Birmingham Mail

With Alex McLeish poised to take the helm at Blues over the next 24 hours, a couple of interesting points:

* Three of the managers on the Midlands patch will now have bossed in the Scottish Premier League. McLeish (Motherwell/Hibernian/Rangers), Martin O’Neill (Celtic) and Tony Mowbray (Hibernian).
* And in the style of Have I got News for You, who is now the odd one out?Martin O’Neill of course. His first name begins with ‘M’ while for the rest (McLeish, Mowbray, McCarthy and Money) it’s the surname beginning with ‘M’. Steve McClaren for Villa anyone?

Mmm. Didn't think so....

When I was 10-years-old I recall racing out of my bed one November morning and rushing downstairs to the Lepkowski family TV - a massive 32 inch Nordmende from Lewis's no less -and typing in that magic number on Ceefax. It was the three digit number for the motor sport page.

The headline, and it was 21-years ago so bear with me for any minor inaccuracies, was something about 'Mansell', 'tyre', 'blow-out' and 'Prost'.

Alain Prost had won the title he should never have won.

It was 1986. And I was absorbed by a Formula One season - involving a last race shoot-out between three drivers - which would lead to me watching each race religiously during my teens, wanting a Nigel Mansell moustache, mourning the death of my hero Ayrton Senna and wondering whether Michael Schumacher was a robot or just a cocky German who was rather good. I was even privileged enough to work as a journalist in motor sport in the late 1990s but by then my interest was on the wane. All of a sudden F1 became as interesting as an episode of Countryfile.

And then along came Lewis Hamilton.

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 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.