Episode 3 Late Kick Off Midlands

Hello. Nottingham's man for all football seasons and a 73-year-old

weightlifting champion a just two of the people we are meeting on

late kick-off. He saw medals as a player at the city Ground and

promotion as a manager but what can Frank Clark achieved as chairman?

All I hope is that the football club is a better football club than

the day I came. With money ever tighter, clubs increasingly need to

produce their own talent, so are these players the future for

Birmingham City? Would you mess with this man? You know the answer

to that, my friend. You know! of him later. By and joined by two

men who always have a lot to say about Midlands football. Dean Kiely

played for six clubs including West Brom. We welcome for the first time

Stan Collymore, whose names in Midlands football include Walsall,

Wolves, Forest, Leicester and Villa. Welcome. We start this week with

one of Stan's former clubs. It has not been an easy time for

Nottingham Forest. Another near miss in the play-offs was followed

by the departure of Steve McClaren. They are currently in the bottom

three of Championship. Off the field, Nigel Doughty stood down to

be replaced by a man inexplicably linked with better times. --

inextricably. It is 37 years since Frank Clark first walked out pier.

What is it like walking out as chairman? Much more relaxing than

being manager. Player, manager, and now leading the board. It is a rare

hat-trick to complete. Yes, it is an exciting challenge. A lot of

work to be done. It but I am enjoying it. He played for Brian

Clough in the Seventies, winning the European Cup. It was a

fantastic day for me. A good way to go out in a career. He started in

management with an unenviable task. Frank Clark has worked a little

meant -- little miracle. Brian had gone and the club was in

uproar. 18 years he had been here and he was a legend. There was just

a feeling, oh goodness, what are we going to do? Fast-forward to 2011

and more chaos. The manager quits after just months and a long-

standing chairman resigns. That sums up the whole season.

With that in mind, you have two lovely daughters and grandchildren,

why come back can take this job? Because they asked me! Obviously

Forest has a special place in my life and the wonderful memories I

have. I probably would not have gone at this stage for any other

club. He now has to shoulder the responsibility. I am aware that we

have the future of the club in our hands and what we do in the next

couple of years will be very, very important to the future of

Nottingham Forest. Former chairman Nigel Doughty is still owned. What

happens when he walks away? Do you have to have somewhere else in

place? We don't have to but it will be very difficult if we don't. It

is not a financial crisis as such. The finances have been left in

place by Nigel to ensure that all of the commitments will be met for

two and a half years. It means Steve Cotterill has little money

for change. Forest have won just one in 10. Frank is 100 % behind

the manager. He knew what the scenario was. It was explained to

him before he came. But that is not the same as having to work with the

restrictions. We are all sympathetic. He is concerned about

our position. I have a firm belief that we will be okay and we will

stay in the division. We have to accept the reality that we are in

the relegation places. One of his key aims is to restore our wage

structure. -- a wage structure. don't think the current system is

helping and we will have to look at it. How do you see the next few

years for Nottingham Forest? If you had a crystal ball, what will

happen? It will be very difficult but I don't see any reason, if we

get a few breaks, that next year we can't be challenging again. Frank

won medals with the club as a player, promotion as a manager, but

what will his legacy be as chairman? I am not interested in

legacies. On the day I leave I hope only that the football club is a

better club then it was on the day I came. -- than it was.

Francs ING that Forest. He is almost too nice to be chairman. --

Frank assigned to you at Farah -- at Forest. He came in after Brian

Clough and it was almost impossible. He needed the right building blocks

at the right time. I want him to have the time not just to be a

figurehead and answer questions but to be given teeth and put Forest in

the direction of recovery which will hopefully end in premier-

league football in four or five years. 1 win in 10, no money, the

club is up for sale. It is a massively tough situation. Yes,

Nigel Doughty has done a fantastic job. It is 30 managers in 15 years.

It started with David Platt. -- 13 managers. They are in a position

where they have to win a half years of funds and they need to do

something in the meantime. -- they have two and-a-half years of funds.

You have to see the travails of Manchester City, Leeds, it will be

a tough demand to get out of League One. It looks now that they are. In

be eyes and crossing the T's. --. In the eye is. I am sure that Steve

Cotterill and Frank Clark would have rather have kept some of those

players but if the fund keeps them viable and competitive they can

spend it well and hopefully there was time for them to become

competitive. Frank revealed that the wage structure was basically

blown by Steve McClaren, fires put -- five players left out of

contract. Jonathan Green is a friend of mine and I said to him,

what is going on? He said, as a player, call of the soap opera are

round the club has nothing to do with the players. Despite all of

the. They are solid guys and they are giving their bar at -- their

best. When you are at the bottom it is not through players going in and

not putting the shift in. You have to feel for Steve Cotterill because

he has inherited almost an impossible job. Managers want to

have their own backroom staff, their own style of play. He has

nothing to spend. You have to give him that kind of leeway, but it

goes back to 13 managers in 15 years. Forest is a club that can

rely on some fantastic experience that makes the whole club feel

better and move forward. Forest are back in action tomorrow evening,

one of four Championship matches involving our teams. It is Wacka

night at the Bescot tomorrow as Walsall fans on or Jimmy Walker in

the home going against Notts County. -- paid tribute to Jimmy Walker.

Leicester City take on Middlesbrough. News of a date

change for Leicester's Championship game. It was due to be played on

18th February but now will be Tuesday March 13th. Coming up, the

goals that at Cheltenham to the top of lead to. -- that took Cheltenham.

-- to the top of League Two. Clubs are increasingly relying on youth

players. In the first of three special reports from the Blues

Academy, Laura May McMullan meets the youngsters who are about to

find out if they will make the grade at St Andrews.

These boys are living the dream. Nearly 150 players aged from eight

to 19 are on the books of Birmingham City's Academy. These

boys are on the two-year scholarship programme. Some are

just four months away from learning their fate. Will they get a

professional contract? 17-year-old Sam Westley is a second year full-

time scholar. The young defender from Ipswich joined in 2009. He

says he is determined to make the grade. It has been my dream to be a

footballer since I was really young. It is everything you work towards.

It is great been around here, seeing the lifestyle of the first

team players. 18-year-old Callum Reilly has been with the club since

he was seven. Four weeks ago he was given his squad number and on

Saturday he makes his first-team debut, coming on as a substitute.

need to push on and not rest on my laurels. Get on the bench a lot

more, keep my head down and work hard. The competition is tough.

Last year eight scholars were kept on and five released. The Academy

manager says that letting them go is the hardest part of the job.

is very difficult. The way I look at it as a person who has to

deliver the decision is that, if you provide the boy with every

opportunity to try to improve and he has everything he should have

got within the programme, that is hopefully where all of the other

external aspects of our programme will help them move on. The

youngsters are educated to A-level standard, with the club footing the

bill for their training and welfare. It is the likes of 20-year-old

Jordan Mutch and 17-year-old Nathan Redmond who are providing the

inspiration. Both are Academy success stories, who have

represented their country and graduated to the first team.

Redmond has worked his way up the ladder from the age of eight. These

goals are just the start of what should be a glittering career.

There are currently 1500 young player registered with League clubs

and last season 249 players aged under 21 may be a professional

debuts in the Football League. That is when managers tend to protect

their young players from the media Perhaps an discipline is the most

important thing. The desire to want to do well. To want me part of a

structured group. Is the ones that are prepared to and want it the

most that have the best chance. It is for us to guide that.

Some of these players will make it. Maybe at Birmingham City, may be

elsewhere. For others, this is the closest they will come to playing

football full-time. I was watching your reactions.

Academy's have changed since your day. They have. I remember going to

West Brom and working out on a wooden floor with two cones. It has

not done me any harm. When you look at that, you sell the rate -- sell

the it. As long as a boy has been given every opportunity to grow, as

the person as well as a footballer, and given all the tools, the

football club can be happy with the job they have done. Ironically, you

were unsuccessful in your first club. I was a second-year

apprentice at Walsall. I got release, went to Wolves, got given

a three-month contract, scored goals in the reserve. I went to the

careers of us. I have got friends who have got children in academies.

I scored lots of goals at junior level and never saw a scout. The

net was not cast wide enough. When I did get released, I had to knock

on the career of the store. Telford were interested. -- career office's

door. I would not change it for the world but now, if you could have

that experience of being in Academy, if you do not make it as a

professional footballer, live skills are set up for every Korea.

If you had to go out of football, would you have been prepared for

such a thing? I think you are. There is a concern for me when kids

are rejected and turfed out at 10 years old, they are playing up the

numbers game. That, I have major issues with. It is difficult to

deal with rejection at 16 but when you get to that age, you can cope a

bit better. What a fantastic system at the Academy system is providing.

There are new rules coming through whereby the bigger clubs can

cherry-pick from a lower league clubs. They pay a low set fee. Is

this a good thing or a bad thing? I'm not totally comfortable with it.

I would say the bigger clubs can just cherry-pick but what they do

is stockpile very good players. That is what Arsenal do. Those very

young players will be stockpiled at the bigger club. They will have

better kit and Trade and better facilities but will be discarded if

they do not make the grade. -- trained on better facilities.

will just leave the game. The major concern is, let us take Wayne

Rooney as an example. Everton have to pay peanuts for him. That is not

fair to it than 90 odd clubs in the Football League. Thank you. We will

read his are the Port Vale story later. We would love to hear from

you about what you think about this week's show. We have a Facebook

page. If you can continue the discussion on Twitter. I know Stan

is a fan. With Crawley preoccupied with the

FA Cup and Southend on a day off, Cheltenham Town had a chance to go

to the top of League Two. And they did it in style, winning 3-1 at

defeat by Bristol Rovers was a rude awakening for Cheltenham, this

performance at Macclesfield was a case of business as usual. Luke

Garbutt was the first to threaten the Macclesfield goal. But it was

the home side who scored first. He has got a bit of space on the right

hand side. In his into the net. It's a goal. Centre long. Baker has

gone up for that but he has not got it. It is a goal. Equaliser for

Cheltenham. Flicks it on. Comes back to Mohammed. Jeff Golding for

Cheltenham Town. He has scored. 21 minutes into the second have.

Chairman lead 2-1. -- Cheltenham lead. It is going to be Luke

Garbutt. Luke Garbutt will claim that one. He puts the seal on it

So the Robins are back on the highest branch but Shrewsbury are

not far behind them. A win on Saturday against local rivals

Hereford keeps them firmly in the hunt for automatic promotion. The

Shrewsbury manager Graham Turner was back at Edgar Street where he

is still regarded as something of a hero for his exploits in charge of

the Bulls. Alongside him then is a man charged with making sure the

Shrews are fit for promotion. Laura May McMullan has been to meet him.

Fancy footwork and formations are one thing. But when it comes to

strength and power training, there is one tough taskmaster at

Shrewsbury Town. And he comes in the form of the mighty Tony Ford.

You know the answer to that, my friend. The average squad age here

is 22. At 73, the Shrews' fitness coach can teach them a thing or two

and he pushes them all the way. Keep it going now. The write-down.

Do not stop. Do not ease off. -- right down. Come on. He is always

in-your-face, pushing you on. You need that when you are lifting

weights. To compete, you need to be physically in the right way. He is

so energetic and we are out of breath. He is a good man to have

around. The exercises we do our for power, pace, sprinting speed,

working the muscles in an explosive manner. You build enough power so

you can sort yourself out. And it is no coincidence he is

helping the team get results. Tony is a former weightlifter who has

represented Britain 42 times. He was a Commonwealth Games gold

medallist in 1974. It does not matter, yes! He has got it by a

majority verdict. The judges, 2-1 in favour. It was the easy is

competition I have had. I can remember it. 170 kilos. I had time

to spare. I was strong and powerful. The dynamic duo have worked

together for 25 years and both returned to Edgar Street on

Saturday. I wasn't sure what greeting I would get.

But no need to worry, Turner is a hero in the eyes of both sets of

fans. He did a fantastic job. Destabilise the club financially.

He put a lot of sacrifice into keeping the club afloat. He is a

living legend. He has made an amazing appearance. It is amazing.

The visitors come here on course for promotion. They have won six of

their last ten League games and are currently fifth in the table. And

it was Turner's men who were triumphant with a 2-0 win. Takes a

shot early, he scores! The game was won in the first half. The service

was reasonable and the pasta well. Two well-taken goals.

So a comfortable win for Shrewsbury and it looks like Tony's techniques

are working. We are not doing it for the beach. We are doing it to

get strong, to affect the game. Last year Tony was honoured for his

services to weightlifting. Powering these players to promotion is next

on his agenda. So what of our other teams in

League Two? Port Vale's second successive victory lifts them back

into the top half of the table while Burton remain just outside

and Oxford was eliminated by two outstanding goals. The Brewers took

an early lead when Adam Bolder finished off a precise passing move.

The Brewers held the lead until just before the hour when Alfie

Potter slalomed his way through Burton's defence. 1-1 was the final

score. Meanwhile, Port Vale followed last

week's victory at Rotherham with another 1-0 win, this time at home

to Plymouth. Up against young. Down the last win. He scores. Becomes of

the bench and scores. Surely wins Cheltenham are doing a terrific job.

Mark Yates is a mate of our assistant manager and he fits that

club. He is a straightforward feller. -- man. He is very

effective at that level. Birmingham goalkeeper... We were

alerted to Jack and what he can do. He will be a great goalkeeper.

is great there are so many opportunities. I remember playing

against him. Getting an opportunity at the local club that have a good

fan-base, as a former employee, I just want them to make it.

can't say that. I would be delighted if Cheltenham got it.

need more people like Tony Ford. Familiarity around a club, you are

looking to breed an atmosphere in the dressing room and get results.

If you can have that, with that kind of enthusiasm and 73, it rubs

off on all the players. They're up to 4th under Graham Turner. You

cannot fault his judgment. You can. He released me from Wolves. No, he

is a fantastic manager. Graham did a great job for Hereford for many

years. For a club like Shrewsbury, all those kind of clubs, the aim is

to get into the Championship some day, to have a decent crowd and to

make a few quid on cup runs. Nottingham's Diverse Academy, a

Wolves youngster, a former referee from Wolverhampton and some

television presenter or other were amongst those honoured at an awards

ceremony at Wembley. Natalie Jackson has more.

The Midlands was well represented at the first Asian Football Awards

which look place last week. 14 trophies were handed out, ranging

from the Player of the Year to the Grass Roots Hero. Danny Batth, a

product of the Wolves Academy, is enhancing a growing reputation on

loan at Sheffield Wednesday. He beat off three fellow Midlanders to

win the Young Asian Player of the Year. Nottingham's Diverse Academy

is a partnership between Forest in the Community, Nottingham City

Council and several community groups. They were recognised as

Development Project of the Year. are thankful for the impact of the

project. To get recognition for the voluntary organisations that are

involved is wonderful. I think this would mean a lot to the young

people involved. He is a great platform for us to continue to do

things. Jarnail Singh from Wolverhampton

was a familiar sight on Football League grounds until he hung up his

whistle in 2010. He was given the Lifetime Achievement Award.

And then there's the media award. Very pleased to announce one of my

friends has won it. Good evening, ladies and gentlemen. This is very

bizarre. Won it from a category of one!

British agents in the Premier League, it has kind of dried out.

Can you see it happening? -- British Asians. There have been a

few exciting players. Prospects are certainly there. We have talked

about raised many times on television. It is all about

inclusion. Do you artificially manipulate the figures? I am torn

on that. David Beckham is in the States with an American young

talented player coming through or a black manager in, it will take one

success for everything to follow. That is it for this evening. Do not

forget all seven of the Late Kick Off shows from around England will