Monday, October 29, 2007

Yeung: Bruce's job safe

There has been an air of uncertainty around St Andrew's for a few weeks now over the fate of manager Steve Bruce when - or if, as David Sullivan keeps reminding us - the club is sold to Hong Kong-based businessman Carson Yeung. Yeung has used his official mouthpiece - the Daily Mirror (see report here) - to reassure Bruce after Saturday's thrilling 3-2 win at home to Wigan.

For me this has been a non-event from the start. Bruce has 20 months left on his present contract, and if I were buying Birmingham City I wouldn't rubber-stamp a new contract (assuming I could of course) prior to completing my takeover. I'd want to see the manager in action first, up close.

Although most of the hot air in the press over this has come from the mouths of Steve Bruce and David Sullivan, it's the latter I blame for this uncertainty. It's Sullivan who first reported third-hand information to Bruce about Yeung's inability to ratify a new contract. It's Sullivan who keeps publicly questioning Carson Yeung's position and motives, no more so than when he had the audacity to attack his co-owner in the official match-day programme at the weekend. Rather than keep any misgivings to behind the scenes, Sullivan has stirred up a hornet's nest.

I have a little sympathy with him - we all know how frustrating buying and selling houses are, and this makes me think of the whole bubble you find yourself in when your buyer isn't doing what they should do when they say - or you think - they should. We've seen how frustrated I was when we were selling our house in Trowbridge to move here, but I wonder if I'd have bit my tongue a bit more if I'd have been given half the money up front as Sullivan has?

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