Postcard from the Wales

Some thoughts:

1. Had to smile when I heard about a media colleague who left Birmingham at 5pm for last night's game at Cardiff and checked in with the radio commentator, with whom he was working alongside, to inform him that he would be arriving at 6.40pm, according to the time displayed on his satnav. No problem there then.
But then came another call.
It seems our friend had forgotten to change his clock following last Sunday's switch to BST and was in fact due to arrive at Ninian Park at 7.40pm - five minutes before the kick-off. Cue a rather flustered radio summariser racing through the crowds to reach his seat just as the teams were coming out.

2. Albion were somewhat surprised to learn that the London hotel they intended to use ahead of Saturday's FA Cup semi-final had already been booked up by another football club. Not only that, but this particular club had even gone to the trouble of also booking the same hotel for the FA Cup Final, which they were supremely confident of being involved in.

In seems Manchester United's loss will be Albion's gain when the Baggies make the most of the cancellation this Friday.

3. As a journalist I'm strongly against those who give my industry a bad name by deliberately manipulating or, in this case, changing quotes for their own means. Tony Mowbray revealed that the first FA Cup Final he remembered was from 1969 (when Manchester City played Leicester City), adding that the first he actually recalled watching was the following year's epic between Leeds and Chelsea. The reporter from this particular national newspaper, who attended the press conference, claimed Mowbray had stated 1968 as his earliest FA Cup memory. He hadn't and, what's more, Mowbray repeated several times that it was 1969. It may be a small detail but it goes against the grain of what the press should be about. And, more to the point, it's plain rubbish.

Besides, Tony Mowbray was four-years-old in 1968 - do any of you honestly remember what you were doing when you were that age?

4. Was there any need for the Highways Agency to divert drivers off the northbound M50 by sending them about 10 miles SOUTH? Furthermore, is there any need for an entire motorway to be closed off when they know thousands of football fans are due to travel on that particular route? It's about time these people wore traffic cones - with a big 'D' - on their head.

5. "Well done lads...I hope you can go all the way. All the best." - Jason Koumas wishes his former club well in the FA Cup. By former club I mean Cardiff. But, Jason, what about the club who saved your career by welcoming you back from your self-imposed strike and then granted you the move you so desperately wanted to the Premier League? Tact, like tackling, never was Koumas' strongest point.

6. "Welcome to Cardiff, capital of Wales," was the greeting broadcast over the tannoy to Albion fans yesterday. Which is a bit like saying, "Welcome to Bilston, capital of Wolverhampton."