useless Posted February 12, 2021 Share Posted February 12, 2021 (edited) I doubt we have any chance of signing him anyway, but only negative I could see with it is the possible argument that it could block the pathway into the first team for players like the Ramsey brothers and Chukwuemeka. Not sure we'll be signing any more central midfielders this summer, unless someone leaves, if Barkley doesn't sign on a permanent I guess we could potentially sign a replacement for him. Edited February 12, 2021 by useless Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StewieGriffin Posted February 12, 2021 Share Posted February 12, 2021 John Percy has an article up about what a shambles they are, but it's behind a paywall... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
useless Posted February 12, 2021 Share Posted February 12, 2021 (edited) I don't subscribe to the telegraph or any newspaper websites, but I've seen the article, main takeaway for their fans is probably that it says that Karanka could face the sack if they lose to Luton. Edited February 12, 2021 by useless Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post OutByEaster? Posted February 12, 2021 Moderator Popular Post Share Posted February 12, 2021 22 minutes ago, StewieGriffin said: John Percy has an article up about what a shambles they are, but it's behind a paywall... That's a pity, it means the club won't be able to afford to read it. 1 10 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amsterdam_Neil_D Posted February 12, 2021 Share Posted February 12, 2021 28 minutes ago, StewieGriffin said: John Percy has an article up about what a shambles they are, but it's behind a paywall... See PM Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post Don_Simon Posted February 12, 2021 Popular Post Share Posted February 12, 2021 Quote Welcome to the mad, bad world of Birmingham City, where the volatile chief executive has become notorious for swearing at officials, a once-vaunted academy is now threatened with closure and yet another manager is under growing pressure to prove he should keep his job. ....Birmingham are a club in tatters. Having improbably escaped relegation in three of the last four seasons, they are circling the drain again and will need a dramatic intervention to prevent them being sucked into League One. .... a club which appears to be losing its soul and identity. ....there is no disguising his struggles at St Andrew's. ...recent statistics paint a bleak picture of their survival chances: over the last 46 games - a full league season - Birmingham have accrued just 41 points,.....and they have not won at home since Oct 28, losing six of the last seven games. Yet it is behind the scenes where Birmingham seem to be unravelling....Harry Redknapp, Steve Cotterill, Garry Monk, Pep Clotet and now Karanka... it seems no manager can navigate a path to progress amid the chaos. Ren, known at the club as ‘Dong’, was appointed in 2017 and is a hands-on operator who attended training at Wast Hills last season in full tracksuit. Long-serving senior employees, the fabric of the club, have mysteriously departed due to “Covid-19 reconstruction” and cutbacks over the past three years, including Julia Shelton, the club secretary for two decades, and financial director Roger Lloyd. Recruitment staff have been furloughed, while Karanka was allegedly staying at the plush Hampton Manor hotel, where the top suite costs £500 a night, for three months after his appointment. Ren had threatened to close the highly-regarded academy, which has recently produced the likes of Borussia Dortmund’s £30million signing Jude Bellingham, Nathan Redmond and Demarai Gray, before an embarrassing U-turn. The uncertainty over the academy’s future has already resulted in the sale of 15-year-old Calum Scanlon to Liverpool. A number of other youngsters are being targeted by rival clubs. The influential academy manager Kristjaan Speakman recently left after 14 years to join Sunderland. ... On matchdays, Ren sits behind the dug-outs and can frequently be heard swearing and shouting at officials. ... Birmingham have also been charged twice by the EFL for breaching financial rules, which included the nine-point deduction in the 2018/19 season. Figures also show the club to be more than £100million in debt. Lockdown and the absence of fans has arguably saved Ren from further scrutiny, yet there is mounting fury over the perceived lack of accountability and football knowledge around the club. ... It used to be Aston Villa who circled the plughole, before they were eventually relegated in 2016: now it is their Second City rivals who are scrapping to avoid a similar fate. https://www.telegraph.co.uk/football/2021/02/12/x-rated-rants-swingeing-cuts-manager-brink-birmingham-city/ I'm glad it's not us. 1 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tomav84 Posted February 12, 2021 VT Supporter Share Posted February 12, 2021 1 hour ago, StewieGriffin said: John Percy has an article up about what a shambles they are, but it's behind a paywall... someone has now posted the article on here, but for future reference it's free just to create an account and you get 1 free article a day i believe Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VillaJ100 Posted February 12, 2021 Share Posted February 12, 2021 2 hours ago, useless said: He's more than good enough for us, this is a player that Dortmund paid big money for, and put him straight into their first team squad and have given him plenty of game time in the league and the champions league, he's highly rated not just because of his potential but also because of how good he is in the here and now, his stats might have not looked great last season in the championship, but watching him play it was obvious what a good player he is, and no surprise that the big clubs came in for him, not just to sign in case he comes good, but to put straight into their team. But from what I can gather he's only rumored to be available because Dortmund have money troubles, nothing to do with him not being good enough, he'll likely end up at another champions league club. I mean if you're short on cash you probably shouldn't be spunking over 30 million on unproven teenagers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rjw63 Posted February 12, 2021 Share Posted February 12, 2021 Just accidentally clicked on page one of this thread. So funny. Relegation, board room squabbles, fans wrecking the ground. Nothing really changes at Sty Blandrews Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
useless Posted February 12, 2021 Share Posted February 12, 2021 I think it was closer to £20m that they paid for Bellingham, and they'll comfortably make a profit on that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
turnbull Posted February 12, 2021 Share Posted February 12, 2021 5 hours ago, LondonLax said: There is probably an element of homesickness for him. He's just a kid and he's moved countries in the middle of a pandemic. Everything is shut down and everyone is miserable. It would be tough going, even for a footballer. I suppose we should cut him some slack, but I've watched a few Dortmund games this season and bar the odd moment, he just looks little ordinary to me. Then again, BVB are bit ordinary too ATM and that's paying them a compliment. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zatman Posted February 12, 2021 Share Posted February 12, 2021 3 minutes ago, turnbull said: I suppose we should cut him some slack, but I've watched a few Dortmund games this season and bar the odd moment, he just looks little ordinary to me. Then again, BVB are bit ordinary too ATM and that's paying them a compliment. They are shockingly bad, the older players have let the youngsters down. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greenfly Posted February 12, 2021 Share Posted February 12, 2021 1 hour ago, Don_Simon said: Almost exactly 10 years after the finest moment in their history - the League Cup final win over Arsenal at Wembley - Birmingham are a club in tatters. I thought this was a bit of a jibe at first, so I checked - it actually is the finest moment in their entire history. Their only major honours are two League Cup wins. I was genuinely surprised to learn this. 1 hour ago, Don_Simon said: It used to be Aston Villa who circled the plughole, before they were eventually relegated in 2016: now it is their Second City rivals who are scrapping to avoid a similar fate. Relegation from the Championship is not a "similar fate" to relegation from the PL. One of those things is considerably worse. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TrentVilla Posted February 12, 2021 Moderator Share Posted February 12, 2021 1 hour ago, rjw63 said: Just accidentally clicked on page one of this thread. So funny. Relegation, board room squabbles, fans wrecking the ground. Nothing really changes at Sty Blandrews Ground wrecks itself these days without the fans. That is progress for you. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
osmark86 Posted February 12, 2021 Share Posted February 12, 2021 25 minutes ago, Greenfly said: I thought this was a bit of a jibe at first, so I checked - it actually is the finest moment in their entire history. Their only major honours are two League Cup wins. I was genuinely surprised to learn this. Relegation from the Championship is not a "similar fate" to relegation from the PL. One of those things is considerably worse. it's similar but not the same. their predicament is a lot worse than ours was. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
turnbull Posted February 12, 2021 Share Posted February 12, 2021 1 hour ago, Zatman said: They are shockingly bad, the older players have let the youngsters down. Reus for a start, looks finished. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VillaJ100 Posted February 12, 2021 Share Posted February 12, 2021 4 hours ago, Greenfly said: I thought this was a bit of a jibe at first, so I checked - it actually is the finest moment in their entire history. Their only major honours are two League Cup wins. I was genuinely surprised to learn this. Relegation from the Championship is not a "similar fate" to relegation from the PL. One of those things is considerably worse. Yeah an ever present and one of the biggest clubs in the country going down is no comparison to some piss can of a club going back to their natural bottom feeding position 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
useless Posted February 12, 2021 Share Posted February 12, 2021 Apparently their CEO has just been on BBC Radio WM and said that the stands that they've had to close down won't even be ready for the start of next season. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
S-Platt Posted February 12, 2021 VT Supporter Share Posted February 12, 2021 1 minute ago, useless said: Apparently their CEO has just been on BBC Radio WM and said that the stands that they've had to close down won't even be ready for the start of next season. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jimzk5 Posted February 12, 2021 Share Posted February 12, 2021 3 minutes ago, useless said: Apparently their CEO has just been on BBC Radio WM and said that the stands that they've had to close down won't even be ready for the start of next season. If true it either means the structural problems are difficult to fix or they dont have any money to fix them. Hopefully its s combination of both 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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