Following yesterday evening’s (Tuesday) supporter open meeting held at the Royal George Hotel Bar, Blues Trust will begin working on a three-tier strategy targeting greater transparency within BCFC’s parent company Birmingham International Holdings.
The meeting provided an open platform for all supporters to debate and make suggestions on how best to tackle the well documented ownership issues that currently plague Birmingham City Football Club.
Hosted by Trust Chairman Steve McCarthy and Blues Collective representative Paul Smith, three main areas were discussed and debated as a focal point for expediting the sale of the Club. From today, Blues Trust will begin working on the following course of action:
Locally, the Trust, along with all supporters who wish to get involved, will seek to highlight the Club’s current plight through the local media and by lobbying local MP’s, Birmingham City Council and its councillors for their support and intervention.
Nationally, the Football League will be targeted and urged to put increasing pressure on the BIHL, and national Westminster MP’s will also be contacted with a view to highlighting both BCFC’s current plight and wider football governance issues in Parliament.
Internationally, more work is needed to highlight the Club’s issues in Hong Kong. We will work with all supporters who are willing to help in devising a blueprint for increased pressure on the BIHL hierarchy, ensuring they are held accountable for the issues faced 6,000 miles away in Birmingham.
We also call upon Panos Pavlakis to issue a clear, concise statement outlining his and BIHL’s intentions for BCFC moving forward. Supporters require reassurances concerning a number of areas, including the Club’s financial health and the purported sale of the Club.
We will endeavour to issue regular updates on our progress. A follow-up meeting at the Royal George Hotel Bar will be arranged for four weeks’ time, details of which will follow shortly.
A report of the evening can be found here.
Why has it taken the trust till now to decide to do something. This should have happened ages ago. Not wait until we get beaten 8-0. Then decide enough is enough. I will support anything the trust do and help in anyway I can
I just wanted to say thank you so much for doing all this. I live a long way from Birmingham these days and I’m in my 60’s now. I’ve been a lifelong supporter and the last few years since winning the League Cup have been the most difficult and frustrating that I can remember.
I sincerely hope that your efforts will help us to see an end to the nightmare of BIHL.
Thanks again
David jones
I’m glad that the fans are saying enough is enough. The FA, Government, local politicians and the media in general need to act to prevent clubs like Blues, Leeds, Portsmouth etc being used as playthings by disreputable foreigners who have no cultural or historical connection with the communities that the clubs have traditionally represented. Football is too important to our national psyche to be allowed to die the lingering death that we are being subjected to. In truth, though, I suspect the powers will find it easier to let us go than to tackle the problem head on, which will mean also looking at ownership structures at the “bigger” clubs such as Chelsea and Man City. I live overseas nowadays but am always available by email, Facebook and Skype if I can be of any use. I’m quite good at wordy stuff if that helps. In any event, good luck!
Jackie, its not just foreign owners, Leeds slide began with British owners and Risdale, then later Ken Bates.
Wimbledon were at one point sold down the river by a Premier League approval for a relocation to Dublin!!!
Then the spineless Football League allowed a move to MK, this is the type of authorities we and all English league fans are up against.
The current owners of BCFC are an utter disgrace but Chris makes the very important point that this whole business is not just about “foreign” owners. It is about a culture of greed and cynicism among unaccountable football club owners regardless of their land of birth.
I agree there are poor owners of all creeds, nationality and persuasion and this movement must never have a racist edge.
BIHL are a disgrace because they are poor owners full stop!
KRO
You know I often wonder with BIHL being in such dissaray, how many of the BIHL board members actually know who BCFC are. It wouldn’t surprise me in the least if many of them don’t have a clue who we are!!
Maybe if all Blues supporters contacted their local Birmingham MP to raise the issue, that might help the situation. If B.C.F.C. is to have a future, it is imperative that B.I.H.L. relinquish their hold on the club, as they quite obviously have no interest in football. Never in it,s history, has the running of the club, been so poor and the moral so low.
We need to protest! The only way to hurt the owners is in their pockets. Boycott all home games, have a huge protest on the next home match day without actually going to watch the game. Stand outside the kop in thousands and protest…signs, chants everything we need to get our message across! Get them out of our club
Sorry mate but now is not the time for such protests, boycotting games hurts the wrong people the only ones you will really affect by doing that is the players & the players need our support more than ever. What we need to do now is pack out stans next week & get right behind GR & help him get his new regime off to a winning start. KRO
I understand what your saying but if we pack out stadiums then we’re just playing into the owners hands, were just giving them a reason to stay because of the money from ticket sales. If we do protest it’s sending a clear message that were not happy. They need to see what they’re doing to a club that should be in the premier league. I understand what your saying but we need to do something before we become Portsmouth
Fan groups like yours need to link up nationally with other disgruntled fan groups and fans via conference calls and Live Meetings to build momentum as a single entity over these disastrous football governance decisions.
As a kid I played in the Birmingham boys league in the 1980s and what is happening to football by these spivs enrages me. We need to pool resources and fight them together – all fans together.
I would like to be involved in something like that. Good luck!
Pete
1853Football.org
Well done everyone and a very good measured set of responses to the dire situation we find our club in.
Priority as I see it is to draw out a response from BIHL.
KRO
Coventrybluenose
As a Blues fan since the 50’s , I see here the frustration of those who share a passion for the club. Not simply the frustration from poor performances , but from a lack of effective ways of bringing about the changes we all know need to happen if our club is to emerge once again as a force to reckon with.
I do think that the FA has a duty to show greater interest in helping our clubs to overcome hard times. I see suggestions that a local MP might be a useful influence. Also some famous names who have been associated with the club. Maybe a combination of several prominent people would carry more weight.
I can remember watching Gordon Taylor in a no 11 shirt playing for Blues many years ago. Since then , he has spent a long time with the PFA.
I would have thought that fewer people would have a better knowledge and understanding of how to get the attention of the FA. Perhaps he , and some of the aforementioned would be willing to pool resources to get the message across?
I
I think after a couple of games showing garry and the team we are behind them and will support them a protest outside the ground with a media presence to show we are not happy with how our great club has been ruined and used as a way to launder money. I’m sure getting in the media is a way to get our message across. Hope this is the start of the end of cy reign of horror. Well done lads.
I completely agree, get right behind the team and Garry but then we need this protest. How will the board know they’ve done wrong unless we all say something! None of this mess is really down to anyone but the board. I think a protest should happen at one of the home games this month, maybe forest?