Following yesterday’s humiliating 8-0 home to defeat to Bournemouth, we wish to initiate positive action to save our Club from its inevitable demise.
Yesterday reached a new low, provoking much anger and outrage at the manner we conceded defeat to a Championship rival.
Over the past three years, the heart and soul of our great Club has slowly been ripped apart. Anything with any value, including playing assets, has inevitably been sold off and dispensed of, whilst the distant BIHL hierarchy have spent the last 18 months procrastinating over the sale of its only tangible asset.
We are not and will not be a business for them to use as a platform to grow their own form of conglomerate. We are a Football Club. A proud Football Club, loved and cherished by its supporters and valued by the local community it serves.
As fans, we must stand united and take positive action in order to influence the situation. We require individuals in the media, both locally and nationally, to highlight our plight. We need the support of the relevant governing bodies to help us force through change.
To that end, we plan to hold an open meeting on Tuesday, 28th October at 7pm at the Royal George Hotel Bar. We urge as many of you as possible to join us and share your ideas.
We do not have all the answers. We need fans and fan group representatives to join together, united, so we can push in as many directions as possible. We need to be unified and clear in our message and objectives to make this a success. We simply have to do something.
KRO!
It is time to unite all BCFC organisations behind the cause of ridding us of this inept ownership.To all our fans, stop feeling sorry, it’s time for action. Or do Brummies now have an almighty inferiority complex because i’m sure the fans of the Manchester clubs, Liverpool and the big London clubs would not stand for this situation.
What is the action that you propose we take?
Pete
Blues Trust
count me in
About time I will be there
It’s all very well but we’ll need the local media’s help too. Up to now they’re just not that interested. We need Tatts, Ross & Wiseman to start putting their weight behind it and some high profile names that are not just in it for the quick sound bite.
i will be in Spain on business this week, if I wasn’t I would come, even though I live 60 miles away. This must lead to a coming together of supporters now.
I agree the media are a vital element – will Colin Tattum be invited? Tom Ross? They need to be on board and urged to come off the fence and shout loudly.
Time to spread the Word all over UK, Facebook, Twitter etc
A good point, Tracy. Worth flooding social media.
Just don’t go, its so simple.
Can you imagine the media coverage if we had near on empty stadium, we’re Partisan remember? Everyone that signs up to “stay away while BIHL are in play” signs a pledge & pays their matchday money into a trust account set up by somone like the trust. We then use that money to buy shares into future ownership when the club goes into administration.
Ian
Sorry. I don’t believe that will work.
BIHL doesn’t care whether BCFC is making money on a day to day basis – it isn’t already.
Most of the revenue comes from commercial and media deals and season tickets – the money through the turnstiles on game day is nice to have but at current support levels is modest, so even if you could persuade everybody to subscribe to this plan (which you never would)it would never be critical (certainly in the shorter term) to forcing a sale or even forcing the club into administration.
If we get relegated and Season Ticket holders fail to renew en masse then that might start to force BIHL’s hand but I would fear the prospect of starting 2015 /16 in Div 1 in administration with a thumping points penalty…
I see that as Last Chance Saloon.
The reason BIHL wants to retain BCFC is NOT that they think they ever could make money out of it.
This proposal misses the point anyway – we want NEW OWNERS and it isn’t about trying to “penalise” the shareholders of BIHL however much we detest what they have done to our club. The objective MUST be single-mindedly to persuade them that selling the club is in their best interests.
Technically you can’t force an Administrator to sell part of the company to people who have put money into a trust fund for the purpose of buying shares.
Ian, how much media coverage do you think your proposal would get in HK which is where it would count? Do you really think BIHL cares the proverbial so-and-so what the Birmingham media is saying about it?
I’m sure we can discuss all of these options on 28th.
KRO
if a person is put in prison should his assets not be stripped from him, its about time the government stepped in and take back this great club from a low life criminal degenerate like carson yeung the way in which the football league /premiership have aloud this to happen, as it was themselves who had decided that he was a good and proper owner,why not just wash your hands of it and sweep it under the carpet. should the fans sue the premiership for there part in this farce
This is good – but my fear is that the meeting might turn into a “talking shop” where everybody just has a moan about the owners and how awful they are and how we “need to get rid of them”.
That is pointless.
I agree that Birmingham based media support is useful and has been somewhat lacking up to now but do bear in mind that the key to the solution to the problem lies initially at least in the Far East and little thought seems to have been given to date as to how we might engage support and help there. Sadly, the opinions of the likes of Colin Tattum and Tom Ross cut no ice in Hong Kong! I have spent some time in HK and hope there are others at the meeting who also have some understanding of how the place ticks!
I would hope that the organisers of the meeting have a clear idea of what we mean by “positive action” and are planning to bring to the table some practical and potentially achievable proposals as to what that might entail.
I appreciate that you don’t have “all the answers” – who does? I am sure that those attending – me for one – will be happy to add constructive thoughts and ideas so that we can devise a plan of campaign to drive us forward.
We also need to ensure that there is a genuine mandate from Blues supporters to make representations and plans on their behalf. If we are seen as just a splinter group of disgruntled fans, we will get nowhere.
KRO
These people in Hong Kong were once ruled as a British colony ,so are they trying to prove something ,Carson’s case was supposed to take around 8 weeks ,and how long did it take …BIH have been delaying things ,now the Hong Kong stock exchange are holding the sale up by not allowing a full sale of BCFC ,which seems to be bringing down the share price with the lack of interest since the HKSE ruling ,which is not The purpose of the ruling body the SFC to allow ,as they are there to protect shares in hongkong so why aren’t they doing that unless they to are out to prolong the selling of the club .why are all these holdups ,it is making trading with China a mockery to the rest of the world ,it is not BCFC fault that blues were relegated,It is not BCFCs fault that £50 million worth of players are sold ,its not BCFCs fault that CarsonYeung was sent to prison ,so why is Birmingham city fc being made to pay for somebody else’s failures …a British based has offered a fair price for the club and still we suffer ..it is time for action
Some fair points, William but please don’t think that the fact that HK was once “ruled” by the British has the remotest relevance. 17 years on, they have NOTHING to prove!
BIHL is motivated by self-interest, nothing more, nothing less.
The task (should we decide to accept it :-)) is to persuade them that it is their best interest to dispose of BCFC to a party or parties with the football club’s welfare and future at heart.
This is in my humble opinion challenging but achievable and I honestly believe it is a matter of “when not if”
What is fact is that the Chinese don’t really care about the football, only about status and the ritual dance of business.
I don’t believe any type of agitation regarding ‘proud club’ and fans will make any difference.
Only money.
I hate saying this…but its going to have to be phoenix from the flames.
Stay away. No money in. That’s business.
I would be happy to pay my weekly’s into a fund that eventually goes towards the recovery of my club, even if some of it has to be spent on administering an alternative BCFC organisation until these people are gone.
I can’t be there Tuesday but please, can you put on the agenda a guerrilla finance tactic.
Continue to raise revenue for our beloved club but do not let it fall into the Chinese hands.
Make any donation equivalent to a weekly ticket price and travel and see if we can get a board of trustees to decide how best to spend some money in opposition.
If fans (like me) are so disheartened by going to the club, lets put that money that we would normally gladly spend to a purpose because one thing is clear – talk is cheap, action costs
I have supported bcfc for 50 yrs next year and the defeat yesterday was the most shameful one ever. What has happened to local business people who want to buy blues lock stock and barrel, now that that BIH shares have tumbled to Gbp0.005 each which makes the group worth £20 m which is now less what they wanted to pay for bcfc before now. Will it not be possible to buy BIH group totally and close hkg stock list account and any other entities and concentrate on bcfc alone?????? Delay no more !!!
I am sorry but if every one of the non-season ticket crowd on Saturday did as you suggest, it would make zero difference to the likelihood of achieving what we all want to achieve, i.e. getting the miserable BIHL out of our lives.
It is all about money yes, but sadly it is NOT all about the hard earned money paid through the turnstiles. By all means, register your protest and refuse to pay although this will only really hurt the decent, hard working people who keep the club running on a day to day basis.
But please don’t think this is going to force a sale, and, as for forcing the club into administration I would say as I said when supporters were gleefully anticipating the end of the Sullivan / Gold regime – just be careful what you wish for!
The local media media have been disgraceful in sitting on the fence and protecting there self interests and relationships. It is too late now but they could have made a difference some time back to fight the cause against the owners and the dreadful management under Clark.
Only way we can get message to them is we all chip in with banners or anything & get them blasted all over Hong Kong. It is the ONLY way, they can look at a tv & read a paper with us protesting but as soon as they press off or throw the paper in the bin it’s dealt with to them. They can’t get away from what’s in front of their faces so action in Hong Kong is the way!!!
DELAY NO MORE
If all Blues supporters boycotted one home game, it would have little or no effect on the finances of the club. The reason for this is, the majority of the money the club gets, is from TV and season ticket holders, who paid their money in, at the start of the season. Holding banners up and singing derogatory songs about the owners, has had no effect whatsoever. An empty ground (apart from away supporters )would get the attention of sports media through out the world and would send a reminder to the people in Hong Kong, that if they do not sell soon, they will get little or nothing back, from what they laid out. It is no use people complaining about how poor the team or the manager is, if we don’t get a change of ownership, the present situation will continue. If you don’t agree with proposal, don’t just say it’s no good, come up with a suggestion to remove these untrustworthy people. Doing nothing, is not an option.
why doesn’t the trust organise for the fans to protest outside the football league headquarters I am sure we could fill a few coaches and take some delay no more banners.
Good luck guys. I think this is all to late though. we are gone! thanks to all the brainless who drove Sullivan and Gold out of town. well done…you got what you deserve!!
just an idea,might even be a stupid one. If the fans invaded the pitch every home game would it not gain massive attention from the fa and probable fines for the club which would be costly to bihl and their investment.
Dear BluesTrust and all supporters.
I was at the game Saturday and saw/heard nothing to suggest we are all pulling in the same direction. We need to stay together and just like on the pitch we are currently leaderless. The Trust now have an opportunity to bring us all under one banner and get the support to actually support the team on the field and put pressure on our current owners. I will not be able to attend on Tuesday, as my name suggests I am way down in Plymouth were I work in the Military. My suggestion would be to spend any funds the trust has into advertising our plight in the HongKong press. Hiring an airplane to fly over HK with a banner of “delay no more” in English, with the trust website also annotated, how many HK citizens will read about our position.
Any protest or boycott here in Brum would do nothing apart from ease our own personal frustrations and heap more pressure on the players.
Our next home game will see a new manger and a clean sheet for all bluenose to show whoever it is that we do support the team and that St Andrews is still an intimidating place to play, channel your frustrations into singing not swearing at the players.
We all have one thing in common, we love our club so let’s show we love it when the whistle blows to start the game.
KRO
Maybe a form of lobbying the HKSE might force them to look into the situation at BIHL. I’m afraid nothing will be acheived by making a lot of noise in Brum. HK is where it needs to happen. The HKSE needs to be made aware of the situation and urged to take a closer look at BIHL.
This is 100% right. All the protest and boycott stuff in Birmingham will achieve nothing beyond a gesture.
The solution lies in HK. We need to establish contacts who can help us to lobby the appropriate authorities over there. We need to make life so uncomfortable for BIHL’s shareholders that they will ultimately vote with their feet and sell up.
This is not by any means be an easy task – and it may still not succeed. The gesture stuff is much more satisfying and gratifying BUT it is ultimately pointless.
We need to be clinical in any actions but also peaceful, pitch invasions will only harm the clubs and supporters reputation. along with inflicting bans on those who get arrested on the pitch. It will not achieve anything positive.
We need to lobby the Football League, but we also need some evidence to prove that CY is still, in some way, running of the club.
I reckon trying to build a big noisy protest on the Kop car park before the next home match (or the one after that) with banners and loudhailers calling for the current owners to sell might be a start.
I am sorry but a “mass protest” on the Kop will have absolutely zero impact on our owners in HK.
Bluntly, it would be a pointless gesture and very badly timed.
I am interested to see that a good, ambitious manager has seen fit to pledge his future to Blues. I don’t believe he would have done so without some positive indications from the Board as to the future.
For now, we should continue to explore contacts in HK and how we can build pressure on BIHL. But the IMMEDIATE priority is to get behind our new manager and show him exactly why he was right to take on this huge task.
KRO
We just need to get rid of the owners who have sold all the better players let the best manager leave to go to Norwich but who could blame him, so much for the Fa and fit and proper person I think not I have been a Blues fan for 50+ years and I am so upset I could cry with what has happened since 2011, we need someone to buy us and very very soon I currently live in Spain but would love to get to the meeting Keep Right On
The Chinese always play a long game and they hate losing face this is why they are holding onto their stock market listing. Therefore no matter how frustrating it is for all of us now we have to be strong together under one banner and not get fragmented, and we have to play a long game. We have to have a strategy of our own to combat them which involves a publicity and separate finance tactic. Strong leaders need to take this group forward and to keep our heads and make us ready, no matter how long it takes, to take advantage when the time comes. This is the longest road for us, but it should bind us and make us stronger. I can’t make tomorrow but the key for me is the pledge from season ticket holders to pay next years season ticket money into trust, then show the current owners that within 12 months they will have very little income and therefore administration is imminent therefore their shares would be worthless.
I still think there’d be too many supporters resistant to a boycott but think the opposite might be more powerful. Ask for every fan that is able to go to the next home game and sell it out with people wanting to lawfully protest. Do that for a couple of games and then ask for a boycott of the next game.
Like John, I have been a Blues fan for over 50 years, never missed a home game in the 60s, and this is the most pessimistic I have ever felt about the future of the club. There must be someone in Birmingham with the good name of the place at heart, who could put some money in and make it solid again. Where are the local businessmen?