:00:11. > :00:13.Tonight, two title winners, two in play`off places, two
:00:14. > :00:18.skin`of`the`teeth escapes from relegation. What a season for
:00:19. > :00:34.Midlands teams! Welcome to Late Kick Off.
:00:35. > :00:44.Bolton turns 50 Shades of Blue as Birmingham stay up.
:00:45. > :00:49.A local boy makes good as Notts County survive, too.
:00:50. > :00:52.Wolves and Leicester lift trophies and the Foxes celebrate their return
:00:53. > :01:00.to the Premier League with a Civic Parade.
:01:01. > :01:03.And helping us to tell the story of the season, the Late Kick Off
:01:04. > :01:05.supporters crew from Leicester, Birmingham, Derby and a special
:01:06. > :01:20.welcome to the Punjabi Wolves supporters. And Stan's back to give
:01:21. > :01:28.his verdict on the season and to look ahead to the play`offs.
:01:29. > :01:31.And we start with Birmingham City. In the 93rd minute, they were down,
:01:32. > :01:50.but it seems, like our commentator, they were only warming up.
:01:51. > :01:55.To reflect on a very stressful day and season for Blues fans, please
:01:56. > :02:20.welcome a St Andrews hero, Michael Johnson. An amazing finish. 2`0 down
:02:21. > :02:25.with 15 minutes left. When that second goal went in, I thought,
:02:26. > :02:34.that's it, relegation. But the big man had an impact. Have you stopped
:02:35. > :02:38.celebrating yet? Just about. What an incredible afternoon it turned out
:02:39. > :02:47.to be. The supporters were magnificent. The boys left it late
:02:48. > :02:55.but we got over that line. At 2`0 down, it was going to be difficult.
:02:56. > :03:03.Rather than last week, losing at home to Wigan, is all for home
:03:04. > :03:13.record, it was an away day. I really good header and they bombed loads of
:03:14. > :03:20.players forward. It was always going to be asked. I don't think I have
:03:21. > :03:26.ever seen Lee Clark run as fast as he did! It is not just staying in
:03:27. > :03:31.the Championship. It is all about keeping Birmingham as a realistic
:03:32. > :03:37.and attractive proposition who `` for whoever next buys it.
:03:38. > :03:46.Absolutely. Thankfully, we are in the Championship now. By my last
:03:47. > :03:52.count, 24 players could be released over the summer. What a huge few
:03:53. > :03:58.months or weeks ahead. We don't know whether Lee Clark will be there to
:03:59. > :04:03.oversee it. He probably needs a good nights sleep, and after that, take
:04:04. > :04:11.stock of the players they have got. He needs to make a decision whether
:04:12. > :04:15.he wants to stay. The most important thing for Birmingham, however many
:04:16. > :04:20.players are bare, sell the club. Get rid of the...
:04:21. > :04:24.We've seen what it was like on the pitch at Bolton but what was it like
:04:25. > :05:11.being a Bluenose behind the goal when Paul Caddis scored THAT goal?
:05:12. > :05:16.Tremendous afternoon. We've had lots of Blues fans with
:05:17. > :05:18.us, one of whom, Alistair Frew, is a solicitor specialising in, amongst
:05:19. > :05:25.other things, conflict resolution. Alistair, where are we, legally, now
:05:26. > :05:32.with Birmingham City? The club is still owned in the Cayman Islands.
:05:33. > :05:37.It is listed on the Hong Kong stock exchange. The people who put that
:05:38. > :05:43.?85 million M, that goal, we could play it again. That goal has given
:05:44. > :05:49.us a chance because we are a championship club, worth buying. The
:05:50. > :05:53.Hong Kong stock exchange says the company that owns us is relatively
:05:54. > :06:01.solvent, so they will not be forced to sell, but they can sell now on.
:06:02. > :06:07.Hopefully, they can do that soon. How things have changed! A few weeks
:06:08. > :06:11.ago, you are talking about the club going to the wall. I was. The
:06:12. > :06:17.chairman had just been put into prison. Stan said he was safe but I
:06:18. > :06:22.didn't believe him. Now we are safe. The chairman has gone. It is
:06:23. > :06:25.just a company listed on the stock exchange. The people who have bought
:06:26. > :06:35.the club want their money back. If they have got any sense, now is the
:06:36. > :06:38.time. Leicester City's promotion party has
:06:39. > :06:41.continued today with a civic reception in the city. Natalie
:06:42. > :06:56.Jackson has been on Parade and speaking with the club's owners.
:06:57. > :07:01.It has been a bank holiday weekend. The city of Leicester will never
:07:02. > :07:06.forget it. After ten years of frustration, this is Leicester
:07:07. > :07:10.City's time. Crowned champions on over 100 points, they are in the
:07:11. > :07:24.Premier League and have been parading around the city as heroes.
:07:25. > :07:37.Today's open top bus tour, a special moment for the players, fans and the
:07:38. > :07:48.Thai owners. I will remember everything today in my heart for
:07:49. > :07:57.ever. They have written over ?100 million, brought back Nigel. This
:07:58. > :08:09.season has been brilliant for the fans, team and me, as an owner. We
:08:10. > :08:22.are very happy. Seeing the first game, we won it. I enjoyed every
:08:23. > :08:28.minute. Even if we lose, we win. But it is a nice memory to remember.
:08:29. > :08:31.They had not interfered in team affairs, have respected the club's
:08:32. > :08:41.history and say it is not about money. We love football here and we
:08:42. > :08:47.love the club, but for us, we have got the return already, not
:08:48. > :08:52.moneywise. But we try to make the club a success and now we are a
:08:53. > :08:59.success and now we enjoy watching a team that we own. What are your
:09:00. > :09:13.plans for the Premier League? It is up to Nigel understaffed to decide.
:09:14. > :09:21.`` to decide. He is a good guy. His family is also nice to stay with.
:09:22. > :09:32.Outside the job, he is a good buy, too. Did you think about a
:09:33. > :09:35.management change last season? Never thought about that and never
:09:36. > :09:43.considered that we would change the management team. Since the first day
:09:44. > :09:51.I met Nigel, I feel he is the right guy. I am delighted for them. They
:09:52. > :09:57.have had a bit of a mixed time here in terms of what we have done, but
:09:58. > :10:08.throughout it all, they have been very supportive. I am delighted to
:10:09. > :10:20.have a beer! And give it back. We'll Nigel get a new contract? `` will.
:10:21. > :10:27.Negotiations are ongoing. You will see more information soon. I cannot
:10:28. > :10:34.say at the moment. In the next two or three weeks you will see more.
:10:35. > :10:43.But I prefer and would like to stay. We have seen so many horror
:10:44. > :10:50.stories of owners trying to get too involved and it has gone belly up,
:10:51. > :10:54.but here, they seem very grounded. Exciting times ahead for Leicester.
:10:55. > :11:03.They are trying to move forward and they have got big plans for the
:11:04. > :11:21.club. Your message to the fans? Thank you for your support. I think
:11:22. > :11:22.they deserve the cup. I will listen to everything that they want and
:11:23. > :11:49.will try to make a team. Interesting couple of weeks ahead
:11:50. > :11:59.for the foxes. Key players out of contract. The quicker this is all
:12:00. > :12:12.sorted, the better? Yes. Our manager got us where we are. We have got to
:12:13. > :12:17.sign a key players. It is a time to get a new contract signed and get
:12:18. > :12:25.into the transfer market three or four quality players. Great stuff.
:12:26. > :12:38.Well done. Well done to Derby. This is them at
:12:39. > :12:44.the weekend. Key players rested. If we're looking at other players, the
:12:45. > :12:48.most important thing is when you have got these two weeks and this
:12:49. > :12:56.build`up to these play`off games. You need to keep momentum. Steve
:12:57. > :13:07.McClaren will know exactly the players he wants to play against.
:13:08. > :13:13.The Rams have done the double of the Brighton. You go into this in fine
:13:14. > :13:23.form. Does it count for anything, though? Psychologically, yes, but I
:13:24. > :13:31.don't think so. We can beat any team on our day. They are the bookies
:13:32. > :13:38.favourites. I've heard on the radio the Derby are the favourites. If you
:13:39. > :13:43.look at QPR and Wigan, they have won FA Cup finals, played in the U Roper
:13:44. > :13:49.league and Premier League, so Steve McClaren will also need to do a job
:13:50. > :13:55.in terms of keeping players on the ground. `` U Roper league. They do
:13:56. > :14:01.score goals and create chances. In the Championship, you need to put
:14:02. > :14:11.teams away. Look at Burton, their lack of goals. Derby can score
:14:12. > :14:16.goals. Nottingham Forest ended the season with a home defeat to
:14:17. > :14:23.Brighton. But they end the season with two wins in the last 16. Only
:14:24. > :14:39.to fit defenders available. Almost a what was going wrong. `` almost
:14:40. > :14:43.epitomises. They identified Stuart Pearce and spoke to Neil Warnock.
:14:44. > :14:47.Get them in. They are still in a fantastic position. Perhaps they
:14:48. > :14:59.should be in the promotion play`offs. They need to go away now,
:15:00. > :15:02.Stuart Pearce is going to join the club on July first and look forward
:15:03. > :15:04.to another season in the Championship, where they will be
:15:05. > :15:07.expected to challenge and get into the top six positions. Midlands
:15:08. > :15:10.football clubs have been involved in terrific stories. Wolves recorded
:15:11. > :15:13.their latest wins. These three goals when they amassed more than 100
:15:14. > :15:18.points, 103 to be precise, more than any other team in Europe. A diagonal
:15:19. > :15:24.ball into plenty of space. He has it just outside the penalty area. He
:15:25. > :15:30.shoots and it is in from the Wolves' skipper. What a great goal! His
:15:31. > :15:31.second of the season. This celebration is casual but the strike
:15:32. > :15:44.is phenominal. After five minutes, Wolves lead by
:15:45. > :15:49.1`0. The cross in from the left hand side. There is Jacobs. Head it in!
:15:50. > :16:06.2`0 up after 20 min. Saved! Into the top right`hand
:16:07. > :16:13.corner. On the scoresheet, finally. He has had chance after chance. It
:16:14. > :16:16.looks like 103 points, a record for the season. The League One champions
:16:17. > :16:30.lead by 3`0 against Carlisle. So, Wolves and what has been a
:16:31. > :16:37.memorable campaign for so many reasons. That was almost the perfect
:16:38. > :16:40.end to a perfect season. It has been a sensational season. We have had
:16:41. > :16:43.two consecutive relegations from the Premier League to League One, the
:16:44. > :16:46.club have done exceptionally well in bringing in Kenny Jacket. He has
:16:47. > :16:52.brought in players to get us out of League One at the first attempt. We
:16:53. > :16:57.have broken up to six club and league records. We have had 30,000
:16:58. > :17:01.on two occasions this season. We got out of League One with the highest
:17:02. > :17:10.points total, 103. It has been a fantastic season. We won 17 of the
:17:11. > :17:13.last 21 league games. In the run`in when other teams you are playing
:17:14. > :17:18.against are scrapping for points, it is an unbelievable return. It is
:17:19. > :17:26.fantastic! After Christmas, the team gelled and we went from strength to
:17:27. > :17:28.strength. Great stuff. We have already heard about one great
:17:29. > :17:31.escape, time for another. A quite remarkable late`season performance
:17:32. > :17:34.has seen Notts County retain their League One status.
:17:35. > :17:43.There was a point that they got. As it happened, they did not really
:17:44. > :17:46.need it. They scored when things were against them. Alan Sheehan with
:17:47. > :17:52.a penalty which is probably one of the most important he will ever
:17:53. > :17:55.score. Shaun Derry has done an incredible job. He has had such a
:17:56. > :17:59.fantastic career. He has shadowed Neil Warnock at several clubs.
:18:00. > :18:04.He has learned from the very best and knows the lower leagues very
:18:05. > :18:08.well. I was listening to Neil Warnock the other day and he said he
:18:09. > :18:11.was on a train in Scotland and he was very nervous when the results
:18:12. > :18:15.were going around. He wanted Shaun to do very well. He did not want him
:18:16. > :18:20.to experience the negativity of relegation. They are not. They are
:18:21. > :18:26.safe. I watched yourself on Saturday night, I was washing my hair.
:18:27. > :18:31.I heard Shaun Derry saying, it was not just about the club and the
:18:32. > :18:37.results from the players, it was about the community. He understands
:18:38. > :18:40.the club. He can get together players in pre`season and hopefully
:18:41. > :18:45.push them a little bit higher in the table this time next year. They are
:18:46. > :18:49.calling Shaun legen`Derry. You were seven points adrift back in March.
:18:50. > :18:53.You probably lost faith at that point? A lot of fans thought they
:18:54. > :18:57.were down and out. Credit to Shaun Derry. He said, we're going to stay
:18:58. > :19:03.up. Changed the formation and we have done really well to stay up.
:19:04. > :19:07.Three players only on contract in the summer, it will be quite a
:19:08. > :19:10.turnaround. I hope he will hang on to players like Sheehan, Jimmy
:19:11. > :19:16.Spencer and Ronan Murray, to be the nucleus of next season's side. Thank
:19:17. > :19:22.you very much. Resolute end we saw to Port Vale's season. Let's look at
:19:23. > :19:29.the league table. Let's start with League One. They were ninth and now
:19:30. > :19:31.have a chance of them getting into the play`off picture. But, Stan,
:19:32. > :19:36.question marks over the future of Micky Adams. There are positive
:19:37. > :19:40.signs to come from this. I do not think there should be any question
:19:41. > :19:42.marks from the board. He has been there through thick and thin. Ninth
:19:43. > :19:47.is extremely respectable for Port Vale. He has intimated he does want
:19:48. > :19:53.to stay and I think he will help to push them on.
:19:54. > :19:59.Goals are the problem for Walsall. Do we expect Mike Jackson to stay
:20:00. > :20:02.on? I think Shrewsbury is a real catch for a promising young manager.
:20:03. > :20:07.A fantastic stadium, great catchment area. A lovely part of the country
:20:08. > :20:13.to live in. They will have plenty of applications should they open the
:20:14. > :20:19.vacancy. For Walsall, it is simple. As the season went on, we had Dean
:20:20. > :20:27.Smith in the studio. No problem with the creativity. Much higher next
:20:28. > :20:32.season. In League Two, Mansfield, 11th. Not a bad placing. Anywhere
:20:33. > :20:35.above that line of 23rd that when you come back into any league is
:20:36. > :20:41.very good. The fact they are 11th at the end of the season is a cracking
:20:42. > :20:44.job done. Let's focus on the team up in sixth. The season is not yet over
:20:45. > :20:49.for them as they prepare for their play`off semifinal against Southend.
:20:50. > :20:54.As it happens, they were playing Southend at the weekend. This is
:20:55. > :20:59.when the manager rested a number of players, five in all, against
:21:00. > :21:06.Southend, who were at full strength. Does that give him a psychological
:21:07. > :21:12.edge? He is an experienced manager. As a former Shrimper, I need to be
:21:13. > :21:15.careful what I say. I think the one thing for Burton is defensively they
:21:16. > :21:19.are very good. They do not score lots of goals. I would not expect it
:21:20. > :21:25.to be 2`1, 3`1 in terms of Southend, they do have a very good attacking
:21:26. > :21:30.threat. Particularly in the first game. Keep a clean sheet and have a
:21:31. > :21:35.big cup final at Roots Hall the following week. You have only won
:21:36. > :21:37.three of the 11 going into the play`offs. Does that concern you?
:21:38. > :21:40.We're interested in the play`offs and getting to Wembley. Hopefully
:21:41. > :21:46.the resolute defence will stay firm for three games. It will be nice to
:21:47. > :21:49.get to Wembley, definitely. For the last four weeks, we have been asking
:21:50. > :21:53.you for new your nomination for Midlands Manager of the Year. By
:21:54. > :21:57.monitoring Twitter and Facebook, we have been listening to what the
:21:58. > :22:02.tweeters and viewers have to say. We have also received your nominations
:22:03. > :22:04.by video. We have three clear leaders. In third place, Derby
:22:05. > :22:13.County and Steve McClaren. I think Steve McClaren has to be
:22:14. > :22:22.Midlands Manager of the Year. I just feel after Derby dropped out
:22:23. > :22:28.of the Premier League, they never pushed again to get back up. And I
:22:29. > :22:30.feel like, since Steve McClaren's taken over, they have had a
:22:31. > :22:40.resurgence to become a great side. Since leaving QPR as a coach and
:22:41. > :22:46.moving to Derby, he has done brilliantly. Since Steve arrived, it
:22:47. > :22:51.has been so different. He has turned us into quite a force to be reckoned
:22:52. > :23:00.with. I think that is why he is Manager of the Year. The team are
:23:01. > :23:08.winning games, scoring a lot of goals. The team has a good
:23:09. > :23:12.structure. He lifted them up. The future is looking well for McLaren
:23:13. > :23:16.and his team. I enjoy being a Derby fan, for once!
:23:17. > :23:21.Steve McClaren has helped Derby to their record points total but it is
:23:22. > :23:27.not just statistics and stuff like that, it is the way they have got
:23:28. > :23:30.them playing. I have spoken to people like Andre Wisdom, who is on
:23:31. > :23:33.loan from Liverpool. Managers like Brendan Rodgers have trusted Steve
:23:34. > :23:38.McClaren with the top quality talent. He is a very good coach.
:23:39. > :23:44.Where Derby where when McLaren came into where they are now, it has been
:23:45. > :23:51.an incredible turnaround. In second place, the Wolves manager, Kenny
:23:52. > :23:52.Jacket. My Midlands Manager of the Year for football is Kenny Jacket
:23:53. > :24:02.for Wolves. They have been promoted with a few
:24:03. > :24:04.games to go and look like winning the league. Kenny Jacket deserves
:24:05. > :24:14.Midlands Manager of the Year. Two successive relegations, a lot of
:24:15. > :24:21.clearing out to do, and develop a team...
:24:22. > :24:29.He has not sought the limelight like a lot of managers, he has got on
:24:30. > :24:34.with his job. I think he has done a fantastic job and I hope he is with
:24:35. > :24:38.them for years to come. So, hopefully, it is promotion next year
:24:39. > :24:45.again. Kenny Jacket, well done, mate. You have done well. They did
:24:46. > :24:49.well under Kenny Jacket. I hear from fans of other clubs and say, what do
:24:50. > :24:56.you expect with the budget he has got and the fan base? That does not
:24:57. > :24:59.necessarily guarantee success. Wolves have stripped everything back
:25:00. > :25:03.to basics. What he has done is put through a fantastic crop of players,
:25:04. > :25:08.a lot of them locally based, as we have talked about before. He has not
:25:09. > :25:14.been tempted to get the odd player from the Championship and pay them
:25:15. > :25:17.lots of money. They have stripped the wage bill right the way down. If
:25:18. > :25:20.you look at where they were, which was a mess, to turning them around,
:25:21. > :25:24.getting them competitive, getting the fans on board, he has ticked
:25:25. > :25:26.every box. That goes down to good management from Kenny Jacket and
:25:27. > :25:31.they will relish going back into the Championship. Time for our winner
:25:32. > :25:35.and a different sort of drum roll. And the winner... Not surprisingly,
:25:36. > :25:50.Leicester City's Nigel Pearson. The Midlands Manager of the Year for
:25:51. > :25:54.me is Nigel Pearson at Leicester. Big Leicester fans. Do you know
:25:55. > :25:57.what? At the beginning of the season, we were all going, you need
:25:58. > :26:02.to get rid of him, he's rubbish. We're going to lose, it will be bad
:26:03. > :26:05.and we weren't doing very well. Amazingly, he's kind of like rolled
:26:06. > :26:11.it in and he has built up and built up.
:26:12. > :26:17.It is nice to get Leicester City promoted, which they haven't managed
:26:18. > :26:21.to get into the top flight in about ten years.
:26:22. > :26:26.And he's done it on essentially a shoestring budget. The club isn't
:26:27. > :26:32.well`known for pulling off heroics, recently, anyway. He's done a great
:26:33. > :26:42.job to get them up. Some two and a half years ago, when
:26:43. > :26:46.he returned back to the club, he worked incredibly hard to home the
:26:47. > :27:01.squad of players on capable staff of doing the job. It is the most
:27:02. > :27:04.successful Championship campaign in ages. He spent a few years
:27:05. > :27:09.rebuilding the squad and it has been really successful. They had a really
:27:10. > :27:14.good season. So, roll on the Premiership.
:27:15. > :27:20.I bet his trophy will be at the very top of his mantelpiece. This is how
:27:21. > :27:23.Nigel Pearson received the accolade when he got it from Natalie Jackson.
:27:24. > :27:29.You have won the BBC Late Kick Off Manager of the Season. That's very
:27:30. > :27:33.kind of you. Thank you very much. It is voted for by fans across the
:27:34. > :27:37.Midlands. Is it nice to receive awards like that? I know you are not
:27:38. > :27:42.normally a big fan but what do you think? Individual awards in team
:27:43. > :27:50.sports are... It is not always nice to win them but you are part of a
:27:51. > :27:53.team. I am very much part of a team, so, I think, what it does is it
:27:54. > :27:59.shows recognition for the very positive job that so many people
:28:00. > :28:04.have done. I'm delighted, thank you very much. He's rewarded the
:28:05. > :28:07.loyalties of the owners by sticking with him. Like Kenny Jacket, he's a
:28:08. > :28:11.very sensible, quiet`talking man. We all like sexiness in football and we
:28:12. > :28:14.like managers like Jose Mourinho to come out and give sound bites. These
:28:15. > :28:18.managers are worth their weight in gold. If you ask any Leicester
:28:19. > :28:26.supporter before the season started that they would finish 20, 21 points
:28:27. > :28:29.above QPR... I wouldn't have believed you. In a division
:28:30. > :28:40.notorious for fickleness, he's built a good squad of players. Fantastic
:28:41. > :28:50.achievement! My thanks for Stan Collimore and Michael Johnson. Give
:28:51. > :28:52.him a round of applause. That is it, our very last offering. See you.
:28:53. > :29:22.Good night. and the grand final with me,
:29:23. > :29:23.Graham Norton. My fellow friends, it's time
:29:24. > :29:25.to get your glad rags on, invite your friends over,
:29:26. > :29:28.and bring out the hors d'oeuvres, because this is one party
:29:29. > :29:31.you don't want to miss. Eurovision!
:29:32. > :29:34.And the UK's 2014 entry, Molly! Catch the semifinals with
:29:35. > :29:42.Scott Mills and Laura Whitmore, and the grand final with me,
:29:43. > :29:48.Graham Norton. With Molly,
:29:49. > :29:51.the UK could finally win.