Episode 1 Late Kick Off London and the South East

For so many teams, we are happy to be back. -- just ten games left to

play. It promises to be a thrilling end to

the season, and with me tonight two men whose teams are at the heart of

the drama. Leyton Orient manager, Russell Slade, and the man he signed

for Yeovil town, Mark Birch. Sitting pretty, second in league one, do you

dream of the championship -- Championship question we are happy

with 70 points with 12 games to go, but a lot of important points to

play for. A slightly different situation from Millwall. How

stressful as it down there at the moment? It's always a bit stressful,

but we are playing well and we have to turn the performances into three

points. Plenty more from Russell and Marc, but also coming up, we head to

Belgium to find out more about the man who owns Charlton athletic and a

few other clubs. How do you choose your priority? I have five children,

which is the priority in your children? They are all your

priority. Brentford's bold vision. Having put penalty pain behind

them, they are thinking big. Part of moving to a new big stadium is the

Premier league, and it might seem enhancement -- a nonsense, but why

shouldn't we dream? And all the goals from the weekend, including a

beauty from Leyton Orient. And a tribute to a man who gave his all to

Dagenham and Redbridge. He was a big man, and he will be sorely missed.

The place might be the same without him. Why settle for buying lots of

football players if you can afford to buy lots of football clubs crush

the new Charlton owner has done just that, but will his European network

hinder their hopes of returning to the Premier league. We sent Chris to

the Valley and to Belgium to find out more. Charlton athletic football

club should hear tonight if it can return to its old ground at the

Valley. Johnnie Jackson has won if a Charlton. Every club has its own

identity, but are Charlton in danger of losing theirs? They are now one

of six clubs across Europe effectively run by Roland du

Chatelier, one of the richest men in Belgium. It's like the Independent

copy shop being bought out by a multinational, different branches,

same network -- Independent copy shop. This is the heart of the

network, home of Standard Liege currently heading for the Champions

League, and what happens at Charlton could be influenced by what happens

here. Where do Charlton fit into your network? As a club in its own

right, and the benefit to Charlton is that it has some friends in other

countries and they can exchange players, especially for younger

players, it's an opportunity to get experience. Overseeing the

successful youth academy, is the sports manager. How do you think

your job will be affected by the relationship with Charlton? When a

player is not good enough for the first team, and he needs some

experience, he can do it at Charlton, and when we have a big

player at Charlton, he can come to Standard Liege. Do you speak to

Chris Powell, the manager, much We had some communication in January

because it was an important time for Charlton, and now we need to talk

more about how we will organise in the future. He bought Standard three

years ago, the same year his son Roderick bought the Hungarian

top-flight side. This winter, he purchased German fourth division

outfit Carl Zeiss Jena, Charlton, then a Spanish second division club.

How do you choose your priority If you have five children, what is your

priority? They are all a priority. I hope we stay as the priority. After

all, he is a Belgium. One player who does not succeed here might succeed

in another. It could be an advantage. I just think he buys

clubs here and there just to make money. While some of the streets

around the stadium were an angry place as Standard demanded that

Duchatelet sell up. Why were you so angry? He started selling all of our

best players, and he brought in players who no one really knew. We

believed he had just bought the club to make money, so there were

demonstrations. An explosion, and the fans revolted. Now you are

happy. What has changed your mind? Now he has invested in the club and

the results have change. I'm not sure things would be the same if we

were eighth in the league. People are positive. He is a stable man.

The network breaks no rules, bid of two clubs you don't qualify for

Europe in the same season, only one could compete -- his network break

no rules. He wants to be present in two of the big championships,

England and Spain, and he asked people to find a club near a big

city, London and Madrid. It's very important in the strategy. Buying a

club for him is a commitment, he's really committed to the future of

the club. This club also needs to make money. It is not to be excluded

that some players will be sold from Charlton to Standard Liege. It will

be some time yet if we know whether the network works for Charlton.

Chris also discovered that they get Late Kick Off in Belgium, so hello

to any fans out there. It all helps with the ratings. You are a big

football fan as well as being a coach. If you put your fan's head-on

at the moment, what will the Charlton fans make of what they have

seen? They are worried they would be turned into a feeder club. You heard

him mention that the best players are ones they would take, but as a

fan, it comes down to performances. If they are winning and getting to

the top of the league and the players coming in are better than

the ones there, you don't really mind. Victories can paper over a lot

of cracks. If they are doing well, the fans will moan, but if -- the

fans will not moan, but if they don't do well, the trouble will

come. If you work Chris Powell, would you be wary about having

players coming in? It's a very difficult situation. Chris has got

to maximise his club, meaning getting the best out of his players,

the players that coming. It's very important that he is part of the

selection process, if players are coming to England and playing for

Charlton. Because, at the end of the day, he's the manager and he needs

to manage the football club. He does not need that taken away from him.

Talking about European football there is a link to Leyton Orient,

and that is that your club is amongst the highest goal-scorers in

the whole of Europe. Where you were rarer that? -- aware that? Not

really. I knew we had scored about 65. I suspect it would be there

There you are, you are fifth in the table. Leyton Orient, above Bayern

Munich. There you go, so people need to buy more season tickets, don t

they? They certainly do. We keep them entertained. They are scoring

plenty. Saturday, your third win in a row, left it late, but how did you

say? Little bit fortunate. A tight first half. Great finish by David

Mooney. Second period, fair play to the

opposition, they came at us. They managed to get an equaliser. It

looked like we would have to settle for just a point, but my team never

lie down. They showed great character. There's always a

possibility on a counterattack. Moses is only 20 years of age, but

he took it well, like a really experienced player. I have seen him

a couple of times this season, and he was the player that stood out for

me, not having seen him before. It can play on the right wing, or at

right back. How good can he be? He is still improving and developing,

but he's 20 years of age, and he has played 100 games already. He is

learning all the time and improving all the time. As you say, he's a

great product of the youth policy. You're still there in the top two

and you have not been out of the top three all season.

Is it reasonable to expect Championship football next season?

We are hanging in there. We managed to win three home games, which is

really important to us. It has given us a real boost. We have the

momentum. We have the character And we have never say die attitude.

People from outside have had nothing but praise for Leyton Orient, but

there has been thinking that with the resources Russell has available,

how long will it be until they blow up? Are you surprised by what they

have done? No, because I know how well Russell can do there. From the

outside, they have no right to be up there, with the size of squat on the

budget they have, but -- squad. But you can have a good team spirit and

the players that will play week in, week out. As Russell said before,

it's about keeping them fit and not too many suspensions, and they have

a good chance. When you have had the suspension, you have coped well So

far, so good. We have been off there for ten months and it's taken most

Brentford fans all of that time to recover from last season's pretty

cruel finish. If you recall the penalty kick away from promotion,

then defeat in a play-off final but the Championship is in their sides,

and as Richard Allen 's founder they have big plans for the future.

-- Richard Adams found out. Can he send Brentford into the macro

championship? He has hit the bar. Unbelievable. Doncaster Rovers have

one. They are up into the Championship --

It was an unpleasant few days back in the office afterwards while

everybody can be terms with how close we had come, and then you have

to drag yourself up. Life moves on and you play for the new season

People deal with it in different ways. You have to learn from it and

use it as a positive thing to drive us on. It has been good how the boys

have responded. Great carrot, they have learned from last year. The

young ones have really learn from the experience. They have shown

their form. Their aim is now to put right last season's wrong. On the

pitch, the squad is getting stronger. They have done it right

with the Academy. They are building it up. The owner made it clear that

the priority was promotion. The players are aware of that, the

management have been aware of that, and the office staff as well. We

have invested in systems behind-the-scenes dementia we can

meet the demands of Championship football. With a decision on a new

stadium imminent, they look set to say goodbye to Griffin Park and

hello to Lionel Road. A mile from their current home, the

planned new stadium has been 12 years in the making. Final approval

now less -- rests with Eric Pickles. What are the implications are - of

not leaving Griffin Park? It is not sustainable at Griffin Park. We are

losing ?5 million per year. We have got a fantastically generous owner

who is funding the losses. But it can't continue forever. Staying in

the long term just isn't going to allow us to prosper.

There has been so much transformation. Put into words what

has happened to the club? It has been outstanding. They have had a

clear ambition. They have changed the playing squad. The staff has

been changed. There has been a strong foundation of change and we

are in a strong position. It may seem nonsense to some people to

think about the Premier League, but why shouldn't we dream? We have got

a stadium and a group of people who can achieve the ambition.

Harbouring Premier League dreams, Brentford are leaving nothing to

chance, including who takes the penalties. Last-minute penalty, last

game of the season. Who is going to take it? It is always on the board

now. We will wait and see. First of all, Benford fans, sorry

for showing that penalty again! A colleague of mine isn't going to

forgive me. It had to go in. Whatever coverage from what

happened. -- what a recovery. They have made tremendous strides on and

off the field. It is no surprise to me that they are in the mix. They

have got a good squad of players and that is the most important thing.

They have got a talented group that can go all the way. If they find

themselves in a similar per lead that the position, you the previous

experience will help them? -- in a similar position, do you think the

previous experience will help them? If it happens on the last day, it

could really hurt them. If they do get that experience of the players,

it will pulp. You played a week home week on Saturday, so how big could

that be? -- you play them at home a week on Saturday. We went to their

place earlier in the season and got a fantastic result. We need to

follow it up again. It should be a full house again. It will be

standing room only. Turning to Millwall, it has been a difficult

season. One win in the last 15, one in nine since you and Ian Holloway

have been in. How do you view the situation? Amex job emotions. The

performances have been good. We have let in the first goal a few times.

-- a mixture of emotions. The lads have been showing great attitude,

great team spirit. The fans can see that. They have been really good.

They have been right behind us. If we keep playing like we have been,

hopefully it can turn into free points. When you mention dubious

refereeing, I have a feeling you may be referring to this alleged push on

the Brighton player. Were you adamant it wasn't a penalty? You

know everybody in the stadium was. I mentioned it to one of the officials

that when that happens, there are signs it is not a penalty. There

have been a few decisions against us like that, blatant penalties that

have been given. I hope you were polite. Of course I was, I always

an! Well done to brighten as well. -- Brighton. Let's look at the table

situation. You are just outside the relegation zone. But you have played

three games more than Charlton, who play in a couple of weeks. we have

got Doncaster at home as well. There will be one or two others who have

been dragged in. Blackburn -- Blackpool have been on an awful run.

Doncaster as well, they lost at the weekend, 5-0. Hopefully we can start

winning and drag them down. Time for a few goals now. Here's

Emma Jones and Jamie Reid. Emma Jones and Jamie

Not many goals elsewhere involving our teams.

The six foot five Swede headed the Hornets into the lead before his

striking partner got the first of two he would score on the

afternoon. The seaside as hadn't won in 15 games and their slim hopes of

changing that will hardly help when they gifted their opponents goal

three. This may have been the pick of the bunch. Vicarage Road is

proven to be a difficult place to visit.

QPR's hopes of a fourth straight defeat didn't get to the best start

when they gave away an early penalty. But Ross McCormack's week

kick was saved by Robert Green. The Scot, though, made up for that. This

free kick was his 24th goal of the season. Rangers' response came from

a rare source. Harry Redknapp insist his job isn't in danger, but recent

form is just a blip. That automatic promotion place could be slipping

away. Charlton were hoping to make it three wins in a week, but perhaps

it was too much to hope they could do the double over the league

leaders. David Nugent was offside. The flag, though, stayed down. If

there was any doubt about that goal, there was no question about the

quality on display from the team eight points clear at the top of the

table. David Nugent ensured the points would be staying. With

Crawley's previously waterlogged pitch finally cleared for football,

the team played their first home Game 2014 and got the win they

wanted late on the spot. -- their first home game of 2014. Crawley

still have plenty of catching up to do.

QPR, your former club and the club you support or having a difficult

time at the moment. No win in five. Those three defeats in the middle,

everybody was expecting that they would be in the top two. Was it a

fair expectation? Definitely. With the size of the squad and the money,

it is fair. On the other hand, it would be heartbreak to lose two

players a day apart. They were big attacking threat. I don't think the

transfer went as well for them as it could. What do you make of Charlton

this season? You play them a week on Saturday. A difficult season for

crisp owl? Yes. I spoke to him. They have got quite a few players out of

contract. A lot of stuff is up in the air. Not too many goals

elsewhere involving our teams. Here's Emma and Jamie again to run

us through the best of the action. Here's Emma

Brentford were looking for an instant response after their home

defeat to war than some wondrous but failed to score by a second

successive match. When they found the back of the net, the flag was

already up. It was a wonder strike that won it

for Bristol City against Gillingham. Hence in's first goal wasn't bad,

either. Peter Taylor says his team simply were not good enough in the

first half. They did improve in the second and were back in the game

thanks to Charlie Lee's first goal in over a year. The winner, though,

when it came, was one to remember. Wycombe Wanderers headed to roots

Hall, hoping to maintain the formless and ephemera. Southend were

searching for their first win in nine and took the lead. But they

were not ahead for long. This effort eventually went in off the

goalkeeper's back. Another valuable win for the home -- wayside.

Dagenham haven't won at home since New Year's Day, and the fact wasn't

going to change against Mansfield, despite chances for both sides.

Their efforts included this, and this. The teams, though, had to

share the points in what was at least an entertaining goalless draw.

Lee praised his team's defensive performance at Fleetwood. The home

team have been struggling to score recently and that continued against

the dons, who kept their first clean sheet since the 4th of February We

have had the Russell Slade Fanclub in touch. Tom Hudson has tweeted to

us. Which player has surprised you the

most this season? Lloyd Jones. He has made the most improvement. What

is the reason for the transformation of David Mooney this season? We saw

this last season, actually. He had a very decent second half of last

season. This season he has just grown in confidence. When he is

confident, he is a very good player. Martin Strong says, if you

get promoted, how would you cope in the Championship? It will be tough.

Our budget would not stack up against some of the other teams It

does not stack up in this league at times. We just have to have that

belief and the attitude that we have shown this season. The important

thing for me will be to ensure we have a bigger squad than what we

have this season. And hopefully sort out the goalkeeping situation. You

have had a horrible time of it. Marc, add big game coming up at the

weekend. This is a tricky one when you have lost your last two. How you

going to approach it? Try and win it. Hopefully we can go and do the

job. Thanks to Russell and Marc. Hope

your sides face each other in the Championship next season, but not

QPR! We end tonight by saying goodbye to a loyal servant of the

game. Two weeks ago, Dagenham Redbridge kitman Bill Edmans, who

had worked for the club for over three decades, sadly passed away at

the age of 87. He was a much-loved figure at Victoria Road and will be

missed by many in the world of football and beyond.

Bill was a joy to work with. He was a diamond. Kit man, any man, he was

the man you turn to. He epitomise what this team is about. A low serve

it, friendly, hard-working. This is my first time as a fully fledged kit

man. To be taught by somebody like Bill, it was fantastic. The dream

was to be out on the pitch with the players at Wembley. It happened in

the play-off final in 2010. To be out there with his team, it was a

dream come true. He was 87 but he was to have banter with the lads. He

always made you smile. If you have a happy team, you have got a happy

club. He made the team happy so he made the club happy. He will be

greatly missed.