The web of intrigue spinning around Birmingham City

Apr 28 2009 by Andy Walker, Birmingham Mail

Blades’ Nick Montgomery has already warned his team-mates that Warnock will do everything in his power to wreck their dreams of a return to the Premier League.

The midfielder said: “Neil is in charge of Palace now and he’s a professional. He is the type of person who wants to win every game and he’ll want to go out on a high himself.”

But Montgomery’s comments are unlikely to extinguish the scepticism in the blue half of Birmingham.

To throw even more fuel on the fire, Palace chairman Simon Jordan is hardly the best of friends with the Blues board and has previously had public bust-ups with the hierarchy at St Andrew’s.

The friction has existed ever since Steve Bruce walked out on Palace to head to St Andrew’s in December 2001 and Jordan’s “maybe I will get a box of sex toys sent to me’’ comments after his side beat Derby two years ago to secure Blues’ promotion last time around are now infamous.

Jordan also once sarcastically remarked: “Birmingham – my favourite club, full of my favourite people.”

However, there’s a simple way for Blues to kick the conspiracy into touch – win at Reading and it won’t matter what Messrs Warnock and Jordan have up their sleeves.