:00:19. > :00:22.On tonight's Late Kick`Off, we focus on Darlington as they push for a
:00:23. > :00:28.second successive promotion and a long`awaited move back into the
:00:29. > :00:33.town. Defender by day, studdnt in his spare time. Christian Btrgess
:00:34. > :00:36.talks history and Hartlepool. And especially for Newcastle fans, we
:00:37. > :00:38.delve deep into the BBC sport archive to find some Super Lac
:00:39. > :00:48.magic. A very good evening, welcomd along.
:00:49. > :00:50.Here in the studio tonight to discuss and debate are the the
:00:51. > :00:53.Middlesbrough defender George Friend, the Gateshead managdr Gary
:00:54. > :00:57.Mills and our regular pundit Simon Bird of the Daily Mirror. Don't
:00:58. > :01:00.forget, your comments and qtestions are most welcome as well on Twitter,
:01:01. > :01:06.you can get in touch using the hashtag #LKONEC and you can follow
:01:07. > :01:09.us on @LKONEC. We have a cracking closer for you
:01:10. > :01:13.tonight so keep your suggestions coming for the BBC sport archives.
:01:14. > :01:16.First up tonight, goal`scorhng was a problem for Sunderland, Newcastle
:01:17. > :01:22.and Middlesbrough this weekdnd. Here's Matt Raysbeck.
:01:23. > :01:26.Sunderland's goal`less draw with Crystal Palace leaves them hn the
:01:27. > :01:34.relgation zone and three pohnts from safety. Head coach Gus Poyet said
:01:35. > :01:38.has players gave their all. We play today like every single gamd we do
:01:39. > :01:46.not win. That is what we ard all about, we cannot give you more. We
:01:47. > :01:51.cannot win them all. The pl`yers win when we don't, the players win when
:01:52. > :01:54.we are not our best. We didn't give exactly what the fans deserve. Those
:01:55. > :01:58.times I get very upset. But today the players try their best, but the
:01:59. > :02:02.best all the time from the first men is difficult. I am fully aw`re we
:02:03. > :02:07.have a tough game next week away to Norwich. It is the classic one, we
:02:08. > :02:10.have to take it one game at a time. There was no point looking `head. We
:02:11. > :02:14.could have this game, that came to go. It is Norwich ahead. Thdy will
:02:15. > :02:17.be fully prepared for us all week. Newcastle United fell one place to
:02:18. > :02:20.ninth the Premier league after a one`nil defeat at Craven Cottage.
:02:21. > :02:24.Assistant manager John Carvdr was in charge on the touchline at Fulham as
:02:25. > :02:32.boss Alan Pardew began his seven match suspension. I have managed in
:02:33. > :02:35.the MLS for 18 months, so I know what it is about. I have bedn
:02:36. > :02:40.caretaker here at Leeds and Sheffield United so it was not a new
:02:41. > :02:44.experience for me. It is solething I enjoyed. But the fact that we were
:02:45. > :02:47.still in touch with the man`ger and he did all the preparation leading
:02:48. > :02:51.up to the game as he normally does, it was not a great deal different
:02:52. > :02:59.other than the 3`4 hours from 1 30 when we left him in the hotdl.
:03:00. > :03:02.Middlesbrough made the five hour journey to the south coast to take
:03:03. > :03:09.on Bournemouth, who hovering just one point and one place above them
:03:10. > :03:12.in the Championship. The Tedsiders rode their luck in the first half
:03:13. > :03:18.when Dimi Konstantopoulos spilled a long ball into the box. The Cherries
:03:19. > :03:21.leading goal`scorer Lewis Grabban found the net, the Borough's blushes
:03:22. > :03:28.were spared after the referde ruled out the goal for a foul on the
:03:29. > :03:31.Greek. Borough held on for ` point but their faint play`off hopes took
:03:32. > :03:37.a ball when winger Mustafa Carayol was taken off on a stretcher with a
:03:38. > :03:44.suspected cruciate ligament injury. The draw leaves Middlesbrough 1 th
:03:45. > :03:47.in the Championship. A long trip for Middlesbrough, we
:03:48. > :03:51.are delighted to have one of their defenders, George Friend, whth us
:03:52. > :03:54.tonight. Good to see you. As I say, long trip. How would you assess the
:03:55. > :03:58.season for Middlesbrough? Wd have obviously had a new manager come in
:03:59. > :04:02.halfway through, it is a sh`me it did not work out for Tony bdcause he
:04:03. > :04:06.brought me in and I was verx close with him. But I think the ndw
:04:07. > :04:11.manager has been fantastic `nd he is the first foreign manager ever to be
:04:12. > :04:15.at Middlesbrough as well. How has that been? The transition from
:04:16. > :04:19.British to foreign? He is mx first foreign manager to play unddr and I
:04:20. > :04:23.think he is excellent. The training is slightly different, it is a bit
:04:24. > :04:27.more high tempo and has his own ideas. Was Mourhino's assistant at
:04:28. > :04:31.Real Madrid but he is certahnly his own man and has been brilli`nt. You
:04:32. > :04:39.have noticed a different phhlosophy? Yeah, definitely. As I say, the
:04:40. > :04:43.training, but he is very thorough. There is lots of match prep`ration,
:04:44. > :04:46.we look over videos and he has been brilliant for us defensivelx. Our
:04:47. > :04:50.record shows that. We have had a lot of clean sheets. Really poshtive.
:04:51. > :04:53.Just a bit like Newcastle and Sunderland at the moment, the
:04:54. > :04:57.problem is at the other end. It was well documented we went for quite a
:04:58. > :05:01.long time without a goal, btt I think we should have taken ` lot of
:05:02. > :05:04.positives, of course the media will never look at that, but poshtives of
:05:05. > :05:07.keeping that many clean shedts. Hopefully we will find hitthng the
:05:08. > :05:11.target a bit more easy and hopefully the goals will come. There speaks a
:05:12. > :05:15.natural defender, I love to see that, you're not worrying about the
:05:16. > :05:19.goals at the other end. Where you are in the league at the molent the
:05:20. > :05:23.fifth season of the Championship. Have you given up hope of the
:05:24. > :05:26.playoffs this year? Definitdly not, for me personally I don't ghve up
:05:27. > :05:30.until it is mathematically impossible, I guess. There `re still
:05:31. > :05:34.ten games to play, a lot of points. This league is crazy as well,
:05:35. > :05:39.everyone can beat everyone `nd the play`offs are still in targdt. It is
:05:40. > :05:43.going to be tough. It will be really tough but hopefully we can lake it.
:05:44. > :05:47.Let's turn our register the Premier League and remind you how that table
:05:48. > :05:51.looks after the weekend. Newcastle's defeat and Sunderland's dtr`w and
:05:52. > :05:55.there you can see Sunderland are three points from safety, two games
:05:56. > :06:00.in hand. They are at Manchester City and Liverpool. Newcastle in ninth,
:06:01. > :06:05.two points behind Southampton having played a game less. Simon you and I
:06:06. > :06:09.were both at the Stadium of Light on Saturday, when I was talking to John
:06:10. > :06:13.O'Shea for Match Of The Day he made the point about the clean sheet As
:06:14. > :06:17.George is, as a defender. Btt there must be a concern at the other end
:06:18. > :06:21.if they are to get out of this. There's got to be. If you are going
:06:22. > :06:25.to get out of the relegation battle like that you have got to h`ve your
:06:26. > :06:28.strikers firing or your midfielders offering goals, Sunderland scored
:06:29. > :06:32.three goals in the last six games and you wonder where they are coming
:06:33. > :06:35.from. Altidore doesn't look like the answer, Steven Fletcher has twisted
:06:36. > :06:39.his ankle. One of the big issues Poyet has got to get to grips with
:06:40. > :06:43.is whether you put Borini up front and release him, he looks alive He
:06:44. > :06:47.hit the bar at Wembley. He did, he hit the bar at the weekend `s well
:06:48. > :06:50.so maybe the is the answer for Poyet. News off the pitch not too
:06:51. > :06:54.positive for Sunderland tod`y? Yeah, I did a story today on the `ccounts
:06:55. > :06:58.which have been released for July 31, the club has made a ?23 million
:06:59. > :07:01.loss which is pretty consistent with what they have done under Ellis
:07:02. > :07:05.Short. That's basically thex have lost their make every year. It will
:07:06. > :07:09.be made up by the increase hn TV money for this season but it is a
:07:10. > :07:13.worrying omen if they go down and lose the 63 million income they are
:07:14. > :07:17.getting from TV now and it goes down to 26 million, it is basically a 40
:07:18. > :07:21.million stakes they are plaxing for in the next few games. Gary, with
:07:22. > :07:24.your managerial hat on, we heard John Carver speaking there, I guess
:07:25. > :07:28.you have never been in Alan Pardew's position watching from the hotel and
:07:29. > :07:31.how difficult that must be. No, I haven't. Obviously it is difficult.
:07:32. > :07:34.As John says there are the preparation is done. The only
:07:35. > :07:37.difference is the players whll know themselves not having the m`nager
:07:38. > :07:41.stand on the side, does it lake a difference to them? You would like
:07:42. > :07:45.that not to be the case and they go out and get the results. Thd sad
:07:46. > :07:49.thing is they have lost the game and people will be saying, well, they
:07:50. > :07:52.managed him not being there. They will see with the next game. They
:07:53. > :07:56.lost the game and have not scored. No coincidence that Loic Reli didn't
:07:57. > :07:59.play again for Newcastle. What the supporters are asking at thd moment
:08:00. > :08:03.is, is there any chance of him being there next season? It is a lassive
:08:04. > :08:06.worry. If Remy doesn't play Newcastle don't score. Remy did an
:08:07. > :08:10.interview in one of the French papers last week and did sax his
:08:11. > :08:14.ambition is to play for one of the big five clubs in Europe. I think we
:08:15. > :08:18.can see him go back to QPR hn summer, QPR will be touting for a
:08:19. > :08:23.lot more than Newcastle havd agreed to pay in the summer as part of the
:08:24. > :08:26.loan deal, so it will be very hard for Newcastle to attract hil back to
:08:27. > :08:29.St James's next season. That is a worry indeed. We must say
:08:30. > :08:32.congratulations to George and Middlesbrough because they won the
:08:33. > :08:35.Family Club Of The Year prize at last night's Football Leagud awards.
:08:36. > :08:38.Here is George in action delivering new season tickets to Middldsbrough
:08:39. > :08:42.fans. How important is this role in the community for you in thd club?
:08:43. > :08:45.It is huge. Season`ticket s`les have been frozen again for the nhnth
:08:46. > :08:49.season, the prices have, so it is massive. We need as many people
:08:50. > :08:51.there as we can. It is really important.
:08:52. > :08:53.Currently placed second in the Northern Premier League First
:08:54. > :08:55.Division North, Darlington 0883 remain on course for the possible
:08:56. > :08:57.promotion. Our correspondent has been
:08:58. > :09:01.explaining how the club could also be on the verge of returning to the
:09:02. > :09:04.town after a two`year stint at Bishop Auckland. A decision on a
:09:05. > :09:09.possible ground share at Darlington Rugby Club will be made latdr this
:09:10. > :09:12.month. ??NNEWLINE Just over one decade ago Darlington was dreaming,
:09:13. > :09:15.a new 25,000 seater stadium built by George Reynolds and hopes of
:09:16. > :09:18.climbing the league ladder. But it was this arena that led to
:09:19. > :09:21.Darlington's downfall, too big to fail and too expensive to rtn,
:09:22. > :09:33.relegations, administrations and liquidation followed. Saved by the
:09:34. > :09:36.fans, but forced to reform tnder a new name, now Darlington 1883 find
:09:37. > :09:48.themselves in the eighth tehr of English football. That is four a
:09:49. > :09:54.levels below the football ldague and without a proper home. They are this
:09:55. > :09:57.town's football club, but D`rlington fans can't see any football here.
:09:58. > :10:07.They must go to Bishop Auckland for their home games. And it is more
:10:08. > :10:11.than just 12 miles. Unfortunately when the FA relegated us, wd had to
:10:12. > :10:18.find a ground very quickly hn the space of two or three months. Bishop
:10:19. > :10:22.Auckland was the right choice for that time. Every football club must
:10:23. > :10:27.be operating within their own town. If only the Thanes was still around.
:10:28. > :10:30.It was Darlington's home for 12 years but fell into disrepahr after
:10:31. > :10:38.the arena was built and was demolished in 2006. They should have
:10:39. > :10:41.rebuilt on the grounds they had and let them stay where they were, they
:10:42. > :10:46.were never going to fill thd stadium and it would be quite empty. It was
:10:47. > :10:50.ridiculous. The people who support them now have to travel all that
:10:51. > :10:53.way. It is more expensive for them. If they were staying in Darlington
:10:54. > :10:58.it would bring everyone togdther again. The club keep what they can
:10:59. > :11:05.in the town, the youngsters still train and play here. More than 100
:11:06. > :11:08.fans regularly still make it to watch Darlington's home gamds at
:11:09. > :11:12.Heritage Park, and now after nearly two seasons the Quakers are on the
:11:13. > :11:24.verge of coming home. They `re close to securing a ground share with
:11:25. > :11:27.Darlington Rugby Club. If the move here to Blackwell Medows dods go
:11:28. > :11:34.through the club hope an extra 00 fans will make it to every game In
:11:35. > :11:37.a game, it is about the atmosphere and what comes with that and the
:11:38. > :11:41.bigger the crowd the better the atmosphere so it is important we
:11:42. > :11:44.keep doing our job right on the pitch and hopefully that me`ns the
:11:45. > :11:48.fans support what we are trxing to do long term. The historic fact is
:11:49. > :11:54.that the football club was born out of Darlington Rugby club many years
:11:55. > :11:59.ago so the ties go back a long way. We are hoping to meet them, we have
:12:00. > :12:02.a meeting of our members later this month where we hope to ratify the
:12:03. > :12:10.ground share agreement with the football club and we look forward to
:12:11. > :12:13.welcoming them. The potenti`l is there to double home attend`nces,
:12:14. > :12:23.and there are plans to take the capacity at Blackwell Meadows up to
:12:24. > :12:27.3000. We fought long and hard to save the club and while it has been
:12:28. > :12:31.lovely having Bishop having us there for the couple of seasons wd have
:12:32. > :12:35.been there it is time to cole home. We hope to go through with ht and
:12:36. > :12:45.things can go back to normal and will be like the old days. Win, win,
:12:46. > :12:48.win. That is what I say! Thd important thing is to support the
:12:49. > :12:57.remaining games and see the season out with maximum support. Wd have
:12:58. > :13:00.some fantastic home games coming up. Fighting for promotion this year
:13:01. > :13:04.which will encourage our fans again to come along. Hopefully with a new
:13:05. > :13:06.home ground for Darlington. If you want to support Darlington this
:13:07. > :13:09.coming Wednesday, second ag`inst first at Heritage Park, Curzon
:13:10. > :13:12.Ashton the visitors at Bishop Auckland. Gary when you werd manager
:13:13. > :13:19.in the conference of York you were playing Darlington, they won the FA
:13:20. > :13:26.Trophy at Wembley before yot did. Can you believe the story shnce No,
:13:27. > :13:32.it is sad to see. But it happens. There are numerous clubs it has
:13:33. > :13:36.happened too. As Martin just said the most important thing is to
:13:37. > :13:39.concentrate on what goes on on the field. Get another promotion and the
:13:40. > :13:43.people working behind the scenes to get them back playing back hn the
:13:44. > :13:48.hometown is very important. You of course, George, made your football
:13:49. > :13:50.league debut in the Reynolds Arena. Being a big stadium, was it a
:13:51. > :13:55.bizarre experience? Yes, we travelled up from Exeter, it
:13:56. > :13:58.was not a short trip and I remember seeing the stadium ahead of us, and
:13:59. > :14:03.I thought, "I could get used to League Two". I think we plaxed in
:14:04. > :14:06.Dagenham the next week so wd went back down. It is a fantastic stadium
:14:07. > :14:20.and to have no football plaxing there is a travesty. We havd heard
:14:21. > :14:23.Martin Gray, ex`Sunderland. What is a realistic expectation? Soletimes
:14:24. > :14:29.they do begin to get ahead of themselves. You must aim to claim
:14:30. > :14:33.that pyramid again. Has dond a remarkable job, starting from
:14:34. > :14:38.scratch. He had one player left when he took over. The point of the film
:14:39. > :14:41.is that it is important for clubs like Darlington to be in thdir
:14:42. > :14:45.hometown, that is where you get the walk in the fans to pay at the
:14:46. > :14:51.turnstiles. If they can get back into the town it will be a big help.
:14:52. > :15:01.Good luck to Darlington. Tile for league one and league two action,
:15:02. > :15:05.here is Lee Johnson. Carlisle were desperate to boost their survival
:15:06. > :15:10.chances when they hosted fellow relegation battlers Stevenage. But
:15:11. > :15:14.it regulated loanee Salleh Byrne went close in the first half only to
:15:15. > :15:20.be denied by Christie. Dear frustrated the company and `ll
:15:21. > :15:24.afternoon but Lee Miller cale close to grabbing a goal from a corner,
:15:25. > :15:31.only to head over the bar. That leaves them one point out of the
:15:32. > :15:35.drop zone. Pools welcomed Bristol Rovers to
:15:36. > :15:38.Victoria Park and took an e`rly lead when Marlon Harewood headed in from
:15:39. > :15:39.Jack Barmby's corner to sectre his second goal of the season.
:15:40. > :15:42.Jack Barmby's corner to sectre his second goal of the Bradley Walker
:15:43. > :15:45.showed why he's been named League Two's Apprentice of the Year when he
:15:46. > :15:50.doubled the advantage with this 25 yard strike. Colin Cooper's side
:15:51. > :15:54.still harbour hopes of the play`offs and they grabbed the third when it
:15:55. > :16:00.was brought down in the box by Tom Parks. Simon converted the penalty
:16:01. > :16:04.to make it 3`0. And Jonathan Franks completed it when he smashed in the
:16:05. > :16:11.fourth, after Luke James's dffort hit the post.
:16:12. > :16:17.York City's late promotion push continued apace with a win `t
:16:18. > :16:20.Mansfield Town on Tuesday. Josh Carson burst into the box and went
:16:21. > :16:24.down after a challenge from John Dempster. Brian Bowman stepped up
:16:25. > :16:26.and spotted home to score hhs eighth goal of the season, to secure the
:16:27. > :16:38.win. Nigel Worthington's side were
:16:39. > :16:41.looking to win their fourth game in a row as they hosted Wycombd
:16:42. > :16:44.Wanderers. The hosts took an early lead when Sam Togwell blockdd down
:16:45. > :16:49.Josh Carson in the box and Brian Bowman scored from this spot for the
:16:50. > :16:52.second time in less than a week Carson was involved in a second when
:16:53. > :16:59.he received the ball from Togwell and fired home from the edgd of the
:17:00. > :17:03.area. It was a debut to forget for Wycombe's Togwell and he was sent
:17:04. > :17:06.off for his second bookable offence. That would leave York just outside
:17:07. > :17:07.the play`offs on goal difference, with Hartlepool just three points
:17:08. > :17:14.behind. You're going well. We're in the
:17:15. > :17:17.company of a former York manager, the man who got them into the
:17:18. > :17:20.football league, now in charge of Gateshead, Gary Mills. Let's talk
:17:21. > :17:24.Gateshead first. They were 09th when you arrived. You took on thd
:17:25. > :17:27.challenge. Yeah. How have you found it? Enjoying it. Loving it, you
:17:28. > :17:31.know. It is good to be back managing and back in the game. It is a big
:17:32. > :17:36.challenge of course. I didn't really know the area. I knew about it but
:17:37. > :17:40.not too much. So I spent a bit of time up here before I accepted the
:17:41. > :17:44.job and I've not regretted ht. I really enjoyed it. Have you found
:17:45. > :17:47.that, living in the area, it being a hotbed of football? Absolutdly. It
:17:48. > :17:51.is a fantastic area. I will be honest, I was probably a little bit
:17:52. > :17:54.ignorant to how beautiful it is up here and the people and the area.
:17:55. > :17:56.Certainly on the football shde of it, fanatical. With Newcastle,
:17:57. > :18:03.Sunderland, Middlesbrough and obviously Gateshead. Let's look at
:18:04. > :18:04.the league table because yot have done a fantastic job. They were 19th
:18:05. > :18:11.when you took charge. done a fantastic job. They were 19th
:18:12. > :18:14.when It is incredibly tight in that play`off push. One point off the
:18:15. > :18:18.play`offs. Three of the next four games at home. How do you sde that
:18:19. > :18:22.race for the play`offs now? Yes it is tight. We have done fant`stically
:18:23. > :18:26.well. We had a poor Februarx. We got ourselves up to fourth and ht's not
:18:27. > :18:30.just back down, you can see how tight the league is. All I can say
:18:31. > :18:35.is we have got a chance. We've got three of the next four at home, like
:18:36. > :18:38.you say. You have to win yotr home games. We have had two fant`stic
:18:39. > :18:46.away results at Barnet and Salisbury, which has given ts the
:18:47. > :18:50.chance to get ourselves back on You have been this close before. Two
:18:51. > :18:53.Wembley wins in a week with York. The big one when they won the
:18:54. > :18:57.play`off final. Will that experience stand you in good stead? Absolutely.
:18:58. > :19:00.As you say, in football you never stop learning and certainly in this
:19:01. > :19:04.league, I do know what it t`kes I've got myself a good set of
:19:05. > :19:09.players at Gateshead. I think I know what we need and what we nedd to do.
:19:10. > :19:11.And I am going to do my best to make sure I can get Gateshead in there.
:19:12. > :19:15.what we need and what we nedd to do. And I am We are learning all the
:19:16. > :19:18.time, like I say, and that ht was a great experience for me. Th`t club
:19:19. > :19:22.had been out of the league for eight years, feeling sorry for thdmselves,
:19:23. > :19:26.if I do not mind saying that. Thinking they were never gohng to
:19:27. > :19:29.get back on but we worked h`rd and, you know, the rest is history, as
:19:30. > :19:33.they say. It's not just eight years for Gateshead. The 1960s thd last
:19:34. > :19:36.time they were in the footb`ll league. What would it mean to the
:19:37. > :19:39.area to have them back in the football league? It would bd
:19:40. > :19:43.massive. Having clubs in thd Premier League and getting back into the
:19:44. > :19:46.league for Gateshead, it puts towns on the map. And when people see it
:19:47. > :19:51.in the football results, nationally, it can only be good for bushness and
:19:52. > :19:55.for the whole area. So best of luck to you. I hope you do it! In terms
:19:56. > :19:58.of winning a play`off final at Wembley, we are in the comp`ny of
:19:59. > :20:02.another person who did it bdcause you did it with Exeter. It was a
:20:03. > :20:06.great day in your career but how difficult is it to get out of that
:20:07. > :20:10.conference? I believe you wdre commentating on that game! H was. We
:20:11. > :20:13.need to talk to about that. Only joking! I thought I was verx
:20:14. > :20:16.positive that day. It is thd toughest league, I think, I have
:20:17. > :20:20.played in, for getting out. Because it is just that one spot. It is all
:20:21. > :20:23.about getting into the play`offs now. You know how it goes. Once
:20:24. > :20:27.you're in those play`offs, ht getting that last little bit and it
:20:28. > :20:32.is a great achievement for ` club to get in. Are you a better manager at
:20:33. > :20:35.six months out of the game? Tell us what that is like. You were chomping
:20:36. > :20:40.at the bit, you were disappointed what happened at the end of York. Do
:20:41. > :20:43.you come back a better manager and a better person? I think so. @ better
:20:44. > :20:48.manager, we will see. It is a challenge for me and I have got to
:20:49. > :20:52.move forward again with my career. A better man, I think yes. Yot learn
:20:53. > :20:56.on that side of it. But I h`ve come into the league, as George was
:20:57. > :21:00.saying, but it is tough. Ond team goes up. We have been fighthng to
:21:01. > :21:04.try to get three up, three down Will it ever happen? We do not know.
:21:05. > :21:08.You have got to believe you're going to get into the play`offs and that
:21:09. > :21:13.you can get promoted. There's no point in getting on if you have not
:21:14. > :21:17.got the team to do it. I thhnk I have got a squad of players at
:21:18. > :21:20.Gateshead that we can go and do it. As always in football, you need a
:21:21. > :21:23.little bit of Lady Luck as well Very good luck to you.
:21:24. > :21:25.Now, Middlesbrough's on`loan Hartlepool defender Christi`n
:21:26. > :21:27.Burgess is combining footballing and academic education. Lee Johnson
:21:28. > :21:42.interrupted his studies. He is a six foot five centrd back by
:21:43. > :21:48.trade. But Hartlepool United's Christian Burgess often substitutes
:21:49. > :21:51.tackles for textbooks. I have always been interested in history, ever
:21:52. > :21:55.since school. I did it up to A`level and then I did not really h`ve an
:21:56. > :21:59.idea of what I wanted to do outside of football. So I just thought I
:22:00. > :22:02.would go and study history `t university because I enjoyed it
:22:03. > :22:06.What era of history are you studying? I am studying the naval
:22:07. > :22:10.arms race before the First World War between England and Germany. And I'm
:22:11. > :22:13.also doing revolution and the state. So political thinking throughout,
:22:14. > :22:18.kind of, the 17th century to the 20th. You do not get many
:22:19. > :22:22.footballers who study Lenin and the naval arms race in between playing.
:22:23. > :22:26.No, I suppose you don't. I try and, you know, teach some of the lads at
:22:27. > :22:28.Hartlepool a bit about it btt they don't... Take the Mickey out of me
:22:29. > :22:34.more. Hartlepool are hoping for a swift
:22:35. > :22:37.return to league one and with emerging talent such as Burgess
:22:38. > :22:43.they may have a chance. This season, you are on loan at Hartlepool. You
:22:44. > :22:46.are doing well in the young team that has still got a chance of
:22:47. > :22:50.making the play`offs. Yeah, it has been a good season for me and
:22:51. > :22:54.Hartlepool as well. This is, kind of, the stage of the season where it
:22:55. > :22:58.is make or break. You know, we get on a little run here and we can
:22:59. > :23:01.really push on and, you know, make a challenge to those teams who are
:23:02. > :23:05.already in better positions and hopefully that is what we are
:23:06. > :23:09.looking to do. We've got a bit of form and a few wins recentlx and
:23:10. > :23:12.that is definitely what we would consider. Was it important for you
:23:13. > :23:15.to move away on loan to get some first`team experience? Yes,
:23:16. > :23:18.definitely. To get that expdrience under your belt and learn the tricks
:23:19. > :23:22.of the trade, as people say, of league football. Where do you see it
:23:23. > :23:25.going beyond this season? When we get to the summer? Back to
:23:26. > :23:29.Middlesbrough and then try to break in to the first team there? Yes
:23:30. > :23:32.hopefully back to Middlesbrough for pre`season. And then, you know, with
:23:33. > :23:35.the new gaffer there, I've got to obviously make an impression and
:23:36. > :23:42.show him what I can do, hopdfully pre`season. From there, it will be
:23:43. > :23:52.decisions, you know, in his mind also. And he will see what he thinks
:23:53. > :23:55.of me and hopefully I can gdt a part in that team. Finally, Christian, we
:23:56. > :23:59.thought we would give you a little history test for the end of this
:24:00. > :24:06.interview. Right. First off, name the launched by the British in 906.
:24:07. > :24:10.I am going to go with... It's going to be something HMS... We'll go HMS
:24:11. > :24:14.Belfast. It's the Dreadnought. The Dreadnought, OK. Question two, the
:24:15. > :24:18.assassination of which arch duke is widely believed to have led to the
:24:19. > :24:22.declaration of the First World War? Archduke Franz Ferdinand. Correct,
:24:23. > :24:26.well done. And finally, namd the coastal town that was the fhrst to
:24:27. > :24:31.be bombed by the Germans in 191 . I'm going to go with Hartlepool
:24:32. > :24:35.Well done. That would have been quite embarrassing if you h`d got
:24:36. > :24:38.that wrong! Yes. I saw that in a documentary actually, the other
:24:39. > :24:41.week. It was about Hartlepool getting bombed. So it has hdlped me
:24:42. > :24:44.out there. It is quite embarrassing, the first question, because I am
:24:45. > :24:48.studying about the dreadnought actually. You need to get looking
:24:49. > :24:51.through a few more books! I do, yes. Better go and get my work.
:24:52. > :24:54.Well, Christian got a bit of stick there because I'm with thred
:24:55. > :24:58.battleship experts as well. They all knew that first question off the top
:24:59. > :25:00.of their heads! Well, we've got another student in our comp`ny
:25:01. > :25:04.because George is studying sports journalism at the moment. Yds, I
:25:05. > :25:08.am. It is based in Stafford but it is long distance learning. Well we
:25:09. > :25:11.only thought it was fair th`t you should have three quickfire
:25:12. > :25:14.questions to answer as well. Here we go. They are all football, do not
:25:15. > :25:16.worry, not on history. Who hs Middlesbrough's club record
:25:17. > :25:20.goal`scorer? Bernie Slaven? No, none so far. George Camsell back in 925.
:25:21. > :25:23.Which team won the Northern League last season? I'll go with
:25:24. > :25:26.Darlington. Well done, you were watching. And lastly, which current
:25:27. > :25:29.North East manager won a European cup winner's medal in Real Ladrid?
:25:30. > :25:36.This man to my left. Way back! Good answer! Nottingham Forest. We can't
:25:37. > :25:39.do a show having you on without talking about Brian Clough. Is he
:25:40. > :25:42.someone you think about week to week in your managerial career? Xes.
:25:43. > :25:46.Listen, you know, I think everyone that has gone into management, that
:25:47. > :25:49.played under the gaffer, has gone on to do well, to be honest. And you
:25:50. > :25:53.take everything from what hd was about. Certainly the man management
:25:54. > :25:57.side of it. It is a simple game that is probably made a little bht
:25:58. > :26:03.difficult now in certain waxs. But he always kept it simple. Hd got the
:26:04. > :26:07.best out of everybody. What is your best Brian Clough story? Ond, in 20
:26:08. > :26:11.seconds. 20 seconds. Listen, there are loads of stories. What happened
:26:12. > :26:14.was... That you can relate to a young, aspiring football jotrnalist.
:26:15. > :26:18.In the European Cup final, we actually celebrated the win before
:26:19. > :26:22.because he took us to Majorca for a week's holiday before the fhnal and
:26:23. > :26:26.after we had won the final, we were not allowed to go out. So wd are
:26:27. > :26:29.probably the only team to cdlebrate a win before the final. But another
:26:30. > :26:32.show maybe...I've got plentx of stories, you know, that are
:26:33. > :26:35.absolutely fantastic. Brillhant Christian Burgess on loan at
:26:36. > :26:39.Hartlepool, we talked about him going back to Middlesbrough. A big
:26:40. > :26:42.win for Colin Cooper after the shock of that, was it not? Yes,
:26:43. > :26:46.definitely. I mean, they cotld go... They've got a good chance of getting
:26:47. > :26:49.in the play`offs and they are flying at the moment. A great return. If
:26:50. > :26:53.they keep that going then wd could see some play`off action with them.
:26:54. > :26:56.OK, we've just got enough thme for a few Twitter questions. Plenty coming
:26:57. > :27:00.in, thank you for those. "The biggest compliment I could pay Gary
:27:01. > :27:04.Mills ` when he speaks, the fans stop and listen and he must spend a
:27:05. > :27:07.fortune on hair gel." So th`t is from Mickey! Simon has a twdet this
:27:08. > :27:11.week. "Do you think Newcastle," this is from an anonymous Newcastle fan,
:27:12. > :27:14."has had unfair press in recent months?" no. When there is `
:27:15. > :27:17.controversy at clubs, you gdnerally get those comments by fans. We try
:27:18. > :27:21.to report factually and fairly on all other clubs. We are not biased
:27:22. > :27:24.at all. And David Blakely, for George, "who would you say xou are
:27:25. > :27:28.closest to in the Middlesbrough team?" I would have to say Holly the
:27:29. > :27:32.hamster. She is the club halster. The club has a hamster? Yes and she
:27:33. > :27:37.is in the changing room with us so I would have to say her. What a good
:27:38. > :27:41.place to finish! Gentlemen, thank you for your company. To George
:27:42. > :27:44.Gary and Simon. Thank you again for your correspondence through Twitter.
:27:45. > :27:47.A reminder to keep in touch throughout the week. You can get in
:27:48. > :27:50.touch using #LKONAC with yotr comments, questions and reqtests for
:27:51. > :28:01.goals, of course, from the BBC Sport archive. Such as these superb ones.
:28:02. > :28:28.We will see you COMMENTATOR: McDonald, and ht has
:28:29. > :28:41.gone in!