Often Partisan

Jeremy Wray, New Bids and The Augean Stables

The Birmingham Mail reported late yesterday evening that a consortium fronted by former Swindon Town chairman Jeremy Wray has put in a formal bid for the club with a pledge of a £25million a year budget but has warned that ‘internal bickering’ could kill the bid.

The article goes into some detail as to Jeremy Wray’s approach last month for the club and how he was refused the opportunity to do due diligence (further to the DD he did back in May when he was part of the Soccer Management Worldwide consortium).

I met Jeremy Wray and former Newcastle United director Steve Hayward on Monday evening following an invitation from them to talk to them about the bid they had made. Jeremy was at pains to point out that he still very much wanted to buy the club despite the Soccer Management Worldwide vehicle no longer being used and distanced himself from BIH’s controversial Managing Director and Chief Executive, Peter Pannu – informing me he originally dealt with Pannu as that was the right and proper thing to do.

The good news is that they believe they have a mechanism whereby they can take control of the club in one go rather than in tranches – and they say their lawyers believe HKSE will accept that as a valid proposition. While I cannot go into detail having heard their plans it does sound like it would work – to this layman at least – and I think they could, if successful, speed up the process.

However, I have to add that without seeing the bid letter or proof of funds I only have Wray and Hayward’s word that the bid is a formal one and the funds are there – as you may know by now I’m sceptical until I see proof but that doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist – just that I’ve not seen it with my own eyes.

The internal bickering they talk about is more than yesterday’s, ahem, froofraw. As I have intimated for a while, there is a civil war at Birmingham International Holdings right now and because of that there is no one there who seemingly wants to make a decision. Throw in the alleged involvement of Carson from his prison cell and you’ve got a mess of Augean stable proportions – whether Wray has to divert the whole of Hong Kong Harbour through the BIH offices to clean it out is another matter.

Do I think it could happen? I honestly don’t know – I’ve got to the point where I want to believe it could but I do want to see more information on the backers and their intentions; as much as I’d like to believe someone throwing money at the club I know from painful past experience it’s not always that easy.

As a footnote, I received one further comment on OP at 5:13pm (1:13am HK Time) from Peter Pannu. I’ve decided not to take it as seriously as maybe I should do, but I have reproduced it below (complete with ellipses) for you to make up your own minds.

Daniel

it’s 01.13am in Hk. .M. …F. …you have the balls come to HK one mote time

this is Peter for sure..F. .y

Talking Points sponsored by John Hicken Industrial roofing and cladding materials

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118 Responses to “Jeremy Wray, New Bids and The Augean Stables”

  • neil terry says:

    Unfortunately I feel the only way our club will be prised out of BIHL’s hands is administration. Simple fact is yueng does not want to sell and will hold on as long as he can.

    He’s the noose round our neck. The football league can’t and won’t do anything. We are screwed until he has gone.

  • Dave Mitch says:

    Well done Dan on revealing the PP messages. This is clearly a serious matter and it will be interesting to see the response from the professional parties re PP’s comments. KRO

  • andy1 says:

    great job dan, can’t thank you enough for the info, i just hope the FL finally ask questions now pannu has stated carsons involvement since being banged up.

  • Hillfield blue says:

    24 hrs of anarchy from Pannu. Pavlakis needs to speak to the fans regarding Jeremy Wray and his claims surely?

  • Jaffa says:

    Dan, I wonder if Pannu had been drinking when he wrote his last post?

  • Lee says:

    If this is really pannu making these comments then surely he is committing business suicide? If he really is in the legal industry surely he must know what a complete tool he’s made of himself, he’s like the vile fat kid in the playground that everybody hates, but so desperately wants to be loved, it ain’t gonna happen chunky, delay no more pannu, delay no more

  • Marky mark says:

    Seems you were three steps ahead of him all the time Dan

    Check mate

    GAME OVER!!!

  • The Francis Fake says:

    Daniel. All Blues fans should thank you wholeheartedly for the informative role that you are playing in this period of the clubs history. Your forensic research is invaluable to all those who love the club. Many thanks.

    I sensed that the clubs turnaround from the downward spiral started in the last few minutes at Bolton last season. The appointment of Rowett and these lasted developments are giving me renewed optimism for the future.

  • ChrisG says:

    Dan, having read the statement on BCFC.COM yesterday regarding your little spat with Pannu, were they having a dig at you or Pannu?.
    Tell you what though all these rantings from Pannu seem like the rantings of a desperate man, perhaps one who’s watched one too many movies!!!!

  • Raymondo says:

    This extraordinary rant by PP has dropped him in it well and truly. If the FL act on what’s been said then there’s surely no chance of CY coming back as chairman., even if he wins his appeal, because he has interfered in the club’s business whilst a convicted criminal. If only common sense prevails at BIHL then this could be the big break we needed. I am sure Mr Wray would have the common sense not to break upour new management team and a new era could dawn. I think Pannu must have been drunk to overtip his hand in this way but who cares?

  • Wilfred Puffett says:

    Would PP havr the guts to come to Birmingham one more time and confront
    the bluenoses?
    We have Arthur (Shelby) waiting for him!!!!!!!!

    KRO SOTV AWCAIBCFC

  • Art says:

    Dan,

    Just an incredible two days and I did mention in a recent previous post that I thought things were afoot in HK.

    As for PP he’s clearly is psychotic and in need of treatment but I think its the mind of a man who knows he’s days are numbered.

    Keep up the brilliant work Dan!

  • StaffsBlue says:

    I’ve no idea if it really was PP1 or not, but it would seem strange for a man of his position to go on an all-day rant like that. If it was him, then he must have been either pi$$ed, on the verge of a nervous breakdown… or very, very sure of his position within the company. Very curious.

  • John Ramsay says:

    Dan,
    Like others on here I must thank you for the brilliant work you are doing in keeping all Blues fans up to date with what is going on. It seems there is complete anarchy on the BIHL board. Surely this cannot go on much longer but what is the answer?

  • Marky mark says:

    I sense a movie on the horizon

    Starring

    Carson Yeung as Vito Corleore
    Dan Ivery as Buzz Lightyear
    Lee Clark as Forest Gump
    Tom Ross as Mary Poppins
    Gary Rowett as Superman

    And Peter Pannu as the joker

  • @85Coy says:

    An incredible 48 hours on the long standing soap opera that is #BCFC.

  • Hey Pannu I’m no fan of Daniel but Delaneys bar in Wanchai was a reasonable choice
    You gutless wonder I’d like to meet you say at Knutsford Terrace…the MIRA or what about the InterContinental.
    You are a fraud and pathetic waste of space.
    I’m in Honkers every other month so what about a meeting.
    Bring a cheque with you for the refund of overpaid management fees.
    Tosser.

  • RichardM says:

    Dan, for me this is the culmination of a lot of hard work on your part, and I’d like to echo the praises from others here – WELL DONE. Not home and dry yet, but you’ve clearly got Pannu rattled – and the statement from the club yesterday (I presume from Pavlakis ?) shows that they are clearly embarassed by Pannu’s actions and are trying to distance themselves from it.

    Regards Peter Pannu’s last comment, this is clearly a threat, and (I believe) a malicious email which would be of interest to the Police in the UK as IMO this is a breach of UK law surrounding malicious emails. Maybe someone else with a bit more legal knowledge than me could comment?

  • Ted says:

    I am quite amazed by Pannu’s actions. He is f–king up at every turn. As a ‘business man’ expressing anger as he has is professional hari-kari. There are good grounds now for all parties here to take action against him. I bet he’s not feeling too cheery this AM. Silly lad.

  • Tom says:

    Hi Dan,

    Great reading all of the posts over the last two days, good work.

    Just a quick one – just curious as to how you’ve verified that the comments from PP are genuinely from PP? i.e. how do we know it’s not just a wind up merchant?

    Cheers, keep doing the great work you’re doing.

    Tom

    • almajir says:

      As I said before, I can’t go into details but I’m 100% certain.

    • Blueboi14 says:

      This is just my theory…

      As a website owner I have reports listing IP address’ of users of my website.

      I’m guessing Dan would also have this type of information regarding users of OP, and because he has had previous contact with Pannu, Dan would have Pannu’s IP address from past contact.

      Dan can easily match the IP address from where the rant came from to the IP address he has on record for Pannu.

  • Raymondo says:

    Thankyou Dan for your protection. You are doing a remarkable job on all our behalves.

  • Masaccio says:

    Keep up the good work Dan!, Keep right on!

  • d says:

    HI Dan my comment on Monday re buyer – you responded “no chance”, ahem I told u so – !!!

    All in good humour I am sure u would agree u hope u r wrong!

  • magp33 says:

    Keep going Dan.

  • DoctorD says:

    When the dust has settled on the last few days, what we will soon realise is that these were probably the distraught comments of a man — Pannu — who fears his best-laid plans have been hit by Daniel’s investigative journalism and doesn’t want to let his power at BIHL slip. However, the real problem lies not with Daniel, but in Hong Kong where we are seeing the fall-out from what happens when a football club is bought by an owner who ends up in prison. It also underlines the deep cultural differences between the West and China. Pannu should know it’s never wise to shoot the messenger.

  • Either Pannu is going through some kind of mental health crisis, or he is a raging alcoholic or very possibly both. He has certainly demonstrated that he is not a fit and proper person to run a football club.

  • Geoff S says:

    Pannu clearly seriously rattled but is his rant about the supposed £1.8 million tax the club may soon have to cough up a load of sour-grapes, scaremongering nonsense or not?

    Stand your ground, Daniel – many, many Blues fans are behind what you are doing.

    One little moan- I wonder if there are a few gremlins in the works again as I posted a couple of messages earlier which originally featured but have now gone missing.

  • Geoff S says:

    I’m not a big fan of way Blues Trust operates but they have written to the FL (check the 3 December posting on their website) citing Cellino at Leeds and asking for an intervention re the way BCFC is owned and run. The letter is not that strongly-worded but maybe check it out anyway..?

  • GreatDane says:

    With friends and protectors like Peter Pannu, this club does not need enemies!
    Thar must be the Own Goal of the Year!
    Glad you published it, Dan – at least now we know for certain what kind of person PP is

  • Great work Dan. With out your pain stacking investigating work BIHL will still be deluded in thinking that The fans of “our” great club will put up with anything. If PP was behind all these emails then its just crazy a Business man of his standing being drawn out in to the public domain with all these ramblings and leaked information doesn’t make sense or does it?. Simple message to BIHL delay no more take what you can for the Club with out any more losses and let Jeremy Wray and his consortium take over “our club”.

  • Blue lizard says:

    Is there light at the end of the tunnel?? dare we dream?? A decent manager in place..Pannu having a breakdown?..he speaks like a man whos not coming back to Brum…wish he would and cross the Coventry road in front of my car!!….just another bug on the windscreen(my own opinion and not influenced by OP)

  • Colin says:

    Dan, kro great work , the mail should be hanging there heads in shame

  • Paul says:

    Well, after months of stagnation regarding the takeover It all springs to life with epic proportions. This is actually the first site I look at when I wake up at the mo!!
    Pannus comment seemed a little chilling to me Dan. Keep up the good work.
    And Mr Wray….KRO !

  • Luke says:

    Dan – very impressive – I get the impression that your involvement has acted as a catalyst in bringing matters to a head.

    I hope Mr Wray and his friends have the wherewithal and patience to cut a deal with BIHL. If we can believe Pannu’s comments yesterday, there should be some urgency now within BIHL to sell.

    One word of caution – people who are scared do dangerous things, so please tread carefully with PP.

  • Art says:

    Does anyone know how to set up an online petition to get rid of Pannu

    I would do it myself but have have no idea as to how to set it up.

  • Bluenosetillidie says:

    Hi Daniel

    Just finished reading the book, which was a hard read for any Bluenose and I have to say you are inexhaustible in your quest to get to the bottom of these nefarious dealings, and report what you find to us in this forum.

    All true Blues fans owe you a great debt of gratitude.

  • Blueboi14 says:

    As a huge thank you to Dan for all the dedicated work he’s put into keeping us all informed of what’s happening to our club: –

    BUY Dan’s book NOW ***** ‘HAIRCUTS AND LEAGUE CUPS’ ***** a perfect Christmas present for any Bluenose.

    Click on the link at the top of the right hand column of this page to order.

    As you may have gathered, this isn’t Peter.

  • Mr BlueSky says:

    It could be that any new bid may not include PP’s commission / fee for arranging the sale. Perhaps that is why he has got the hump.

  • Spanish Blue says:

    I would be surprsised if any of this is Pannu. For one he never communicates with the fans, and on a more serious note, it just doesnt fit and would not make sense for PP to do this.

  • Dave mann says:

    Five unbeaten, great new manager, Blackpool on Saturday, zigic on his way back New owners looking to buy tha club as an hole and invest millions aswell…god blimey Xmas is looking good this year!!! Lol&kro.

  • Bluedad says:

    Well Well, someone is really bitter and twisted (sorry Dan not you)

    Mr p’s rants – re ipsa loquitur. sorry he has lost.

  • StevieW says:

    There is a case for him to be sectioned under the mental health act what an absolute fool.

    Keep Right On Dan Hopefully some serious Authority will show this Mickey Mouse outfit for what it is.

    Ps sorry Mickey Mouse.

  • Mark says:

    Although i trust Dan i have serious doubts these comments are from PP. They just don`t make sense for him to say these things.

  • paulo_bcfc says:

    I’ve been following this week and it still astounds me how much PP thinks he is above the law of the common people. Deluded, egotistical and suffering from an acute case of Narcissism possibly? It’s just off the page.

    I’m postive I came on here in the small hours last week and saw some posts that just stood out, and sounded familiar to this biggy, but I was too battered from shifts to insult the caveman. Either way, I wouldn’t even trust him with a dead parrot.
    Try not to let it get to you Daniel, your worth a million times more then he is to us and the club. Keep up the good work.

  • Tmsblues says:

    This has been a remarkable 24 hours or so. For a man who’s a barrister pp seems to have a poor command of the English language and has a limited vocabulary ! He does appear to be throwing all his toys out of the pram and in the direction of panos p . Now if his comments are correcthe implies he still has support from Carson y , yet panos p is carsons soon to be relative by marriage ? So who is cy supporting and is he running the company and club via one proxy or another? On the bid front if it has been made formally then why no announcement to the hkse and why no announcement from panos in birmingham? Furthermore why has panos supposedly refused further due diligence ? As usual there are more questions than answers…. Oh but as for the I factored hmrc bill suggest that deme gray has that pinned yo his shirt in the January sales !

    • Hillfield blue says:

      Personally,I think the last post wasn’t him. A bloke in his position and an ex barrister,just not their style tbh.

      • Tmsblues says:

        Think you will find the first post was badly worded and constructed too . The second might be from the same source after a few too many! Can’t understand why he challenges dan to come to Hk when he’s already part based there though ?
        In all this name calling and ranting the key questions have to be who is cy supporting , is he a shadow director acting against the rules and why if a bid has been made has no statement been made by the company to the hkse . Pp2 now has to give the facts… He was supposed to be here to sell and manage the finances of the club and improve communications now its time to talk! Likewise its up to Wray to state facts too . Has his November bid been resubmitted or not ? If it is formal then someone is telling porkies ! Time for all concerned to put up or shut up !

  • mark says:

    As dont wish to defamatory or libelous in any way i believe this appears to be start of Daniel v PP…..

    I wonder whether panos will be open about the sale now they have closed the door??

    • StaffsBlue says:

      If, as Pannu has alluded to, it was Pavlakis that blocked the original bid, you have to ask why… and what is his agenda? You just don’t know who’s telling the truth anymore.

      • Hillfield blue says:

        I Agee 100%. The whole emphasis has to centre around that point. Mr Wray also said as much regarding his bid.
        The whole idea of Pavlakis moving to the area etc was to improve communications between the fans and the club easier,remember? So now is his chance to do just that and clarify a few things like why bids or due diligence of the club is being blocked.

        • StaffsBlue says:

          For me, that’s the most important question to be answered. If PP2 did block the bid… why?

          Something else that confuses me, is why PP2 takes OP into his confidence, then J Wray does the same thing… yet they appear to be on opposite sides. Is OP the new ACAS? ;)

      • Tmsblues says:

        And has wray really submitted another bid after his nov 1 offer? If you remember sometime after that bihl announced they would not entertain informal offers! Is cy running the show through pp2 and hanging on to the club? Has pp1 realised he’s lost cy ‘ s support etc . Pp2 needs to put the record straight is he seeking or blocking bids ? What aRe the true facts??

        • StaffsBlue says:

          Also, whether there has been one, or two bids… why weren’t the HKSE informed? I think there’s as much smoke and mirrors from PP2 as there was from PP1.

  • Lee says:

    Anyone else thinking mr pannu has been told he’s not getting the votes he needs to get back in so is trying to take people down with him, seems to me the only reason why he would expose so much for seemingly no reason, could Mr fat cake be a very disgruntled man throwing as many spanners in the works on his way out the door, all kinda fits into the persona he puts across about himself, and wouldn’t suprise me one bit, one of the vilest people I’ve never met

  • steven says:

    (These comments are my own and not the opinion of OP).

    Dan are these posts definitely from Pannu? (I am not trying to call you dishonest) however he has always been cleverer than this in terms of responses in the past, could it be that it’s someone looking to make PP look bad from with BIHL posting in his name?

    Maybe even Panos, gunning for the position PP held on an indefinite basis?

    On the latest post from PP he questions if you have the balls to go to HK, well Mr. Pannu where are your balls to come back to Birmingham? (Hate to answer my own question) but we know you don’t have the balls you’d get taken down by several Blues fans if they caught up with you, really hope he is voted off the boards in the coming meeting at HKHQ

  • Hillfield blue says:

    Pannu just confirmed what we all knew in the first place. He’s obviously seen the writing on the wall and causing as much disruption as possible.
    The spotlight now has to fall onto Mr Pavlakis to come out and clarify the situation to the fans.

  • Kazakblue says:

    Everyone on the OP site is a true Blues supporter, whether in the UK or overseas, and we all owe a great debt of gratitude to Daniel for his first class reporting, and keeping us all up to date with the ongoing saga of BIHL and BCFC.
    It would seem however, that a certain person in Hong Kong has taken offence at Daniel for reporting the truth.
    Will Daniel as stated be sued??
    I urge all Blues supporters to rally to the cause of Daniel, and I would suggest that anyone here on OP who has the business acumen and knowledge to open a secure bank account in the UK so that a donation from every contributor on here could pay into on a one off basis, say £10 a head, to create a contingency fund just in case. If no court case is forthcoming, say in the future against Daniel, then the money accumulated could go to a worthwhile Birmingham charity of Daniels choice.
    If anyone else has suggestions then I am sure the majority of us would like to hear them, let’s Delay No More and try to get this moving, with Daniels approval of course.

  • Evesham blue says:

    Very dangerous people. Don’t talk to them. Reminds me of a bitter break up. Protect yourself Dan. Walk away. Trust me they will come at you with yet more vitriol if you fight. Karma will work in the end

  • Tony says:

    Looks like PP is going down the Pann-u bend.

  • AussieBlue says:

    I am sure Dan knows that the posts came from PP’s phone, but does this mean they came from Pannu himself? Phones can get nicked, misappropriated, loaned, hacked even. The signal repeat towers will give an approximate location. GPS a more precise tracking. It is possible to match the phone location to the person’s location but proving the owner used the phone for a specific signal is another matter. A drunk man in a girly bar is prime for a mischievous texting or posting, and they are quick and good at it.

  • Craig says:

    Sorry but this is so a hoax guys. Why would he do this? I could find out all the info in the messages at a quick scan in Dans book!!

  • Art says:

    BIH have this morning halted trading – pending a further announcement!

    Dan will probably pick this up but I suspect it’s all down to PPs emails and the potential take over.

    Yet another fasenating day and hopefully PP will fall on his sword.

  • AussieBlue says:

    Well spotted Art. I look forward to the day when I don’t have to enter that darned number 2309 into the HKSE search box.
    AND…the signatory of the trading halt announcement is………….. Peter Pannu as Executive Director.

    Fortunately his use of language in the announcement is a little more couth than that purported to be by him in his comments on OP.

  • AussieBlue says:

    BTW Art, people like PP do not metaphorically fall on their swords, they only respond to the sort of treatment Lance-Corporal Jones described in ‘Dad’s Army’….”They don’t like it up ’em!”

  • AussieBlue says:

    G’Day Kazakblue – I’m not sure if I have any better insight than Dan Ivery but from my experience in the corporate world and in Asia, I would suggest they had no choice other than to halt trading in the light of Dan sending a report to the HKSE standards people. Also the undignified correspondence allegedly coming from the very person who signed the Trading Halt. Add to that BCFC’s own statement regarding finances, or lack of them. It goes against all corporate governance I have ever come across.

    They must now issue an explanation for the trading halt and notification of resumption, if any. If that reason is that a buyer has been found with a firm offer under consideration, it must be disclosed quickly. I don’t think we will have to wait too long to find out one way or the other.

  • Dave mann says:

    Lets hope it’s the news that ALL of us want and the demise of BIH and the start of a new improved era for blues but ime not holding my breath. Kro

  • Luke says:

    It’s great to see the amount of coverage this furore has attracted this week. Not only are British national broadsheets and the BBC reporting on Pannu’s rant here on OP, but (according to The Guardian) The Football League have taken Dan’s communication seriously and are asking questions of the club.

    This is the first time since Carson’s demise and the start of Blues’ financial woes that I feel our problems have been properly recognised by the wider world.

    We are not alone.

  • AussieBlue says:

    Just a thought mates; I have long said that the only way I can see a buyer for BCFC getting around the 24.5% club sale restriction by the HKSE is to buy BIHL and not just BCFC. Remove the old board, install a new one, cash it up and go forward with new vision; and with a nice listing on the dynamic HKSE. Of course that would mean making an above-market offer and buying shares from some unsavoury characters, but that happens all the time on other bourses anyway.
    Based on closing price before suspension; BIHL has market cap of about GBP53 million – way too much to spend to get hold of BCFC; so maybe there’s another way.
    The deal might involve selling another profitably trading company to BIHL at the same time as buying 100% of BCFC for a lesser amount of cash (my guess around GBP25-30 million). This would then give BIHL simultaneous trading as a listed entity from a source other than BCFC; plus a few million to build the business – thereby fulfilling the HKSE requirement and getting the BIHL monkey off our backs.
    I have no facts to back this up – it’s just sharing a possibility.

    • almajir says:

      As I understand it, there is another possibility that doesn’t involve the purchase of BIH. Whether it would work or not, I don’t know but for the sake of confidentiality I cannot say anything right now.

      • Luke says:

        Surely it’s got to be the exchange (or part-exchange) scenario – someone offering stocks of some description in exchange for BCFC shares?

        That could possibly satisfy HKSE’s requirements, whilst (depending on the nature of the stocks) give BIH a little more trading flexibility down the line.

      • AussieBlue says:

        Check Dan. It’ll be supremely creative from where I’m looking!

  • StaffsBlue says:

    If, as has been reported, the communications were definitely from Pannu, this smacks of a plan and a devious one at that. I think most people now believe that it was Pannu.. what a lot of people find hard to believe is how a guy in his position could be so stupid. It just feels like a means to an end to me. What that end is, I suppose we’ll have to wait and see. But I’m hardly sitting here with baited breath.

  • Hillfield blue says:

    Trading in BIHL halted at the HKSE and The FL now asking for answers!
    Strap yourself in for another turbulent day at BCFC!

  • Agent Mcleish says:

    Pannu is showing his true colours. Keep that last statement for your lawyers Dan. Question is, does Pannu have the balls to set foot in Brum again? I am concerned about the Wray bid though as a few things don’t quite stack up.

  • Smile_dav says:

    Dan, keep up the good work.
    If you ever come to Hong Kong again, I will treat you to a few rounds at Delaney’s.


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