Yahoo News Knighthead's appeal have given Birmingham City a headstart in 'world class' pursuit
If you aren't sitting up and taking notice at this stage, then there'll be nothing that excites you. Birmingham City announced on Monday morning a new airline sponsorship deal with Delta Airlines, the biggest airline company on the planet with a near $60b revenue posted for 2024.
Later today, it has emerged that David Beckham is expected to join Tom Brady and Rob McElhenney in a box at St Andrew's when Wrexham visit St Andrew's this evening. Will Ferrell, the Hollywood actor who has been over in the UK this weekend to see Leeds United - who he owns shares in - play live, is also rumoured to be in attendance.
The furore of the 'Hollywood derby' is understandable. That right there is some list of celebrities to gather in one place, to watch third tier football. Their assembling will claim headlines. The earlier news, the agreement with Delta, is much much more significant for Blues, however, and the clearest sign yet that Knighthead Capital are not here to ensure the club simply remain also-rans.
READ: Blues announce partnership with $59b company to kickstart 'defining era'
READ: David Beckham set to add to Tom Brady stardust at Birmingham City
This partnership with US based Delta, who top Forbes' list as the largest global airline for revenue, assets and market capital, has blown away any perceived scales and ceilings the club might struggle to break through. Let it be made clear that this deal ought to be the envy of Premier League clubs. That, in a nutshell, is Blues ' aim - they're not allowing their League One status to prevent them from growing the club exponentially off the pitch.
They've given Chris Davies the tools for the job, obliterated the structure of the League One transfer market, have transformed St Andrew's for the remainder of this period in which the club will call it home and have increased revenue streams in a number of ways - not just by selling Neck Oil in the ground and not least of all by plastering what Wagner describes as 'world class' brands in UNDEFEATED and Nike over the Blues kit, modelled by Brady.
In one particular sense, they're the opposite right now of city rivals Aston Villa who, on the pitch are competing with the best on the continent but whose supporters have been hit in the pocket as a byproduct. Villa finished fourth last year, have Champions League football to look forward to but, off the pitch, the club is playing catch up with itself.
"We use the analogy with FFP that we have a train which is the football side, and a train on the business side," their business president Chris Heck said recently. "The train on the football side is going lightning fast and that's a good thing.
"The business side has to catch that train. We're working around the clock trying to do sponsorship deals, changing the stadium to be beneficial to Financial Fair Play, find new revenue streams, take in our merchandise in-house and things of that nature.”
By comparison, those analogical trains are inverted for Blues. Patience will be required from those who aren't involved in the 'football' side of things, as the business aspect moves from strength to strength. Premier League football is the aim, but even that can't be achieved for two years at the very least.
What Tom Wagner and Knighthead are doing behind the scenes in the meantime, however, in securing deals and agreeing partnerships which put to shame Trillion Trophy Asia, are getting their ducks in a row as they seek to follow through with their sky-high ambitions. They're tapping into Birmingham's unlocked potential. This is the Second City, after all.
For now, the rest ought just to be white noise to Davies and his expensively assembled group of players, who have a crystal clear job to do.
