Dick Knight felt “really let down” by Martin Perry as he lost his grip on the chairman’s seat at Albion.

Knight appointed Perry as chief executive in July 1999 and they worked together on the stadium project.

Knight was visited by Perry at his Hove flat in May 2009 after he had agreed to step down as chairman and was negotiating with Tony Bloom a settlement for his shares.

Knight, writing in his autobiography, said: “I got the impression he (Perry) was trying to let me down lightly. He started by saying ‘This was always going to happen, Dick. It has been coming for some time. As you know, Tony has been putting money in and helping us....’ “I thought ‘Et tu, Brute?’ (even you Brutus)."

For Ray Bloom's exclusive response to Dick Knight's revelations see The Argus today