On November 17th Blues Trust stepped up its ongoing enquiry into the takeover saga concerning the sale of Birmingham City Football Club.
Following widespread speculation that a takeover by Gianni Paladini and his Italian backed consortium was imminent, an official statement from Peter Pannu was published on the official club website.
In the statement, Mr Pannu said that “no active negotiations with the group involving Gianni Paladini or any of his associates”, urging fans that “only official information should be relied upon and not rumours or speculation”.
Respecting privacy and confidentiality agreements, rules and regulations, Blues Trust contacted Mr Paladini via letter asking him to confirm his version of events. On November 18th, Blues Trust were contacted by Mr Paladini by phone, where he claimed that he and his consortium had been given permission by Birmingham International Holdings to see the club’s books and that his lawyer had also informed him that a deal had been accepted – only to find this being denied in Peter Pannu’s statement.
In the interest of transparency, Blues Trust proceeded to contact Peter Pannu via letter. The letter was accompanied by a stamped, self-addressed return envelope and was delivered to Mr Pannu by hand prior to the nPower Championship home fixture against Crystal Palace on December 15th.
Whilst patiently waiting for a response, it emerged that Peter Pannu had responded to an open letter sent by the editor of popular Blues blog Often Partisan; a communication which received a reply the same day as it was sent on December 24th.
As the ongoing takeover saga continues amid fears of a player fire sale in January following Mr Pannu’s recent interviews with Free Radio and the Birmingham Mail, Blues Trust is continually seeking answers concerning a number of issues.
Negotiations between the Club and several interested parties appear to have hit a stumbling block in recent months, with hopes of a sale being completed before the January transfer window quashed.
Blues Trust believes that the sale of Birmingham City Football Club to a suitable party is now of top priority and should be completed sooner rather than later; with fans remaining high on the agenda. The Trust would urge Mr Pannu to do everything in his power to secure stability and the Club’s long term future.
Blues Trust remains committed to safeguarding the future of Birmingham City. Above all, the fans come first. Further updates will be communicated as and when appropriate.
I take it from this statement that Mr Pannu doesn’t really care about Blues Trust. The club is falling apart but the owners don’t seem to care.
However right or wrong you may be with your first point, The Trust is working very hard behind the scenes and will continue to do all it can to ensure the future of Birmingham City is secured.
You have just confirmed what we all know already!
Pannu’s statement at the time stated there were no ‘active negotiations’ with the group involving Paladini. http://www.bcfc.com/news/article/takeover-update-487773.aspx He doesnt deny they had taken place or were due to take place simply that at the time of writing they were not ‘active’. Has the trust seen any evidence to support Paladini’s claim that ‘a deal had been accepted’ ?
You are correct, and perhaps the wording of the statement is slightly ambiguous; this will be amended. The Trust is in the process of following all lines of enquiry up. Unfortunately, despite our continued attempts Peter Pannu has not yet personally responded to our letter or subsequent emails meaning that this can neither be confirmed nor denied at present.
I think the trust, to be more credible, needs to up the ante. In some ways its a bit too nice and talking shop and not cutting edge. It needs an ongoing blog, forum and twitter to gain greater access to PP et al. I think PP responded to Often Partisan as he saw that as the main vehicle for his message to supporters despite the content.
Anyway it now seems as if it will be Blues babes for the rest of the season as experienced players will be forced to leave. If we can avoid relegation and administration we might have something to build on?. The danger is we lose the spine of the team though – King, Davies and Butland.
Could the Trust mount a bid to purchase the club and come up with a credible plan??
I am willing to help.
Thank you for your feedback, Alan; it is very much appreciated. We are fully aware that things like our website as not adequate at present. We hope to be launching our brand new website early in the New Year which will significantly enhance members’ and users’ experience. As far as social media is concerned, the Trust is active on both Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/bluestrust) and Twitter (http://www.twitter.com/bluestrust).
As far as mounting a bid to purchase the club, while in principle it is a good idea it is not likely to prove a viable option at present due to finances. However as our membership increases this may something that in the long term the Trust could consider.
I understand the Trust would not have the finances. However a city with a population of around a million plus Solihull etc, or 30,000 Blues fans just might have the finances. The trust would need to mobilise the supporters in the same way as the Carling Cup Final did, offering a share of the club and be absolutely serious about its intentions.
Maybe Mr. Paladini “phoned” you, because he could not put in writing , something that might not be proved, to be correct. If he had put it in writing,then you could have presented,the facts to Mr. Pannu,who could have confirmed, or denied Mr.Paladini’s statement. Who is telling the truth ?
Of course, the truth is something we are continually working to establish. The moment we have any further information we will endeavour to update Trust members and the wider fan base accordingly.