Simon Jordan lifts lid on Brum & Spurs rifts

In the new issue of FourFourTwo magazine, out on Wednesday, the outspoken Eagles chairman admitted that he had initiated the protracted argument between the hierarchies of the two clubs, which began when Steve Bruce left Selhurst Park for St Andrews in 2001.

Since then he has repeatedly clashed in the press with owners David Sullivan and David Gold. “I’m 6ft 2in, and they’re both below 5ft 4in, so I’d never see eye to eye with them.

"I get on OK with them, but I suppose it was my fault because I wrote an article saying I was sick and tired of reading about David Gold trotting out his story about being a poor East End boy made good.

“We’ve heard it enough times now, David! You were a poor boy, and now you’re sitting on a big pile of porn with loads of money. I said if I had to hear that again I would impale myself on one of his dildos!”

In a typically forthright interview, Jordan also lamented John Bostock’s controversial move to Spurs, claiming that smaller clubs should be given more protection from Premier League sides attempting to poach their top young stars.

“At the moment the system doesn’t provide the protection for clubs to develop players and then have the right to sign them. It allows predatory clubs to come in and take players.

“We trained Bostock from the age of nine but the father let us down, the boy let us down and I suspect certain other people let us down. So you hope they get slapped at the tribunal... but they let you down too!”

For the full interview see the January issue of FourFourTwo, out Wednesday 3 December

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Gary Parkinson is a freelance writer, editor, trainer, muso, singer, actor and coach. He spent 14 years at FourFourTwo as the Global Digital Editor and continues to regularly contribute to the magazine and website, including major features on Euro 96, Subbuteo, Robert Maxwell and the inside story of Liverpool's 1990 title win. He is also a Bolton Wanderers fan.