Birmingham Mail

PITY the shopkeepers whose trade is said to have slumped by 40 per cent since tough new parking restrictions were introduced.

But pity, too, the motorists, delivery drivers and bus passengers who were caught up in traffic jams on the notorious Stratford Road before it was designated a red route.

THOSE of us who slump on our sofas in front of the television, can of beer at hand, half-eaten pizza nearby, will find it hard to believe the achievement of Birmingham policeman Steve Haywood.

He has just run 87 miles from London's Marble Arch to Dover, spent 16 hours swimming 22 miles across the English Channel and then cycled 180 miles to the Arc de Triomphe in Paris.

AS THE able-bodied go about their lives, they barely notice the steps, narrow doorways and tight corners they encounter daily.

But to those who are less mobile, these can be hurdles that are insurmountable.

BIG-hearted Maisie Gabriel-Allison, who has spent nearly two decades providing love and comfort to other people's children, is a remarkable woman.

Maisie opens her Weoley Castle home to offer respite care at weekends and evenings to youngsters with special needs.

JOHN Cadbury, the man who set up a coffee shop in Bull Street, Birmingham, in 1824 which grew into a global empire, must be turning in his grave.

The world-famous Cadbury chocolate-making process, for nearly 200 years a proud byword for Birmingham's enduring presence on the global manufacturing stage, is being part-franchised to Poland.

He's making quite a name for himself is young Wilson Palacios.

The Honduran midfielder, as Steve Bruce told the Birmingham Mail, continues to impress on a daily basis.

Bruce likened Palacios to a young Paul Ince.

And his goal against West Ham United's reserves was compared to Archie Gemmill's famous solo effort at the 1978 World Cup (the high spot of an hilarious campaign by our friends north of the border).

Praise indeed.

If not from his football, Palacios can be easily identified on the pitch by his bright yellow boots.

And but for a spur of the moment decision, his mop of shaggy hair would have been a trademark as well.

Palacios decided to shave it all off the night before his debut at Liverpool, and all by himself.

It left his team mates in stitches as he had missed great big clumps of it.

I couldn't help but giggle at the hilarious antics over at radio WM the other night when Daz Hale turned Stoke City fan Nick Hancock into a right numpty.

The 'comic', I believe is his trade, rang in to the live phone-in programme to complain that his club's name was being muddied by Hale following the 1-1 draw at Albion on Wednesday night.

A number of things occured to me while travelling down to Southampton on Saturday.
Firstly, was the shocking intensity of that van blaze on the M40 near Banbury.
Secondly, who was that 'pedestrian' (according to the warning signs) marching down the hard shoulder of the M40, this time nearer to Oxford, and was he 'captured' in time'?
Thirdly, where was the football traffic?
Ah yes, the football traffic...

And then I remembered - Saturdays are now reserved for WAG shopping and Uefa Cup recovery rather than Premiership football. It seems Blackburn were far too tired to play Blues on a Saturday after playing a side of Greek holidaymakers last Thursday, while the mighty Bolton were shattered after scraping past Macedonian 'Workers' (which is what Rabotnicki means in English)
Most of the games took place today apart from West Ham's visit to Villa, who bore everyone to tears anyway, and Manchester United's thrashing of a rugby league team called Wigan.
The rest were on a Sunday. A day for church, resting, roasts, Formula One and for laughing at the Scotland rugby team.
Whatever happens on the Sabbath, Sundays are certainly not for football.

And there is the lesson to all Baggies fans. Your team might be fighting for promotion back to the Premiership but I wonder whether it might be less hassle staying out of the Greed League - is there any fun trying to be 17th? - and sticking it out with the likes of Norwich, Palace and, heaven help us, Stoke City in the second tier. At least you know where you are on a Saturday afternoon.
In my case it meant spending yesterday afternoon enthusing over a stunning cruise liner docked in Southampton marina, listening to anti-Burma protesters playing the Bongos in the coastal city's shopping centre before watching an entertaining football match at St Mary's. The alternative would have been a trip to Ikea, Merry Hill or the Bullring.
And, quite frankly, that really doesn't bear thinking about.

CLAD in masks and bizarre outfits, the trick-or-treaters who appear on doorsteps at Halloween unintentionally frighten many people, especially the elderly.

They also put themselves at risk of injury or worse by wandering the streets after dark.

AMID the hurly-burly of a suburban shopping street, St Barnabas Church has stood with quiet solidity for generations.

It is one of those solid, old churches that remind us of values that have remained constant and comforting while the world around has changed.

Foot-and-Mouth disease is something that regularly comes and goes in the news.
Well when it comes to John Toshack, Foot-in-Mouth has never been away. (see what I did there!!!)
The ever-insightful Welsh boss can now add Mick McCarthy to the expanding list of footballing folk he has alienated after his ill-advised comments about Freddy Eastwood last week.
Tosh decided to throw a few brickbats at both McCarthy and Derby boss Billy Davies for spending big bucks on Eastwood and Robert Earnshaw in the summer – and then not playing them.
As McCarthy himself said with a smile: “Good old Tosh.�
After all, Toshack is of course the manager who has seen Eastwood play in all his games so far this season.
He is of course the manager who sees him train every day, who chats to him about his game, what improvements are required, how he is settling into his change of environment.
Oops. Sorry, I forgot. It’s not Toshack who manages Eastwood day-to-day and knows how best to treat him. It’s McCarthy. Silly old me. Good old Tosh.

THE noises emerging from government circle suggest that money has finally been made available to transform Birmingham's ramshackle New Street Station.

Now it is up to all those involved in this process to work diligently but swiftly to tie up any loose ends so this long-awaited scheme can finally go ahead.

WHATEVER happens to Niki Evans in the X Factor final, her story is extraordinary.

Here is a mother-of-two who works as a school catering manager and whose teenage dreams of showbiz stardom appeared to have evaporated.

There's clearly something in the water at Albion's Walsall-based training ground.

Not only did Paul Robinson and Kevin Phillips go white overnight a few weeks back - concocting some likely story about a barbecue, peer pressure and a bottle of Peroxide - but one of Albion's prominent first-teamers has now been forced out of the club's unofficial 'Alice Band' brigade after having his hair lopped off.

The Baggies star looks so different that many of the club's staff didn't even recognise him when he turned up for training today.

So who is the mystery man with the newly-lowered ears? Come back tomorrow and I'll reveal all...

Yes, that's right, it's a question I'm asking, not the title of an entry where I'm about to tell you what's going on in this multi-media world. Blogs, websites, breaking news online, video journalism, Google, You Tube... which is the winner in the ethernet, and which should be concentrated on by us old print hacks who are such professionals at, er, print journalism?
Today I was discussing training budgets for next year for the Birmingham Mail, and the subject again was a bit of a lottery. Should we send four, eight or 12 print hacks on a basic video-journalism course to add to our current VJ team of one? Or is the SEO course the one we should be reserving places on (search engine optimisation)?

OPEN your eyes and ears to the city around you before growing too alarmed by a report which suggests that Birmingham's status as a great place to do business is dwindling.

According to the Cushman and Wakefield European Monitor, Birmingham is no longer a top twenty city.

THERE will be tears on Monday as friends and relatives gather to mourn the loss of Katy Rose, who died at the age of 21 just two weeks after giving birth.

But let us hope there are smiles, too, as members of the congregation remember a kind-hearted, happy woman who was loved by those around her and returned that affection.

It was the question which kept you all awake at night - stop sniggering - so here's the answer.

So who was the former long haired hero who had taken a pair of scissors to his mane?

Step forward Carl Hoefkens.

The Belgian marched into the training ground yesterday to looks of 'we know you...but we're not sure where from.'

Dean Kiely had a bit more to say about it when the Birmingham Mail caught up with him at lunchtime.

"I normally room with Steelie but I roomed with Carl last Friday and I don't know if I had an effect but he didn't mention his hair so it was a surprise to see it.

"Jono told me that Carl had had his hair cut so I just thought he'd had a trim but he's gone the whole hog, it's all come off and quite spiky - it's very fashionable actually."

There is none of this 'Alice Band' or ponytail nonsense as far as Kiely is concerned.

When asked whether he would be following the likes of Greening and Koren in growing his own hair, he added: "I have no plans to grow mine. I did mine back in 1992 ...when it was fashionable."

Ouch.

So the secret is out although I hear Tony Mowbray let the cat out of the bag at yesterday's Supporters' Forum.

Speaking of which, the Baggies boss was none too pleased to see some of his comments from the meeting - which was supposed to be kept 'within the four walls' - splashed all over some of the fans' message boards today, not least as one or two of his observations were apparently taken out of context.

Ouch. Again.

WE make snap judgments on the wannabe celebrities who strut their stuff on television programmes such as The X Factor.

Yet we seldom see behind the glitzy image and manufactured personalities that they, as performers, adopt.

NO PRIZES for guessing who would eventually pick up the bill if Birmingham City Council continues to let its spending soar out of control – us.

Today comes the alarming news that just four months into the financial year, the authority is heading towards a £10 million overspend.

Steve Bruce, Blues longest-serving manager of the post-War years.

Time flies, doesn't it.

But will Bruce fly, or be swatted, after all the ructions regarding Carson Yeung's decision to block his new contract?

In Yeung's eyes, it might all be a big fuss about nothing.

He has always said that he likes Bruce and wants him to stay when his takeover is complete.

But by using his veto, he has stirred up a right hornet's nest.

It has brought into focus not just Bruce's future, but plonked a general cloud of uncertainty over St Andrew's.

Concern about Yeung's plans and the way he is to raise the capital to fund his purchase through Grandtop International has also been questioned.

Check out an outsider's take on the saga - Martin Samuel's piece in The Times is excellent.
link
When Bruce and Yueng meet ahead of the Manchester City game, issues need to be sorted, the air needs to be cleared. That cloud has to be lifted.

Yeung has to tell the supporters just what his intentions are and Blues must let him have his say.

It's in his and the club's best interests for that to happen after all.

Dutch footballers are technically excellent but woefully daft at times.

Take Johan Cruyff for instance. Holland's No.14 was without doubt one of the finest footballers of all time. Yet during the 1974 World Cup he spent so much time squabbling with his team-mates about sponsorship issues - the Puma-backed genius wore two stripes on his shirt sleeves while he team-mates fulfilled their adidas obligations by wearing three - that the whole team flopped in the final against West Germany. And then, when at his peak, he made himself unavailable for the 1978 World Cup because, well, he couldn't really be bothered.

In 1996 Edgar Davids was sent home from the European Championships in England for suggesting that coach Gus Hiddink's head was stuck somewhere rather dark and unpleasant.

And, since then we've had racial tensions between players, a succession of shoot-out miseries and a tendency to choke at crucial moments.

And now Ryan Babel has topped that. The Liverpool forward missed a training session and pre-match nosh up before the Euro 2008 qualifiers because, according to coach Marco van Basten, he had 'overslept'.

All of which is nothing new to Albion fans and their own experience of a sleepy Dutchman back in 1999.

Thinking that the Easter Monday game against Crewe would be an evening kick-off, the legendary Fabian De Freitas spent the afternoon having a pleasant kip while frantic Albion officials struggled to contact him. His girlfriend, showing loyalty to her partner beyond the call of duty, rather unhelpfully ignored the phone calls.

Meanwhile, over at the Hawthorns, Denis Smith's Albion side, sans De Freitas, were busy getting battered 5-1.

Sherjill MacDonald and Shelton Martis - your cards are marked...

OKAY not Rod, Jane and Freddy but Steve, Jay and Freddy.
But you see where I’m coming from.
In Wolves’ case the question of the week is who gets the nod to partner Andy Keogh up front in Saturday’s clash of the promotion-chasers with Charlton at Molineux.
Keogh and Stephen Elliott have been Mick McCarthy’s main partnership of choice so far this season.
But with Elliott having last week returned home from Republic of Ireland duty with a hamstring problem and unlikely to be fit for the weekend, it’s down to a two-horse race between Jay Bothroyd and Freddy Eastwood.
And Bothroyd’s lively performance and goal for the reserves against Shrewsbury on Monday afternoon means he’s probably just about nudged his nose in front.
With the fallout of his two public and early-season spats with McCarthy now pretty much eroded by his knuckling down since, the former Charlton man said this afternoon he is now desperate to be “let loose� against his most previous club.
And I don’t think he was talking about the 90’s boyband with the dodgy barnets.
Eastwood may have to come up on the rails as his travails with Wales on Saturday were about as subdued as his last Wolves performance as a second half substitute against Coventry.
But like Bothroyd, he boasts explosive finishing power, and remains the club’s top scorer with four so far.
Don’t forget too that Eastwood may get the chance to stake another claim and don his shooting boots for Wales against San Marino on Wednesday night.
So Steve, Jay or Freddy?
Whoever of the latter two gets the nod will be hoping to see some light at the end of the rainbow come 3pm on Saturday.

According to the "Atlas of Bird Migration" (quite a thick book so everything in it must be true): "Contrary to popular belief, there is no such creature as a "seagull". Although many gulls are birds of inshore waters and some rarely leave the open ocean, others nest far from any ocean and, during migration, cross the prairie grasses and farmland that characterises the American Great Plains - the antithesis of "seagull" habitat."

So, there you have it. I, and others inside and outside the Edgbaston press-box, can only admit, candidly and shamefully, that we were wrong. Sincere apologies.

ONCE a humble bag of cheese and onion crisps reigned supreme in our pubs, but times have changed.

Their menus now boast dishes that wouldn't be out of place in a fancy restaurant. And, inevitably, the prices reflect this.

OUR leafy suburbs are one of the glories of England. And central to their verdant appeal are extensive gardens that allow plants and wildlife to flourish.

Yet more and more gardens are being developed to make way for new housing.

Simon Jordan and Neil Warnock, the 'dream ticket' according to the Crystal Palace chairman.

Gawd help us.

But smile not, Blues fans. Imagine Warnock down St Andrew's way?

Not so far fetched, actually.

Warnock was a serious contender for the manager's job back in the day.

David Sullivan has always liked Warnock's ability to organise, motivate and get results on limited resources.

And when Trevor Francis was put on his bike, Warnock was up there among the replacements being seriously considered.

Had Steve Bruce not untangled himself from the legalities of leaving/quitting/being sacked by Jordan, you never know . . .

Warnock has always been complimentary to Blues board in his public comments as well.

Sullivan has always been a fan of Mick McCarthy's too, going back to his time with Ireland.

WE IGNORE at our peril the challenges created by massive immigration.

Waiting in the shadows are ill-intentioned extremists ready to exploit the concerns of ordinary, decent people who feel they are being neglected by mainstream politicians.

THE nation's eyes will be on Birmingham in December when the BBC Sports Personality of the Year event heads back to the NEC.

It is a major feather in this city's cap that we have been chosen to host these prestigious awards – especially in a year when the English rugby team and racing driver Lewis Hamilton have achieved so much.

WOKE up this morning, got showered, put on my £50 Asda suit...checked my telephone for text alerts or missed calls from anyone at Aston Villa...nope, nothing there.....thank God!

My heart couldn't have taken it. Why break the habit of a lifetime just when everyone is starting to enjoy themselves!

Mick McCarthy may have been called many things by his Irish detractors down the years.

But even they must surely never be able to doubt his courage.

The Wolves manager made a quick hop across the Irish Sea on Tuesday night to take in England under-21s game with the Republic. And it wasn’t to check on the progress of his own winger Michael Kightly (who wasn’t even on the bench, probably to McCarthy’s satisfaction!).

Tony Mowbray celebrates his first anniversary at the club today but life at The Hawthorns could have been so different...

Mowbray was one of three candidates shortlisted for the job and got voted in unanimously by the Albion board.

The other two candidates? Now that would be telling.

HOSPITALS are in the spotlight today – and it's a case of the good, the bad and the very, very ugly.

Good because three local health trusts – Birmingham Children's Hospital, the Heart of England and South Staffordshire and Shropshire Mental Healthcare – have been revealed by official figures to be among the best in the country.

IF YOU need reminding, Christmas is well and truly on the horizon. And it looks like it's going to be a cracking one here in Birmingham.

The Sugababes have been lined up to switch on the city's festive lights at Millennium Point on November 10 after a fivehour free concert featuring McFly, Leonna Lewis and Scouting For Girls.

Just when we thought 2007 would be a year to entirely forget for the Bears, October has brought glory. Paul Warren has swept magnificently into the regional final of Britain's Best Dish (ITV 5pm).
His exquisite trout mousse had Jilly Goolden drooling (I think it was over the mousse) and wiped the floor with the fry-up served up by his opponent Mike.
In a thrilling, end-to-end encounter, Mike warned: "I'm going to trounce his trout mousse!" But Paul cleverly declined to get drawn into a war of words, honed his horse-radish sauce to perfection and kept his nerve brilliantly to produce what one judge described as "a true classic."

THE echo from the horrific bomb attack on Benazir Bhutto will reverberate around the world.

For make no mistake: this was an attack on democracy and tolerance by hate-filled fanatics who are opposed to such values.

FEW tears will be shed for the seven thugs who have been jailed for their involvement with dog fighting in Birmingham.

Indeed, many people will think the four and six month sentences should have been a whole lot longer.

Sometimes it's the little things that give it away.

If anyone thinks Steve Bruce's mind is on the Bolton Wanderers job, or pastures new in general, think again.

IT’S all starting to get rather humorous at Bolton Wanderers.

Not only have the Trotters had permission to speak to Blues boss Steve Bruce rejected, they’ve also been turned down in their attempts to discuss their vacant managerial position with Real Sociedad’s Chris Coleman and Leicester’s former Albion boss Gary Megson as well.

And apparently they have also been in touch with the available former Wigan manager Paul Jewell.

Doesn’t exactly strike you as a club which knows what it’s doing. And while it is neither big nor clever to laugh at other football club’s misfortune, in this instance it’s flipping hilarious.

I must have felt a bit like the white-suited Ricardo Montalban on Fantasy Island yesterday.

The star of the late 1970s TV blockbuster: "Fantasy Island" used to get up close and personal to his 'Tattoo' as his character Mr Roarke, the wise-old fox of an overseer of a mysterious island somewhere in the Pacific Ocean.

Tattoo, played by the diminutive Herve Villechaize, would bound up and down a tree having caught sight of the week's guests.

Anyway....I'm losing my point. I saw the Tattoo yesterday...there at the Holte Hotel.

Temporary stands, terracing, a partisan crowd and a press box which could be best described as cosy - welcome to Layer Road.

In fairness I was making my final trip to Colchester's stadium - assuming the FA Cup draw doesn't throw up any nasty surprises - as the Essex boys will be off to pastures new, presumably a bland new home next to a McDonalds and maybe even a Frankie and Benny's.

The less said about Albion's performance the better. You can read all about that particular ordeal in Monday's Birmingham Mail.

But a few things did occur to me during the match...