:00:03. > :00:13.Two teams in the play-offs and one team relegated. It's all starting
:00:13. > :00:20.
:00:20. > :00:28.to take shape. Welcome to Late Kick Off. On the show tonight:Joining me
:00:28. > :00:32.on the sofa tonight two men steeped in Midlands football. Who is to
:00:32. > :00:38.blame further demise of Coventry and what does the future hold?
:00:38. > :00:41.any one group of people left to blame, the people running the club.
:00:41. > :00:46.The owners believe in their investments and they will continue
:00:46. > :00:50.to invest. Birmingham City could be leading the championship in the
:00:50. > :00:53.opposite direction after clinching a place in the play-offs and Sean
:00:53. > :00:59.Barker on a career-threatening injury and why he still counts his
:00:59. > :01:03.blessings. I will come through this and have a good few injury-free
:01:03. > :01:13.years at Derby County. I am very lucky to have a healthy family that
:01:13. > :01:20.
:01:20. > :01:23.I love and adore her and I count myself very lucky. Joining me on
:01:23. > :01:25.the sofa tonight two men steeped in Midlands football. The Derby
:01:25. > :01:28.midfielder Ben Davies started his career with Walsall and has also
:01:28. > :01:31.played for Shrewsbury, Notts County and Kidderminster. David "Ned"
:01:31. > :01:33.Kelly also started his career with the Saddlers and went on to play
:01:33. > :01:36.for Leicester and Wolves before working as assistant manager to
:01:36. > :01:39.Billy Davies at Derby and Forest. Fellas great to see you.
:01:39. > :01:43.Well, we start tonight at the Ricoh Arena in Coventry. Almost 50 years
:01:43. > :01:45.after the Jimmy Hill revolution led Coventry City out of the old third
:01:45. > :01:48.division, the Sky Blues have returned to that level. Without
:01:48. > :01:51.money, without a permanent chairman or chief executive, and now without
:01:51. > :01:55.a place in the Championship, so what's gone wrong at Coventry? For
:01:55. > :02:05.Late Kick Off, Laura May McMullan reports.
:02:05. > :02:07.
:02:07. > :02:11.Sky Blues fans have become familiar with the end of season cliff hanger.
:02:11. > :02:18.But on Saturday - after a defeat at home to Doncaster - there was no
:02:18. > :02:23.happy ending. Coventry City have dropped into the third tier of
:02:23. > :02:28.English football for the first time in 48 years. And many of the home
:02:28. > :02:37.supporters were struggling to control their emotions. Many say
:02:37. > :02:40.the owners SISU are to blame. have got to get rid of them. It is
:02:40. > :02:46.a shame it has ended like this I have never experienced anything
:02:46. > :02:50.like it. �300 free season ticket! I'm not paying that next year axe
:02:50. > :02:56.back there has no investment happened and you can see by the
:02:56. > :03:05.fans! Is how it is! Another lifelong celebrity supporter is
:03:05. > :03:10.also calling on the owners to sell up and move on. Former Coronation
:03:10. > :03:15.street actor Graeme Hawley is no stranger to the drama at the Ricoh.
:03:15. > :03:19.I feel very hurt for every one that supports this club and the people
:03:19. > :03:29.that were fired this club as well. They've made a laughing stock of
:03:29. > :03:31.the club. I will never forgive them for that. SISU Capital, the club's
:03:31. > :03:34.owners, turned down another invitation to talk to Late Kick Off
:03:34. > :03:37.leaving the club's interim chief executive to refute suggestions of
:03:37. > :03:45.asset stripping. He does admit, though, that last summer's cuts to
:03:45. > :03:48.the playing staff went too far. There has to be recognition that
:03:49. > :03:53.mistakes were made. First and foremost, the restructuring that
:03:53. > :03:59.took place in the summer, I think it is fair to say that these cuts
:03:59. > :04:04.went too deep. We were not able to replace the players we lost in
:04:04. > :04:11.terms of the talent and experience. It wasn't to be. We failed. We have
:04:11. > :04:14.been relegated. Go back 50 years and Jimmy Hill walked in and
:04:14. > :04:20.breathed new life into the club and started the Sky Blues Revolution on
:04:20. > :04:23.and off the pitch. During his six years with club, he helped them to
:04:23. > :04:26.promotion from division three in 1964 and then three years later,
:04:26. > :04:36.into English football's top division for the first time in the
:04:36. > :04:39.
:04:39. > :04:42.club's history. Something tells us that Coventry have a brighter
:04:42. > :04:50.future. Relegation now from the Championship in 2012 is breaking
:04:50. > :05:00.hearts. Today is going to be a sad day. I will not cried because we
:05:00. > :05:03.did before, we came out of the Premiership. Coventry's fate was
:05:03. > :05:07.out of their hands and with rivals Bristol City taking an early lead,
:05:07. > :05:10.events on the pitch at the Ricoh were to prove academic. By the time
:05:10. > :05:20.Richard Keogh was sent off for a foul in the 80th minute, Bristol
:05:20. > :05:20.
:05:20. > :05:24.were winning 2-0 and Coventry were quickly a goal behind. It was
:05:24. > :05:29.bitterly disappointed, players were devastated as everyone else. Some
:05:29. > :05:37.thanks things are not meant to be. We need to freshen up and be
:05:37. > :05:46.stronger. We need to regroup. Sometimes, if you can do that, you
:05:46. > :05:49.can bring the club back stronger. Coventry city is a club with
:05:49. > :05:51.significant financial problems. Relegation means a drop in income
:05:51. > :05:58.putting a further strain on resources but the interim chief
:05:58. > :06:03.executive says more investment will be found. Going down a route of
:06:03. > :06:07.chronic cost cutting would not be consistent with putting together a
:06:07. > :06:17.robust bid to get back to the championship. So, I suspect we
:06:17. > :06:18.
:06:18. > :06:21.would be looking at refinancing with the owner for next season.
:06:21. > :06:25.fans have been promised investment before, so you can understand they
:06:25. > :06:28.might not believe it this time? is disappointing on the back of the
:06:28. > :06:34.relegation, but he said that they suspect, he did that say they were
:06:34. > :06:39.going to give. He was cautious with his words. He has done a good job
:06:39. > :06:49.this season, he has a limited budget and limited squad members
:06:49. > :06:49.
:06:49. > :06:53.and it is a shame. He is a good character. Ben, you played them
:06:53. > :06:58.twice, surprised are you to see them relegated? Strangely, they
:06:58. > :07:03.were very good 20 played them, probably one of the best teams we
:07:03. > :07:07.have played. They were 2-0. We were impressed with them knocking the
:07:07. > :07:12.ball around. Possession wise, they battered us on the day, but it did
:07:12. > :07:22.that despite scoring and could not convert the challengers. They
:07:22. > :07:26.
:07:26. > :07:30.lacked a goal. Scoring goals was a big problem. How to visit forehand
:07:30. > :07:34.the two be got the players being relegated? He will dust himself
:07:34. > :07:38.down and regroup and get the staff together, find out who they want to
:07:38. > :07:41.keep an today will want to try and get in and from the players' point
:07:41. > :07:45.of view, they will have time over the summer to contemplate what went
:07:45. > :07:50.on and try and keep going next year and hopefully they will have the
:07:50. > :07:54.better players with a realistic option. He has that to keep the
:07:54. > :08:00.great younger players. Yes, looking at the eclipse, in the last few
:08:00. > :08:05.months, it has been not so nice to play there. You can see the tension.
:08:05. > :08:09.It is the fans you feel sorry for, they get affected and you can see
:08:09. > :08:13.how much they are hurting. It was disappointing for them, they are a
:08:13. > :08:23.massive club, the ground is fantastic and for them to drop down
:08:23. > :08:27.
:08:27. > :08:30.to League One is disappointing. Next on Late Kick Off, we move to
:08:30. > :08:33.the other end of the Championship and later in the programme. All the
:08:33. > :08:34.permutations in League One and Two, including the goal which put
:08:35. > :08:37.Shrewsbury within touching distance of automatic promotion.
:08:37. > :08:40.Now, who'd have put money on Birmingham city making an immediate
:08:40. > :08:43.return to the Premier League back in August? Relegation a year ago
:08:43. > :08:46.was followed by a mass exodus of players which meant an unfamiliar
:08:46. > :08:48.Blues line-up started life back in the Championship. But, Birmingham
:08:48. > :08:57.are now three play-off games away from winning promotion after
:08:57. > :08:59.securing a place in the play-offs. The manner in which Chris Hughton
:08:59. > :09:02.has revived Birmingham's fortunes has been one of the season's
:09:02. > :09:05.outstanding managerial feats. A blend of free transfers, loans and
:09:05. > :09:08.youth team players have pushed Blues to the fore and one of the
:09:08. > :09:11.young brigade played a starring role at Brighton. Nathan Redmond
:09:11. > :09:15.had already threatened the Seagulls goal when he put Blues ahead after
:09:15. > :09:17.69 minutes. Brighton - whose own play-off hopes had been
:09:17. > :09:20.extinguished - equalised with 6 minutes remaining courtesy of
:09:20. > :09:28.Ashley Barnes but a point was sufficient for Birmingham to
:09:28. > :09:31.confirm a finish in the top six. That's how the top of the
:09:31. > :09:33.Championship looks tonight. If those positions remain unaltered
:09:34. > :09:37.after next Saturday's final round of games, Blues will play Blackpool
:09:37. > :09:40.- home and away - in the play-off semi-final. The first leg would be
:09:41. > :09:44.at St Andrews on Friday 4th May with the return at Bloomfield Road
:09:44. > :09:53.the following Tuesday. So Birmingham come through their
:09:53. > :09:58.59th game of the season to make the play-off - that is some achievement.
:09:58. > :10:01.He has played all of those games in the Europa Cup, all of those games
:10:01. > :10:05.and topped it off with a really small squad and doing so well in
:10:05. > :10:12.the league, he deserves a lot of credit. Mustn't forget they've been
:10:12. > :10:16.competitive on both fronts as well with a new team. They have done
:10:16. > :10:20.really well, they have to put all of that to one side and they have
:10:20. > :10:27.got to play Blackpool, have very good team, and it will be two very
:10:27. > :10:29.good games. Another of the real pluses for Blues this season -has
:10:29. > :10:35.been the emergence of the youngsters, particularly Nathan
:10:35. > :10:39.Redmond. It is exciting, that is why fans go to watch football, he
:10:39. > :10:46.is quick on the ball, a great left foot. One for the future,
:10:46. > :10:48.definitely. A good goal, no backlit, a good back foot strike.
:10:48. > :10:52.Leicester City's hopes of promotion finally disappeared last weekend
:10:52. > :10:55.but tonight they had a chance to end their home campaign on a high,
:10:55. > :10:58.against third placed West Ham - who still had an eye on automatic
:10:58. > :11:08.promotion. Here are the goals with commentary from Ian Stringer of BBC
:11:08. > :11:18.
:11:18. > :11:28.Beckford! Leicester take the lead. Leicester are looking to get the
:11:28. > :11:31.
:11:31. > :11:41.ball in. An own goal. 1-1. From distance, a right-footed kick.
:11:41. > :11:43.
:11:43. > :11:51.Leicester are 10th in the table, the Rams completed their fixture at
:11:51. > :11:55.relegated Portsmouth. The Derby manager Nigel Clough says
:11:55. > :11:58.he knows what is needed to build on the promise of this season with a
:11:58. > :12:03.the promise of this season with a top 10 finish. Derby hedge just
:12:03. > :12:08.before half-time and although there was an equaliser with 16 s amazing,
:12:08. > :12:14.a disputed penalty which was described as a bit soft allowed a
:12:15. > :12:24.win for the Rams. Nottingham Forest were unfortunately Paul with
:12:25. > :12:25.
:12:25. > :12:30.nothing after a spirited performance. Forest created many
:12:30. > :12:40.chances. Boris continued to carry the greater threat to with this
:12:40. > :12:44.goal deep in injury time providing Tough on Forest after a good
:12:44. > :12:49.performance. While many are focused on the push
:12:49. > :12:53.for promotion, the Derby County captain Shaun Barker faces the
:12:53. > :12:58.biggest battle of his career. A month ago he shattered his knee in
:12:58. > :13:04.a horrific injury. It is one of the worst his surgeon had ever seen.
:13:04. > :13:12.Now back at home, Shaun has given his first TV interview.
:13:12. > :13:16.I cannot really describe how I felt. It was pretty much everything in my
:13:16. > :13:20.knee that could have gone wrong, did go wrong. Things happen in
:13:20. > :13:25.football and you have your highs Angelo's and it is how you deal
:13:25. > :13:31.with the tough times. People cannot understand unless they play
:13:31. > :13:38.football. Just over a month ago, Shaun Barker's Korea looked all but
:13:38. > :13:43.over. Your first thought is the severity of the injury is a career-
:13:43. > :13:50.threatening. A horror collision in a local derby left him with a
:13:50. > :13:55.ruptured right knee, snapping all the ligaments. I felt the collision,
:13:55. > :13:59.I felt my legs go the opposite direction. They had to put my whole
:13:59. > :14:03.me back into place on the pitch. The Derby captain was initially
:14:03. > :14:13.ruled out for a year, but when the surgeons took a look, it could not
:14:13. > :14:31.
:14:31. > :14:36.I was devastated. I cannot really describe how I felt. For an hour to,
:14:36. > :14:43.I was unable to speak to my wife or any family and after that I got on
:14:43. > :14:48.with it. Schon, who is 29, faces a whole season out, but this is his
:14:48. > :14:55.second series knee injury in a year. To be out for such a long time
:14:56. > :15:03.after just finding myself getting back to form, was really
:15:03. > :15:08.disappointing. I had to come through a tough injury last chair,
:15:08. > :15:18.I have twice the job now to come back as strong. It is a tough time
:15:18. > :15:24.
:15:25. > :15:29.So the next three months will be a lonely journey. Up to eight hours a
:15:29. > :15:34.day on what he calls the machine of death. You have to keep it moving
:15:34. > :15:39.so what keeps stretching it. I am at 20 degrees at the moment at it
:15:39. > :15:43.is a way of starting to build up my movement. Ten years ago, players
:15:43. > :15:49.would have to retire from the century. But surgeons can now do
:15:49. > :15:53.amazing things. -- this injury. do not think I could be at a better
:15:53. > :15:58.club or and a better manager in this situation. You worry about
:15:58. > :16:04.your future but I could not have a better manager to stick by me.
:16:04. > :16:10.will make a good captain next season. And we will be with him all
:16:10. > :16:15.the way. It was only two months ago where I was watching myself on
:16:15. > :16:20.television on this show, talking about the future and taking this
:16:20. > :16:28.club forward to get to the Premiership. Nothing has changed.
:16:28. > :16:34.He will have more time to collect his beloved of vinyl records.
:16:34. > :16:39.have a strong family behind me. I have a healthy family. I love and
:16:39. > :16:46.adore them. I kept -- account myself very lucky. He is determined
:16:46. > :16:52.not to let his do the -- his career die. I am determined to get back. I
:16:52. > :17:02.am expecting to play for Derby County in the future. See you
:17:02. > :17:08.
:17:08. > :17:12.Good luck to shone in his recovery. He seems very positive. Is he
:17:12. > :17:17.normally like that? It is emotional watching that because everyone
:17:17. > :17:25.loves him at the Football Club. He said he has had a couple of days
:17:25. > :17:29.when he was down but he is the most positive man you'll ever meet and
:17:29. > :17:33.the Guiseley think the world of him. He has been down before and now
:17:33. > :17:39.coming back and doing that, we are all absolutely gutted for him.
:17:39. > :17:48.could break other people. Yeah. He came in on Friday and I was looking
:17:48. > :17:52.at his knee and the damage she has done... He will come back. If it
:17:52. > :17:58.had to happen to anyone, it should be him because he is so mentally
:17:58. > :18:03.strong. He is a leader and a captain. We saw the impact that he
:18:03. > :18:13.has in Derby. He had been playing brilliantly. He had just got back
:18:13. > :18:14.
:18:14. > :18:19.to full fitness. He was absolutely immense. The dressing room was
:18:19. > :18:23.silent because he was in the next room on a stretcher. It is one in
:18:23. > :18:31.the latest list of casualties. You have had an horrendous season for
:18:31. > :18:39.injuries. Yes. The physios have been non-stop. Stephen Davies as
:18:39. > :18:43.well. It has been horrendously bad luck for us. None the less, you and
:18:43. > :18:50.63 points. Your highest tally in five years. Unit are in with a
:18:50. > :18:54.shout of finishing in the top ten. But his great credit. Like in --
:18:54. > :18:57.like it was said in a quite there, we will give them as much time off
:18:57. > :19:05.as he meets and he is lucky that he has got such a good manager looking
:19:05. > :19:11.after him. The job that he has done now, to finish 9th or 10th, is
:19:11. > :19:16.fantastic. David, you're old club Nottingham Forest, he has steadied
:19:16. > :19:21.the ship now. It is just that there is some uncertainty that they have
:19:21. > :19:30.to get over now. Where the club goes from here. On the whole, it
:19:30. > :19:33.has been a disappointing season. He is obviously disappointed.
:19:33. > :19:38.Unfortunately, with what happened with Nigel, what is going on with
:19:38. > :19:42.the club, but they will regroup again, like you have to, and sort
:19:42. > :19:47.out all the problems. Hopefully we will miss its target for next
:19:47. > :19:57.season. We would love to hear from you on Late Kick Off. We are open
:19:57. > :19:58.
:19:58. > :20:02.for business on Facebook and Now to League One, both at Leeds
:20:02. > :20:12.County and Walsall have work to do for to realise their end-of-season
:20:12. > :20:15.
:20:15. > :20:19.ambitions. The sad loss there still Notts County's destiny is now out
:20:20. > :20:24.of their own hands after a home defeat by it Bury. The former West
:20:24. > :20:29.Brom reserve for pud Bury ahead, but Notts were level after half-
:20:29. > :20:39.time by it -- after an own goal. County always looked the more
:20:39. > :20:44.
:20:44. > :20:52.last laugh as substitute Alan Carrington gave the last score.
:20:52. > :20:55.think they had four chances and scored four goals. A Walsall
:20:55. > :20:59.victory at Exeter would have guaranteed them another season of
:20:59. > :21:03.League One football, but despite leading twice, first through Alex
:21:03. > :21:08.nickels and then thanks to this an outstanding goal, they ended up
:21:08. > :21:14.losing. Andy Smith's sending off for a second booking might have
:21:14. > :21:20.been the turning point. The manager claimed the decision was laughable.
:21:20. > :21:30.Against ten men, Exeter ran in three goals without reply. After
:21:30. > :21:35.
:21:35. > :21:45.With two games to go, this is how the lead -- hired a run for six
:21:45. > :21:48.
:21:48. > :21:53.that goes. At the bottom, a win for Walsall in the next game would
:21:53. > :21:57.almost certainly be enough to keep them up. If we come lead -- if we
:21:57. > :22:03.can lose tonight, they will be safe anyway.
:22:03. > :22:08.Let us talk about Walsall. We are almost at that point in the season
:22:08. > :22:13.for up one wrong decision could be crucial. That is the thing. It is a
:22:13. > :22:16.nitty gritty time. It is the point where people are going to lose jobs
:22:16. > :22:22.if we get relegated. Do you think the referee thinks about things
:22:22. > :22:29.like that? No. I think they make honest decisions. I do not think
:22:29. > :22:37.they go out to make wrong decisions. What about their Brannan? Difficult.
:22:37. > :22:41.Very difficult. I think they will be safe. What about your old club
:22:41. > :22:47.Notts County? Was it a case of nerves what happened against Bury?
:22:47. > :22:51.I think it looks like it. On paper, they should have beaten them. It is
:22:51. > :22:56.a dreadful result but they will still it into the play-offs. They
:22:56. > :23:00.are doing a fantastic job. What also helps the cause is the fact
:23:00. > :23:05.that Stevenage have got to go to Sheffield United in the next game.
:23:05. > :23:12.It looks like they're going to go automatically. They have had a good
:23:12. > :23:18.season. They have kept up their good work. Do you remember your
:23:18. > :23:23.time fondly? I had a great time there. It was a laugh every day. It
:23:23. > :23:26.was a vengeful with people coming and going and wondering whether we
:23:26. > :23:35.would get paid but I had a great time and the fans were absolutely
:23:35. > :23:38.fantastic. To one of Ben's are the old clubs, Shrewsbury Town. They
:23:38. > :23:42.are almost there in League Two. A win over Accrington on Saturday it
:23:42. > :23:52.would have guaranteed automatic promotion but they had to settle
:23:52. > :23:57.
:23:57. > :24:03.bit flat throughout the game. The former Blues midfield player Bryan
:24:03. > :24:05.Hughes brought the party to a halt 12 minutes from time. Given the
:24:05. > :24:08.healthy goal difference, one more point should be sufficient.
:24:08. > :24:13.Cheltenham require at four points from their last two games to
:24:13. > :24:19.qualify for the play-offs after a one-nil defeat at Crewe. Dave
:24:19. > :24:23.Artell scored the only goal before half-time. For the ten point
:24:23. > :24:27.deduction before going into it administration at -- for going into
:24:27. > :24:30.administration, Port Vale would have been in that the lead. The end
:24:30. > :24:35.of the season cannot come soon enough for Britain. They conceded
:24:36. > :24:39.seven goals last week and another for a court -- four calls this week.
:24:39. > :24:43.Hereford have moved off the bottom of the two. They could have done
:24:43. > :24:46.with more. It means they will probably need to beat either
:24:46. > :24:56.Crawley or Torquay, both Jews and promotion, to have a chance of
:24:56. > :25:00.The Hereford manager said after Saturday's dock, that two more
:25:00. > :25:05.draws might be enough for them. It seems a little optimistic. One
:25:05. > :25:11.thing is certain, if Hereford lose at Crawley and Barnett when they're
:25:11. > :25:15.in, Hereford drop out of the league. As Shrewsbury beat Dagenham at home
:25:15. > :25:20.next Saturday, they will play in League One next season. If Crawley
:25:20. > :25:24.lose to Hereford, Dewsbury will go up anyway. In the top five, at
:25:24. > :25:32.Cheltenham's play-off spot will be assured of the clear-up -- Pickup
:25:32. > :25:36.four points. Then. You were at Shrewsbury for a
:25:36. > :25:41.couple of seasons. If you think the fans will be glad to bypass that
:25:41. > :25:45.one? Yes. It is about time they went up. The chairman has put a lot
:25:45. > :25:51.of money in the last few years. Everything is geared for the next
:25:51. > :25:57.stage and the need to get through. You are quite confident? Yes. They
:25:57. > :26:02.will have a great time at home. They deserved to go. The chairman
:26:02. > :26:06.has bankrolled it. We should have gone up before. They have had a lot
:26:06. > :26:12.of disappointment over the last three or four seasons. Now they're
:26:12. > :26:18.going up. It is at home because it is at home where they had been
:26:18. > :26:22.phenomenal. He is doing a great job. He is a super manager and he has
:26:23. > :26:30.got a real desire to win. It looks as if they are finally going to get
:26:30. > :26:37.through. What about Hereford? worst two games for Richard. Very
:26:37. > :26:42.difficult games. He is the one of the most charismatic and upbeat
:26:42. > :26:46.optimistic people that you will ever come across. If anyone can get
:26:46. > :26:51.them round it, he can. Do you think Hereford can get out of trouble?
:26:51. > :26:56.Hopefully. They seem to be down there every year and hopefully they
:26:56. > :27:00.have got enough to get up. The fixtures they have got are coming
:27:01. > :27:06.from the other end and it will be tough. Do you think it plays into
:27:06. > :27:16.their hands the fact that our that have changed managers? It is an odd
:27:16. > :27:17.
:27:17. > :27:21.one! But welcome back, Martin! That is football. Nothing surprises us.
:27:21. > :27:25.A dusty go back to the championship. Whistle Leicester play. They
:27:25. > :27:29.finished their home camping with a defeat. It almost sums up the
:27:30. > :27:33.season. They spent an awful lot of money and then Nigel came in and it
:27:33. > :27:41.looks as if they're going to invest again through the summer. Leicester
:27:41. > :27:46.need to be a good team. They have fantastic fan-base. But is almost
:27:46. > :27:49.all for this evening. Do not forget that all seven of the Late Kick Off
:27:49. > :27:53.shows from around the country will be available on the BBC iPlayer.