    i have total belief that the club will be sold in the summer. and when the new owners
    do come in there will be changes to player and management staff because there as to.
    on the supporters who cant be botherd to go down when times are not good, then
    please dont start comming down when the tied turns because it defenetley will and
    also bscause your support would be part time and afrificial. KRO.

  • Paul Carter - The Voice Of Reason says:

    Hear hear to the last bit Dave but don’t worry they wont be there anyways.

    There’ll be another reason once this regime leaves like there always is

  • Gary R says:

    Dave Mann – 100% correct, where are the fellow bluenoses that were with me at Wembley 2 years ago? Nowhere to be seen! Takes the pee, it really does.

  • jimbo says:

    One question that has just sprung to mind is: Will we have cash to bring players in/retain players with all of the contract expiries in the summer?

    People don’t join clubs for free. I hold that we are a big club and some young players may view us as a stepping stone but at the same time these young hopefulls will expect a salary and a signing on fee even if free agents/from the lower leagues.

  • Paul Carter - The Voice Of Reason says:

    Correct Jim

    Just goes to show what a fantastic job Lee and the team have done to get us to 11th with those constraints.

    KRO

  • prewarblue says:

    All the back stabbing and backbiting aside,,,,,,Tom Ross states he knows of 2 interested parties in the UK who MAY be interested in buying the club,,,,,,,1 being [ I think] the Paladini consortium,,,,any thoughts on who the other may be ?

  • if the truth was known a lot of clubs are in the same boat as brum ..derby lost £8 million and are £35 million in debt it has been said £15 million is though for the ground….others i fear are also close to trouble……promotion is ok but unless you have a strong enough squad to sustain prem status trouble can be just around the corner ……on the other hand keeping your best players whilst building that squad can also be hard …..throwing our dummies out at the club will only make two sundays in every week ……i think lee clarkes youth policy is spot on as long as he keeps a good set of experienced players to help bring them on……come on blues fans lets help kickstart blues back where we want them….kro buster gut

  • sutton apex says:

    blues will get 8 mill parachute, 10 mill gate revenue/corporate = 20 mill turnover
    need to trim wage bill accordingly ie all the kids and freebies
    al – what was last wage bill figures ?? do you know

  • sutton apex says:

    thanks al – as i always knew we are in big trouble !! all players on 3k a week or more will go if no takeover/cash injection. i always said it would be a miracle if we avoided admin – this board must sell now or we will do a pompey i fear

  • Paul says:

    I,m getting fed up of all the whiners and heroes who slag off so called part time fans. I have to spend my wages selectivley and football is a luxury to me.
    Tell me, would you eat at the same restaraunt if the food was crap…..no didn,t think so. So Dave, Paul, Gary ect ect ect, when the club deserve my money, and when I can afford it, ill go!!!

    • jimbo says:

      Paul,

      Not wanting to argue but your argument is really flawed. I’m with you on football being a luxary in hard times but the “die hard fans” would go to crap event a number of times. Hae you never been to see Pete Doherty in concert.

  • Paul says:

    Sorry Jimbo, its not flawed in the slightest, Ive wasted fortunes over 35 years watching mostly dross, but still i keep going. I,ve probably had 5 good seasons out of those 35 years, so as far as i,m concerned i am entitled to snap back at so called “die hard fans”. You have to be die hard to support Blues whether you go or not.
    Whether you like Pete Doherty or not is just an opinion, same as my opinion about fan snobbery!

  • Paulo says:

    Quite frankly, the entire BIHL conundrum has become so problematic for the fans, and no doubt BCFC as well, simply because of the lack of communication between the HK board, as well as business being conducted on a level that only defies logic. It’s no wonder that the burning question really is that simple; ‘what do these accounts mean for BCFC?’.
    I don’t think we will ever have the good fortune of being the truth from PP or BIHL as a collective. What is clearly apparent though, is that since CY’s arrest, asset freeze, and then the obvious consequence of financial turmoil..is that this was only going to end badly.
    Carson needs to sell, Pannu needs to make it happen, and the rest of the shareholders need to wake up ..all together they need to realise that this is all their fault, as a result of accumulation of naivety and mistakes.
    It’s still painful for the fans, even though this is a step closer to a deal, but I only hope that is the direction things are going in.

  • Tony says:

    Cyprus is going bust Thats a problem for some people this is a minor hicup.

  • Dean BCFC says:

    I’m usually more of a watcher than a contributor to these sites. However I must join in to support Paul Carter and his views on the stay away moaners. I travel 75 miles each way each game as a ST holder and get heartily sick of website couchers and Tom Ross callers commenting but never turning up. If you don’t go, don’t moan about lack of finance , like if you don’t vote don’t moan about the government.

    • Marky mark says:

      A true blue nose Dean

      Unfortunately you cannot criticize the mass deserters on here without getting hung drawn and quartered.

      • Dean BCFC says:

        I’ll await my punishment – after 53 years of support and 41 years of STH I can take anything.
        All I say is put up or shut up – I’ve been there with 4000 in the ground and heard more support

        • Bluenosesol says:

          I can recall going to pre-season friendlies with 15,000 turning up and commenting how weird it is to attend a game when the ground is empty!!!!

  • Paul Carter want's shooting he says:

    The fact is other teams in the region are tripling that’s tripling our attendances. Those of us who go are heartbroken looking at row after row of empty seats then reading on the net how crap Clark is, how crap the club is. In Britains 2nd city our attendances are nothing but a joke.

    Criticism of non attendance is not aimed at the unemployed’/low income/ex pats just those who have the cheek to call themselves Blue but never go bar Wembley and the Europas.

    Fact for all you moaners who don’t like attendance posts. If we all stop going, no club.

    There.

    • northfield says:

      I have to agree with Paul, but also I do have other commitments on a Saturday..

      All this die-hard fan stuff, actually puts me off attending, because I don’t want to sit with all those dull happy clappers!

      I’ll part with my hard earned cash when I feel I’m getting value for money like last season!

      As Paul said, you wouldn’t eat at the same expensive restaurant on a weekly basis if the food was Shite!

      As for Paul Carter.. you know what, I had your views when I was 14 years old, I’m now 38 years old and no longer have that enthusiasm for football as a whole.. I wouldn’t attend every game even if I won the lottery because quite simply I have more important or better things to do! I love Blues as much as the next person, but I also love life and I’m unwilling to depress myself on a weekly basis!

      Ex season ticket holder.

    • Art Watson says:

      Do your remarks refer to people like Trevor Francis/jJasper Carrott and Jeff Lynn who rarely have time to go to the games or would you class these none attendees as morons-vile-filth or mindless supporters?

  • desertbootboy says:

    i can see where everyone is comming from….people would not post on here if they did not love the blues….but for instance people are falling out of love with the club,we used to have eight or nine go every home game and most aways fro our haven that is kingshurst…..nowdays we are down to three or four and that is just the homw games.
    myself…..i,ll always go,my dad gave me the blues….always love him for that…

    bcfc….the alternative football club.
    bcfc….a way of life.

  • Howard Kendall says:

    Am I correct in thinking that Dave Mann and Paul C do not want fans to turn up when better times return? And you have the interests of the club at heart? Take Bradford, we are led to believe their debt has been cleared due to the cup run, but should we have gone on a similar run are you saying only the die hard 14K should attend? A cup run with the ‘wembly season tiket holders’ may just have kept JB until the end of the season or given LC a bit of a chance in the loan market. And before you say the ‘missing’ fans should go to every game, it is the same at every club, from the very top to the very bottom. And comparisons to the Villa are just nonsense, bigger club, better supported, premiership, and premiership away support.

  • Dean BCFC says:

    OK lets do the maths – we’re averaging 16500 this season in a 30000 ground. Those 13500 empty seats in 23 games at about £25 a head represent about 7.7 million quid – enough to keep two Jack Butlands . Also if I was looking to invest £30 million quid this would represent a 4 season payback which isn’t as bad as seeing a half empty ground with no noise , along with negativity portrayed here and elsewhere .
    I’m no accountant but seems simple to me.

    Just a portion of the Wembley 40000 would do , but as said above ‘they’ve got better things to do ‘ , like lisitening to Ross Dross, playing FIFA 2013 or watching Premier on dodgy internet channels .

    We get what we deserve , which is no club unless we get off our arses

  • Tony says:

    There is an argument that die hard fans prepared to watch dross, managed by dross, and owned by Dross are actually doing the club more harm than stay away fans.
    Their Apathy would allow this to continue forever more, whereas fans prepared to protest have more chance of bringing about change.

  • James says:

    With respect Tony that is not the case.

    It’s a bit like stating you don’t vote but want a say in how the countrys run. Stay away fans cause the club to lose money. Its amazing how many of our fans complain about tickets for Wembley/Play offs/ Man Utd in town, when the majority reel out the same cliches. If you don’t attend then that’s fine, but stating the die hard fans cause harm to the club is crazy.

  • Paulo says:

    Those who go down to watch the blues are contributing to the club …so it can function. Staff, players, groundsmen, stewards, physio’s ..etc. Low sales do more harm than good, and it can’t be much clearer than that. In fact, I’d go as far as to say, that the away fans contribute more into our club than those who don’t go down. It’s an economy all of it’s own, but it needs income in order to survive. Empty seats do nothing for the club, the atmosphere and the support. This isn’t about CY or PP or BIHL, this is more important than that, this is about BCFC and it’s ability to operate.
    (rant over ..apologies, don’t usually get involved in debates like this, as it is a personal choice anyway, but can’t hold in the obvious truth).

  • chas says:

    A bit of News from OOP Northhttp://www1.skysports.com/football/news/11688/8578822/Leeds-United-put-up-for-sale-by-Gulf-Finance-House

  • Wingman Blue says:

    Gates are down at Stans to a mixture of reasons,

    1) Unlike the Vile, and others, we’ve never attracted the better-of, & the squeeze is affecting fans;
    2) Also, many Bluenoses now live in other parts of the country, & petrol prices have shot up;
    3) Much of the football this season has been lacklustre;
    4) The shenanigans with Carson, Pannu, Hughton’s departure etc., has eroded hope;
    5) A combination of the above has made the place feel like a mortuary, which in turn further deters
    people from turning up.
    6) We’re not attracting new fans – last season we at least had Europe, and positiveTV coverage. Since then we’ve effectively dropped off the TV radar, and most of the stories in the press are of a negative nature.
    Who wants to be linked with failure?

    We need a successful image, we need to make a match at Stan’s a ‘must-have’ experience,
    not a ‘like-to’ experience. People can do without a ‘like-to’, but not a ‘must-have’.

  • Martin says:

    I’m sick of all the negativity we keep flowing round blues this season. The aggression shown towards Clark and some of our players this season has been ridiculous, yeah he is no Hughton but hurling abuse at him and the team will not help them produce the results we ALL want. We are angry at what has happened to our club and aim our frustrations at people that can do as much about it as ourselves.

    If we do not find an investor rougher times are ahead, what will we be doing then? Hurling abuse at each other?

    I suggest if you can afford to, don’t stay away and I know there is a million reasons to do so but we need to SUPPORT blues, not keep telling other how bad things are at present.

    SH*T happens, let’s stop moaning.

    KRO

  • miket says:

    i remeber blues in this mess before and we survived and won a cup (whealdon, kumars) its a business and not for the fans these people who dont love football are looking to make money , anyone who thought we were worth the money these owners paid must have had alterior motives to buying the club, the game has moved on from the real fan and until we can get reality back certain clubs will always get into finacial trouble we must hope and KRO that some one with intelligence and football lover buys the club or a very rich person who just wants to waste money (man city) i dont for one minute these owners will let the club go into admin as they will lose everything and a little is better than nothing


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