As Birmingham City are now in the bottom three of the Championship, the more worried members of the fan base are talking about relegation and the implied financial Armageddon that comes with it. With this in mind I have written this piece to explain what Administration really is – and why it’s unlikely as things stand to happen to Birmingham City.
Birmingham City announced on Friday the creation of a strategic committee whose job would be to advise the board on the short-term and long-term strategy of the club. This came at the request of Birmingham Sports Holdings, who had confirmed that the committee would be appointed in announcements made to the HKSE last year.
Birmingham City were unable to break the deadlock at Adams Park on Tuesday night, with the 0-0 final result leaving Blues once again precariously close to the relegation trap door. As befitting Groundhog Day it was the same old story of referees not giving penalties and players not taking the few chances on offer; the question is what does Aitor Karanka need to do to escape this cursed loop of relegation struggle Blues find themselves in.
The departure of Maikel Kieftenbeld to Millwall has caused no end of angst on Blues social media. The loss of the Dutch midfielder has been keenly felt, with many thinking it’s a huge mistake to let the player go. Is there any possibility that something positive can come out of this transfer?
In recent weeks I’ve written about the problems surrounding the ownership of Birmingham City FC. In this article I wanted to look at issues that are closer to home and affect the day to day running of the club; specifically the club’s poor credit rating and debt issues to local suppliers.
On Friday, Birmingham Sports Holdings made an announcement to the Hong Kong Stock Exchange that they had issued just over a billion new shares in the company to repay debts to two third party lenders. An investigation into the two companies and their owners has shown that both companies are connected both to the elusive Mr King, Wang Yaohui.
Last week I wrote an article to demonstrate the convoluted nature of the ownership of Birmingham City Football Club, and also to show that what happens on the pitch doesn’t necessarily affect the amount of money the owners make off of it. In this follow-up piece I want to explain to people more about the Hong Kong stock listing and how Birmingham Sports Holdings is valued so highly.
It’s January, the transfer window is open and despite Blues having signed 12 players in the summer, it would appear that many fans are hungry for more. A lack of creativity and chances let alone goals has made it difficult for the club to succeed – and the question is are we likely to see another influx of players?
On Friday, I published a lengthy article outlining just how tangled a web the ownership of Birmingham City FC is. In this article I am concentrating on new shareholders in the club Oriental Rainbow Investments Ltd – and why their investment is indicative of issues the club faces.
The recent partial sale of Birmingham City to investment vehicle Oriental Rainbow Investments along with the recent share subscription completed by Birmingham Sports Holdings has complicated the question of who actually owns the club a little bit further. As the structure of the ownership of the club becomes more Byzantine, it’s become increasingly difficult for fans to understand.
