Karren Brady: charming yet ruthless First Lady of Football

Karren Brady became managing director of Birmingham City FC at the age of 23. Within 12 months, she had got the ramshackle club into profit.

Margaret Mountford was renowned on The Apprentice for her ability to crush a contestant's chances with a roll of her cool blue eyes, observes The Times. Her replacement, Karren Brady, is made of similar stuff. "I can see your tits in that shirt," a player once leered at her. "Don't worry," replied the First Lady of Football. "When I sell you to Crewe, you won't be able to see them from there." Sure enough, she sold him.

At just 23, Brady was no more than an apprentice herself when she was made managing director of Birmingham City FC by the porn barons (David Sullivan and brothers David and Ralph Gold) who bought the club out of administration in 1993. "I used to add two more years to my age, because I thought I had to be at least 25 for people to take me seriously. As though two years made any difference!"

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