Can Asia Add Another EPL Scalp in Birmingham?

It has been interesting to note the boardroom going-ons at Birmingham City. The Blues have been the subject of a takeover bid from Hong Kong businessman Carson Yeung for months now. However, there has been little development to note except for the mass freeze on new staff contracts, especially that of manager Steve Bruce.

Now, Birmingham co-chairman David Sullivan has come out with comments that have surely driven daggers through Yeung's bid. He has claimed that despite contacting the Asian businessman on the issue, he has heard no reply for over 3 weeks. What was most damaging to the takeover bid was him explaining the content of the email - he elaborated on how the delayed bid negotiations and freeze on staff contracts was putting the progress of the club at risk.

Imagine the wrath of the fans when they hear this. While not everyone would be behind Steve Bruce, he has done his job decently and brought the club results with their resources. If he was forced out by Yeung, there would be some backlash if and when the Hong Kong tycoon comes on board. I cannot imagine how difficult it would be just arriving at the club, with fans staging mass demonstrations.

That could of course change, if Yeung brings in a quality manager and results. But that won't come overnight, especially a club like Birmingham that has no brand to its name anymore. The better players won't come freely and it'd take years of concerted effort at least to bring it to anywhere near the level of even Spurs (before Martin Jol showed his true colours and got fired).

So it looks like Yeung has forced himself into a dead end. If he was a smart businessman, he'd pull out now. Seriously, how needs another unglamourous boring club like Birmingham to be in the Big 4?