A reply to a reply

I appreciate that running a football club is a massive enterprise. Life's tough at the top; that's why I'm not there - or possibly because there is nobody mad enough to put me in charge of anything (but I am available should anyone want to take the chance!).

It takes a lot of skill to be successful in the commercial world; business acumen, drive and the killer instinct are needed, to name but a few. David Sullivan clearly has all these things in spadefuls.

Over the last few years, he has passed many opinions about us, the fans; I suspect some people would call these opinions "attacks" and I have certainly been pretty dismayed by some of his words.

Sullivan professes to be a blunt-speaking man, but there are times when I feel he could and should have chosen his words a bit more diplomatically. It has alienated a significant section of the supporters, not the same "few hundred" that he referred to in his article.

I strongly suspect that those who were on the pitch are probably not the "internet warriors" that were lambasted a couple of years ago; people have different ways of protesting.

I can't condone the pitch invasion; I feel it made us look cheap and thuggish, but at the same time I can appreciate the anger. Relegation's painful and it could have been avoided. Sunday was also the culmination of discontent that has been stretching back for at least three seasons; we are weary of the spin-doctoring and broken promises.

If David Sullivan truly wants to build bridges, then there are a few things that he needs to do.

He must start listening to the fans; there are enough of us that can put our point across in an articulate manner. Why is there not a proper structure of outreach?

He must also start to get into the fans' psyche.

We don't choose Birmingham City over Aston Villa or West Bromwich Albion in the same way that a shopper chooses Sainsbury's over Tesco's. Being a fan is a long-term thing, a lifetime thing. As he has spent a long career running what could coyly be described as a "service" industry (hmm), maybe it is a difficult thing for him to appreciate.

He needs to get to know some of the fans. Delia Smith is often seen in the main stands at Carrow Road and our board need to take a leaf out of her book. She is a real fan of the club and that makes a huge difference.

So build your bridges, Mr Sullivan, but don't tell us, show us.