It's the changing of the guard at St Andrew's.

Carson Yeung's regime breezed into Blues stadium today to formally assume control following his £81.5 million takeover.

Karren Brady met Yeung's new team for a briefing before handing over the keys to the club on her last day as managing director.

Yeung is not due to fly over from Hong Kong until Wednesday, but his trusted sidekicks clocked in to get straight down to business.

Sammy Yu, Peter Pannu and Vico Hui were accompanied - this blog can exclusively reveal - by Michael Dunford, the former Everton and Plymouth Argyle CEO.

Dunford, pictured with Pannu, is expected to be confirmed as Blues CEO as interviews of prospective candidates were concluded over the weekend.

Dunford served Everton between 1994 - 2004, first as secretary before rising to CEO in 1999.

He spent the last four years at Plymouth Argyle as CEO before a management restructuring in the summer made his post redundant.

With Dunford to be added to the team, the board has started to take shape.

Yeung is set to become Blues' president with Hui (pictured), Grandtop's CEO, taking over as chairman from David Gold.

Yu is the vice chairman football and chief operations officer, while Pannu's brief is financial and executive matters as another vice chairman.

Michael Wiseman, a Blues director since 2005, is set to take on increased responsibilities and join the new board as well.

Yeung will outline his plans and vision for Blues at St Andrew's on Thursday in a media conference to launch their reign.

You will know when Carson Yeung is in charge proper when the first story on the club website is not plugging tickets for future games.

Whether Yeung's takeover is eventually ended up viewed as a success or failure, times are certainly going to be a changing at St Andrew's.

Yeung and his Grandtop International Holdings investment firm get handed the keys on Monday and a major media conference, their 'official' unveiling, is planned for the Thursday, October 15.

Having had further informal meetings with Yeung's people, they continue to make the right noises and are approaching matters with plenty of common sense.

The biggest thing for them is to try and bring any disillusioned fans and sponsors back into the fold, and forge strong links with the community. 'We are family', was the catchphrase that sprang from Sammy Yu's lips.

In recent years, Blues have been a dysfunctional family.

They are concerned about the thousands of empty seats at St Andrew's and do plan to address pricing policy in due course.

Expect talks to open with the Council about the City of Birmingham Stadium project; a new ground is a longer-term goal.

Currently close to appointing a CEO from within football, the make-up of the new board is also beginning to take shape.

But it looks increasingly unlikely that David Gold will be staying on, certainly not in the capacity of chairman, a role he has performed since 1997, if at all.

In many respects Gold is caught between a rock and a hard place: tied to the out-going regime, who are still his friends and business pals; but keen to play a part in the new era, despite losing power.

And trouble is, the extraordinary pay-offs given to Karren Brady haven't helped his pitch with Yeung.

As an MD of a plc, a case could be argued that such a bonanza is wholly justified and normal practice.

But it's outrageous really in these circumstances and securing the St Andrew's 'chief executive's box' for 12 months, at the club's expense, smacks of sticking two fingers up.

Come Yeung's first home game against Sunderland on October 24 you could get the bizarre situation whereby he and the Hong Kong contingent turn behind then from their seats in the Kop directors' box, look up, and see if not Brady but her guests nice and snug and comfortable with their noses in the trough!

Yueng's lawyers are trying to find avenues of compromise and they now also have their hands busy defending a claim against them from Seymour Pierce, their bankers at the time of the failed takeover of 2007.

But, Yu indicated, Yeung and his people won't be airing their dirty linen in public or engaging in any war of words in the media. They want to move on from the past as quickly as possible, even if they are left with painful reminders.

Next week, when they face the media, there will be questions asked about their background, finance, the business model and so on. Hopefully the answers will be illuminating and not vague.

Yeung's personal wealth, according to a direct quote by David Sullivan to me two years ago when he first appeared on the scene, is somewhere between £100 million - £150 million.

And he and Gold have recently stated that they have serious backers to underpin the whole operation, to develop the club and make it prosper.

My view has always been that you are not going to shell out £81.5 million to buy a club without the resources and a viable business plan and take it backwards . . . are you?

There is still a lot we don't know about Chinese and Far East markets and business practices. And Yeung and his group. All being well, that's to be revealed.

But what is certain is that Alex McLeish will remain as manager, significant sums of money are to be made available in the January transfer window (although no-one in the Yeung camp will give a figure) and Steve McManaman will have a role, not a big one, more of an ambassadorial/PR duty internationally.

Come Tuesday, come Carson Yeung.

That's the day when shareholders will have decided, the first closing offer of his £1-a-share for Blues.

In all probability, when the acceptances are counted, he will have more than 90 per cent of the club's stock, meaning compulsory purchase of the remaining shares.

In the background, Yeung's people are busy preparing to hit the ground running at St Andrew's.

In the past few weeks this correspondent has met Sammy Yu for dinner (in Chinatown, of course), and on the last occasion the new chap on the block, Peter Pannu, was introduced.

As I've noted before, Yu seems more relaxed, assured and completely keyed-in about what's ahead, and what the new regime must do.

Two years ago when he and Yeung's entourage first appeared, no-one was sure what on earth we could be getting.

Pannu was not a part of the failed takeover of 2007 (one of the key movers then, by the way, is no longer part of Yeung's empire).

Although he has known Yeung for a couple of decades, he has only just been added to the team, having been persuaded to quit his law job.

Pannu, who once fought triads as a member of the Royal Hong Kong Police, is interviewing candidates for the role of Blues chief executive officer. Someone with Premier League experience he hopes to recommend to Yeung.

He came across as a bright, dynamic person. He has an anglicised sense of humour, like Yu. They were happy to laugh at themselves. I wasn't sure how to take it at first when they both joked that monkey, dog and cat were on the menu - typically
Chinese, no?

Pannu has done his homework, too. He suggested that Blues fans were becoming more welcoming and positive about the takoever, and he stressed that the club would not be swamped with Chinese players.

He reiterated that Steve McManaman's role would not be majorly significant, certainly not as a manager-in-waiting, and that Alex McLeish would have the final say on players and selection.

As for who exactly is driving the takeover, whether there is a mystery benefactor in the background, Pannu just smiled.

The gist of the conversation around this subject was that it's Yeung's baby, he is getting it done, and there are associates and backers there providing support, and poised to get involved, if need be.

It seems to have gone unnoticed in other quarters that Yeung and Kingston Securities, who have underwritten the £57 million bridging loan, are the biggest shareholders in Grandtop, following the recent rights issue.

Pannu repeated a phrase Yu has said to me before: 'Finance is not a problem'.

Once they are installed, the nitty gritty of Yeung's plans, his vision and the business model - as well as the precise structure of command - will be announced.

What was certain, from both men, was that the new regime has no intention of raising false hopes. They want to show that they are honourable people - this was important to them - and will be straight with everybody.

Yu and Pannu will form two key pillars of the incoming St Andrew's hierarchy.

Yeung is likely to be a Randy Lerner style figure at the top of the heap, seeing and overseeing, but not heard much. Vico Hui will be in a figurehead's role, while Yu and Pannu will be tasked with the day-to-day stuff, with the CEO reporting to them.

David Gold's exact role has yet to be finalised, but he is likely to be asked to relinquish the chairman badge as a more American-style of boardroom and executive management, with titles like president and vice-president, is ushered in.

Checking up on some background information the other day, I hunted for some of my old Blues programmes.

And there it was, the historic issue from March 6, 1993, the very first match of the Sullivan-Gold-Brady regime.

Paul Peschisolido is pictured on the cover, being presented with the 'young eagle' of the month award. In that kit.

Terry Cooper talked about the need for Blues to 'simply keep calm, play with pride and professionalism, stop throwing priceless points away with sloppy mistakes'.

The True Blue Club page heralded the fact that its members were paying the wages of Paul Fitzpatrick, who had joined from Leicester City in January.

John Frain, in the Captain's Log, column bemoaned the fact that Blues had used six goalkeepers already that season.

And the centre spread feature was on David Foy, a 20-year-old from Coventry who listed his favourite food and drink 'Chinese and lager'. Imagine that today!

Yes, it was a long, long time ago that match against Oxford United (won 1-0 thanks to Pesch's goal), when Karren Brady was introduced to an 11,104 crowd by Jack Wiseman in a pink Puffa jacket.

From another programme back then, you got an insight into how the board kept a watchful eye on the finances, and how they made sure fans knew about it: check out Brady's 'Sincerely Yours' column.

On Saturday, Sullivan, Ralph Gold and Brady say their goodbyes to the St Andrew's faithful. Well, at least Sullivan will for definite as Brady can't make it because she's filming The Apprentice.

There will be no walkabouts or showy speeches. In fact, apart from a piece on the big screen, by the time the game has finished we might not even know that's it, over, no more for the gang of three.

It would be four, but David Gold wants to stay on as chairman, or in a similar capacity. He was due to meet Sammy Yu, Carson Yeung's top chief, on Friday to clarify his role.

Yeung and Vico Hui, chief executive of Grandtop International Holdings, have passed the Premier League 'fit and proper person' test.

And their share offer has become unconditional after it was announced that Grandtop have gathered up 81.7 per cent of the stock.

Alex McLeish has now also had a brief telephone conversation with Yu, so it's all systems go for the takeover.

Back in that 1992/93 season, Blues scrapped the paint pallet kit, splurged on new players, and avoided relegation from Barclays League Division One on the final day, courtesy of Paul Moulden's goal against Charlton Athletic.

It was just the start of a real rollercoaster of a ride at Blues under the Sullivan-led regime.

Very soon the Birmingham Mail will be publishing an in-depth retrospective on their time in charge before the club moves into Far Eastern hands.

The 'fresh doubts' that have surfaced about Blues takeover have surfaced in one ill-informed individual's mind.

A report that claims it's possible Carson Yeung's buy out could collapse again should be disregarded.

Now, I don't claim to be an expert on legal and financial matters relating to the City and takeovers.

But Yeung's purchase of Blues is NOT dependent on the rights offer for Grandtop International Holdings.

The money has already been secured in the form of a bridging loan, and the rights issue has been underwritten by Kingston Securities anyway.

Yeung hasn't asked for any more time to raise cash because it is already available!

And a formal offer document has gone out to shareholders.

It's all systems go as far as the change in ownership is concerned. Even David Sullivan says Blues fans should be optimistic, and get behind Yeung.

Sammy Yu flew into England early on Saturday morning and is expected to watch the Sunderland game and talk to Blues owners, and David Gold about his role.

In the meantime, whilst things take their natural course, on the playing side Blues can reflect on a welcome first away Premier League win since Alex McLeish's debut match, Garry O'Connor scoring at Hull City (pictured).

Those posters were, I suppose, typical Blues.

A grand gesture to say goodbye and thanks . . . then a plug for ticket prices!

Perhaps that's being a little unkind. It was well meaning; I must stop being so cynical.

Twenty billboards around the city proclaimed what we suspected, that David Sullivan, Karren Brady and Ralph Gold plan to resign and be off when Carson Yeung's takoever effectively comes to pass on October 6.

By then he should have accrued their 50 per cent shareholding, to go with his own 29.9 per cent through Grandtop International Holdings, and probably the vast majority of remaining shares in circulation, held by people like you and me.

Regardless, it will be the beginning of a new era and the directors know that they can't really be hanging around.

David Gold is likely to be held over, and talks on his new role are to taking place. He is likely to be the conduit between Yeung and supporters, maintain the club's relationship with various football bodies over here and do the usual PR.

Sullivan reckons Yeung and his group will 'throw some money at it' and improve matters. He says he would be surprised if £10 million - £20 million wasn't made available in January.

Alex McLeish, who has not yet sat down with Yeung or his right-hand man Sammy Yu, has already got a list of targets sorted out (a new list, for new owners, if you catch my drift) and it apparently contains some top names at top clubs in Europe. And these players aren't likely to come cheap.

About time too. You have to be prepared to pay what it takes for quality just to keep up with the Jones's in the Premier League.

McLeish himself is relaxed about the impending change, which should all be done and dusted in around four to five weeks time. He has been speaking as if Sullivan and Brady have given him a few encouraging tidbits.

Meeting the media ahead of the Hull City game, he suggested that everyone should be positive and any potential worries had not gnawed away at him.

"I have never felt uncertain by the whole thing. I would like to think my cup is half full. There's change coming, let's embrace that and try and make this work rather than fear what's going to happen.

"It's new exciting times for Birmingham City Football Club and Birmigham City's fans and everybody who is already at the club.

"If they are ambitious enough and they believe in themselves enough, they will believe that they can go forward with the new owners."

Yu told me, after I caught him via phone just after he landed in Hong Kong back from a trip to Beijing, that they would recruit an experienced football executive to replace Brady, and it wouldn't be Peter Kenyon.

He watched the Villa match via satellite television and we discussed whether Blues had or had not been too cautious.

Eck's going to get a surprise in that at least one member of the incoming board will be keen to dissect his tactics rather than dissect his budgets!

So, after Hull, it's onto the Bolton Wanderers game, the 'official' farewell St Andrew's match for Sullivan, Brady and Ralph Gold, as the billboards confirmed. With cut-price tickets, too.

There's been a fair bit of debate about Ashley Young's theatrics and how he tends to exaggerate when going to ground.

I'm having none of it.

The days tick by but the pain doesn't subside much.

Derby games do that to you. And judging from the expressions on the Blues players after Sunday's defeat by Villa, it had cut them to the core as well.

Don't think for a moment that Blues personnel didn't want this one. From the moment that determined James McFadden tackle crashed into Nigel Reo-Coker in the opening minutes you could see it.

Villa, though, have now won the last five fixtures, and three in a row at St Andrew's.

The gap between the sides is getting bigger when you account for the spending.

Martin O'Neill has been able to lavish more than £100 million in his time on players. He fielded three debutants in a £25 million defence.

Yet you would not have guessed that Blues were the supposed poor relations for the most part at St Andrew's.

Defensively they were excellent considering the handicaps, and in midfield Villa were made to look ordinary. How Martin Keown came to the conclusion that Stiliyan Petrov was 'pulling the strings' in his analysis on Match of the Day Two, heaven knows.

I got the impression that Villa were actually quite surprised by Blues keeness to pass and move, and the slick way they did so at times. They probably expected the Brummie Bashers on parade, an up and at 'em kind of scrap.

And afterwards, a couple of O'Neill's men paid a backhanded compliment by telling a Blues rival that if they had put together the kind of approach work Blues did, they believed they would have scored three or four goals.

Where Blues fell down was the marking at the fateful free-kick that presented Gabriel Agbonlahor with the winner.

And there were one or two decisions by Alex McLeish that didn't come off.

McLeish had originally intended to start a 4-4-2 with Christian Benitez. That was in the immediate aftermath of the Spurs game.

The plan was changed over the days as Benitez travelled to South American on international duty, Blues full-backs went down or stayed injured, and after further analysis of Villa's strength and power of their central midfield.

So it was 4-5-1 and I don't think that was so much the issue with most people.

Carson Yeung hopes to gain control of Blues by the end of October/beginning of November.

The time of the Grandtop International Holdings EGM has again been changed again, to September 29.

Shareholders will be asked to agree to a new rights issue. But this does not affect the buy out. Yeung has already secured a £57 million bridging loan to finance his purchase of Blues.

Mindful of the sorry state of affairs in 2007 when Yeung was unable to purchase any more than 29.9 per cent of the club, his camp have been quick to stress that there are no problems this time.

It is because of procedural matters not due to any financial niggle that the takeover has been delayed, they said.

Blues current directors had been working to a timetable of the first week in October as the changeover date.

They viewed Bolton Wanderers on September 26 as their last St Andrew's match, and were making plans for farewells.

Possibly, they could still be around for Sunderland and Steve Bruce's visit on October 24 now.

The EGM was to be held on September 16, then put back to October 5. Another alteration was announced today, to September 29.

The plan is to issue 50 per cent more shares in Grandtop, the Yeung takeover vehicle.

Yeung has got the bridging loan from Kingston Securities, who will take a 29.9 per cent stake in Grandtop.

Once the formal offer documents to all Blues shareholders is sent out, and the EGM has passed, things should accelerate.

David Sullivan, David Gold and Ralph Gold have given an undertaking to sell their shareholding in Blues, which totals almost 50 per cent.

A spokesman for Yeung said: "We were expecting originally for the takeover to happen in early to mid-October and we should be near to completing the deal by the original timing.

"The deal won't change. The timing may slightly, but that is all."

At Grandtop's AGM, it was announced that Steve McManaman (pictured here with Yeung at St Andrew's) was re-elected as an executive director.

But former China star Fan Zhiyi has stood down.

Grandtop said that he had 'retired by rotation' as an executive director and did no offer himself for re-election due to personal reasons.

Fan Zhiyi said that there was no disagreement between him and the board and no matter that needed to be brought to the attention of the Stock Exchange.