David Sullivan admits fears over Birmingham City fans' complaints

Dec 5 2008 by Colin Tattum, Birmingham Mail

DAVID Sullivan has admitted he is unsure whether the relationship between Blues’ board and the fans can be fully repaired.

Another Premier League relegation, on the back of the Carson Yeung and Steve Bruce affairs, saw frustrations boil over on the last day of last season, when there were protests against the directors for the first time on such a scale during their 15-year tenure.

Even before then Sullivan remarked to me that he didn’t feel the fans would ever be happy until he and his partner directors moved on.

But with Yeung showing absolutely no sign of either buying the club or selling his shares – ‘he’s still around somewhere, but we don’t have any contact with him’, said Sullivan’ – the status quo remains.

And the board have started to make a concerted effort to listen to fans’ gripes and act on them, addressing pricing and other issues as part of a ‘New Year . . . New Start’ charm offensive.

Will it work, will faith and a rapport ever be restored again?

“I don’t know, I honestly don’t know,” Sullivan told the Birmingham Mail.

“I hope so. But I suppose the jury’s still out.

“We are trying our best, we’re listening to the fans, but I couldn’t tell