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From the Terraces
After Premier League drop - what is the best solution for Birmingham City going forward?
Posted by: Rob Facey, Mon 12th May 2008
Tagged:
Premiership, Birmingham City
Football FanCast
columnist Rob Facey reacts to David Gold's comments that he is
willing to sell his shares in the club after yesterday's relegation, but
wonders if Birmingham fans were too harsh in the treatment of the chairman.
In the aftermath
of yesterday's bittersweet victory against Blackburn, David Gold stated that he
would leave the club if he found a buyer for his shares after an emotional end
to Birmingham's brief return to the Premier League.
Gold came in for
a torrent abuse at the final whistle yesterday that left him visibly shaken and
concerned for his safety, and the safety of his two sons who were in attendance.
"Never in all the time I've been at the football club have I seen such a large section of the fans being abusive," Gold told The Independent.
"You could see the hatred in their eyes. I couldn't quote a word of it.
"Yes, I'm talking about the minority, but what is it? Six, a hundred, a thousand? If it is the majority, I will be left with no alternative but to resign."
Birmingham's Premier League future was out of their hands prior to kick off and despite a fantastic 4-1 victory over Blackburn their fate was sealed as victories for Fulham and Reading sent the club down.
The final whistle resulted in a pitch invasion that saw goalposts pulled down as fans began to contemplate a season in the Championship and chanted for the board to go.
But what could the board have done to prevent this? Steve Bruce jumped ship in November and Alex McLeish, successful in Scotland, was brought in as his replacement.
The club did all they could yesterday, thumping a side chasing European football in front of the home fans, yet still this was not enough. Is it the boards fault or is the squad simply lacking in quality?
Gold has already stated that he is willing to relinquish his stake in the club, but is this what Birmingham fans want, or were emotions running high yesterday?
Whatever the answer, this is no excuse for a chairman to be threatened in his own stadium.
It's been a traumatic season for the Birmingham board that have changed managerial staff and had to reluctantly budget for relegation, not to mention deal with questioning by the Police; should David Gold be getting more respect from the fans or is it time for him to move on?
Poll:
DAVID GOLD should stay is
DAVID GOLD should stay is heart is with birmingham city and wants the club to do well as for DAVID SULLIVAN he should leave he has no intrest in the club any more he made that clear for the past 3 years.As for MCLEISH he is a good manager and will do well if he is backed with the rite transfer funds.
"Gold came in for a torrent
"Gold came in for a torrent abuse at the final whistle yesterday that left him visibly shaken and concerned for his safety, and the safety of his two sons who were in attendance."
You've got the wrong David. It was David Sullivans sons not Golds.
"Gold has already stated that he is willing to relinquish his stake in the club, but is this what Birmingham fans want, or were emotions running high yesterday?"
It was Sullivan that said he would sell up and leave, Gold said he'd step down as the football club chairman but remain at the club.
I was ashamed and disgusted
I was ashamed and disgusted by the reaction of a small section of the crowd on Sunday. A handful of supporters shouted abuse in David Sullivan's direction. Mr Sullivan reacted by remonstrating back (why shouldnt he?). This behaviour was observed by many who took exception to Mr Sullivan's reaction - though not understanding the cause and retorted by singing an abusive personal chant. The Blackburn fans then michievously began chanting "Sack the Board!" which was then relayed by a large mass of 14 year olds just for devilment's sake. I pray that David Gold does not judge all of the Blues supporters by these events. I could have cried myself when I saw the tears shed by Mr Gold at the end of the match. He is a great chairman and he did not deserve to be treated in that appalling way. There is clearly a major rift between Mr Sullivan and David Gold. They rarely appear together for interviews. Mr Sullivan has often attacked the fans and ridicules the club at every opportunity by sniping that there isnt exactly a queue of potential purchasers lining up outside the ground. I dearly hope that either the Gold brothers can afford to buy out the obnoxious Mr Sullivan or else find partners to replace him. My dream is to see this club achieve greatness in the company of the Gold Brothers, who have rescued us and taken us to a new level despite relegation. David Gold - Please for the sake of the club - Keep Right On!
i am disgusted by the fans
i am disgusted by the fans who went on the pitch at the weekend... they are no loyal fans, just mindless morons who have not the where withall to be able to contemplate the results of these actions...
with regards for calling for the board to resign, please someone enlighten me as to which of the queuing billionaires they would like to replace the present board with...??!! its easy to be negative at a time like this, but such actions destroy the club that most loyal blues fans love and live with... to those morons who want the board out, please come up with a solution, in stead of just following the mass like sheep.
The board are the main
The board are the main culprits in all of this. They have not provided the investment needed to make BCFC any better than a yo-yo club. Their main interest is in making money for themselves on the back of their ownership of the club, hence the farcical take-over mess. That ultimately led to Bruce leaving and another manager arriving who clearly could not motivate the cheaply assembled squad to perfom in the games that really mattered against the sides in the bottom six.
It's such a waste of all the hard work involved in achieving promotion 12 months ago, and it was so preventable. Sullivan will talk of a £30+ million shortfall following relegation - if he'd spent just a fraction of that he'd have recouped it through the team staying up.
The thing that really irks Birmingham supporters is the constant spin and lies we get fed from the board. If they just admit they haven't got the funds then fine - we'd be like most clubs and we'd get on with it. But to come out every summer with all the "we'll spend big" headlines only to end up with the likes of Liam Ridgewell and Gary O'Connor understandably makes the fans suspicious. Yes, we've added good players like McFadden and Larsson, but let's not forget the money the club has made in recent years through selling players like Jermaine Pennant and Emile Heskey - and of course being in the Premier League has earned the club a fair bit too hasn't it?
Basically, the fans would be happy for the two Daves to stay so long as they (a) cut the [*@!$] and (b) speculate just that little bit more as it's not as though they're short of a bob or two is it?
