This Friday sees publication of Against the Grain: Lessons in Entrepreneurship from the Founder of Cobra Beer. Yes, indeed, Karan Bilimoria (Lord Bilimoria to you) has decided to dispense tips for would-be business stars.

In the absence of an advance copy, City Spy is forced to wonder if the final chapter covers the recent administration of Cobra and its pre-pack disposal to Molson Coors - a nifty manoeuvre that has still left Bilimoria in charge but the firm's unsecured creditors high and dry. The cover of the book carries glowing praise from Sir Richard Branson: "Every bit as good as the beer itself."

A check of the records reveals Branson did indeed say this - in Tandoori Magazine in March 2007 and in relation to Bilmoria's earlier volume, Bottled for Business: The Less Gassy Guide to Entrepreneurship. In other words, it's not about this particular book, and was said long before Cobra hit the buffers.

As to the chances of the good lord's new pearls proving to be essential reading, Amazon already has Against the Grain marked down, from £8.99 to £5.39...

* CITY SPY is staring, bleary-eyed at the final of The Apprentice, when up pop some recognisable faces. The “focus group” of smart, good-looking City blokes advising eventual winner Yasmina on whether she should produce a brand of chocolates aimed at men is comprised of chaps from PR firm Pelham. They tell her not to waste her time, so she opts for flavours intended to shock instead — and the rest is history.

* A banker's verdict on the politicians scandal: “We're rather enjoying it — suddenly there is someone else more hated than us. Of course, that would all change if the public got hold of our expense claims.”

Andy is real Prince of Wales

PRINCE Andrew, our special trade representative, may have an unlikely interest in obscure, resource-rich former Soviet Union countries, but he knows how to work his public. Hearing the Welsh football team were staying at the same hotel in Azerbaijan last week, he summoned them for a half-hour meeting at which he appeared to know all about their injury worries and their mixed recent playing fortunes.

Welsh official Phil Pritchard admitted: “He was extremely pleasant and it was a great honour for us all. And he has been very well-briefed too. He knew all about the many injury problems that the squad have had to overcome and was very aware of our recent results, and how the World Cup campaign has been going.”

Prince Andrew, City Spy salutes you.

* REMEMBER the Goldman Sachs trader sacked from the investment bank for spending four hours a day on Facebook? At the time, it was reported that Goldman's IT department had emailed Charlie Barrow about his social networking addiction, although his peers now say he was actually the victim of a friendly prank gone wrong — that the email wasn't from Goldman at all, but that the negative PR the story generated meant that they felt forced to pass him his P45.

Oxford-educated Barrow is now at Brevan Howard, one of the few hedge funds that is still raking in the cash — last week reporting a more than doubling of operating profits. The chat is that Barrow, whom some might have thought would never work again in finance, did rather handsomely from the profits bonanza. And yes, in case you're wondering, he's still on Facebook.

* INDIANA fund manager Marcus Shrencker has pleaded guilty to charges of trying to fake his own death after he jumped out of his Piper aircraft and left it to crash into the Florida coast. He planned his “tragic disappearance” meticulously, storing a new motorbike, tent and GPS system close to where he landed. Unfortunately, when the Feds came to examine his laptop, the latest searches before his stunt included “securities fraud penalties”, “how to get a new birth certificate” and the big giveaway “how to jump out of airplane with a parachute.”

* WITH fashion houses succumbing to the recession — Christian Lacroix being the latest— it might seem ill-advised to annoy your highly regarded designer. But the rumour is that Emanuel Ungaro has angered Esteban Cortazar, its star dressmaker, to such an extent that he is threatening to quit the label. And what has made Cortazar rush for the exit? Ungaro is said to be in talks with Lindsay Lohan, the actress who seems to have spent longer in rehab recently than on the film set, to appoint her as the brand's new creative consultant.

Fore! Saatchi boss drives a hole in one — but no car

TO the M&C Saatchi golf day at St George's Hill, where the host, agency chief executive David Kershaw achieved a hole-in-one at the fourth. Those who witnessed it say he hit a fine shot, albeit well to the right of the green. Fortunately, the back of a bunker intervened and the ball took a dramatic sideways deflection towards the hole and promptly went in. Also playing the course that day were HSBC Insurance and their clients. If Kershaw had made his ace as a member of their party, he would have got a car to the value of £25,000. As it is, he had to shell out for Pimm's all round.

* WHILE the HSBC Insurance boys don't hold back when it comes to prizes for golf, they're not always out in front. HSBC is the main partner of the British & Irish Lions tour to South Africa. Staff in the main bank are receiving free Lions replica shirts. Those in the insurance arm, reports Financial News, are having to make do with ball-point pens and pin badges.

* INSURANCE giant Aon is paying Manchester United £20 million a year for four years to sponsor the team's shirts. Yes, this is the same Aon that recently cut contributions to employees' pensions by 2.5%, instigated a pay freeze and has been making redundancies.

* LEISURE analyst Mark Brumby at Blue Oar Securities has a strong buy note out. Don't get too excited — it's on a product, not a company. He tells clients: “Off-trade prices are now as suicidal as ever. Three boxes of 18 Beck's for £20 works out at around 37p per bottle or as near as damn it, 75p for a pint of premium lager. With sell-by dates now stretching out in some cases to around Easter next year, it might already be time to stock up for Christmas — and that's no joke.”