Beijing bound

Blues arrived in a smoggy and rainy Beijing today after lifting silverware - sorry, make that the first silverware of the season.

The Xtep Cup safely in the bag after the 3-2 victory over the Hong Kong League Select, it was a four-hour flight to mainland China and the capital, 1,200 miles to the north east.

Blues trained at the National Stadium next door to the magnificent Bird's Nest Olympic Stadium, where Wednesday's friendly against Beijing Guoan will be held.

There was a muggy feel about the afternoon, the Beijing weather a lot different to the mainly hot and sunny Hong Kong.

The squad were just glad to get out on the pitch and go through their routines after an early start to the day and a mix-up over baggage handling at Beijing's airport.

Ben Foster, Garry O'Connor, Keith Fahey and Craig Gardner kept everyone waiting and feared their luggage had been lost.

It transpired eager staff had already hoisted them off and stored them on the connecting coach to the hotel.

At immigration, Blues pretty much sailed through the VIP channel although Jordon Mutch might want to remember the correct etiquette in such a country as this. Any country, in fact.

Having handed over his arrival card to the grim-faced official sitting behind his desk, he then just waltzed through, passport in hand, into the distance.

Poor Enric Valles was next in line and ordered to get him back by the now very sternly-faced official. His plaintive cries of 'Jor-dan' in broken English didn't have the desired result so he scurried through to drag him back.

The night before, after the victory over the Hong Kong League Select, Blues were required to attend a charity dinner with Alex McLeish a top table guest next to Carson Yeung.

It was a 10 course affair - yes, 10. The starter was suckling pig, then shredded smoked chicken, ginger scallops with asparagus, sliced alberoni fillet in oyster sauce, the feast continued with other delicacies including shark fin soup with crab meat, shrimp dumpling with noodles, mango sago and the finest Chinese petits fours.

The half-time catering at St Andrew's should be interesting this season, then . . .

Cameron Jerome and Liam Ridgewell left quids in - if not squids in - after it was announced they had been named striker of the match and defender of the match for Blues. They were each were presented with a cheque for HK$ 3,000.

Nice work if you can get it, although Blues midfield contingent were less than impressed - what about us, they grumbled.

About 13,000 attended the opening tour friendly, and there was keen media interest as well as enthusiastic local support.

Nikola Zigic was particulalry mobbed by autograph hunters and, from the way he carried himself and was treated, Yeung is a powerful figure in Hong Kong circles.

He donated HK$ 1.25 million to the Hong Kong FA at half-time, handing over a giant cheque to their president Timothy Fok - for Fok's sake, you might say - and presented the Xtep Cup to Stephen Carr.