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HL · May 9, 2012, 02:31 PM

Gonna be a darn good match.

Much as I think the Hammers belongs in the EPL...I would love to see Chris Hughton get a real chance in the Premiership.

Both teams could be 90 minutes away from big bucks and GLORY!

**Dunny** · May 9, 2012, 04:30 PM

Well regardless of how Birmingham gets on it is believed that Hughton will be the next West Brom manager.

**Assasin** · May 9, 2012, 04:38 PM

Blackpool was up two and now is is 2-2. I hear that the noice outside Birmingham stadium is Rocking. Blackpool on 3-2 aggregate now.

**Assasin** · May 9, 2012, 04:40 PM

you think if Birmingham win he will leave?

West Brom is just up the road from Birmingham so what will make the difference for Hughton?

**Dunny** · May 9, 2012, 04:45 PM

Originally posted by Assasin View Post

you think if Birmingham win he will leave?

West Brom is just up the road from Birmingham so what will make the difference for Hughton?

Yes Birmingham in serious trouble, they cant even sign players because of a transfer embargo and their owner had all is assets seized in Malaysia.

**Assasin** · May 9, 2012, 04:48 PM

oh I forgot that and their owner have some case to answer to.

Other than that Birmingham has a big fan base.

**Dunny** · May 9, 2012, 04:50 PM

Yes they have a big fan base, it is a shame they find themselves in this mess.

**Dunny** · May 9, 2012, 04:51 PM

Carson Yeung's legal troubles cast cloud over Birmingham City

When Birmingham City's major shareholder is charged with money laundering, the club cannot expect to be unaffected

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Birmingham City's major shareholder, Carson Yeung, leaves court in Hong Kong on Thursday after being charged with money laundering. Photograph: Tyrone Siu/Reuters

Carson Yeung has never been a regular visitor to St Andrew's and, as things stand, it could be quite a while before he is seen at Birmingham City again. Earlier this morning the club's president and largest single shareholder arrived at the Eastern law court in Hong Kong in a police vehicle, after spending the night in custody. He was charged with five counts of money laundering totalling £59m and released on £558,000 bail until the next hearing, which is scheduled for 11 August. He was also ordered to surrender his travel documents.
Life has rarely been dull at Birmingham since Yeung completed his £81.5m takeover in October 2009, although the latest allegations have intensified the spotlight on the Championship club's financial position and, in particular, the 51-year-old man about whom so little is known. There have always been more questions than answers when it comes to Yeung's emergence as a wealthy businessman in Hong Kong, and it remains to be seen whether the courtroom will shed some more light on his background.

It has been difficult not to be sceptical about his involvement at Birmingham from the outset. On the day that Yeung was unveiled he vowed to spend £40m in the January transfer window and said "next season we put more than £40m into the team". When Yeung was questioned about the source of his funding, reporters were told by another of his regime that they were being disrespectful to him. Later, however, one of Yeung's close associates privately expressed surprise that he had mentioned such high figures.
Yeung spent only a fraction of what he had promised in the January window as attempts to land several high-profile players failed, although any criticism of the new ownership structure was largely silenced by the team's performances on the field under Alex McLeish. Birmingham secured ninth spot in the 2009-10 season in the Premier League – their highest top-flight finish in 51 years. Yet it was during the following campaign that the financial picture began to unravel.
In the most recent set of accounts, up to 30 June 2010, the directors prepared cashflow forecasts for the period to 30 October 2011, yet both forecasts were "based on income expected to be generated during the 2011 Premier League season". Birmingham's board, in other words, had not made any provision for what would happen if they suffered relegation to the Championship. "The directors are confident that the football club will retain its Premier League status," the accounts stated.
The accounts also stated that the club "needs funding of around £7.5m from its parent company [Birmingham International Holdings Limited] in the short term in order to operate within its agreed banking facilities". It was also noted that Birmingham International Holdings would be seeking to raise £24.65m from two issues of new shares. "These conditions indicate the existence of a material uncertainty which may cast significant doubt upon the [club's] ability to continue as a going concern," stated the auditors.
The problems have kept coming. Only days after the Carling Cup victory over Arsenal at Wembley, Birmingham International Holdings made a regulatory announcement to the Hong Kong stock exchange explaining that Yeung was preparing to mortgage his private properties in a cash-raising exercise. The statement added that without new funds the club may suffer "significant curtailment of its operation". Later in March, Vico Hui Ho Luek, Birmingham International Holdings' executive director, announced that the proposed date for completing the "best efforts" new issue of shares, which aimed to raise £17.15m, had been delayed for two months.
All the while Birmingham were dropping like a stone in the Premier League, culminating in relegation on the final day of the season. McLeish's subsequent departure as manager added to the turmoil at St Andrew's, although the fallout from Yeung's arrest in Hong Kong could have far greater implications for the club, despite the best attempts of Birmingham's chairman, Peter Pannu, to claim that there is no reason for supporters to be concerned that the club's controlling shareholder is about to stand trial after being charged with money laundering.
"I've had it explained to me that the charges relate to the 2001-2007 period – two years before Carson invested in this club so there is no connection there," said Pannu. "The fans have nothing to worry about. The finances are OK. I'm flying out later today and will be able to tell you more when I come back. Understandably the fans are worried about this. This has got nothing to do with the club and there is no impact on the operations over here. I've spoken on a couple of occasions to Carson and his lawyers and they've assured me there is no link whatsoever."
The argument does not stack up. Pannu has brushed aside financial concerns in the past by saying that "the club is continually supported by Carson Yeung with his personal money". Birmingham International Holdings also relies heavily on Yeung. After the last set of accounts, which revealed liabilities exceeded assets by around £35m, the Hong Kong-listed company stated Yeung "undertakes to provide sufficient financial resources to enable the group to meet its liabilities".
To put it another way, both the football club and its parent company need Yeung to be putting his hand in his pocket to keep them afloat. All of which suggests Yeung's arrest could have a very real impact on the Championship club, especially if his bank accounts and assets are frozen during what one of his associates has admitted could be a long and drawn-out trial. The implications if he is found guilty need no explaining.

**Paul Marin** · May 9, 2012, 11:15 PM

I really wonder what the fit and proper test the FA is supposed to subject owners looks like. It probably only have one question which everybody gets right: "Who is smarter, Jangle or Marin?" ... yeeesh!!

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