:00:06. > :00:10.Less than three weeks to go, and still at least half of our teams do
:00:11. > :00:20.not know which division they well be playing in next season. Exciting,
:00:21. > :00:25.
:00:25. > :00:30.isn't it? Tonight, the art of management from
:00:30. > :00:36.top to bottom with Aidy's take on the fight for survival. Coming to a
:00:36. > :00:43.team at the bottom and struggling. I saw that as a massive challenge.
:00:43. > :00:48.We are raiding the archives. How Paul Lambert was destined to become
:00:48. > :00:54.a leader on and off the pitch. is the main man. He is in charge.
:00:54. > :01:01.He talks in a huddle. He could make their hairs on the back of your
:01:01. > :01:05.neck stand up. And what a great time to hit form, six of the best
:01:05. > :01:12.to keep the Stevenage promotion dream alive and kicking.
:01:12. > :01:17.Hello, good evening and welcome to Late Kick Off and welcome Perry.
:01:17. > :01:23.Did you have a good Easter? And I have not been home! I am looking
:01:23. > :01:29.forward to a feast of goals this evening. We also have the former
:01:29. > :01:35.Norwich and Ireland manager Nigel. By still live here and enjoy it. We
:01:35. > :01:43.stark with someone well-known to Nigel, who has tasted football
:01:43. > :01:51.management at all levels. He is looking ahead to bring in good
:01:51. > :01:58.times back to Sixfields. I have worked hard and I want to work more
:01:59. > :02:08.because I want to be better. I am a better manager than I was when I
:02:08. > :02:18.was 34 years old, leading wet -- what put into the Premier League.
:02:18. > :02:24.He will be disappointed -- if you do not get into the top seven? I do
:02:24. > :02:29.not think disappointed. He is someone who has managed in the
:02:29. > :02:34.Premier League, and a possible England manager one day. No most
:02:34. > :02:39.people were surprised you chose Northampton Town. May be, but I
:02:39. > :02:44.think football management is changing now. For me to sit at home
:02:44. > :02:51.and say I am a championship manager or Premiership manager, even though
:02:51. > :02:57.I have done my work there, and League 1 with Colchester, I want to
:02:57. > :03:07.manage. All most 300 games in club management, and the fires still
:03:07. > :03:07.
:03:07. > :03:11.burning fiercely inside Aidy. What is he like? He is a professional in
:03:11. > :03:15.everything he does and the way he deals with the media is always
:03:15. > :03:21.professional. He does not let anyone get carried away, no matter
:03:21. > :03:26.the result, he looks at the long game. What of the first thing he
:03:26. > :03:30.sense was there was more humility about him now than at Watford and
:03:30. > :03:36.perhaps he was a bright young thing people spoke about and perhaps he
:03:36. > :03:42.allowed it to go to his head. Since he has been here, he has been down-
:03:42. > :03:46.to-earth. My am a far better manager than I was when I was 34
:03:46. > :03:52.years old -- I am. Leading what that into the Premier League and
:03:52. > :03:58.coming up against Alex Ferguson, getting to FA Cup semi-finals. I am
:03:59. > :04:04.a strange mix. I have the experience of an older guy but I am
:04:04. > :04:09.young enough and have the energy to carry it through. I am happy that
:04:09. > :04:13.is the most important thing. If you coaches get the chance to manage in
:04:13. > :04:18.a Premier League, let alone in their early thirties, the journey
:04:18. > :04:23.to the Premier League is a fairy tale. A distant memory from the
:04:23. > :04:26.task of keeping the club in the league. Coming to a team at the
:04:26. > :04:31.bottom and struggling he could go out of the league, I saw it as a
:04:31. > :04:38.massive challenge but thought that if we can do this right and turn it
:04:38. > :04:43.around, what a great job it would be and a great challenge you could
:04:43. > :04:49.overcome to build something better than what you found it in. That is
:04:49. > :04:53.what I try to do. It has not been plain sailing since he arrived,
:04:53. > :04:59.inheriting a squad without character. It is finding the right
:04:59. > :05:05.recipe and making sure we get together and organised.
:05:05. > :05:11.At first they continued to slide. It is a nice one to build up. This
:05:11. > :05:20.is a must-win game. He teen rock bottom at the media. Is this a low
:05:20. > :05:28.point? I am fed up. The a showed determination and they dug in and
:05:28. > :05:34.move towards safety. What is his manager like? Boy! He is a
:05:34. > :05:41.meticulous manager. He knows what he wants. He came in and knew what
:05:41. > :05:48.he wanted to implement. We did not see eye to eye head-first. He came
:05:48. > :05:53.with his own game plan. I was not part of his immediate plans for the
:05:53. > :06:01.first nine weeks, but I came back into his plans and it has benefited
:06:01. > :06:05.both of us. Those around the training ground will tell you the
:06:05. > :06:13.sessions are sharper and stock keeping players on his toes is one
:06:13. > :06:17.of his strengths. -- on their toes. In a line, alphabetically. With the
:06:17. > :06:25.squad bulging at the seams, he plans to reduce numbers and
:06:25. > :06:29.increase quality next season. More attention will be paid to
:06:29. > :06:39.supporting playing staff. I'm will be disappointed if we do not do
:06:39. > :06:43.better. The chairman has said about being
:06:43. > :06:47.towards the top six or seven teams. The if the budget is, we will look
:06:47. > :06:55.to be in the top six or seven. Experience has taught him not to
:06:55. > :07:00.give too much away. You do not expect him to settle for mid-table.
:07:00. > :07:05.I mentioned that you know him well and you brought in to Norwich.
:07:05. > :07:12.brought him from Peterborough to marriage and he progressed.
:07:12. > :07:18.seems professional in everything he does. He is an organised and
:07:18. > :07:25.thorough person in his professional manner. He likes to put that across
:07:25. > :07:31.to the players. When I spoke to him before appointing him and Norwich,
:07:31. > :07:37.it came across to me he is an and individual who wants to run before
:07:37. > :07:45.he can walk, but that is not a bad thing. Pfitzner seems to be an
:07:45. > :07:49.issue and he says he is bringing in a sports scientist -- fitness.
:07:49. > :07:56.looks like he has got him fitter, in the interview, it looked like
:07:56. > :08:01.they had a clash. He has the experience now. It did not go to
:08:01. > :08:11.plan against Bradford. It was disappointing, you want to win your
:08:11. > :08:14.
:08:14. > :08:18.home games. You had Nahki Wells getting in.
:08:18. > :08:23.He accused the players have already been on the beach. You cannot
:08:23. > :08:31.afford to be. You cannot afford to have that
:08:31. > :08:36.thought process at this time of the season. It is an important time.
:08:36. > :08:42.With a few games to go, and important games to be played, they
:08:42. > :08:44.have to ensure they get over the line to be in the league.
:08:44. > :08:52.line to be in the league. You think we have got the momentum,
:08:52. > :08:56.this is straight from kick-off. It would mean the two defenders get
:08:56. > :09:01.caught ball-watching. He completes a hat-trick and puts Bradford three
:09:01. > :09:01.have a one up. How difficult is it have a one up. How difficult is it
:09:01. > :09:07.to keep your team going at this to keep your team going at this
:09:07. > :09:11.stage of the season? The if you are fighting for your
:09:11. > :09:15.life you have to keep going at the end of the season. He will look at
:09:15. > :09:22.the squad to see who will be there for next year and the character of
:09:22. > :09:29.the players he can rely on. He will look to get things shaped up.
:09:29. > :09:33.points clear of the bottom two. Hopefully, it is job done. The two
:09:33. > :09:40.teams at the bottom, looking to win their games, they go to Hereford,
:09:40. > :09:50.they could be down by then. I think they are safe. Tomorrow, they play
:09:50. > :09:51.
:09:51. > :09:58.Crawley, which is their game in It is a tough game, with Steve
:09:58. > :10:03.Coppell going, losing their manager. Crawley going well, Southend also.
:10:03. > :10:08.It looks like they will be in the play-offs. They faced a tough game
:10:08. > :10:14.against Torquay. But they kept a clean sheet. Their third in four
:10:14. > :10:17.games. They have to make sure they come 5th, then you play the second
:10:17. > :10:26.play-off game at home. They are probably needed to win against
:10:26. > :10:32.Torquay to have any chance. It wouldn't be nice for them to win
:10:32. > :10:38.on Saturday. -- it would have been. Hopefully they can do it in the
:10:38. > :10:46.play-offs. Freddie was on the bench.
:10:46. > :10:56.I think he was saving him. We can look at the top of the table.
:10:56. > :10:57.
:10:57. > :11:04.If they had beaten to will K they would have been three points nearer.
:11:04. > :11:14.-- been Torquay. Barnett to Macclesfield, two teams
:11:14. > :11:15.
:11:15. > :11:18.at the bottom, scrapping for the Allies. Barnet have changed manager.
:11:18. > :11:23.They are looking for Mark Allen to give them impotence to get their
:11:23. > :11:27.football status secured. Plenty more to come this evening with a
:11:27. > :11:33.case of great Scot by name and nature.
:11:33. > :11:40.The pick of the action as Jason hits a corker for town. And put
:11:40. > :11:45.your medals on the table, Paul Lambert the play.
:11:45. > :11:49.It was one of these two. I used to sit here.
:11:49. > :11:55.League 1, with interest in the promotion race. We start with MK
:11:55. > :12:05.Dons. They had drawn the last four away games and they needed a
:12:05. > :12:08.victory. Charlie McDonald turned into the provider. 103 goals in
:12:08. > :12:15.competitions this season. 17 clean sheets for Martin, another club
:12:15. > :12:21.record. They have done fantastically. I have watched them
:12:21. > :12:29.this year and they played good football. They score lots of goals.
:12:29. > :12:34.Darren Parker has signed a new deal. Karl Robinson describes him as one
:12:34. > :12:38.of his Rolls Royces. I don't know why the fourth
:12:38. > :12:43.official was getting involved. He backed into McKenzie. Normally, if
:12:43. > :12:48.you elbows someone there is a double movement. He cannot believe
:12:48. > :12:53.he was sent off. You wonder why the fourth official got involved.
:12:53. > :12:59.Nobody else seemed to react. There is no reaction from the players,
:12:59. > :13:06.which is the biggest thing of all from the official's point of view.
:13:06. > :13:16.Williams, five in five games. took a decent bounce in front of
:13:16. > :13:19.the goalkeeper. Mellor is also a target. He is a big, strong target
:13:19. > :13:26.man. Wherever he has been he has done well. That would be a good
:13:26. > :13:33.addition. Also in the promotion race, Stevenage. A good win at the
:13:33. > :13:42.weekend. Contract. They have drawn a few games. 6-0 away at Yeovil, a
:13:42. > :13:47.record defeat for them. Freeman puts them 1-0 up. It is a great
:13:47. > :13:52.story, Stevenage. Back-to-back promotions and pushing for a third.
:13:52. > :13:59.He it is unbelievable where they have come from. To score six goals
:13:59. > :14:05.in any game is phenomenal. That was a sending off. A shocking tackle.
:14:05. > :14:12.No option. That was a career wrecking tackle. Patrick on the
:14:12. > :14:19.scoresheet. He is a physical presence. Stevenage like to get the
:14:19. > :14:27.ball early. How difficult is it for Gary Smith? To come in as he did.
:14:27. > :14:31.To carry it forward? He did well with the football club and for Gary
:14:31. > :14:36.to come in and take it on was not easy. It is almost easier if
:14:36. > :14:46.somebody has not done as well to get things going. It is a difficult
:14:46. > :14:53.
:14:53. > :14:58.job. Overall, I think he has done Luke Freeman gives them a bit of
:14:58. > :15:02.quality. I just want that there can be put impetus. After that FA cup-
:15:02. > :15:12.tie against Tottenham they lost it a bit, but it looks that they're
:15:12. > :15:26.
:15:26. > :15:32.opportunity to get into the top six? There is every chance. They do
:15:33. > :15:42.play again, Stevenage, against Carlisle. That is a huge picture -
:15:43. > :15:51.
:15:51. > :16:00.fixture. They are tough fixtures, Called Chester are pretty much out
:16:00. > :16:10.of the play-offs. And draw was not enough for Wednesday, but a really
:16:10. > :16:15.
:16:15. > :16:18.good 0.4 called Chester. teaching that celebration? It is
:16:18. > :16:26.good to see that the celebrations have been changed after all these
:16:26. > :16:32.years. He was a very enthusiastic kid when I hadn't, full of beans,
:16:32. > :16:40.and it looks like he is just the same. The manager told us him to go
:16:40. > :16:45.wide can be a pest, as that a fair assessment? That's about right!
:16:45. > :16:53.They haven't won for 10 games, and the really need to get into the
:16:53. > :16:57.play-offs, get the results. draws at homes - 12 draws at home.
:16:57. > :17:04.Be just the back creativity in the final third. Nice to see a big
:17:04. > :17:09.crowd there, over 6500. Fantastic. I don't know how many called
:17:09. > :17:13.Chester supporters were there. When Wednesday travel to take a
:17:13. > :17:20.fantastic amount of supporters. It is good for the First Division.
:17:20. > :17:26.hope they will - I'm sure they'll be hoping to move up. This was at
:17:26. > :17:36.this - disappointing result. don't think they have one in 10
:17:36. > :17:39.away games. This was a great start from the young lad, the mule.
:17:39. > :17:46.securing them saying that he could be the long-term successor to
:17:46. > :17:51.George Boyd. It is always good for youngsters to be coming through and
:17:51. > :17:56.for Darren to be giving youngsters the opportunity at this time of the
:17:56. > :18:01.season. It is a big thing and credit to the Kade for taking it on.
:18:01. > :18:05.Darren Ferguson has done a great job coming back there. He said last
:18:05. > :18:11.year he wanted bigger, more physical players for the
:18:11. > :18:14.championship and that is what he has learnt. Darren has from
:18:14. > :18:19.Peterborough at fantastic job by keeping them in the championship
:18:19. > :18:24.this year. If they were going to stay in the championship, I think
:18:24. > :18:30.at the start of this season they would have said, job done. It helps
:18:30. > :18:38.to attract players to the club. They lost Ryan Bennett's to
:18:38. > :18:43.Norwich's well. I think they will lose other players, Joe louche -
:18:43. > :18:50.Joe Lewis and so on. Her as long as the money the get for those players
:18:50. > :18:56.are reinvested in good team. that's mean chicken by a more
:18:56. > :19:00.players, it makes your job a lot easier. What do you make of your
:19:00. > :19:07.friends from down the road in Suffolk? I have watched quite a bit
:19:07. > :19:11.of Ipswich. I think everybody was expecting them to do a lot better.
:19:11. > :19:18.Poll, in the last couple of months, there have been a lot of good
:19:18. > :19:28.results. Given a few more efficient in the summer it will be helpful.
:19:28. > :19:30.
:19:30. > :19:40.great performance from Jason Scotland at the weekend. Nathan
:19:40. > :19:43.
:19:43. > :19:48.Klein does really well. What about more youngsters in the team now?
:19:48. > :19:54.The fans would like to see more between now and the end of this
:19:54. > :19:57.season, Carson, Byron Lawrence. would be surprised if it plays
:19:57. > :20:03.against Birmingham because Birmingham are going great guns at
:20:03. > :20:11.the minute. Millwall and Doncaster, he might put the young players in
:20:11. > :20:19.them. They have had the same back four for the last 16 games. Earlier
:20:19. > :20:24.on in this season they were letting in a lot of goals. Do you think
:20:24. > :20:28.it's which could be promotion candidates next season? That is the
:20:28. > :20:33.million-dollar question. It will depend to Paul add to the group
:20:33. > :20:42.next summer. We don't know what this situation is. It is keeping
:20:42. > :20:49.players that are already at the club. Jason Scotland, Tommy Smith,
:20:49. > :20:52.and some of the youngsters, Josh Carson. By Paul Jewell will want to
:20:52. > :21:02.know at the end of this week what players he is going to keep so we
:21:02. > :21:03.
:21:03. > :21:13.can plan for next season. I think they said to grant, we want to know
:21:13. > :21:29.
:21:29. > :21:36.by late today so Paul Jewell can With Ipswich, Marcus Evans has to
:21:36. > :21:42.take a lot of credit. He stuck with his manager. That galvanised the
:21:42. > :21:48.team. Begins tomorrow for the two clubs. Peterborough taking on
:21:48. > :21:52.Southampton. But as a big game. A I think there is a time and place for
:21:52. > :21:58.youngsters to come into the team at Ipswich versus Birmingham probably
:21:58. > :22:03.isn't the right time. And not even off the bench? Maybe off the bench,
:22:03. > :22:10.but managers want to win games and if you had too many youngsters in
:22:10. > :22:12.and you use the games, it can go the other way for you. It's been an
:22:12. > :22:15.extraordinary three seasons for Norwich City, rising from League
:22:15. > :22:19.One, through the Championship and to the Premier League under the
:22:19. > :22:21.Impressive managerial credentials are there for all to see, but what
:22:21. > :22:23.Norwich supporters possibly don't appreciate is just how successful
:22:23. > :22:27.Lambert was as a player. Kevin Piper reports.
:22:27. > :22:35.Paul Lambert was a success from the beginning of his career. At 17 he
:22:35. > :22:40.became one of the youngest players to win the Scottish Cup, in 1987. A
:22:40. > :22:50.skilful milk - midfielder, he joined Motherwell in 1993, helping
:22:50. > :23:05.
:23:05. > :23:11.them to be a Uefa Cup. This was a catching the eye of the door then
:23:11. > :23:15.coach. When he was denied a modest pay rise by another wave - by
:23:15. > :23:20.Motherwell he decided it was time for a bold move. There was a BBC
:23:20. > :23:25.documentary about it. I was only looking for a small rise - he was
:23:25. > :23:32.looking for a small rise, �50 or something. Motherwell didn't want
:23:32. > :23:36.to meet that. He got offers to train with PSV Eindhoven and then
:23:36. > :23:46.talk mint. It was surprised everybody that he was going to try
:23:46. > :23:55.I knew people were going to say that I was kidding myself, but that
:23:55. > :24:00.was the chance I had, not here in Scotland. The foreigners give me a
:24:00. > :24:05.chance that people here didn't. took the chance, leaving Motherwell.
:24:05. > :24:15.He was given a three-year deal by Dortmund and the rest is the stuff
:24:15. > :24:21.
:24:21. > :24:31.of football fairy-tales. This was normally mind. One of these two.
:24:31. > :24:31.
:24:31. > :24:36.The players that they played with were phenomenal. They were world
:24:36. > :24:41.class players at the time. It was a great honour for me to play with
:24:41. > :24:47.them, Crilly wolds. They found me on an enormous amount. What a time
:24:47. > :24:51.I had you. It was fantastic. It is a fantastic club and I'm fortunate
:24:51. > :24:57.enough to have played here. would be an extraordinary first
:24:57. > :25:04.season in Germany,, mixing it with the Champions League final against
:25:04. > :25:14.Juventus. It was his job to Mark Zinedine Zidane, arguably the best
:25:14. > :25:18.
:25:18. > :25:23.player in the world. He was the main man. He was a massive threat.
:25:23. > :25:31.He is probably one of the greatest players in the world. Things went
:25:31. > :25:36.my way in that game. I had guys round about me she were helping me.
:25:37. > :25:41.I knew I had to keep my alley on him. It was a great experience to
:25:41. > :25:47.play against him. You don't realise how big it is until you're playing
:25:47. > :25:55.in it. It is a massive thing. I am proud to have done that and lucky
:25:55. > :25:59.to have won it as well. He decided to return home, joining Celtic and
:26:00. > :26:05.helping to its end the Rangers' stranglehold on Scottish football.
:26:05. > :26:13.He also became good friends with Ian Wright. He is the main man. He
:26:13. > :26:19.talks in the huddle, their hairs on the back of your neck would stand
:26:19. > :26:27.up because you could see the passion. It is weird because it is
:26:27. > :26:33.a time of high emotion, it was quite a privileged moment for me to
:26:33. > :26:41.be in a Celtic huddle. She was going on and on. I remember
:26:41. > :26:47.thinking, this is amazing, deep stuff. Team spirit, a fundamental
:26:47. > :26:56.team - a fundamental part of his football philosophy. He is
:26:56. > :27:01.responsible for transforming the futures of Norwich City. Who knows,
:27:01. > :27:08.maybe another European adventure down the line. What is it about
:27:08. > :27:13.poll numbered that is making such a successful manager? As a player and
:27:13. > :27:18.manager he is so understated. He plays everything down, doesn't
:27:18. > :27:23.shout about himself. Looking at Norwich City and what they have
:27:23. > :27:29.achieved, his teams do that. They're hard-working, well
:27:29. > :27:33.organised and get fantastic results. He does seem very modest. Has
:27:33. > :27:39.playing abroad helped him be a better manager? When you see the
:27:39. > :27:44.players he has played with, not to have picked up some valuable
:27:44. > :27:48.experience, that must be phenomenal to be in the same team. I'm sure he
:27:48. > :27:53.has picked up a lot of things and taken up with them into his
:27:53. > :28:00.management. What about your career. You resign from the Northern
:28:00. > :28:04.Ireland job, what's the future? You're just waiting for somebody
:28:04. > :28:11.else to lose their job, unfortunately, to get your
:28:11. > :28:17.opportunity. I am in no real rush. You want to become a manager again?
:28:17. > :28:23.And very much so. Very enthusiastic, full of dried and they want to do