AN AMAZING pub has suddenly closed its doors after 119 years as punters mourn the loss of such a “great” venue.

The once bustling pub also featured an Indian restaurant, but now it’s plastered in tape and listed as “permanently closed” online.

The Kings Head is located on the junction between Hagley Road and Bearwood Road in Harborne, Birmingham.

Its origins date back to the 19th century.

Still boasting authentic features, it flaunts exposed brick walls and original tiles that were installed by Owen and Ward Architects in 1906.

Over the years it has undergone refurbishments transforming it into a “functional, stylish gastro-pub”.

Maharaja’s Spice Express opened in 2019, transforming the pub with new life and giving customers a taste of Indian cuisine.

However, three years later, pub bosses decided to close it on Mondays and Tuesdays due to gas and electricity costs.

Although the company hasn’t taken to social media to share details of the shock closure, Google has updated the pub’s status to closed.

And tape blocks off access to the front door.

The King’s Head offered classic gastro meals such as Roast Lamb Rump with Chorizo and Sweet Potato Dauphinoise, or the Seared Seabass with Nicoise Salad.

It also dubbed itself as “perfect for a ‘boogie’ on a Saturday night or a chilled out coffee on a Sunday morning”.

The King’s Head has a 3.5 trip advisor rating and hundreds of reviews – many of which described their experience at the pub as pleasant.

One person said: “Visited on Tuesday evening when the restaurant was quite busy.

“Greeted warmly and given several different menus and suggestions as to which starters we should choose. Decided not to have starters, just the poppadum’s and ordered two main courses.

“These were served after a reasonable time and they were both of the highest quality with delicately spiced meat and rice.

“I was really pleased that we decided to eat here as the previous night we had visited a well known chain restaurant and paid double the price for a meal that was much inferior to this one.

“Although I had selected the most expensive option on the menu, closely followed by my partner, together with drinks the bill was, in my opinion, very very reasonable.

“Excellent food, very good service and excellent value for money.”

Followed by a second person: “Came for a meal with some friends and we were met by the hostess, she was so nice and made us laugh.

“The food was really good and the guy at the bar was so good at making cocktails. Overall a really nice restaurant I would definitely go back again.”

Meanwhile a third said: “Top food, pleasant staff! Especially the guy who brought our food out.

“What more could you ask for? Price was really good, and we all really enjoyed the food! 100% will be back – thank you.”

STEPH Watson never thought she’d be “the other woman” – until she fell unexpectedly in love with her personal trainer. 

But being a mistress is no bed of roses – especially when she has to “share him” this Valentine’s Day.

Richard Walker

Steph found herself being the ‘other woman’ when she fell for her married personal trainer[/caption]

Richard Walker

The beautician is now sharing the perils of dating a married man[/caption]

Supplied

Steph has held on to promises from her lover since they started dating[/caption]

Here, the 29-year-old beautician from Manchester shares her cautionary tale…

PEOPLE believe some women go looking for affairs – as if we see a wedding ring and hone in like hungry hyenas.

That couldn’t be further from the truth. I’m not a bad person, I never planned for this to happen. Ever.

It all began after Christmas 2022.

I had overindulged – mince pies, mulled wine, the lot – and by the time January rolled around, I barely recognised myself in the mirror.

Determined to get back in shape for summer, I signed up for my local gym in April.

But if I’m being honest? For the first month, my membership was nothing more than a direct debit draining my bank account. That was until I met him.

Mark*, one of the personal trainers, turned out to be the motivation I never knew I needed.

He wasn’t my usual type but with a body like his, who cared? Every time I saw him in the gym, he gave me butterflies.

After two weeks of crossing paths and exchanging shy smiles, I took the plunge.

“Hi, I’m Steph, I’m looking for a personal trainer,” I said, approaching him at the water cooler.

“Oh hi Steph,” he replied, with his disarming smile which made me melt. “You look great, but I’m happy to help.”

Was he flirting with me? I hoped so.

I signed up for one-on-one training with him. Twice a week, Mark pushed me harder than I’d ever pushed myself and it wasn’t just my body that was transforming.

We clicked instantly, bantering between sets, exchanging flirty remarks, and lingering eye contact that made my mind go into meltdown.

There was just one problem.

Mark was married.

Consolation prize

Richard Walker

Steph says this Valentine’s Day, she feels like she’s getting the consolation prize[/caption]

Supplied

She is now ‘hopelessly in love’ with Mark, although he is married[/caption]

At first, it was innocent – just a bit of fun, right? A little flirtation to make the gruelling workouts more enjoyable.

But the connection between us was undeniable. I found myself thinking about him outside of the gym, replaying our conversations, wondering if he was thinking about me too.

Then, a year ago, we crossed the line. One heated moment after a particularly intense session turned into a full-blown affair. And now I’m hopelessly in love with him.

For the past twelve months, we’ve been sneaking around, grabbing stolen moments whenever we can. In the beginning, I told myself it was just a fling – a bit of fun.

But the more time we spent together, the deeper I fell. He’s told me over and over again that he’s going to leave his wife, that our love is real, that we are real. And I believe him.

Or at least, I want to.

With Valentine’s Day just around the corner, reality is hitting hard. While most couples are busy planning romantic dinners and surprise gifts, I’m stuck playing second best.

Mark is spending Friday evening – the BEST part of Valentine’s Day – with her.

I get lunchtime. The consolation prize.

He’s promised me a fancy restaurant in a posh hotel, lots of sexy lingerie and hot sex. But I only get him for a few hours before he has to rush back to his wife and spend the whole evening with her.

He’s told me over and over again that he’s going to leave his wife, that our love is real, that we are real. And I believe him. Or at least, I want to

Steph Watson

He says I can invite a friend to stay in the room with me when he’s gone but I can’t help feeling it all seems a bit depressing.

As much as I try to convince myself it’s enough, deep down, I know the truth.

If he really loved me, wouldn’t he be with me the whole of Valentine’s Day? Wouldn’t he have already left her?

He tells me the timing isn’t right. That her mum is sick, and he doesn’t want to leave while she’s going through such a tough time.

And I get it – I do. But how long do I wait?

How long until another excuse comes up? It’s already been a year. This is my second V-Day alone and I’m dreading next year will be the third.

My head is screaming that I’m being played. That I’m nothing more than a side chick, a thrill he doesn’t want to lose but isn’t willing to risk everything for.

But my heart is already his.

So, I’ll take the crumbs of his time and pretend it doesn’t bother me when it eats me up inside.

I’ll hold onto the hope that maybe, just maybe, this time next year, it’ll be me he’s spending Valentine’s Day with.

Even though, deep down, I already know the answer.

*Name has been changed

Supplied

Steph’s lover has promised her he will leave his wife for her[/caption]

Supplied

She is now holding out hope that he will spend Valentine’s Day with her next year[/caption]

IAN HOLLOWAY enjoyed four years out of football as he focussed on painting and travelling Britain in his motorhome.

One of his proudest pieces of art was an acrylic painting of West Ham legend and former Swindon boss Paolo Di Canio.

Rex

Ian Holloway took up painting as a hobby while out of management[/caption]

So it was ironic he followed in the Italian maverick’s footsteps by returning to the game in charge of the League Two Robins in October.

He has also painted other sporting figures such as Jurgen Klopp and Ian Wright.

Although Di Canio and Holloway have different personalities they are outstanding characters.

The 61-year-old has a management career that has spanned 29 years, bossing Bristol Rovers, QPR (twice), Plymouth, Leicester, Blackpool, Crystal Palace, Millwall and Grimsby.

And Holloway told SunSport: “I went on the after-dinner circuit and got a motorhome with my wife Kim because I didn’t want to feel like a lorry driver.

“I’d go up to wherever we were doing a gig, book on a campsite, get a cab to the job, come back, stay there for a couple of days then come home.

“I learned to paint with acrylics — I do portraits – because I’ve always got to be doing something new.

“I find painting frustrating because everything I do, I don’t see as good enough so I’m trying to be kinder to myself.

CASINO SPECIAL – BEST CASINO BONUSES FROM £10 DEPOSITS

“I’ve always drawn and used charcoal, pencil and even ink but with colour it’s the tonal value that can change everything.

“I might be driving and will pull over because I’m seeing a sunset. It makes you see life, it makes you see shadows, it makes you see all sorts of things.

“Anybody can paint, anybody can draw. It makes you feel even more alive to the wonderful things around you.”

Holloway loved painting Di Canio after being commissioned to do it for a mate.

He said: “A friend saw one of mine that I gave to my son of the Joker and he said, ‘I’ll buy that’ and I said, ‘You can’t, it’s my son’s’.

“So I said, ‘Give me a picture of your favourite player’, because he’s a West Ham geek, and I did Paolo Di Canio, who funnily enough is an ex-Swindon manager, and I gave it to him. He loves it.”

Holloway believes the Premier League has created a selfish culture in English football — and players even in the lower leagues can lose touch with fans and each other.

The Swindon boss — who famously took Blackpool into the top flight in 2010 — had to tough out a period of criticism from fans but last week won the SkyBet League Two manager of the month.

At one point, he even claimed the training ground was haunted … and needed to get his wife Kim to banish the demons with sage!

We can only conclude that if she did do that, it has worked because Swindon host Mansfield tomorrow aiming to stretch their unbeaten run to 10 games — having lost just once in their last 14 league games.

Holloway said: “Football has become selfish. It’s all about money and more like a business whereas at our level it shouldn’t be.

“Everybody in the Premier League talks about how much they’re spending and how unreal it is.

“It’s like travelling to the moon. We talk about how far it is, how many miles an hour we’ve got to be going and how much fuel we need.

“Hang on a minute, this is football — but footballers have got so far away from your average person in the street it’s wrong.

“In League Two we’ve got to be more caring and understanding — and it’s also about your attitude to going to work. There’s not enough encouragement or support in the world, there’s always criticism.

“I’m creating an environment where you’re allowed to fail provided you’re working hard. And that has made the difference.”

Holloway blames modern society for creating an uncaring culture.

He said: “We don’t revere older people. We don’t look after them like the Chinese and Japanese.

“I was brought up by good people in my early days as a Bristol Rovers player and that’s what I’m building here.”

The highlight of Holloway’s managerial CV was managing Blackpool in the Premier League.

And, although he enjoyed his time with the Seasiders, he disliked the top division because it was so removed from reality.

He said: “Did I like the top of the game? Do I like it? No, I don’t.

“Football needs to start relating to the real world. During Covid, we weren’t the vital source, it was people in hospitals helping us. We were just entertainment.

“If you get away from that you’ve got it all wrong. Our priority must be to entertain and give our all for supporters.”

During Holloway’s time out of the game, he watched on with interest as English football continued to pay homage to the Pep Guardiola way of playing before others decided to break ranks.

He said: “Football was following one person’s lead but now I’m happy people are realising you haven’t got to have total possession to win.

“You can win football in different ways. You haven’t all got to be Pep.”

And there is something poetic about managing back in his beloved west country after years moving around the country.

The Bristolian said: “Geographically it’s perfect for me being a West Country boy. I like the fact I had no ties with Swindon – never played for them, never managed them. They were deep in the mire so it was a great challenge.

“If I’d have failed that would’ve been me failing but I’m delighted we’re moving forward and I’m feeling good about my decision to come here.

“My wife let me because we didn’t have to move. I’ve moved her FORTY-EIGHT times! She didn’t want to move again.

“And this club is nicknamed the Robins … and you know my history with Bristol City, whose bitter rivals Rovers are the Robins!

“Marina Dolman, the Bristol Rovers president, keeps teasing me by saying, ‘We’ll make a Robin of you yet!’

“She’s got a road named after her in Bristol — Dolman Way. I don’t think I can get one named after me here … Holloway Way doesn’t sound right. And it’s the last thing we need in Swindon. We’ve got magnificent roundabouts and the Sat Nav explodes! We don’t need a street named after me!”

EFL

Holloway was recently named EFL Manager of the Month[/caption]

It is truly a glorious time to be alive and shagging – but so much choice can also be incredibly intimidating.

We're already terrified.

The Blues are braced for approaches.

Ruben Amorim has warned Manchester United fans they must be ‘careful’ amid calls for Chido Obi-Martin to be promoted to the first team.

The 17-year-old joined the Red Devils in the summer having rejected the opportunity to remain at Arsenal.

Obi-Martin shot to prominence last season on the back of his astonishing goalscoring feats for the Gunners and has continued to enhance his burgeoning reputation since his move to Old Trafford.

The Denmark youth international scored a hat-trick in midweek as United crushed Chelsea 5-1 to set up an FA Youth Cup quarter final against Obi-Martin’s former club.

With Amorim’s first team struggling for goals at present and both Joshua Zirkzee and Rasmus Hojlund struggling to convince, the clamour for Obi-Martin to included in United’s first team plans has reached fever pitch.

On the prospect of the teenager being involved against Spurs this weekend, Amorim said: ‘I don’t want to say names.

‘We have to be careful on that. We have problems this week, we called some young players to be in our training. We have some data evaluation. He is one of them.’

Amorim, meanwhile warnedUnited will have to sell before they can buy this summer due to financial constraints that are impacting different areas of the club.

Next Thursday marks a year since Sir Jim Ratcliffe completed his deal to become minority owner of United and he has overseen some controversial, wide-ranging changes during that time.

Ticket price hikes have infuriated United fans, and the PA news agency understands those views were put to the British billionaire at a Fan Advisory Board meeting held at Carrington on Thursday.

The club shed a quarter of its staff over the summer and more redundancies are planned as the club continues to cut costs in a bid to reduce losses and aid investment in the team.

Amorim is attempting to oversee that challenging rebuild on the field and leads misfiring United to Tottenham on Sunday, ahead of which he nodded to the issues at hand.

‘Our biggest problem now is Tottenham,’ the head coach said. ‘We know the moment of the club. Of course I have to understand all of these problems but that problem of our club is not new. You already knew the rules of fair play.

‘We have a problem at the moment, but that cannot influence the way I coach the team and prepare the next game, so my focus is on that and not the other things.’

Pushed on the longer-term impact after restrictions hampered their winter transfer business, Amorim said: “Here is simple – to do something we need to sell players.

‘My focus is to prepare the game. We cannot do (signings) now. The window is closed.

‘We need to focus on the games that we have, especially the next one, and then in the summer we will see.’

Manchester City will be without Manuel Akanji for at least eight weeks as the defender will undergo hip surgery.

The Switzerland international was forced off during City’s 3-2 defeat at home to Real Madrid in the Champions League on Tuesday night.

Pep Guardiola has confirmed that Akanji will now miss at least eight weeks, which means the defender will be absent for a minimum of eight Premier League games, including the upcoming fixture against Newcastle United on Saturday, as well as match at home to Liverpool on February 23.

Akanji will also be unavailable for City’s second leg against Madrid next week, as well as their FA Cup tie against Plymouth on March 1.

‘I think it is the abductor,’ Guardiola said at his press conference on Friday.

‘[He will undergo] surgery on Saturday, [and will be] 8-10 weeks out.’

Meanwhile, Jack Grealish is a major injury doubt for the game against Newcastle after being forced off against Madrid.

‘It’s not as apparent right now as tough as Manu has done,’ said Guardiola.

‘But I don’t know if he’ll be ready tomorrow. We will see and assess in the next hours.’

Elsewhere, Nico Gonzalez was left on the bench for City’s loss to Madrid this week but their £50m January signing from Porto could start against Newcastle this weekend.

‘It’s not a difficult start, he was injured,’ Guardiola said.

‘Difficult start is if he played bad but that’s not the case. He arrived with a little pain especially against Madrid he was not fully fit, but day by day he is getting better.

‘Like I said before with Jack we’ll assess in the next few hours.’

For more stories like this, check our sport page.

Follow Metro Sport for the latest news on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

It's the final countdown.

The couple have called time on their romance.