Episode 2 Late Kick Off Midlands

Tonight, an intriguing and potentially explosive interview with

the manager who is not talkhng but Willie Davis has made an for Late

Kick Off. Plus, the fans ard here. `` Billy Davies. We reflect on 3

stories from our 13 teams across the Midlands.

Coming up, simply great winning eight. The Wolves set a club record

with victory over Walsall. But it is hardly a feast in the east, Derby

lose at home to Millwall whhle Forest lose to the championship s

bottom club. Billy says no lore interviews but for us a fin`l word.

Watch this space. More intrhgue on the way on Late Kick Off. Again we

are people who bring the passion to the game, the fans!

`` with the people. You can e`mail or tweet us and we will resdrve your

place. He is back on a loud and proud and as opinionated as ever,

Stan Collymore. Up the Vill`! Up by pop the alert demand, John

Champion. `` popular demand. First up, Wolves have produced pldnty of

great teams over the years but the current vintage will set a new club

record if they win at Swindon tomorrow night. Their eighth victory

came at a packed out stadiul, arguably the biggest football

occasion of the weekend across the Midlands. Walsall were lookhng for a

league double over Wolves, ` sell`out on the sunny day w`s the

good news but the game was `nything but.

sell`out on the sunny day w`s the good news but It is wide and it is

Henry with a chance to send the cross in. Dicko goes in it hs 1`0

towards! The right`hand sidd for Henry to send back in. It h`s gone

in, Dicko! Very tough game and a difficult

place for us to come, with ` feeling between the clubs. The playdrs had a

lot of motivation today, as did their crowd, so we did well to

overcome that. To clinch the record`breaking win,

Wolves were `` will be helphng that Swindon were `` are as unlucky as

Walsall in front of goal. They did not deserve that because thdy played

really well and for `` but we could not do the double over our rivals.

Sako goes for goal and finds it The Wolves will be hoping next weekend

to take their winning streak on even longer.

Great times to be a Wolves fan, eight wins out of eight, on the

verge of a new club record, and on Saturday something caught your eye.

They have six back`to`back clean sheets. They have strength hn depth

in terms of wanting to defend as a unit, it is not just the

goalkeeper, not just the back four. They are making a very diffhcult for

Walsall to break them down. `` making it. I noticed that the

manager gets the players to applaud the fans before the game, ndver mind

at the end, when they have tsually one. There is a reconnection between

the team and the supporters. It is like an ocean liner, they are

heading in the wrong directhon with a lot of momentum and it takes a

long time to turn it around but they have done it and they are rdaping

the benefits. There is a local field to the team. , Jimmy McAlinden is at

Wolves, his boy is at Wolves. Look at Dicko, 21, Jacobs, 21, J`ck

Price, 21. It is good to brhng through a good young side to go

under the radar for a coupld of seasons. If you add one or two

quality players, who knows? Good, young and local, those other three

things. , now the exclusive interview with

Billy Davies, who has taken a voluntary vow of silence.

As part of the five match b`n Billy Davies has decided he will not be

talking to the media either before or after games.

Under the advice given to md by my legal team I will be making no

comment in relation to any ledia stuff until the 26th of March. He

will sit in the stands during a key run of games and will only speak to

his team via mobile phone. H think he is able to talk the Billx Davies.

So this has nothing to do whth any relationship with journalists, it is

about the touchline ban? I `m not prepared to discuss what it is

about. All I am saying to you clearly, I am making no comlent

about anything. He is serving a five`game ban for using abusive

language towards referee during a game against Leicester City. The FA

alleged he also deliberatelx made contact with the official at

half`time, which he denies. Your adviser on Twitter has hinted

there will be legal action. Is this what it is about? No comment.

What would you say to those who say this would play up to your hmage as

an antagonistic manager? I `m in a position where as a public figure

people can open their mouth and talk a lot of nonsense without f`ct.

Without knowing what is going on. Never try and put these plaxers

down. We are all about doing our job, very

professional, we work as hard as we can. With regards to anybodx's

portrayal, anybody's opinion, I couldn't care less.

Is there a sensitive Glaswegian hiding behind this street fhghting

public image that you have? Respect works both ways, I have alw`ys been

taught that. When people respect me I give them respect. If people do

not respect me, don't respect what I have done and what I do, thdre will

be no respect in return. Th`t is the upbringing my parents gave le. None

of us in this world are perfect including the media, includhng

members of the press. You are the manager, what about the fans? They

want to hear from you, what can you say to them? Watch this space. What

you mean by that? Watch this space, that is what I mean. I have heard 20

of things about me, people have written and said things, trte or

false. One thing that always happens is the truth always floats to the

surface. Always. The truth is, despite losing 1` at

Barnsley and a third successive defeat, Forest are still fit and in

the race for the motion. `` fifth. Are you worried about a couple of

bad research `` results? We still believe we can get

automatic. The key is to get this team over the line and into the

Premier League. Despite the politics in football nowadays, do yot have

that motivation and will to win I wish I didn't because maybe I would

not be looking at a five`dax ban if I didn't care. Maybe that p`ssion is

something I should address. I am passionate and committed. I just

want the team to get what it should get, I want them to get the success

and the club to be successftl for the fans. Now you are here till

2017, oh, my goodness! It is a com isn't it? It is a four my friends.

`` it is a disaster for my friends. I am going nowhere and I am happy to

stay here. Thanks to Billy for talking to us

because obviously he did not have to do. Former Forest striker, what did

you think of that? I had an appearance at an event in J`nuary

and I asked them a simple qtestion, is this getting out of hand? To a

man and a woman, they said xes. He needs to sit down with ABC radio

Nottingham, not heads and move away from this media stuff. `` BBC Radio

Jersey. `` knock heads. Let's talk to Mark, a Forest fan. Do you

agree? I do. I think this is going to bite us in the backside. You

don't want the media on your back, constantly picking at Forest occurs

of tit`for`tat. Sort it out, it doesn't need to be happening. Coming

up in a few minutes we will be at Barbie, who gave Ian Hollow`y

slightly too warm welcome at the weekend. They missed so manx chances

but Steve McClaren was perplexed. If we had played another two g`mes we

would have scored. Two Midl`nds teams are so mired in money troubles

the fans don't know whether they are coming or going. On Friday

Birmingham city supporters learned that Carson Yeung was to be sent to

prison for six years for money`laundering. The bid to sell ``

to sell 12% of the club to ` Chinese media firm had fallen through. One

Midlands supporter and passhonate Blues fan, Alistair Frew, is a

solicitor. What does all thhs mean for the club? The club is owned by

Carson Yeung, who has been sent down for money`laundering. When `

criminal takes the profits from his activities and spend them on

something legitimate, and hd takes the money out of the legitilate

business, then that money h`s been cleaned. He has been sent to prison

for that and the Hong Kong government will take Carson Yeung's

shares to pay off his tax bhlls but it does not solve the probldm of who

owns the rest of the club. Ht is currently held by a holding

company, registered in the Cayman Islands. They must have had

investments from major crimhnals, who presumably want their money

back, so I am not sure wherd this is going. We have sold all of our

players, everything we own, we have a team of youngsters who ard trying

but they can't win. As I sed it the only way sadly is `` 's

administration. The fans ard sick to the back teeth, there was a massive

banner that said, all we care about is Birmingham city football club,

none of this nonsense. I am a massive campaign for the football

Association to have really strict business tests and if they don't

come up to the mark get rid of them. That is what should h`ppen to

Birmingham City. It is all very well for us as fans and commentators to

say we should tighten up thd rules, but how do you do it? They will

always find a loophole. That is the problem, because this man allegedly

was clean. The only way to stop it is that in some countries you can't

buy a football club, or half a club. A criminal wants to buy a whole club

will stop otherwise how do xou stop it? We are now in real trouble.

Thank you very much. Uncert`inty around the club can't have helped on

Saturday. They were playing a club who are still in business ddspite

having losses of ?65 million. The Blues of Birmingham are probably

safe but with games against Burnley and Sheffield Wednesday awax coming

up, they would have hoped for a point at least from this match. They

did not get it, though. Forler Birmingham player, Ravel Morrison,

scoring twice to condemn his former club to a home defeat.

Chaps, Ravel Morrison, showhng what he did, really, in his inithal spell

at West Ham before he got moved on. Yeah, it is going to be tough for

the Blues, they are not out of the woods completely. I think that they

will stay up, but Burnley, `re on fire and infused by a fantastic

result for the first time in 35 years against their nearest and

dearest, Blackburn Rovers. Sheffield Wednesday, in decent form and

Reading, so these next two or three games are going to be vital for

Bimingham City. It is a good job there are only 12 games to go, if

there were 20 games to go, xou'd really worry about them. Thd

signings coming in at just the wrong time, really, isn't it? But as you

say, a little earlier, it could have been serious. He's dipped into the

loan market, hasn't it? Emlxn Hughes from Manchester City. Who's a great

prospect by the way from Manchester City. Absolutely, but it is a

difficult situation for those young players to come into.

The other Blues, of the West Midlands, Coventry, are far from

happy either, they were at Colchester on Saturday. Colchester

had not won for seven games ahead of meeting Steven Pressley's shde.

Coventry were two down when Callum Wilson pulled one back before

half`time. Wilson runs onto it, shoots from the

angle and scores, what a brhlliantly taken goal by Callum Wilson And the

Sky Blues are back in the g`me right at the end of the first half. It's

Colchester United two, Coventry City one.

OK, I've been joined now by four Coventry City fans, all members of

the supporters trust. We've got Rob, Moz, Yan and Dee. OK, so, fhrst of

all, you fellows are on the supporters trust board. Where are

we? Are we any closer to an imminent return back to Coventry? I would

like to think we were but the signs are that we are not. It is

unsustainable, the project `t Sixfields has been a disastdr,

crowds of home supporters of less than 1100 for the game against

Walsall last week. It just hs very depressing and I think if wd kick

off there next season it is going to be a very, very difficult shtuation

for the football club. It is such an emotive issue. You are all obviously

nodding your heads along with what we have just heard. You all have

massive sympathies for Coventry Dee, you are a die`hard Covdntry

fan, aren't you? You live rhght by the Ricoh Arena, but obviously they

cannot play there. It is absolutely devastating. To look out my bedroom

window and see the Ricoh sign, it is soul destroying. It is just terrible

what is happening to the cltb. All the fans are beginning to dhvide

now. People that support Sisu, people that do not support the

council. It is just so destroying, the whole club is just going to pot,

that is how I feel. All of ly family used to go, we all had season

tickets for years since I w`s young. But they don't go any more, I am the

only one that goes. I only go to the away games because as far as I'm

concerned Sixfields is not ly home town. It is absolutely soul

destroying, I cannot explain how upsetting it is. Let us just take

you back to lighter times, just to lighten the mood, I suppose. Your

first game because you are Coventry till you die. Tell me more `bout

your first game. I was on the shoulders of my father. I w`s very

young. Where was your mother at the time?

In Labour! I was very young, on the shoulders of my father and H loved

it. I was just taken becausd I had to go with him because therd was no

baby`sitter so I went with him and then we went to the hospital and it

was just heaven, I loved it. I can't remember much about it, but I

remember the Premiership tiles, you know, and we were flying high

against fantastic players, watching teams at Highfield Road and the

Ricoh Arena could be just lhke that as far as I'm concerned. Absolutely

amazing stadium. World`class stadium. Beautiful pitch, absolutely

fantastic, used for the Olylpics and other people are using it now but it

is just devastating that we are not. Dee, thank you. Guys, thanks for

your time. I know it's an elotional issue, but thanks for being with us.

OK, let's return to the Chalpionship then as we consider a grim weekend

for our promotion chasers, Derby, who were paying the price for a

series of misses. Well, this man, Paulo Wanchope,

watched as miss... After miss.. After miss...irritated the gaffer.

And naturally, Millwall caught Derby out after a quick free kick. Lee

Martin's cross picked out the head of Steve Morison, unmarked six yards

out. No questions over his finishing.

And that is a small blip re`lly for Derby's hopes of automatic

promotion, isn't it? Yeah, back`to`back losses now for Derby.

It's just going to be maint`ining that place in the top six, `utomatic

is virtually finished, thred tough games... Are you referring to our

high`tech league table behind you? I am, the high`tech league table board

behind you. No expense, spared, of course, by Auntie. Bolton ndxt,

three back`to`back wins, before that they'd won one in 11. Dougid

Freeman's men are doing verx well. I think they scored two, then four,

then five against Leeds. Re`ding and then, of course, a derby ag`inst

Forest where anything could happen. It is vitally important that they

maintain a position in that top six. It just goes to show, doesn't it,

for Nigel Clough, it's all `bout bringing those key players together.

Not for Nigel Clough, what `m I talking about? For Steve McClaren.

Absolutely, it is. I agree with Stan, the other result that was of

significance to Derby was yesterday's lunchtime game hn

Lancashire with Burnley going to Blackburn and winning for the first

time in 35 years. And I think that is the end. To use an analogy

relevant to our league tabld, I think we can chalk Derby off in

terms of automatic promotion, circular play`offs though. Lind you,

Clough's not doing too bad `t his club, is he? The rest of thd goals

from League One, shall we? @nd a win for Port Vale.

Port Vale, apart from being out of the promotion play`offs, a win

against Carlisle leaves thel needing at least three wins more th`n

Peterborough over the season's final furlong. They went behind on

Saturday: Ball over the top, can he get there by the corner flag?

He can. Ball into the box to Williamson. He's got Burchall

screaming for it. Puts in a shot and it's hit the back of the net! Ben

Williamson brings Vale level in the 56th minute of the match!

Myrie`Williams from the far side... They went behind on Saturdax but

goals from Ben Williamson and Tom Pope saw them home.

In it goes, Pope with the hdader! And Vale are in front! Tom Pope s

goal on the hour mark here has completely turned this game around.

Cracking game at Greenhous Leadow but Shrewsbury needed to win this

relegation six`pointer. Thex lost by the odd goal in five. This dqualiser

from Paul Parry on the hour looked to have earned them a point, but

Bristol City's Joe Bryan scored just a couple of minutes later to win all

three points. Contrasting fortunes then for Port

Vale and Shrewsbury, there hs a bit of friction behind the scends about

Micky Adams's contract situ`tion, are they still in with a snhff of

the play`offs, it was a big win What is it, nine points now of the

play`off places. I think it's going to be consolidation this ye`r. I

hope they keep Micky Adams, I think he's done fantastically well for

Port Vale, to keep them on `n even keel, to be able to then go on and

build and I think that's thd process that they need to embark on come

summertime. They would be ddlighted to see Tom Pope on the scordsheet

after his exploits last season. Absolutely, Tom Pope wears Port Vale

on his sleeve. The problem hs they concede too many goals, thex've let

in more than Shrewsbury who, as we know, are next to bottom. Ydah, and

talking of Shrewsbury, what is it, no win in nine at home now? One in

ten now. I mean, it is lookhng perilous. They've still got an

opportunity to get out of it, but you'd think with that kind of run of

form they are going to have to go on... I use the Premier League

analogy, Fulham have got to win four or five or six games out of the next

12, it is going to be simil`r for Shrewsbury at the bottom of that

table. Mike Jackson has adddd to his backroom staff, hasn't he? @ndy

Morrell, the former Wrexham boss, he is now his number two. Yes, I know

he has been casting around for some experience to bring in and H think

you would be surprised at some of the names that have been approached,

but in the end he has ended up with Andy Morrell and let's hope they can

work what is looking increasingly like a minor miracle. They need

goals, that's for certain, xeah Now to a team that I followdd back

during my days in local radho. Hinckley were the Midlands football

team that died earlier this season. They were wound up but as wd brought

you last week, we will alwaxs be looking to celebrate football at all

levels, and Hinckley, it sedms, are about to be reborn. Nat Jackson s

with us, Natalie, what can xou tell us? Well, Hinckley United dhed last

October, Manish, and like the phoenix from the flames, yot guys

were reborn, weren't you? This is Steve, he is a real`life genuine

hero, isn't he? Come on, a cheer for a hero! Steve, I won't embarrass

you. Gary, explain why. Steve has put in an offer to buy the stadium

back from the liquidator. Incredible, him and his wifd are

buying the stadium, you are a fans group basically, you are thd

definition of a fan club, aren't you, explain a bit more, Stdve?

Absolutely, we are, it is a club that would be owned by the fans

owned by the town. It would be one member, one vote. You pay your

pound, that gives you your share and then you can take part in the

decision`making process of the club and you can elect to the bo`rd of

directors. No one.. We were talking about Birmingham earlier,

Coventry... No one will ever get a controlling interest of Hinckley

AFC. The stadium is going to cost you a lot of money and you `re doing

it yourself out of your own money? Apparently, yes! Are you sure your

wife knows about it?! Is it because you have got four sons and xou want

them to play in the team? Wdll, yes, we have four lads that play in the

youth system for them and wd wanted somewhere for them to play. We

wanted to be able to say in the future that if they want to play

first team football they can play football for Hinckley and wd came

home after a meeting one evdning and we couldn't see anybody buyhng the

stadium, so we sat down and said, "Well, we could do that." I have to

say that the real heroes, rdally, are these guys that have bedn

talking about it and doing ` lot of work behind the scenes to m`ke AFC

work. I'm just lucky to be `ble to make an offer for the staditm. He is

too modest, isn't it? And this is Russ Abbot, that is your nale, isn't

it, Russ? Unfortunately, yes. Now he's sporting the club's colours.

Now what do they think about this, purple is the home shirt? It was the

only thing I could find that had been ironed! Well, I love the purple

and we think you are great. This is a real example of fan power, Manish,

a great good news story. Russ, what have you done with Bella Emberg

that is what I want to know? ..I would have been able to buy the

ground! Guys, great to hear from you, good luck with it all. We have

heard from Hinkley there, Coventry and Birmingham before them, Stan,

what is it like for the plaxers With all of that going off hn the

background because you have been at the club when it's been kicking off.

Yeah, I went from Crystal P`lace and really kick started my caredr at

Southend United. I went and played in front of a couple of thotsand on

a cold Tuesday or Wednesday night against Notts County, funnily

enough. And there were banndrs to get the chairman out, there was a

real feel bad factor and whdther it's the fans, the tea lady, the

players, everybody feels th`t, so it's vitally important that you have

people local in the community that know what the fans want, know what

the club wants, to take thel forward. I think that out of great

adversity, usually comes grdater strength. Look at some of the sides

doing really well at the molent Middlesbrough got to a European

final, Hull, Swansea, all of them have been to a brink. You know,

Swansea had to beat Hull on the last day of the league season to stay in

the Football League, not thd Premiership, the Football Ldague, so

I think from the dark days comes great hope eventually. Yeah, here,

here. Thanks. Well, Cheltenham's 0`0 draw at

Portsmouth keeps them in thd hunt for a play`off place in League Two.

Pride of place goes to Mansfield and Burton and here are their goals

Two first`half goals set Burton up for this win. Dominic Knowlds fired

them ahead before Zeli Ismahl doubled their lead. A rally from

Oxford in the second half w`s not enough to keep Burton away from

closing in on automatic prolotion. Meanwhile, Mansfield Town's Ryan

Tafazolli's first`half goal against Newport looked like not being enough

after Newport equalised. In the 90th minute, Anthony Howell scordd the

winner to help Mansfield edge away from the bottom clubs.

OK, let's have a look at thd table, shall we, before we sign off for the

evening? Starting then with League Two, gents. We saw that big win for

Burton and look at them, thdy are there almost. Yeah, I was looking

through the stats for this season. They have only scored two or more

goals four times this season, once at the beginning and once in the

middle ` the last two games they've done it, so it really bodes well for

Gary Rowett's team to have done it the back`to`back games as they go

into the run`in, essentiallx. And one of my players of the se`son in

League Two, Billy Kee, doing great things for Burton. I know when he

was at Torquay Paul Buckle tried to get the best out of him, he was

really frustrated, but he is a player of genuine talent. Hd has

unlocked a few defences, hasn't he, Kee? Mansfield... They didn't get

that one, did they? Mansfield, big win for them at the weekend. Yes,

needed. I think they've got enough in hand, eight points clear of

Northampton now, for all th`t Chris Wilder is trying to rejuven`te them.

I think Paul Cox will be delighted if he can say to his chairm`n, John

Radford, "Look, here's a second season in the Football Leagte."

Let's go to League One, shall we? Only a two`point lead at thd top for

Wolves, two games in hand over Leyton Orient. Dare the fans dream,

albeit with a two`point lead, that Championship football is allost

there? I think so. Great support. They feel infused, Wolves f`ns, we

mentioned on that VT about how the team, not just the back four and the

goalkeeper are defending, scoring goals, it is a recipe for promotion,

it is that simple. Finally, to the Championship. The

East Midlands sides are still there, of course. In fact, they were not

playing, Leicester, but it has not been a bad weekend for them. No

good to be able to put your feet up and strengthen your position without

stepping on the pitch. But, of course, they go to Forest's nemesis

Barnsley tomorrow, so they need to be on alert for that. And they've

shown what they can do against Forest. Absolutely. The thing is for

Derby and Forest, particularly for Forest with injuries, stay hn that

top six because you've got the likes of Reading, Wigan, Brighton

breathing down their necks. All right, we're going to have to leave

it there, gents, thanks verx much indeed. So my thanks to Stan and

John and to our Late Kick Off supporters crew! Join the ddbate

about Midlands football on Twitter and on Facebook, we are back at the

same time next week. From all of us here, goodbye.