Recently by Mat Kendrick

RATHER than Keep Right On To The End Of The Road, Big Eck should take the high road regardless of what happens in the promotion race.

Alex McLeish might not thank me for saying it but he should bid farewell to St Andrew's either tomorrow morning or the morning after the play-offs.

If Blues fail to win promotion from the Championship this season then the decision will almost certainly be taken out of the Scotsman's hands.

WHEN it comes to anatomy, it's fair to say I don't know my gluteus maximus from my humerus.

Which is why I had to consult a medical book to try to appreciate the full extent of Eduardo Alves da Silva's horrific injury after witnessing his trauma at St Andrew's almost exactly a year ago.

It was clear the Arsenal striker had hurt his ankle at 3.08pm on Saturday, February 23, 2008 (you didn't need to be a TV researcher on Casualty to work that much out).

BLUENOSE Paul Devlin has welcomed the signing of Marcus Bent - despite admitting scrapping with the striker during a bust-up at Sheffield United.

Devlin and Bent's bloody battle at Bramall Lane was first revealed in the Made in Sheffield autobiography of former Blades boss Neil Warnock last year.

Warnock wrote that the former St Andrew's favourite head-butted Bent during a dressing room brawl after an on-pitch row.

But, although Devlin admits the scuffle took place, he believes Bent will be a great success with Blues.

BIRMINGHAM newboy Marcus Bent is tipping old pal Martin Taylor to bounce back with a vengeance from his Eduardo-gate character assassination.

Taylor went from gentle giant to public enemy number one after his tackle on the Arsenal star was blown up out of all proportion by Arsene Wenger.

The Blues defender was portrayed as a cynical hatchet man when Wenger misjudged Taylor's intentions in the challenge that broke Eduardo's leg.

But Bent, who joined Blues from Charlton last month, believes his former Blackburn team-mate will come back stronger after the over-the-top criticism.

SPARE a thought for former Blues defender Jeff Kenna who is getting a tough introduction to football management as boss of Galway United in his native Ireland.

Kenna was enticed back to the Emerald Isle by the opportunity to launch a coaching career with the Eircom League Premier Division club a couple of months ago.

Galway are believed to have offered Kenna and ex-Kidderminster Harriers physio Ian Foster a tempting financial package to take charge at Terryland Park.

But since then Irish eyes have not been smiling on Kenna and his team are second bottom. With the board said to be squeezing his playing budget, Kenna has won just two, drawn four and suffered eight defeats in his first 14 league games at the helm.

So it's just as well the club have a chief executive used to financial struggles and damaging losses.

The director in question? Former rogue trader Nick Leeson, the man whose stock market risk-taking led to the collapse of Barings Bank!