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Tis the season to be jolly

Christmas is just round the corner. It’s a time of celebration, to be with the family, to set aside your differences and love your fellow man (in a peace and happiness way, not the Adam and Eve physical kind of love he enjoys with men). So why are there so many miserable chuffers about? Blues are top, we rode our luck against Preston, we were given a penalty, we saw a hat-trick scored by a Blues player and we're privileged enough to watch one of the most exciting young forwards in Europe, yet we're still miserable.

Just the other week I was proud to announce that the Bluenoses of Small Heath Alliance had clubbed together to buy Ryan Hunt, his mate and an adult a season ticket for the rest of the season so they can watch Blues race to the Premier League. Just to recap, Ryan lost his mum (who was 8 months pregnant) and his 9 year old brother when a car driver lost control and crashed into the family. Ryan also suffered a broken leg and is in the process of recovering from both his physical and mental injuries. With kind thanks to BCFC, it was arranged for Cameron Jerome to hand the tickets over to the lads. The presentation on the pitch was a done a couple of hours before the Preston game. Ryan and his mate, Keighan, turned up along with some of Keighan's family. The two 7 year olds were just like any 7 year old lads. Both were chuffed to pieces to be at the football club they love, to walk onto the turf at St Andrews and to meet rising star Cameron Jerome. The photos in the Evening Mail show just how big those smiles were.

I asked Cindy, Keighan's mum, how Ryan was adjusting. She told me that Ryan has good days and bad days, but he's slowly coming to terms with the fact he's lost his mum and brother. His forthcoming birthday and then Christmas will be the big tests for the young lad. By all accounts and understandably his Dad Scott is struggling and now is the time he'll be calling on family and friends for support.

The photo session went well. Cameron was great with the lads and they enjoyed a kick about in the centre circle. I did get a bit worried when Keighan tried to take Jerome's legs. That might explain why he pulled up near the end of the game. Kids of today, no respect for their elders. Steve, sorry about the state of your pitch!

Unfortunately, both for me and the general public, my photo appeared in the papers. I hate having my photo taken. Not just because I'm Marty Feldman's uglier older brother but photos feel to me to be really unnatural when you have to pose for them, I just become awkward and ungainly. I should have taken a leaf out of the lads' book. They posed like film stars and the produced the biggest heart warming smiles you've ever seen.

Anyway, later on the week I received the following e-mail from Cindy:-

Richard

Just like to say a huge thank you to you and all that contributed for the tickets.

We had a great game and the seats are excellent, Ryan did manage to stay for half the game but his leg started to hurt so had to leave.

I would be very grateful if you could say thank you to all concerned

You have put faith back into Scott and myself- you hear all the time that people are just interested in themselves but you have proved that wrong

Once again Thank you from the bottom of our hearts

Cindy



This week sees Birmingham go to Hillsborough, scene of the one of the most horrific tragedies in British Football. On 15 April 1989, 96 football fans lost their lives when the ground became over crowded and people began to panic. Not only did thousands of people inside the ground witness the horror, but the whole nightmare was played out in front of countless television viewers. I won't go into the whys and whereabouts. At the end of the day, almost one hundred people died, affecting countless people and changing forever the face of English football.

Many people this Christmas will be alone, or at home, thinking about a loved one lost. Make the most of your family, give thanks for what you’ve got, celebrate Christmas like you mean it and raise a glass that you're fortunate enough to be here with your mates and your kin to see Blues playing with a spirit and passion they lacked in the last couple of years

Have a very happy Christmas and here's to a prosperous New Year.
posted by kwacky at 11:56 pm

 
Bring out your dead

After a promising start to the year with the loss of both Shelley Winters and Wilson Pickett, the celebrity death event has been a little bit of a let down this year. With Gene Pitney being the only known name bothering to make the effort throughout the whole of spring and summer, it was left to Steve Irwin to romp home with this year's 'Celebrity Death Of The Year' title with his uniquely magnificent creation whilst out filming in Queensland's Great Barrier Reef.

Richard Hammmond's copycat attempt at getting himself mullered whilst filming was quite frankly, an embarrassment to the whole of England. Our latest offereing (some bloke off Talk Radio) has epitomised just how far down the celebrity death rankings we have slipped and following General Pinochet's demise we are even languishing behind such celebrity-less countries as Chile. Is it any wonder that the Aussies went on to wop us in the Ashes?

Organisers of 'Celebrity Death Of The Year' have expressed their disappointment at this year's turn-out and have blamed it on an attack of common sense breaking out but are confident that there will be a much stronger field next year. One high ranking official was quoted as saying 'it hasn't quite been the same since golfers stopped flying to tournaments'. Early favourites for this coming year include Baroness Thatcher, Pete Doherty and Richard Hammond (yeah right!). Betting is a little slow so far but officials are investigating a rather large wager placed in the Liverpool area on X Factor winner Leona Lewis by a punter known only as Ray.
posted by kwacky at 11:54 pm

 
Cardiff Revisited


















posted by kwacky at 1:38 pm

 
FANS DIG DEEP FOR RYAN


Big-hearted Blues fans have raised hundreds of pounds to fund a season ticket for a seven-year-old boy who saw his brother and pregnant mother killed on a Birmingham road, writes Emma Cullwick in today's Birmingham Mail.

Members of the Small Heath Alliance, a club for Birmingham City supporters, were so touched when they read an article in the Birmingham Mail about Ryan Hunt that they decided they wanted to provide some cheer for the youngster.

The Mail reported how the youngster's best friend, Keighan Bowles, also seven, had asked Blues bosses if they could do anything to help put a smile on Ryan's face.

His inquiry resulted in the club playing host to Ryan and Keighan - giving them their own box, making Ryan mascot and allowing him to meet the whole team.

In a bid to keep the young Blues fan smiling, the Small Heath Alliance have now rallied together to raise almost £1,000 to fund season tickets for Ryan, Keighan and one adult.

A member of the alliance, explained: "We couldn't believed what happened to Ryan when we read it in the Mail.

"We saw that he was a big fan of the Blues and we knew we had to do something for him. We put a note on our internet site asking members for donations and I was overwhelmed that in just nine hours we had raised more than enough money.

"We get abuse from posting things on our forums but this shows that it can do a lot of good and the fans look out for one another."

SHA surprised Ryan and Keighan with the tickets at the Blues ground on Saturday.

"It's just nice to be able to do something to help Ryan after he has suffered so much heartache,"

Ryan was also hit by the car but escaped with a broken leg in the horrific hit-and-run, which claimed the life of his mum Sarah-Jayne, 28, who was eight months pregnant, and his brother, nine-year-old Kieran.

Sarah-Jayne, of Speedwell Road, Hay Mills, was separated from Scott Hunt, of Yew Tree Lane, and also had two young daughters from a new relationship.

Disabled Mr Hunt, who is in his 30s, was about to collect Ryan and Kieran after school when the incident happened on Coventry Road in October.

Ibrer Faisel, aged 19, of Mansel Road, Small Heath, has been remanded in custody charged with manslaughter, causing death by dangerous driving and criminal damage.
posted by kwacky at 7:24 pm

 
Blue-Qaeda – A New Axis of Evil



Following the home defeat at the hands of Norwich, there were grumbles from the crowd. This appeared to take Bruce by surprise.

Ignoring the poor football of the last 2 years, the biggest home defeat since time started, relegation with the best ever squad of players (not my words) and certainly the most expensive team we’ve ever owned, ignoring even the poor start to the season with a fresh young team full of energy and promise, Bruce had a point. The fans had been incredibly patient up until that Norwich game.

So who was to blame for this unexpected display of disloyalty? According to Bruce, it was a mere 200 fans (and latterly 500) who wanted his head and all of those fans were internet users. Not real fans. Not the fans who go to away games, or the fans who have owned season tickets since they can remember, but internet fans. Like Al-Qaeda, these monsters of terror are never seen. They are shadows in the night. As Bush and Blair urge the western world to fight a war of terror against enemies who walk amongst us, Steve Bruce and Tom Ross have donned their tights and pants and now the caped crusaders will fight for justice, truth and the Bluenose way.

So who are these Blue-Qaeda, these now fabled warriors of the internet? These despicable creatures who dare point out our managers shortcomings?

I’ll tell you who they are.

A couple of months ago, a young lad, aged 7, was leaving school. With him was his mum, who was 8 months pregnant, and his 9 year old brother. Ryan had enjoyed a normal day at school. Now it was time to go home. Mum no doubt had her hands full with her 2 lads and the large bump, a bump soon to be Ryan’s latest sibling. A moment later Ryan was lying on the floor, in pain. His leg was broken. A car had ploughed into this young family. The broken leg was the least of the injuries. Ryan’s mum, Ryan’s brother and Ryan’s new brother or sister were gone. Cruelly and tragically taken away from him by a reckless car driver.

The driver has been remanded in custody charged with manslaughter, causing death by dangerous driving and criminal damage. But that’s of scant consolation to Ryan. His world had been torn apart by the actions of one reckless person. Take into account that Ryan’s dad is confined to a wheelchair and you can see that this lad hasn’t had the easiest start in life.

So where is the silver lining? Enter Keighan, Ryan’s best mate. Keighan was fortunate to have been given a tour of St Andrews. Whilst been shown around and having a good time, the boy could only think of his friend. He told Blues of the plight his friend found himself in. Blues arranged for the two boys to have a VIP day – meet the players, play on the pitch and be treated like royalty for the day.

When this story was linked onto Small Heath Alliance, it was agreed to raise some fund for the 2 lads and an adult, so they could see their beloved Blues on their way back into the Premier league.

Now with Small Heath Alliance being an internet site, it stands to reason that it’s populated by the modern day keyboard versions of Bin Laden, Genghis Khan, Adolf Hitler and Maggie Thatcher. No doubt this internet Axis of Evil had already found a way to make the most out of this poor lad’s unfortunate circumstances. They dug deep and within 9 hours the funds needed for the tickets had been raised. With the kind help of Anji and Ryan from BCFC the season tickets have been bought and they’ve arranged for the tickets to be handed over to the lads by Cameron Jerome before the Preston game.

Any surplus cash will be donated to the Birmingham Disabled Supporters Club. At the time of writing that cheque will be in the region of £500.

So, Steve and Tom (can I call you by your first names?) just for the record, we of the internet aren’t as evil as you make out. We decided to help Ryan and Keighan for the same reasons we have a go at you. We are Bluenoses. We love Blues.. When a Bluenose falls, 10 will step forward to pick him up. When a Bluenose makes a mistake, 10 will step forward and tell him so. We’re a family, we’re regulars in the same pub, we’re not always the best of mates and like any family we’ll have our tiffs and squabbles, but to brand us as evil and to doubt our tenacity as fans is clearly wrong. These fans have been incredibly patient with you and to attack the fanbase, no matte where they air their views, is dangerous ground.

Steve, I don’t mind admitting I might have got you wrong, can you do the same?


posted by kwacky at 10:13 am