Today's other stories in brief

McShane a big wig at WBA

It proved to be a good week for Republic of Ireland defender Paul McShane who had faced a four-match ban after receiving his second red card of the season in West Brom's game against Burnley. McShane, though, won his appeal against the sending-off and was free to play in the 1-0 win at Coventry on Saturday - he'll also be available for the promotion play-offs.

Better still, West Brom fans dressed in green - some of them in fetching leprechaun outfits - in honour of McShane and his West Brom team-mate, former Republic of Ireland goalkeeper Dean Kiely, were at the Coventry game, with a fair old chunk of the 6,000 supporters donning ginger wigs in tribute to McShane, who they've taken a particular shine to.

Mind you, when we heard about the ginger wig plans we held our breath, fearing the Wicklow man would react to the tribute in much the same way as Reading's Dave Kitson a few years' back.

"I've spent all my time going to places like Ninian Park and The New Den just getting harassed about the colour of my hair, to the point where you want to fight back - so the last thing I need really is 15,000 people all in ginger wigs drawing attention to it," he said when he was the subject of a similar end of season tribute from his own fans.

Happily, McShane felt honoured rather than offended, although we remain to be convinced that he actually belongs in the ginger category.

Quotes of the week

Reporter: " Will you watch the Derby match on Sunday?"

Roy Keane: " No, I will be out somewhere. There is nothing I can do about it. I won't have any interest in it. Sunday is a day of going to Mass and relaxing."

- Roy? If you're reading this, just to let you know you were promoted to the Premiership yesterday.

"Most managers will come into your office for a drink after games. Wenger has never come in mine and has never invited me into his. To be honest, I would not want to have a drink with him, he is not a barrel of laughs."

- Evidently Harry Redknapp doesn't rate Arsene as a diamond geezer.

George Hamilton: "Agahowa is having a nightmare."

Jim Beglin: " I don't think he's playing THAT well, George."

- The RTÉ lads on Wigan's Jules Agahowa, who had a bit of an off day when he came on against West Ham on Saturday (Thank you Brendan).

" He'll get a hug and a kiss. Maybe two kisses."

- After Bolton's draw at Chelsea, Alex Ferguson makes advances on Sam Allardyce.

"I have not seen the goal, but I am nobody to doubt the moral integrity of a player and have no reason to."

- Jose Mourinho doubts the moral integrity of Everton's Phil Neville, who scored for his old United pals at Goodison Park.

Owen helped from the grave

You might have read earlier in the week the rather spooky news that Michael Owen's injured knee was rebuilt with ligaments from the body of a deceased American donor who wanted to give someone else a better quality of life.

The headline potential for this story was, of course, endless, but, we thought the London Evening Standard was just a touch insensitive: "Owen - The Dead Man Walking".

More quotes of the week

"(He will improve) when he gets rid of the naivety, the honesty and integrity and he becomes as shitty as all the rest."

- Middlesbrough chief executive Keith Lamb on what Gareth Southgate has to do to match the managerial giants of the Premiership. Lovely.

"They have not even paid the price of an aspirin for Michael Owen since he left their care."

- Newcastle chairman Freddy Shepherd complaining about the English Football Association, although what good an aspirin would have done for Owen's torn anterior cruciate ligament we're not sure.

"The way the matches are in this country is unbelievable. The players either die or get better."

- For Jose Mourinho Premiership football is all or nothing. Literally.

"My family are really happy here at Liverpool and I am prepared to have my daughter with a Scouse accent, even though it is sometimes a problem for me."

- Rafa Benitez, still struggling to understand a word his daughter says.

"It was a surprise, but not unexpected."

- John Robertson on his sacking by Livingston, an unforeseen certainty.

Putting light on the subject

He may be a bad lad but our heart still goes out to Johann Stark who broke in to the ground of German amateur club FC Germania Freund in the middle of the night.

"He had no torch and turned on the first light switch that he could find - it was the switch to the floodlights of the pitch," a police spokesperson told Uefa.com.

Need it be said, neighbours, aware that Germania Freund tend not to kick off at three in the morning, were a touch suspicious, more so when the pitch sprinkler system was turned on - the second switch poor Johann stumbled upon. When the police arrived Johann was tucking in to breakfast in the club restaurant, so at least he was well fed by the time he was deposited in the cells. Bless him.

Even more quotes

of the week

"I have to be brutally honest, if I was a fan I wouldn't have paid to watch us at home this season."

- Joey Barton gets behind Manchester City's push to persuade supporters to snap up season tickets for the next campaign.

"Bolton have not spent big either. I know they paid a lot of money for Nicolas Anelka but we paid a lot for Georgios Samaras."

- Barton again, this time hinting that he didn't vote for the Greek forward in the player of the season poll.

"You have to face facts, we have not brought quality in . . . we can't gamble on players who have scored six goals in six games in the Pontin's League or in Belgium."

- Barton, yet again, somewhat questioning the quality of City's transfer market dabbling.

" There's Rooney, justifying all the billions and billions of pounds Sir Alex splashed out on him."

- Who does David Pleat think Manchester United are? Chelsea?

"I'd like a little bit of banter on the coach. I'd like a quiz or a bit of Trivial Pursuit or something - a bit of intellect going down. But all they've got is these shoot-me-up-kill-me films they watch."

- Who else but Plymouth manager Ian Holloway?