SULLIVAN SLAMS FANS AND BRUCE BUYS

Sullivan - disgusted.

Wantaway Birmingham co-owner David Sullivan on Monday launched an astonishing attack on the club's disgruntled fans and the summer signings made by former manager Steve Bruce.

Sullivan is desperate to sell his stake in Blues after claiming he and his fellow directors were subjected to "venomous" abuse from a section of the St Andrews crowd during yesterday's Barclays Premier League match with Blackburn.

A 4-1 victory was not enough to save Alex McLeish's side from relegation and Sullivan blamed the "pile of rubbish" bought by Bruce last summer for their demise.

The multi-millionaire businessman, who acquired the club along with David and Ralph Gold in 1993, singled out defender Frank Queudrue and goalkeeper Richard Kingson as particular disappointments, branding the latter a "complete waste of space".

Sullivan claimed his children were brought to tears by some of the chanting during yesterday's final game of the season.

He said on Sky Sports News: "I've got my young kids with me, my kids are in tears. I can't repeat what was chanted.

"It's all f's and c's and w's, and things like that, which I don't need in my life.

"It isn't part of the game, as far as I'm concerned. It isn't acceptable."

He added: "It's the venom. It wasn't just half a dozen people.

"At the end, you've probably got 1,000 people, 1,500 people on the pitch that ripped down goalposts.

"Those people ruined it for everybody."

Sullivan insisted the abuse was unprecedented in his time at the club.

"We've never had it before, in 16 years," he said.

"We've given our all for the club. The club was bankrupt when we got there.

"We've been relegated by one point. We just missed out."

Asked for the reasons behind Birmingham's immediate return to the Coca-Cola Championship following last summer's promotion, Sullivan was unequivocal.

"We bought a pile of rubbish," he said.

He named Queudrue - a £2million signing from Middlesbrough - and Kingson - a free transfer from Ankaraspor - as two of the worst buys.

He added: "Bottom line, we didn't improve the team last summer."

Birmingham's other close-season signings were Fabrice Muamba for £4million, Olivier Kapo for £3million, Garry O'Connor for £2.6million, Liam Ridgewell for £2million and free transfers Stuart Parnaby and Daniel De Ridder.

Sullivan refused to lay the blame for those acquisitions solely at the door of Bruce, who became Wigan boss in November following an acrimonious departure from St Andrews.

"He thought he needed numbers - we went for numbers," Sullivan said.

"We'd probably have been better just signing three players and going for better-quality players."

But Sullivan also rejected suggestions Birmingham would still be in the Premier League had Bruce remained in charge.

"What people forget is that prior to the arrival of Alex, we'd lost seven of the last eight games," he said.

"Things didn't go wrong when Alex arrived.

"I think we would have gone down with or without Steve with the team we had."

Sullivan and chairman David Gold are both considering their positions, with the former particularly keen to cut and run.

Sullivan revealed he feared a repeat of Sunday's abuse should Birmingham fail to get off to a flying start next season.

Asked if he would be at the club after this summer, he said: "I think 50-50 I will be there but, deep down, I don't want to be there.

"If I'm there, it's only because my kids love the club. I'm worn out."

Sullivan is happy to meet any supporters who are unhappy with the way the club is run but warned them the grass may not be greener under another regime.

"They think there's someone better round the corner. Whether there is, only time will tell," he said.

He also challenged supporters to plough their own cash into the club, saying: "I bet there wouldn't be many people at Birmingham who would chip in to do that, put a consortium together to buy the club."