Birmingham Mail and Villa coverage

[E I Adio]

I am still convinced Birmingham had two Saturday evening papers before the Mail and Despatch merged. The Argus was actually the Despatch's title, The Mail's publication was light blue. Or so I am convinced. There was also a Sporting Buff for horse racing.

Yes, the Mail's was a broadsheet as I recall and blue - often referred to as "The Blue Mail," but The Argus was the sports paper of choice for most and saw off The Blue Mail, presumably when the Despatch and Mail merged, following which the newspaper sellers in the city centre were no longer able to use their famous "..spatch-or-Mail" cry.

[E I Adio]

Still got the pink argus from when we battered cov and Savo got a hat trick.

I still have a copy of the Argus from 27th Feb 1971. It was little compensation for missing the game, even though we lost and my decision to go ahead with the wedding that day proved to have a rather more seriously poor outcome.

[Steve R]

...
I think a few regions had a 'Sporting Pink'. Although if I remember right from away trips with Villa in the eighties, Yorkshire had a 'Sporting Green'.

Sheeffield had a Green 'Un - it was actually called that - published by the Sheffield Star. I saw one once and couldn't understand why it was so called when clearly it was pink. It was fkin ace being a student back in the day.

(Leeds) Yorkshire Evening Post's saturday offering may well have been green too, but it was a different publication.

I lived in Sheffield for a while but I dont ever remember The Green Un being Pink it was always Green. The Pink Un was called The racing Pink so maybe thats what you are Thinking of?

Oh yes, the Green Un was definitely green. My comment referred more to the state I was in when I first saw one. I was convinced it was pink.

[Steve R]

I am still convinced Birmingham had two Saturday evening papers before the Mail and Despatch merged. The Argus was actually the Despatch's title, The Mail's publication was light blue. Or so I am convinced. There was also a Sporting Buff for horse racing.

Yes, the Mail's was a broadsheet as I recall and blue - often referred to as "The Blue Mail," but The Argus was the sports paper of choice for most and saw off The Blue Mail, presumably when the Despatch and Mail merged, following which the newspaper sellers in the city centre were no longer able to use their famous "..spatch-or-Mail" cry.

Thank you for confirming it. I've had any number of arguments over the years telling people that Birmingham once had two Saturday evening sports papers.

[old man villa fan]

They link us with a Swansea player, guess what kit they show the player wearing?

That rumour didn't go very far.  Only as far as the bin.

[Damo70]

They link us with a Swansea player, guess what kit they show the player wearing?

That rumour didn't go very far.  Only as far as the bin.

Although I do like the 'what the hell am I doing playing for this lot' pose and expression.

[dekko]

I've noticed something: whenever they have an article linking West Brom with a player the photo is always of said player playing against Villa.  Not sure if that says more about the paper or our rivals.

[dave.woodhall]

Moving slightly off the subject, is this the worst music review ever?

http://www.birminghammail.co.uk/whats-on/music-nightlife-news/mostly-jazz-funk-soul-festival-9638949

[Risso]

Moving slightly off the subject, is this the worst music review ever?

http://www.birminghammail.co.uk/whats-on/music-nightlife-news/mostly-jazz-funk-soul-festival-9638949

That's brilliant.

"Hackney Colliery a Band could best be described as a jazz brass band."

"though the ever-present brass makes it a little monotone after a while."  What do you expect from a brass band, if not ever-present brass?!

And where do you even start with "Cymande’s revival is a fairy tale story, a great lost band reforming. Not many people know of this widely sampled Brit/Caribbean funk band. They’re not American – but who knew!" 

Good to see quality journalism is alive and well.  It takes some doing to be a worse writer than Gregg Evans, but they somehow manage it.

[kippaxvilla2]

Gregg Evans is a total fuckwit

And I kid you not a smethwick fan.

[Percy McCarthy]

Moving slightly off the subject, is this the worst music review ever?

http://www.birminghammail.co.uk/whats-on/music-nightlife-news/mostly-jazz-funk-soul-festival-9638949

No mention of The Atlantic Players (featured in the gallery) who are brilliant.

[dekko]

Gregg Evans is a total fuckwit

And I kid you not a smethwick fan.

You can really tell

[SW9-VILLA]

Re; the use of photos in the newspaper they might always use photos of Villa against Baggies because of photo rights. They'll have agreements in place with both teams and they're the only two Brum teams in the Prem so I imagine it's that rather than any other more sinister reason.

[dave.woodhall]

Re; the use of photos in the newspaper they might always use photos of Villa against Baggies because of photo rights. They'll have agreements in place with both teams and they're the only two Brum teams in the Prem so I imagine it's that rather than any other more sinister reason.

The clubs don't own the photos.

[Dave]

Re; the use of photos in the newspaper they might always use photos of Villa against Baggies because of photo rights. They'll have agreements in place with both teams and they're the only two Brum teams in the Prem so I imagine it's that rather than any other more sinister reason.

The clubs don't own the photos.

I think he means that the Mail do (or at least have paid for the rights to use them).

So if the Mail do a story about Kyle Bartley, they're more likely to use a photo that they have on file (or at least already paid for) from his time at Blues rather than pay for a photo of him playing for Swansea or Arsenal.

It's just that they'd be using that stock photo to save time and money, rather than using it to annoy Villa fans by illustrating a story about a potential Villa transfer with a picture of the player in a Blues shirt.