:00:02. > :00:05.Two teams in the play-offs - maybe one more to follow and one fighting
:00:05. > :00:14.to stay in the league. The season's almost over but there's still so
:00:14. > :00:24.much to play for. Welcome to Late Kick Off. This programme contains
:00:24. > :00:31.
:00:31. > :00:37.Coming up, Chris Hughton on the play-offs and what success means to
:00:37. > :00:43.the blues. It would mean everything to this club, to do it on the first
:00:43. > :00:47.occasion and the best opportunity to do it is the first opportunity.
:00:47. > :00:54.Nigel Pearson reflects on a Leicester's season which delivered
:00:54. > :01:02.frustration. We have fallen short and need to reflect on it in an
:01:02. > :01:06.honest way and rectify it. No more play-off woes for the shrews.
:01:06. > :01:11.Terrific reception for the players, the coaching staff and will deserve.
:01:11. > :01:13.It's been a great season for us. Joining me this evening are two men
:01:13. > :01:16.passionate about success for Midlands football. Michael Johnson
:01:16. > :01:20.has twice won promotion to the Premier League - with Birmingham 10
:01:20. > :01:23.years ago and with Derby in 2007. He also played with great
:01:24. > :01:26.distinction for Notts County. And Richard O'Kelly scored goals for
:01:27. > :01:32.Walsall and Port Vale, enjoyed success as a coach at Doncaster and
:01:32. > :01:35.took over as Hereford manager at the beginning of last month. First
:01:35. > :01:38.tonight, it's one of the most remarkable transformations of the
:01:38. > :01:42.season. Since relegation from the Premier League a year ago, no fewer
:01:42. > :01:45.than 15 players have left Birmingham City. Some were on loan,
:01:45. > :01:48.others were sold as a cost cutting measure. Alex McLeish and his
:01:48. > :01:51.coaching team also left and the club's owner Carsen Yeung was
:01:51. > :01:54.arrested and charged with money laundering. Hardly the most
:01:54. > :01:58.promising set of circumstances for the club's new manager Chris
:01:59. > :02:02.Hughton who was appointed last June. And yet his new Blues team is three
:02:02. > :02:12.games away from an immediate return to the elite. So how has he done
:02:12. > :02:21.
:02:21. > :02:27.it? We sent Laura May McMullan to Birmingham City have exceeded
:02:27. > :02:32.expectations, on paper they have no right to be in this position after
:02:32. > :02:37.losing a whole squad last summer. group of players together that is a
:02:37. > :02:42.new group, some existing players having opportunities to play and
:02:43. > :02:49.new players coming in. Trying to mould them into a team that can
:02:49. > :02:54.play together and pull in the right direction, it takes time.
:02:54. > :02:57.manager is full of praise for the players. He says fostering a
:02:57. > :03:03.healthy team spirit is one of the elements that helped them get into
:03:03. > :03:08.the top six. To go to the games we have had it, you need players
:03:08. > :03:12.pulling in the right direction and team spirit and you need a durable
:03:12. > :03:16.players. We have a lot of players that have played a lot of the games
:03:16. > :03:22.this season. But they are a spirited group, they get on well
:03:22. > :03:28.together and liked each other. does it mean to you personally?
:03:28. > :03:33.It's always nice on a personal note but it is more for the club and the
:03:33. > :03:42.players. You are delighted because the efforts may have put in all
:03:42. > :03:46.season. This group of players deserve to do well. There is the
:03:46. > :03:53.man who has engineered a promotion for Newcastle.
:03:53. > :03:58.After previous spells of caretaking management, the start has been the
:03:58. > :04:03.best in Newcastle's history. In 2010 he helped the Magpies clinch
:04:03. > :04:09.promotion in record time. And go on to win the championship title.
:04:09. > :04:15.think everybody is aware of how it ended and that's not something I
:04:15. > :04:20.need to go over. But I only have fond memories of the club. Are you
:04:20. > :04:25.a believer in what hurts you makes you stronger? Yes, I am. If
:04:25. > :04:32.something hurts you or do not go well, if anything, your resolve has
:04:32. > :04:38.to become more of a desire to improve and that's the only way to
:04:38. > :04:41.improve. I think any knock back I have had I have tried to look
:04:41. > :04:49.positive and has spent 15 years as a coach at Tottenham. When I lost
:04:49. > :04:54.my job there, I only wanted to look forward. Establishing himself as a
:04:54. > :04:59.manager has been key. For the first time in 50 years, he guided the
:04:59. > :05:07.blues into the group stages of the Europa League, the FA Cup and many
:05:07. > :05:13.highlights. Europa League gave 6,000 supporters the opportunity to
:05:13. > :05:19.watch the club play in Europe. The highlights the need is we have kept
:05:19. > :05:23.coming back. Every time we have taken a dip we were able to go on a
:05:23. > :05:29.decent run. Chris is under no illusions about how crucial
:05:29. > :05:34.promotion is. But how important has this season been, not just for the
:05:34. > :05:37.club but for his career? With the chance of getting back to the
:05:37. > :05:42.Premier League is what each of these players strives for. That is
:05:42. > :05:47.why they have worked so hard. Yes, it's an important season for me but
:05:47. > :05:52.not as important as it is for the club. So, if they do achieve
:05:52. > :05:56.promotion, how would Chris rate it to other highlights in his career?
:05:56. > :06:03.We have tried not to look too far ahead but you have asked the
:06:03. > :06:10.question. It would mean everything to this football club. We have
:06:10. > :06:14.difficult play-off games and we will do our very very best.
:06:14. > :06:18.blues will go to Blackpool for the first leg of the semi-finals on
:06:18. > :06:27.Friday and if you can't get a ticket, commentary is on BBC Radio
:06:27. > :06:33.WMD. You are X club, what a job he has done. A magnificent job. When
:06:33. > :06:35.you look at the restraints, he has galvanised the club, the fans are
:06:35. > :06:39.buzzing and the team spirit is second to none. He's done a
:06:39. > :06:45.brilliant job. He has had to getting the team together, how
:06:45. > :06:50.difficult is it as a manager to mould so quickly? It is to do with
:06:50. > :06:55.his personality. Whenever I have met him, he is consistent in how he
:06:55. > :07:00.deals with things. When people have these guidelines and everyone is
:07:00. > :07:06.not jumping from one scale to the other, Chris is consistent. What he
:07:06. > :07:11.has done with the players is if you do this for me, I'll look after you.
:07:11. > :07:17.Will he get your vote as manager of the season? Definitely. The job is
:07:17. > :07:22.fantastic. He got my vote at Newcastle. He has shown what a good
:07:22. > :07:27.manager he is. Birmingham fans will be keeping a close eye on the FA
:07:27. > :07:32.with Roy Hodgson because it looks like Chris is the bookie's
:07:32. > :07:37.favourite to take over at the Hawthorns. I do not want him to go,
:07:38. > :07:42.I have the backing of many people, he has done a tremendous job. He is
:07:42. > :07:48.an iconic figure. I hope he stays put. What about Birmingham in the
:07:48. > :07:54.play-offs? Blackpool are a good team. We need to get through first.
:07:54. > :07:57.The important thing is the second leg. If we can get a result at St
:07:57. > :08:07.Andrews, bring them back in front of a hostile crowd and have a
:08:07. > :08:26.
:08:26. > :08:29.Blues prepared with a professional staff. Nathan Redmond set up Adam
:08:29. > :08:33.Rooney - a first-half substitute for Nicola Zigic - to open the
:08:33. > :08:36.scoring. Wade Elliott made the game safe with a penalty 15 minutes from
:08:36. > :08:39.full time after a handball from Jay Tabb. Derby brought their season to
:08:39. > :08:42.a close with a one-all draw against Peterborough. Theo Robinson puts
:08:42. > :08:44.the Rams ahead after 21 minutes but they were denied a deserved victory
:08:44. > :08:47.when David Ball scored with eight minutes remaining for Posh.
:08:47. > :08:49.Nottingham Forest rounded off a season they'll want to forget with
:08:49. > :08:53.a victory over relegated Peterborough. Dexter Blackstock
:08:53. > :08:56.scored both goals to take his tally to eight for a season in which he
:08:56. > :08:58.was only able to start 16 games because of injury. Coventry City
:08:58. > :09:04.relegated last Saturday - were no match for Southampton whose 4-0
:09:04. > :09:07.victory gave them the second automatic promotion place.
:09:07. > :09:10.Leicester City rounded off their season with a 2-1 victory at Leeds
:09:10. > :09:13.but it won't disguise what's been a frustrating nine months for Foxes
:09:13. > :09:16.fans. A slow start brought about the departure of Sven Goran
:09:16. > :09:19.Eriksson, and although Leicester - under Nigel Pearson - were on the
:09:19. > :09:22.fringes of the promotion race, they were never completely in the shake-
:09:22. > :09:32.up. Pearson has been sharing his thoughts on the season and the
:09:32. > :09:38.
:09:38. > :09:44.Nigel Pearson used his passion for football and a fierce commanding
:09:44. > :09:52.authority. I did think you should judge opportunities for players
:09:52. > :09:55.just because they cost a lot of money. -- I do not think. That is
:09:55. > :10:01.not how I select the team. There's no point pulling the wool over
:10:01. > :10:08.people's eyes. It does not wash. his first in-depth interview about
:10:08. > :10:12.his plans for the summer, he says there will be changes. I am not
:10:12. > :10:20.saying it will be wholesale but I would like to develop the squad.
:10:20. > :10:26.You have to recognise where we have fallen short this year. Nigel left
:10:26. > :10:32.school with eight O-levels and joins Shrewsbury and as a player he
:10:32. > :10:39.cut an impressive figure. It was no surprise when schooled by the FA he
:10:39. > :10:41.became a manager at Carlisle, Southampton before finding
:10:41. > :10:48.Leicester in League One and bringing them up to the
:10:48. > :10:54.championship. For English managers, the reality is if you want to
:10:54. > :11:01.manage you have a better chance if you take the club on. But the stark
:11:01. > :11:05.reality. His desire to get Leicester to the Premier League at
:11:05. > :11:09.the first attempt fell short in the play-offs, he left for Hull the
:11:09. > :11:13.five months ago the new owners brought him back to Leicester. Do
:11:13. > :11:20.you have any regrets coming back question mark we haven't achieved
:11:20. > :11:27.what we wanted this season. But I know we are in better shape now. It
:11:27. > :11:33.is crucial for this club that we have a longer term view and that
:11:33. > :11:40.whatever work I do here, is the legacy -- the legacy is the club is
:11:40. > :11:47.no better position. But the club's new owners have invested over 60
:11:47. > :11:51.million since they arrived in 2010 so what has gone wrong this season?
:11:51. > :11:58.I did know if it's right to discuss in the public domain what I feel
:11:58. > :12:04.about what has gone in the past. -- I do not know. We build squads with
:12:04. > :12:07.value and we want the right balance. The chemistry has not been right in
:12:07. > :12:12.it dressing room and big-money signings have not lived up to the
:12:12. > :12:19.hype. I will not bring plays in because they are high profile. I
:12:19. > :12:23.will bring the right place in for us and the profile has to fit what
:12:23. > :12:28.we're trying to achieve. Will there be a swathe of players coming in
:12:28. > :12:35.like last season? With the financial fair-play regulations
:12:35. > :12:41.which come into force in the not- too-distant future, we have to plan
:12:41. > :12:50.with a little more understanding of the financial implications of what
:12:50. > :13:00.we do. It's about having players who have a desire to be successful.
:13:00. > :13:00.
:13:00. > :13:05.And are prepared to go the extra We are fortunate, we have owners
:13:05. > :13:10.who are committed to the long-term future of the club. What about you?
:13:10. > :13:17.He was smiling a lot more now. the real change, that! I don't want
:13:17. > :13:21.to sink -- send the right signals out. If people think that, I am
:13:21. > :13:28.doing something wrong. I fully understand the frustration, but
:13:28. > :13:31.having said that, I believe that we will get it right here.
:13:31. > :13:36.The one thing that screams out of that conversation with Nigel
:13:36. > :13:39.Pearson, there is clearly a new strategy at the stadium. Not the
:13:39. > :13:46.millions to bid in for those new prayers we saw under Sven Goran
:13:46. > :13:52.Eriksson, is on about value-for- money -- and efficiency. That is
:13:52. > :13:56.what he is about, he recruits people who give value for money. He
:13:56. > :13:59.recruits the same sort of players. He has got to get the whole
:13:59. > :14:04.infrastructure right. You cannot just throw money at it and inspect
:14:04. > :14:09.into a success. It is a building process he will develop over the
:14:09. > :14:13.summer. Next, we are all invited to
:14:13. > :14:23.Shrewsbury Town's promotion party. Later, Notts County leave it very
:14:23. > :14:26.late to keep alive their play-off hopes.
:14:26. > :14:30.In April 1979, Art Garfunkel was top of the charts with bright eyes,
:14:30. > :14:35.Antiques Roadshow had just appeared on BBC One for the first time and
:14:35. > :14:41.Graham Turner was celebrating promotion with Shrewsbury Town.
:14:41. > :14:49.Three -- 33 years on, he had done it again, as they have clinched
:14:49. > :14:58.promotion. This report contains flash photography.
:14:58. > :15:03.We will do it today, we are going up. The Tamar going up. Unless up -
:15:03. > :15:06.- the town are going up. Unless I have got it wrong, we are ready.
:15:06. > :15:10.Shrewsbury Town have been on the verge of promotion three times in
:15:10. > :15:13.five seasons, but on Saturday there was quiet confidence. I am
:15:13. > :15:17.reminding one or two of the players they have things that we set out at
:15:17. > :15:23.the start of the season to do, it has got us where we are now. It
:15:23. > :15:28.will get us promoted. It was about being responsible for their own
:15:28. > :15:37.destiny, and not relying on other results. And be crucial goal came
:15:37. > :15:43.in the 38th minute. Top scorer James Collins headed in a cross
:15:43. > :15:46.from the key role. So mission accomplished, Shrewsbury are back
:15:46. > :15:56.in League One for the first time in 15 years. And Graham Turner
:15:56. > :15:57.
:15:57. > :16:04.achieved his 6th managerial promotion. Everyone at the club was
:16:04. > :16:10.obviously keen to get the promotion party started to, but not before
:16:10. > :16:16.thanking the sell-out Helmut -- home Cawte. -- home crowd. Most of
:16:16. > :16:20.all, I want to thank you, I hope to have enjoyed it. The lads have been
:16:20. > :16:26.put it -- I hope the lads have been put it -- amazing this season. I
:16:27. > :16:32.cannot describe it. We have learned from our mistakes and our home form
:16:32. > :16:38.has been brilliant. We are going to have a great night and celebrate it
:16:38. > :16:45.well. We have done it today, a great team performance. You look at
:16:45. > :16:48.the lads, everyone is over the moon. The picture of the supporters say
:16:48. > :16:55.it will, to have a perception of players and coaching staff and
:16:55. > :16:59.thoroughly deserved, it has been a great season. It is the spirit of
:16:59. > :17:06.79 out there, it is the spread to 2012! It seems a long time ago, I
:17:06. > :17:12.embarrassed when I look at the pictures. For the chairman, it is
:17:12. > :17:17.the culmination of 16 years' hard work. I was born here, I have lived
:17:17. > :17:25.here all my life. It has been my mark -- my life's mission. I am
:17:25. > :17:31.delighted to have the success for the fans. We are going up, we are
:17:31. > :17:37.going up! So Graham Turner's men stepped up to the big occasion. And
:17:37. > :17:41.for the man himself, as fan after fan told me, he is a legend.
:17:41. > :17:48.Richard, you know Graham more than most annual not disagree. He is a
:17:48. > :17:53.legend. He is, a wonderful man, honest, straight as a die. You know
:17:53. > :17:59.where you stand with him, and that is what he has done with these
:17:59. > :18:03.players. If they give him 100%, he will back them. I am puzzled why he
:18:03. > :18:08.has not been honoured by the New year's list. Four what he has done,
:18:08. > :18:12.since 1979? It is incredible. promotions, surely he should be
:18:12. > :18:17.honoured by the Queen for his contribution to football. It is
:18:17. > :18:23.magnificent. Tell of -- tell us about him being a tactician. It is
:18:23. > :18:29.his main strength. He is a student of the game. He has still got about
:18:30. > :18:34.10 more books that he hasn't read! He watches games, he talks tactics,
:18:34. > :18:39.he has got a wealth of experience around the years from 1979 to get
:18:39. > :18:42.through here. He is a fantastic character. They will be playing
:18:42. > :18:47.their likes of Portsmouth, commentary and Doncaster, they will
:18:47. > :18:51.not be easy games for those sides to go to the greenhouse meadows.
:18:51. > :18:56.They will study their strings and when it -- they will be studying
:18:56. > :18:59.their strength and witnesses and be ready for them. It should be a
:18:59. > :19:04.great season. The Shrewsbury Town fans should be rubbing their hands
:19:04. > :19:09.and excitement. They have got there through three failed attempts in
:19:09. > :19:13.five years. It is 15 years since they have been in League One. It is
:19:13. > :19:17.an incredibly cheap and. Shrewsbury are up, but can
:19:17. > :19:25.Cheltenham join them? The Robins are sure of a place in the play-
:19:25. > :19:29.offs after beating Bradford City 3- Cheltenham knew a win over Bradford
:19:29. > :19:38.would secure a top seven finish but that seemed unlikely in the first
:19:38. > :19:46.half as bad for dominated. -- Bradford dominated. Burgess,
:19:46. > :19:51.Spencer on the edge... Goal! Lob the goalkeeper, 3-1. That is it.
:19:51. > :20:01.That is the play-offs. It was a touch of gallows humour among Serbs
:20:01. > :20:09.
:20:09. > :20:19.had -- it commentary fans. Yes! Getting! Getting! Get in! Here is
:20:19. > :20:28.that scorer... Get it in the net! Yes! Here We Go, Here We Go forth
:20:28. > :20:35.up yes!! Hereford's victory ( -- condemned matters fell to
:20:35. > :20:41.relegation. Chris Palmer's long punt forward combined with inept
:20:41. > :20:45.defending to allow Calvin Zola a victory for Burton. The proposed
:20:45. > :20:49.takeover might herald a bright a feature for Port Vale, but they
:20:49. > :20:53.will be glad to see the back of this season. They were beaten 5-0
:20:53. > :21:00.by Swindon, the champions in their final away game.
:21:00. > :21:10.Hereford need to beat Torquay at -- and hope Torquay do not win at
:21:10. > :21:12.
:21:12. > :21:19.Burnet -- Matt -- Burton. That commentary was amazing, wasn't
:21:19. > :21:23.it? Eurovision Song contest with a voice like that! What about that
:21:23. > :21:29.win. Two a national audience, that was the stand-out result of the
:21:29. > :21:33.weekend. It was a good performance. We prepared in the correct way, the
:21:33. > :21:39.players have worked diligently over the last few weeks. Luck has always
:21:39. > :21:45.gone away. -- hasn't always gone away, but we had some luck this
:21:45. > :21:48.week. We scored three goals which was nice. You have been battling
:21:48. > :21:52.against the tide since you were appointed, your first managerial
:21:52. > :21:57.job. How hard as it to get into a job like that with two months to
:21:57. > :22:04.go? It was a doddle! 13 seconds into my first game, we scored. 10
:22:04. > :22:10.minutes later, I went to-0 up and I said, what is the problem? It was
:22:10. > :22:14.no problem. I have enjoyed my time there. It is good fun. In a weird
:22:14. > :22:18.sort of way. It what you are looking for day-in day-out is to be
:22:18. > :22:22.consistent with how you do things, then turn out on Saturday and put a
:22:22. > :22:27.performance out, and we try to do that. The results went your way on
:22:27. > :22:31.Saturday, but the only blip was the Barnet and Wimbledon result. It is
:22:31. > :22:39.a bit disappointing that Wimbledon did not play there for 11. I am not
:22:39. > :22:43.sure, I have heard stories. I am sure they had their reasons, I do
:22:43. > :22:50.not criticise, they do what they do at their club. I concentrate on
:22:50. > :22:55.what I can affect which is Hereford, we Kate -- take care of their shop
:22:55. > :23:00.-- our shop and they take care of those. You're not doing it easily,
:23:00. > :23:04.Crawley and Torquay. We watch them more than any other sides, they are
:23:04. > :23:07.good sides. Does it help that they have something to play for? Yes,
:23:07. > :23:12.both sides will be focused and have some pressure on them. Certainly
:23:12. > :23:15.Crawley, their outlook changed when we scored the first goal. Good luck
:23:15. > :23:25.with it. We are always keen on what you have
:23:25. > :23:26.
:23:26. > :23:35.to say. You can talk to us on Facebook or Twitter.
:23:35. > :23:38.Walsall have avoided relegation in League One, they draw combined with
:23:38. > :23:44.a great result from Notts County mean the Saddlers so wide and Notts
:23:44. > :23:49.remain in the play-off picture -- survive and Notts County remain in
:23:49. > :23:52.the play-off picture. Wycombe, fighting for their lives,
:23:52. > :23:58.made a bright start as Matt Bloomfield corner after a minute.
:23:58. > :24:04.Notts County responded swiftly and Daniel Bogdanovich joined -- scored
:24:04. > :24:09.with his first goal since he joined on loan. Grant Basey's penalty
:24:09. > :24:14.restored fully to Wycombe after 17 minutes. Back came County and five
:24:14. > :24:22.minutes before half-time Alan Judge levelled the scores. Two-two became
:24:22. > :24:25.3-22 Wycombe when Stuart Beavon put the home side in front. Dele
:24:25. > :24:30.Adebola headed his first goal for Notts County. Wycombe were heading
:24:30. > :24:33.down but a point was not good enough for cat's promotion hopes. A
:24:34. > :24:42.third minute of injury-time, as it in Wycombe defence meant Alan Judge
:24:42. > :24:45.could score his second, the winning goal of remarkable game. It might
:24:45. > :24:49.have looked as if he did not have a care in the world but Dean Smith
:24:49. > :24:52.had watched his Walsall team lose three in the road. When they
:24:52. > :25:02.conceded an early goal to Huddersfield's Lee Novak, they were
:25:02. > :25:03.
:25:03. > :25:10.half -- far from safe. Walsall are level, and could that be the goal
:25:10. > :25:16.that effectively keeps the Saddlers in League One? It was. A feed for
:25:16. > :25:25.Wycombe, Exeter and showed us -- Chesterfield meant the Saddlers
:25:25. > :25:34.could breathe a huge sigh of relief. Here is how things look with one
:25:34. > :25:42.game to go. Stevenage have a goal difference of plus 22, and Notts
:25:42. > :25:48.County have plus nine. If Stevenage beat Bury they will be in the play-
:25:48. > :25:53.offs, unless Carlisle win at Oldham by 15 goals!
:25:53. > :25:59.The Notts County resort at Wycombe, their play-off hopes were dead and
:25:59. > :26:04.buried at one point, at 89 minutes. He would have thought so, 3-2 down,
:26:04. > :26:12.then at three all, it has a screamer to make it four-three.
:26:12. > :26:17.What a job that Keith Curle has done in a land. -- meadow land.
:26:17. > :26:19.is a great acquisition to have someone with his experience working
:26:19. > :26:24.alongside Neil Warnock, he has shown what you can do as the
:26:24. > :26:28.manager. When you're a manager going into the play-offs, it you
:26:28. > :26:35.see a performance like that, you just think, maybe it could be your
:26:35. > :26:40.time. Football is in games, never mind a few. Of games, it is
:26:40. > :26:44.momentum. If they go into the play- offs with momentum, they will be a
:26:44. > :26:49.tough cookie. Colchester at home, how do you think the prospects are?
:26:49. > :26:52.All they can do is look at themselves and considering what
:26:52. > :26:57.they can do for 90 minutes. The fans will have their radios in the
:26:57. > :27:02.stands, but as long as they get their three points, hopefully the
:27:02. > :27:06.result will go with us with Stevenage. Walsall, they must have
:27:06. > :27:09.been the biggest winners of that division at the bottom. They were
:27:09. > :27:15.on Saturday. They have been there or thereabouts, I spent a few
:27:15. > :27:25.months there on her left Doncaster. They are a fantastic group there,
:27:25. > :27:25.
:27:25. > :27:35.Mick Kearns, Dean Smith, they work 247. -- 24-seven. They deserve
:27:35. > :27:36.
:27:36. > :27:39.everything they have got. How good is Cuvelier? If I was at a higher
:27:39. > :27:47.level, I would look at him, he could play at high level. So he has
:27:47. > :27:51.got a good player on their books. Well, Stoke have, he is on loan!
:27:52. > :27:56.All seven of the Late Kick Off shows from around England will be