Thursday 10 December 2009

West Ham & Birmingham Takeover Puzzle


Quite apart from the fact that it has all gone quiet over there, there being the Board or Andrew Bernhart or Scotty Duxbury, the big puzzle for me is why Carson Yeung opted to buy out Birmingham instead of coming in for ourselves?

I mean, the last guy to say that he thought Birmingham was a bigger club with better prospects than West Ham was Alan Turds Curbishley when he walked out on us as a player. Since then, Birmingham have won precisely nothing and have spent longer in the second tier of English football than they have at the top table. I know we haven't exactly covered ourselves in glory in the intervening thirty plus years, but we have won an FA Cup, reached another FA Cup Final and a League Cup final, produced a host of England players and played in Europe. We have a better stadium than Birmingham and we are based in the Capital city and the host city for the 2012 Olympics.

So why would you buy Birmingham when you could have West Ham?

57 comments:

Anonymous said...

Really why are you attacking Birmingham and their fans? I've never been a huge fan of West Ham I've gotta say and this sort of proves why to an extent. you think you're a bigger club with a better stadium? Who are you kidding!

Anonymous said...

Haha. Bitter??? Your going down and im sure we'll help you down Saturday you prat.

Cant wait till January when were spending and your lot are selling.

KRO!!!

Hammersfan said...

Attacking Birmingham? How, by saying you have won nothing and have spent more time in the second tier than at the top table? Aren't they facts?

Anonymous said...

West Ham fan here.

Lets not start all this.
I cant see the point in insulting Birmingham cuz were struggling.

I wish Birmingham luck and I hope you boyz stay up.

He didnt buy us cuz he already had a stake in them and were in debt

BlueBoy said...

West Ham are a good club and I hope you pull through this.

But Birmingham have a good future ahead of them now and your stuck with our shitty old owners.

Gl with them. They'll never give you money.

Keep Right On!!!

Kaje said...

I have never really had a positive or negative opinion of West Ham.

The fact is, however, that Hammersfan sounds tremendously bitter. This is a shame as West Ham are going through a period when it needs everybody associated with the club to pull together.

Whilst you could question why Yeung bought Blues over West Ham all day, the fact is he did and it's done.

I wish West Ham good luck for the rest of this season. I know not every fan is as bitter as Hammersfan, but the moment you all start to develop his level of vitriol will be the moment your season gets a lot worse.

Anonymous said...

Very true Kaje.

KRO!!!

Hammersfan said...

There is nothing bitter here guys, it is a genuine puzzle. I can't believe Birmingham fans genuinely believe you are a bigger club than West Ham. What have you won? Trevor Francis apart, who have you produced as a player? You're not even the biggest club in the second City for pity's sake!

Anonymous said...

your a idiot hammersfan..just a better sad twat..get a life support your club and stop having a go at others..

Hammersfan said...

No you're an idiot. You can't even spell "you're", as in "You are"!

Hammersfan said...

And, even worse, you don't know that you need an before a vowel. An idiot, you idiot!

Kaje said...

I'm not going to be drawn into the name calling that some have, and I apologise for their words.

Calling you bitter though, isn't quite name calling and I'm afraid it still stands.

I don't see anybody saying that Birmingham are a bigger club than West Ham. It's common knowledge that you have won more than we have, and I'm not going to dispute that.

A club doesn't need to be a certain size for a takeover bid. Birmingham and West Ham were just two of a multitude of clubs looking for a buy out.

Carson Yeung had already attempted to buy Birmingham at a time that West Ham wasn't quite on the market. A while later, the opportunity arose to try again, using the shares he already had in the club.

I'm sure that contributed to who bought what and why. He already had ties here and that will usually be the deciding factor in football deals.

I hope you do get over the fact that he didn't choose to buy you and I hope you throw 100% of your support behind West Ham, both when you face us on Saturday and for the remainder of the season.

Hammersfan said...

Maybe it was down to timing Kaje. That makes some sense. It does seem hugely ironic that he bought out S&G who then look as if they may get a controlling stake in a bigger club for half what Yeung paid for Birmingham. That's all I'm saying. This isn't an attack on Birmingham in any way.

Anonymous said...

im 11 years old and and can not spell..but i think im better then you are in every way..and your still a twat..ha ha

T.I.S said...

Maybe because they wanted to buy Birmingham and not West Ham.

Hammersfan said...

I'm 11 years old and and cannot spell..but I think I'm better than you are in every way..and you're still a twat..ha ha

Get your teacher the sack. Unless you are an adult pretending to be a child. Stay out of chat rooms if you are!

Anonymous said...

OMG. WEST HAM ARE IN DEBT. Birmingham wasnt. Get over it and get ready for the championship!!!

Kaje said...

The thing is, it's not about what stake you hold in which club - and whether that club is bigger or smaller than another - it's what you do with it.

Sullivan and Gold have a history in recent years of being less than pro-active in taking Birmingham City forward.

Also, you say that they would be buying West Ham for a fraction of what they got for Birmingham. But look at the debts they would inherit as well as the lack of funds available to drive into the club.

Sullivan in particular has refused to invest large amounts of money and I fear for West Ham, especially if the ambitions of the fans far outweigh the ambitions of the board. It happened at Birmingham, but to our advantage. It forced them out and paved the way for, what look to be, a passionate and exciting board.

Just be careful what you wish for!

Hammersfan said...

Maybe somebody wants to get into bed with Susan Boyle rather than Uma Thurman!

Unknown said...

Look, the fact is that Birmingham are far and away the biggest club never to have won a major trophy, they have a massive potential fan base and have serially under-performed for ever and a day. West Ham on the other hand are fully exposed. Carson Yeung has done his homework.

Hammersfan said...

Kaje, I would be happy with Yeung and unhappy with S&G - I know their history.

Hammersfan said...

"The biggest club never to have won a major trophy" says it all doesn't it?

Anonymous said...

why would i want to be a adult and say i was 11..ha ha..i have every right to be in any chat room that talks of football.i love the game too.and when i do get to your age i do hope im more grown up then you sound..and my teacher is a good teacher..it me i dont listen..

Kaje said...

Hammersfan - I think it's the way you've put your point across that's the issue.

If you'd have said that you were unhappy with Sullivan and Gold being linked to West Ham and a little disappointed that no effort was made by the club to attract the interests of other parties, or even Yeung prior to the first contact with Birmingham, you may have received a much warmer reception.

It's all to easy to sound bitter over Yeung et al and their decision to move for Birmingham - but there were many factors obscuring West Ham from their radar.

Anonymous said...

HAMMERS GOING DOWN??? FK YES!!!!

Hammersfan said...

The give away is the correct spelling of too. As an 11 year old incapable of using capital letters and of spelling you're, you would not be spelling too correctly. Classic give away! Do you even support Birmingham?

Hammersfan said...

The article is aimed at West Ham fans Kaje, not Birmingham fans. Meanwhile, Brum fans should be careful not to get too cocky. You have been relegated after stronger starts than this one haven't you?

Anonymous said...

no charlton athletic..we dont want them ether..ha ha

Kaje said...

Not to my knowledge, we've never reached 8th in the Premiership and then slipped to relegation.

Whilst I do understand you writing for a Hammers based audience, you do need to remember that linking sites like Newsnow will link to almost any article that mentions specific clubs - including Birmingham City.

This will mean it's read BY fans of clubs you're writing against.

The article does come across as exceedingly bitter, especially with the inclusion of Alan Curbishley who, not so famously, left West Ham for Birmingham City. Though he did quite well at the latter.

Try and seperate West Ham's takeover issues from Birmingham's! Neither are related except for the fact our previous board are interested in your club.

As an occasional writer myself, I know it's hard to be objective when writing about something you love, but it's a necessity when writing for the internet as it's such a free-access medium.

In all honesty - good luck for Saturday and the rest of the season.

Hammersfan said...

Good luck for Saturday when we are playing your lot? Seriously?

I am a fully paid up member of the Loath Curbishley club from the time he walked out on us to join Birmingham. Never wanted him back at West Ham. Can't wish Birmingham well at weekend, I hope we stuff you!

Kaje said...

Hammersfan - I think that's what cements your article to be the bitter piece it is. I can wish West Ham good luck, yet you can't extend the same courtesy to Birmingham.

Anyway, good luck and best wishes.

Anonymous said...

I'm a Hammers fan, but I'm not a fan of Hammersfan. He only writes blogs that attack other clubs because in truth he's a bit of a sad lonely blogger and he knows that he'll get some hits from the fans of the club he's trying to offend - when he writes about our own team all us Irons fans ignore him, he has to be the only blogger in history that manages to write more blogs than he gets replies, just look back at some of his blogs, tumbleweed. This blog is the most hits he's had in months. It's a tactic. He loves a fight and has a superiority/inferiority complex, especially with another West Ham site called WestHamFans where he was booted off for being a twat. He can be prejudiced ( against anyone who lives past the Watford gap, don't get him started on Liverpudlians) sexist (fat girl photo anyone?) and homophobic (Iain Dale anyone?), he also loves LOVES correcting you're grammar ahhh got you Hammers fan - I know...'your' not 'you're' - my god you will be shot down if you get that one wrong on this site, he won't care if you suffer from dyslexia...yet I've often spotted grammatical errors in his own writing. So there you have it - he loves picking on other teams purely to get attention, you gotta feel kinda sorry for the guy really. He thinks he's Ricky Gervais but he makes Jim Davidson look funny. He's the most negative Hammers fans I've ever come across he loves nothing better than to fight with his fellow fans and puts them down whenever he can, that's why I dislike his site so much, I'm encouraging everyone to ignore his blogs because it just feeds his ego. When I see he's put another team in his blog title I know he's got desperate again, then and I know I need to help calm down the offended. Good luck to Birmingham this season but I hope we beat you this weekend.

Hammersfan said...

LOL Not when we are head to head at the weekend! That's not bitter, that's not having a death wish!

Hammersfan said...

2007, welcome back to the blog you hate so much but keep contributing to! Homophobic? In what way? Because I have encouraged Dale to get into a skirt in order to secure a place on the women's only shortlists that Cameron is promoting? Anti Nazi yes, anti homosexual, no! No that I am calling Dale a Nazi of course. Blakey off On The Buses yes, Hitler, absolutely not!

Hammersfan said...

And 2007, 95000 hits in just over 3 months suggests people aren't listening to you!

Anonymous said...

hitting your own site doesn't count mate.

Anonymous said...

thanks to that hammers fan that shows that hammerfan is a twat..lmao...i feel much better now..ha ha ha ha ha

Anonymous said...

haven't contributed in months, read my reply properly. just check in now and again to see the tumbleweed roll by.

Hammersfan said...

95800 rolls of tumbleweed!

Anonymous said...

The Hammers have to do something quick or you'll end up like Leeds Utd. Finances are as important as success on the field - so I would say Birmingham have done pretty well to keep in the black. The old directors do have good business sense though and will only buy WHU on the cheap. Blues to beat the Hammers on Sat, but hope you stay up.
KRO SOTV

Anonymous said...

hitting your own site doesn't count! jeez, how many more times? you write a blog, you gotta get some stick, you write a comment you gotta expect some stick back, que sera, but this guy, you can't win an argument, he's gotta have the last word too, that's another of his 'things' - but in truth he's like a McDonald's milkshake...you know what I mean?

The_Bear said...

I can tll you why CY picked us over WHU destiny, WHU are yesterdays men, no future but a slide down the table and a life of a yoyo club under DS and the Golds. You will be showered with promises but you will get F all.

Who the hell are WHU anyway? You not even the 5th biggest club that smelly smokey hole they call our capital. Your fans are a disgrace, a throw back to a bygone era, it was so amusing watching your Neanderthal lot spilling onto the pitch and causing trouble, but, of course, because your a "London" club you get nothing but a slap on the wrist.

Your fans are so bloody stupid that you even managed to get one of the countries best managers kicked out, Great move, then there was the Teves affair, typical "Cockernee" double dealing there "Know what I mean me old mucka"?

DS and WHU should be a match made in heaven!

Anonymous said...

cockney wanker

next time there is a terrorist on the tube I hope your on the train, and it blows you and your shitty city to pieces.

Peace and love

Hammersfan said...

Wow, excitable bunch up in Birmingham! I ask why Yeung bought into your club instead of into mine and you respond with a tirade of abuse. I think 2231 takes the biscuit. What a revolting individual he is! I am old enough to remember the Bull Ring bombing, I can only assume that this moron isn't. I trust that this "sample" are unrepresentative of the people of Birmingham as a whole!

Anonymous said...

I think one of the main reasons he bought Birmingham was because of the name. Its easier to advertise a club named after the cityc as opposed to one named after a relatively small area in London.

However you are right in that we haven't won any major honours in our history, but lets look at the present mate, i'd much rather be a Blues fan than a Hammers fan right now

Deane said...

I deleted the tirade suffice to say no love lost between these 2 sets of supporters Carson Yeung is welcome to them COYI

Adam H said...

Im not one for abusing, nor one for petty correction of spelling, you, and the people who have commented on this "blog" are both as bad as each other in this instance.

I am a Birmingham fan, proud to say it, just like im sure your proud to be a Hammer. I'll support my team 100% through thick and thin, as im sure you will too... but whereas your incapable of accepting your shortcomings, us Blues fans (the real representation of them anyway) will be the first to admit that yeah, we've won nothing, and West Ham, right now, are the bigger club (only because of history mind).

Carson Yeung and his people decided to take over us, over you, Newcastle (who are a bigger club than you by the way...Championship or not), anybody else... because of one main reason... Your beloved club are in serious financial trouble and debts that would mean any investment would immediately be tarnished by a heavy debt.

Us on the other hand are, and heres a 'fact' for you, one of a few clubs in the Premiership with no debts whatsoever.... I know which is the more attractive prospect for an investor...and they play in Royal Blue!

Then to your point on us "not being the biggest team in the 2nd city"... no offence but you cant possibly comment seeing as in the 'Larnnnnndon' pecking order, your 4th at best, behind Chelsea, Arsenal and Tottenham... then with Fulham in Europe this season, even they may be higher in the pecking order now.

Its alright having all your history, your trophies...but the game is played in the present day, not the past... as a football fan, I admire and respect your club for the things you've won, and the players you've brought into the game... but right now, as it stands, there is one club on the increase, and one, unfortunately on the decline, which wont be helped at all by David Sullivan and David Gold.

If those pair do takeover your club, I seriously fear for a traditional top flight club in West Ham... and speaking from experience, please make sure your fans dont get carried away by them arriving at the Irons...because they are penny pinchers, more interested in his son's inheritance, and will sell before you buy... so you can wave goodbye to the likes of Upson, Cole etc...and in the process, to your Premier League status, in my opinion...although I dont want to see you relegated if im honest.

As some above have said, i'll wish you all the luck in the world, after Saturday though, I hope we win, as any fan would hope of their side... after that, until we play you at Upton Park, good luck..

Anonymous said...

Hello Birmingham City fan here :) I too hope west Ham pull through these times, Its not a unknown fact that London hates us Brummies, dont know why we are nice folk. Anyway Yeung brought into us as there is only Aston Villa and Blues in Birmingham wheras London is scattered with many clubs, too much competition. West Ham are in serious Debt, Blues own there own ground and have no Debt. Birmingham is the second City and it has a large Chinese Community Yeung himself said this about us. As for us as a club, Name me another club that has won nothing in 120 years well the league cup in 63 but nout else. Yet can still fill the ground on occasions. The old regime chipped away at us until most fans lost the will to live. But now we are slowly coming back, we have massive potential, Remember the Leyland Daff final ? thats basically the Johnstone Paint trophy and for clubs in the bottom 2 tiers of English football. Yet we took 55.000 to wembley which is still a record gate from 1 club in the 20 years at wembley. Look that up in the record books we also took 40,000 to the Auto Windscreen trophy a few years later. !1 One thing i will say is to all West ham fans do everything you can to keep Sullivan and Gold out of your club !! they are interested in money and most importantly getting it out of your pockets into theres. DO EVERYTHING THAT YOU CAN !!

Anonymous said...

Right now you need sullivan and gold. They will set you back on the road to healthy finances and
a solid foundation to build on.
The down side is you will spend a year or 4 in the fizzy.
Hopefully not dropping to many levels before the upturn which will be slow and painfull.
If you are really lucky you will get the magic fairy too.
She will wave her wand every time a high profile player is inline to be bought and you will get nothing.
So i do see your (and yes i misspell it like the masses to)point.
This was not pasted from a spell checker,like some do

Stani Army said...

I read the 48 comments before the post and I have to say that after reading it that way around, some comments are well off the mark.

Right, who wants to bring up the 50?

Stani Army said...

Woops

Anonymous said...

Why buy BCFC and not WHUFC? Well the answers easy, one club is not in heaps of debt.

Your argument that BCFC has no (very little, ever!) recent success on the pitch is nonsense. You would make a poor business person basing decisions on such things. Maybe Yeung should have bought Leeds, Nottingham Forest, Ipswich or Newcastle?

Anonymous said...

Birmingham has a large Chinese community as it is and Carson Yeung will more than likely be investing in the city as well as the football club.

I dint think you were attacking us, because you're right we haven't won anything of merit for a while, except the mighty leyland daf trophy and autowindscreens shield!!

Here's hoping for another 3 points tomorrow!

Pavlos said...

I didn't really have the patience to read all of the comments as they seemed to be descending into a name calling farce, including from the blog author, so I apologise if this is repeating an earlier point, but largely in favour of Yeung buying us over WHU must include a) weren't you fresh from a takeover two years ago when he bought into us?; and b) looking at current situations I'd say that we were a far better run club: we've been operating a profit and, apparently, had net funds as opposed to the swathes of debt WHU are reported to have.

Seems we were a better business proposition.

Anonymous said...

F**k Off to the Championship you sad cockneys.

Simon said...

Loving the banter. What a load of old waffle from Hammersfan. Got bored towards the end.

You know, Birmingham City has a lot of history. It's not particularly good history, but the future is as yet unwritten and anything can happen.

I believe that the owners before Sullivan and Gold didn't exactly do much for the club, and of course though Sully and Gold can be applauded for their efforts, they didn't really help us take things forward, penny pinching at every available opportunity.

Now we have a chance to turn it around. We have the potential to be a bigger club and that's all that matters.

Although Sully and Gold didn't help us take things forward, we weren't saddled with debt, which is why perhaps Sully and Gold have got away with paying such a miniscule amount to take a controlling stake in West Ham.

And you'll notice, "Controlling Stake", not a buy out unlike Carson Yeung. Carson Yeung 100% Fully owns a club that is financially sound.

Do the maths.

Why should someone NOT buy our club just because we're (at the moment) smaller than Villa or not based in the capital? Your logic makes no sense, and it does, frankly, make you sound bitter! Why are you so deeply offended that someone should buy a club that isn't your own?

Anonymous said...

today proved why he bought us and not you...we are BETTER than you...you bald headded fat cockney cunt