The second of our series where we attempt to educate Saints supporters about the opposition and its City and people.
1. Birmingham's first canal was opened in 1769 and the city has more miles of canals than Venice, Gondola theft is a major problem in the City coming secon in canal related crime only to peope on the canal bank being hit by ice cream cones thrown from said Gondolas, with the only plus point being you will only get hit by just one of them.
2.Birmingham was named after the famous Birmingham Bags, a form of trouser popular in the area from the middle ages right up to the present day, although useage has been dying out since 1977, the trousers are characterised by their massive width, originally used to power canal boats on windy days, side pockets to keep Cornetto's in and a 3 button high waist, Leeds now has more pairs of Birmingham Bags per head of population than Brum (Source: 2005 Urban Trouser Census)
3.Birmingham is twinned with the City of the same name in the USA, although one is a City populated by six fingered banjo playing people who marry their own sisters and the other is a City in Alabama
4. Barry Fry once urinated on all four corner flags in an attempt to excorcise a gypsy curse put on the ground after he had inadvertently put an adverse comment on the mesaage board for TV programme My Big Fat Gypsy Wedding.
5. Birmingham is home of Heavy Metal, a movement started by Birmingham based bands like Billy Ocean Colour Scene, The Move, Duran Duran and Mighty Mighty.
6. The Brummie accent has developed over the years from a form of grunting used by local cavemen, but not very much.
7. The Bull Ring hasnt actually got any Bulls in it, which in my opinion is a big con.
8. Birmingham despite its reputation as the UK's second biggest City, is just a small town in Aston Villa according to a survey undertaken in the Holte End recently, a fact that the local tourist board are keen to keep secret.
9. A recent study at the University of Colorado found that it is impossible to mention Birmingham City football club without using the words Carrot or Jasper in the sentence, they are probably right.
10. Major John Hall Edwards claims to have taken the first ever X Ray in the World, In Birmingham in 1896, however he wasnt believed as everyone saw through him.