David Sullivan: It used to be fun running Blues
IT'S the 15th anniversary of the David Sullivan-led Blues takeover this month. Today, as Blues face up to a crunch fixture against Newcastle United in the fight to safeguard their Premier League status, Sullivan talks to COLIN TATTUM about the past, present and future.
FUN. A three-letter word that sums up what it used to be like for David Sullivan running Blues.
Dragging the club off the floor, knocking a ramshackle St Andrew's into shape and the barmy days of Barry Fry, all hold fond memories for the Blues' chief.
"These 15 years have passed very, very quickly," he said. "And I'm sure no-one expected us still to be here now.
"In some ways, I'm proud of what we've achieved, in other ways I'm disappointed we haven't done more.
"At the same time I'm realistic as well. It's getting harder and harder now to compete.
"We need a bigger ground, and we need to stay in the Premier League and improve our team.
"And one thing I would like is for us to use our money a bit wiser.
"We've wasted a lot on bad buys like Mr (Ferdinand) Coly and the rest, the Danish winger (Jesper Gronkjaer).
"Looking back to those early days, I can tell you it was a lot more fun, fantastic fun.
"Players weren't getting astronomical money, there were no agents around and there wasn't the same pressure.
"I remember that last game of the season just after we came, we beat Charlton 1-0 on the last day at St Andrew's to avoid relegation to the old Division Three and it was like we had won the World Cup!"
After Terry Cooper resigned, the present regime made their first managerial appointment in December 1993 - Fry.
Not only was it his impressive work as a wheeler-dealer at Barnet and Southend United that caught the eye, but his larger-than-life character. The board wanted someone to breathe new life into the club, to make it interesting and raise the profile.
"It was never a dull moment with Barry," said Sullivan, who said his favourite memories of the past 15 years came under his charge.
That's some statement considering Blues' dramatic Division One play-off win in 2002 and the Worthington Cup Final in 2001.
"The best time for me was when we won at Huddersfield Town in our last match to clinch promotion out of the old Third Division in 1995,'' he said.
"Only one team went up automatically that season and I remember all the players celebrating on the pitch afterwards, and Ricky Otto with his shirt off sunbathing.
"Taking 55,000-60,000 fans to the Auto Windscreens Final at Wembley and winning that as well in the same season was great fun.
"Reaching the Premier League after so many times falling at the last hurdle in the play-offs (under Trevor Francis) was a great achievement, and those six months when Christophe Dugarry was at his peak and kept us up, he was a delight to watch and I'm not sure we'll ever see anyone that good again.
"Maybe it has all got a little too serious now and greedy, but we will battle on and try and do what's best for Birmingham City.
"Overall, I don't think we've done too badly on the resources and I hope we can do a little better in the future."
