:00:04. > :00:14.got involved with Blackburn Rovers? No? Well, you're about to learn
:00:14. > :00:32.
:00:32. > :00:42.Off. Differing seasons at Deepdale. What is in store this summer for
:00:42. > :00:42.
:00:42. > :00:49.North End and Tranmere? Just why did Jack Walker buy into Blackburn?
:00:49. > :00:52.Walker wasn't aware that it hadn't been paid. And they are rocking at
:00:52. > :00:55.the Reebok. Bolton are backing the play-offs but is it for good?
:00:55. > :00:59.Well, it's great to have two Northwest managers in the studio
:00:59. > :01:02.with me tonight. Lee Johnson has taken 14 points out 24 to guide
:01:02. > :01:04.Oldham to League One safety, while Graham Alexander is 25 games into a
:01:05. > :01:10.managerial career with Fleetwood after more than a thousand as a
:01:10. > :01:17.player with Burnley and Preston among others. Thanks for coming,
:01:17. > :01:20.lads. More from the boys in just a second. First tonight...
:01:20. > :01:23.Preston and Tranmere. Two teams, two very unexpected seasons. North End
:01:23. > :01:25.promised much with Graham Westley, but failed to deliver a return to
:01:25. > :01:28.the Championship. Rovers surprised even themselves in the first
:01:28. > :01:31.two-thirds of the season. After battling relegation last year, they
:01:31. > :01:41.spent much of this one pushing for promotion. Sarah Mulkerrins was at
:01:41. > :01:52.
:01:52. > :01:57.Deepdale for yesterday's coming Deepdale was awash with a great
:01:57. > :02:07.feeling. These Tranmere fans for they were a shoo-in for promotion.
:02:07. > :02:07.
:02:07. > :02:14.But with injuries affecting dead squad, this was at risk. We might
:02:14. > :02:20.get it, we might not. We have lost too many games, so that might affect
:02:20. > :02:26.our chances. This season, we're battling for play-offs. I'm happy
:02:26. > :02:33.with regard at the moment. I'm very happy. You are still happy, despite
:02:33. > :02:40.the fact you're outside the play-offs? Yes.For Preston fans,
:02:40. > :02:44.the way for a chairmanship place is still underway. With only two
:02:44. > :02:54.defeats since he has taken charge, as the club and it's right fit? The
:02:54. > :03:02.ladies think so. It started right and then went wobbly. Things just
:03:02. > :03:08.didn't happen for Westley and we all have our own theories why. Changing
:03:08. > :03:12.manager did a lot. Hopefully we can be taken forward. Does he fit well
:03:12. > :03:17.with the club? He does at the moment. He is saying the right
:03:17. > :03:24.things. Preston should never, ever be in this division. We should be up
:03:24. > :03:28.there in the premiership. Amongst the best. Tranmere needed a win to
:03:28. > :03:34.keep their slim play-off hopes alive and Rovers went close a early on.
:03:34. > :03:40.Liam Palmer's cross curled into reaching his colleagues, but not
:03:40. > :03:46.quite going the distance. A strike before Preston just before the break
:03:46. > :03:52.put paid to any remaining hope. The only goal of the game keeps North
:03:53. > :03:58.End unbeaten at home. Something might happen next year and they can
:03:58. > :04:02.get through the gates with the numbers. Can the club go back to
:04:02. > :04:06.Championship football? I do. I wouldn't be here if I didn't think
:04:06. > :04:14.they could. But we are looking forward to it. We have said all
:04:15. > :04:19.along that if people leave Deepdale at the end of the season in a happy
:04:19. > :04:24.place at the end of the season, that is good. How many opportunities will
:04:24. > :04:31.we ever gets to be in the play-offs? This season is probably the best we
:04:31. > :04:41.have. You look back in anger and think, what a great opportunity we
:04:41. > :04:42.
:04:42. > :04:47.had. It is been disappointing. Graham, you're probably the best as
:04:47. > :04:53.person to talk to about this. URA legend at Northern. Is Simon having
:04:53. > :04:56.to go back to square one again? wouldn't say square one because
:04:56. > :05:04.there are still good players there. There is a decent squad. He will
:05:04. > :05:07.have his own ideas on what he needs to strengthen it over the summer. I
:05:07. > :05:12.think there is a basis of a team that can do things in league one,
:05:12. > :05:16.without a doubt. It is a fantastic club. Tranmere did that at the start
:05:16. > :05:24.of the season but the fans are happy with what happened and the manager
:05:24. > :05:27.is gutted there. The fans realise that, obviously the budget they had
:05:27. > :05:36.and he financial restraints and what a good job Ronnie has done. I think
:05:36. > :05:41.the problem with clubs like that, similar to Yeovil, where my dad is,
:05:41. > :05:49.you cannot bring anyone in who is anywhere near as good. The simplest
:05:49. > :05:52.thing can upset the rhythm. Well, let's take a look at the rest
:05:52. > :05:53.of yesterday's League One action. Ian Haslam starts his round-up with
:05:53. > :05:56.Lee's Latics. A third successive win sealed
:05:56. > :05:59.Oldham's League One status and killed off Crawley's lingering play
:06:00. > :06:03.off hopes. Matt Smith might have done better with this first-half
:06:03. > :06:08.header, while at the other end Dean Bouzanis had to be alert to prevent
:06:08. > :06:13.a Jonathan Grounds own goal. Smith gave Latics the lead on 56 minutes -
:06:13. > :06:18.this his third hugely important goal in a week. Robbie Simpson nearly
:06:18. > :06:21.doubled the lead, before Crawley equalised through Mark Connolly. A
:06:21. > :06:25.point would've been enough for Oldham, but in the end they took
:06:25. > :06:28.three thanks to Jean-Yves M'voto's injury-time winner.
:06:28. > :06:32.Not just a good day for Lee Johnson - the Oldham Manager's dad, Gary,
:06:32. > :06:36.was also a winner as his Yeovil side condemned Crewe to a fourth
:06:36. > :06:40.successive defeat. The winner came after just 51 seconds from Joe
:06:40. > :06:45.Edwards. After that terrible start, though, Crewe created chances to get
:06:45. > :06:48.back into the game, but Yeovil's keeper was equal to them.
:06:48. > :06:52.Bury might be relegated, but after beating Scunthorpe in midweek they
:06:52. > :06:54.got a credible draw at Wallsall. The home side went ahead through Febian
:06:54. > :06:57.Brandy before Jonson Clarke-Harris's 90th-minute free kick hit the bar -
:06:57. > :07:07.three Shakers players went for the follow-up, and substitute Efe Sodje
:07:07. > :07:09.
:07:10. > :07:16.was credited with getting the final touch. So, Lee, a frenetic end to
:07:16. > :07:19.your game. Without a managerial strike, anyone forward? I don't
:07:19. > :07:24.think so, I was screaming at them for not go up. The necks minute,
:07:24. > :07:30.he's God. I said well done. A good decision from him and the best way
:07:30. > :07:38.to waste time. You beat your dad's team-mate week and then now USA. How
:07:38. > :07:42.relieved you? I believed in everyone. That gave me hope. The
:07:43. > :07:46.staff been fantastic and the fans are being supportive. But in all
:07:46. > :07:51.that together, I was confident, but not complacent. It is brilliant UI
:07:51. > :07:59.here together because while you are both experienced in playing, you are
:07:59. > :08:05.both Newton managerial role. How you finding it? I have loved it so far.
:08:05. > :08:09.It is tough. Everyone wants a piece of you. That is the biggest thing.
:08:09. > :08:13.There is no switch off period at all. If you love the game, you love
:08:13. > :08:17.football, it is fantastic. But there is a balancing act. Is it what you
:08:17. > :08:24.say that you have to become a social worker, a nanny, a mum, everything.
:08:24. > :08:30.Is that what you are finding? have to manage them but it can
:08:30. > :08:33.affect their playing on the pitch was the youth find out if there is
:08:33. > :08:37.something wrong and with it. We're talking about grown men that have
:08:37. > :08:43.other support systems that you have to tap into as well. But the old
:08:43. > :08:48.cliches with and an arm around one player and a hairdryer in the other.
:08:48. > :08:53.You have to be a psychologist as a manager and I found that out
:08:53. > :08:57.quickly. It is enjoyable and I do enjoy it. I love chatting to people
:08:57. > :09:03.and players and finding out what makes them tick and such like that.
:09:03. > :09:05.What about everyone demanding a piece of your time? I love the
:09:05. > :09:12.players demanding a piece of my time. That is a process of building
:09:12. > :09:15.a group and 18. It is all the other stuff that you have to... I am still
:09:15. > :09:20.learning, so the agents, the board, the fans, the commitments that you
:09:20. > :09:26.have to do as well as the young families we have as well at a joy
:09:27. > :09:32.and above that. So far it is enjoyable. That is the problem, the
:09:32. > :09:36.distractions will stop the fans would hope that you would be
:09:36. > :09:41.practising corners and free kicks, but if you are talking to families
:09:41. > :09:44.and agents, that can detract from it, surely? You have to manage your
:09:44. > :09:48.time well and make sure you have your priorities right and your
:09:48. > :09:54.priorities are the team say have to make sure that that time is focused
:09:54. > :09:57.really well. Yet make sure you don't get distracted from back. All of the
:09:57. > :10:03.other stuff, you have to squeeze it in we can so it does not impact on
:10:03. > :10:09.the time you spent with your team. Lee, you have the close season to
:10:09. > :10:13.deal with Oldham. What are your plans over the next few weeks?
:10:13. > :10:17.never get a proper holiday because you are always wheeling and dealing
:10:17. > :10:21.and even now we are trying to find out who is available and who is not,
:10:21. > :10:24.speaking to players who are out of contract and that. I have this be to
:10:24. > :10:29.my own players. A lot of decisions will stop we don't have much time.
:10:29. > :10:34.Briefly, is there a big turnaround this year over the summer with the
:10:35. > :10:41.players. The fact is, we have 18 out of contract, so we have to decide
:10:41. > :10:46.who we want to keep. There are big decisions to be made. That enables
:10:46. > :10:50.you to shape this god how you want? That is the beauty of the job.
:10:50. > :10:52.you. Well, let's take a look at the table
:10:53. > :10:54.with one game to go. In the top half, there's the
:10:54. > :10:57.confirmation that Tranmere's play-off push is over.
:10:57. > :11:03.And into the bottom half, where Bury's fate was sealed last week,
:11:03. > :11:06.Oldham's safety sorted yesterday. Let's take a look at League Two now
:11:06. > :11:08.where Graham's Fleetwood ended their first home campaign in the Football
:11:08. > :11:13.League. But Michelle Adamson starts her round-up with a big afternoon
:11:13. > :11:17.for Accrington. Stanley can sigh with relief after
:11:17. > :11:20.securing their Football League status for next season. Lee
:11:20. > :11:23.Molyneux's superb 30-yard free kick after just two minutes - his eighth
:11:23. > :11:29.goal of the season - was enough to seal the precious victory at Bristol
:11:29. > :11:34.Rovers. Leam Richardson's side will look to finish the season on a
:11:34. > :11:38.six-game unbeaten run at home to Oxford next week.
:11:38. > :11:41.Ten-man Morecambe lost 2-0 at home to Torquay. It was a nightmare-full
:11:41. > :11:47.debut for teenage defender Chris Doyle who was sent off for hauling
:11:47. > :11:51.down Elliot Benyon midway through the fisrt half. The visitors went
:11:51. > :11:54.ahead just minutes later through an own goal. Shrimps goalkeeper Barry
:11:54. > :12:00.Roche allowed Stewart Drummond's back pass to crawl under his feet
:12:00. > :12:05.and into the net. Torquay sealed the win when Ashley Yeoman broke down
:12:05. > :12:10.the left and fired past Roche. The ink was barely dry on manager
:12:10. > :12:14.Keith Hill's new three-year contract before this 3-0 defeat at Oxford.
:12:14. > :12:17.All the goals came in the second half, with Alfie Potter rounding off
:12:17. > :12:20.the scoring. Despite starting the season fancied
:12:20. > :12:23.for promotion, Fleetwood's first campaign in the Football League has
:12:23. > :12:30.stuttered of late - their final home game ending with a 3-1 defeat to
:12:30. > :12:32.Chesterfield. Town paid for missed chances including these from Jamille
:12:33. > :12:41.Matt and Gareth Evans, before Armand Gnanduillet put the visitors ahead
:12:41. > :12:44.with a close-range header just before the break. Marc Richards
:12:44. > :12:49.doubled the lead in first-half stoppage time, before making it 3-0
:12:49. > :12:55.after the break. Andy Mangan pulled one back late on, but it'll be a
:12:55. > :12:58.mid-table finish for Graham's team. Well, before we have a chat with
:12:58. > :13:01.Graham, let's see where that leaves Fleetwood in the table. They're
:13:01. > :13:04.12th, ahead of their last game of the season away at Wimbledon. Into
:13:04. > :13:14.the bottom half and well done, Stanley. That five-match unbeaten
:13:14. > :13:16.
:13:16. > :13:19.run securing their Football League status. Graham, you are itching,
:13:19. > :13:24.watching those goals. It must be frustrating. Where do you stand with
:13:24. > :13:29.Fleetwood? Andy Gray was on this programme few weeks ago, they like
:13:29. > :13:36.to have one season where they are working on it and next season they
:13:36. > :13:40.go up. I have only been in since December but it is one for me,
:13:40. > :13:47.learning what league two is about. It has been awhile since I played
:13:47. > :13:53.that Andy have to get to know your own player as well. As Lee said, we
:13:53. > :13:56.have 30 odd players. It is hard to get to know them all in match
:13:56. > :14:02.situations, so it has been a difficult process. That must lead to
:14:02. > :14:07.a lot of tension, because half of them cannot be involved at all on a
:14:07. > :14:11.weekly basis of what would you trim that down to, ideally? Since day
:14:11. > :14:16.one, I have said we need a tighter competitive squad. Wine I am looking
:14:16. > :14:19.at 23, 24 players. Everyone has a realistic chance of being involved
:14:19. > :14:28.and it doesn't take long to get back involved in the first team. At the
:14:28. > :14:32.moment, we have ten or 11 that we have weekend, week out. Fans will be
:14:32. > :14:39.hoping that is not a cost-cutting exercise, it is a trimming down
:14:39. > :14:43.Sagan put the resources we need them. Yet, it is not to do with
:14:43. > :14:49.cost-cutting, it is to do with resources. It is impossible to
:14:49. > :14:55.manage 30 odd players. Quite contrasting fortunes between the two
:14:55. > :15:02.teams. You are big fish in league two. Does that bring its own
:15:02. > :15:06.problems, that people expect things? Definitely. With the contract talks
:15:06. > :15:12.and agents asking for this and that. I've been oppressed for a while,
:15:12. > :15:15.I've had the same sort of stories. The realism of it is not like that
:15:15. > :15:18.at all. But we are competitive in league two so we have to make sure
:15:18. > :15:27.we ring the right players in over the summer that can help us go on
:15:27. > :15:34.and progress from where we are. On occasion, wages were not paid at
:15:34. > :15:39.Oldham. It is quite a contrast. It is a great club the time at a
:15:39. > :15:44.time very proud and happy that I am there. I knew what the situation was
:15:45. > :15:50.when I took it and I am happy with that. There will be a lot of players
:15:50. > :15:54.out of contract in the summer and we have to manage it. I am at a club
:15:54. > :15:59.where we have to look after that side of it and make sure that we do.
:15:59. > :16:02.You both made the transition from player to manager. Graham, if you
:16:02. > :16:11.were on record on this programme saying it was really difficult. Is
:16:11. > :16:16.it getting any easier? Not really, I just love the job. It is what I
:16:16. > :16:22.want to do. I just throw myself into it. Nothing what I have done is
:16:22. > :16:26.easy. I can't wait for everyday, because it is something new. Like
:16:26. > :16:35.you say, you can reshape your squad. There is always something to
:16:35. > :16:38.do. It is exciting. Do you miss being out there for 90 minutes?
:16:38. > :16:43.It has been six or seven weeks now so I have managed to train a few
:16:43. > :16:50.times. I am better than I was when I was a player, but nobody wants to
:16:50. > :16:53.kick me any more. Thank you very much indeed. Now,
:16:54. > :16:58.Blackburn might be struggling this season but as a club their
:16:58. > :17:04.predicament is contrasting to what it was in the late 1980s before the
:17:04. > :17:09.legendary Jack Walker's money put them back. The manager at the time
:17:09. > :17:13.was Don Mackay, who has been reliving his time there for Late
:17:13. > :17:18.Kick Off. We just sort of missed out about
:17:18. > :17:22.three times in the play-offs, still went to Wembley, still won a trophy
:17:22. > :17:29.which was tremendous. It was always a sad reflection that we did not
:17:29. > :17:33.quite get there, into the Premier League. A lot of people use to talk
:17:33. > :17:38.about the hospitality and they always used to have two very
:17:38. > :17:42.expensive tees at either end of the boardroom table. At Scunthorpe, they
:17:42. > :17:45.talked about how much it was going to cost and there was a figure put
:17:45. > :17:50.in but the figure then had to be reduced because they wanted to
:17:50. > :17:54.replace the two very expensive stainless the still TR is at either
:17:54. > :18:04.end of the table. Either they got them at a certain price, are they
:18:04. > :18:09.did not get the teacups. We managed to do a proper job. Football...
:18:09. > :18:18.Football was a good bit of fun. You had the ability to do things, score
:18:18. > :18:24.goals. I used to remember, he was just, the funny thing about it was
:18:24. > :18:34.that Aussie light cigarette. He used to have one in the coach on the way
:18:34. > :18:34.
:18:34. > :18:39.back from the game. Walker had a board advertising at the old park.
:18:39. > :18:43.It had never been paid for. So Keith, who is now the president of
:18:43. > :18:48.the club, went to see him, and Jack Walker was not aware that it had not
:18:48. > :18:56.been paid. So he paid for it and then asked he said there were other
:18:56. > :19:04.ways he could help the club. He became very interested. Up until
:19:04. > :19:08.that time, I can hardly remember him being there before. Suddenly, we
:19:08. > :19:14.were saying, we can get this player that they are. I was lucky that I
:19:14. > :19:20.got people like Stephen Archibald, we got him for next to nothing.
:19:20. > :19:26.Frank Stapleton, all international. It started to come off. We actually
:19:26. > :19:30.tried to buy Gary Lineker, but the chairman at the time, we phoned him
:19:30. > :19:36.up and the chairman spoke to him because we did it that way, we spoke
:19:36. > :19:40.German to chairman, and he said what you want for Gary Lineker? And he
:19:40. > :19:45.said �1 million. We said Blackburn Rovers did not have �1 million. So
:19:45. > :19:50.we spoke about it. So we went back to Tottenham and said we would buy
:19:50. > :19:55.him. They could not believe it. And they said no. And the strange thing
:19:55. > :20:01.was that Tottenham sold him three months later for �500,000. People
:20:01. > :20:09.did not believe that people did what they did. The whole thing, the whole
:20:09. > :20:13.game changed. Perhaps I was not big enough for the club in many ways. I
:20:14. > :20:17.did not admit it at the time, but I admitted it now, that they probably
:20:17. > :20:27.needed Dalglish to move the club forward. They have been in the top
:20:27. > :20:27.
:20:27. > :20:32.leagues. I was really pleased for a while, and for the supporters, they
:20:32. > :20:40.got to come back. It was the promised land. They got into Europe,
:20:40. > :20:44.a little bit. That is history now. And incredible slice of football
:20:44. > :20:49.history. The present-day Rover still have work to do to avoid a second
:20:49. > :20:55.successive relegation. Our Championship round-up stars at the
:20:55. > :20:59.other end of the table, with Bolton Wanderers. The Reebok really is a
:20:59. > :21:02.fortress for Bolton after their eighth consecutive home win moved
:21:02. > :21:05.them back into the play-off places. Chris Eagles put them ahead against
:21:06. > :21:11.Middlesbrough shortly after the break, scoring his temper of the
:21:11. > :21:20.season from 12 yards. Keiron Dyer brought them level just six minutes
:21:21. > :21:27.later, but in a crazy nine minute spell, Bolton regained the lead.
:21:27. > :21:32.They make no mistake from the spot. I had high expectations for them. I
:21:32. > :21:38.believed in them. Right now, they are showing their qualities, they
:21:38. > :21:43.are showing their determination. I think right now, this is great.
:21:43. > :21:48.Blackpool are still not safe after a day to forget.
:21:48. > :21:56.This is a nervous finish to the season for them. They were doomed
:21:56. > :22:05.before half-time. A lapse in concentration allowed David Lopez to
:22:05. > :22:11.put Albion ahead. The misery of Blackpool was complete. Blackburn
:22:11. > :22:18.survival hopes took a similar knock, with a 4-0 defeat at the hands of
:22:18. > :22:23.promotion chasing Watford. All goals came in the second half. Blackburn
:22:23. > :22:28.failed to clear a corner 15 minutes of time. To add to their woes, Leon
:22:28. > :22:32.Best was sent off for an off the ball incident, meaning he will now
:22:32. > :22:35.miss their three remaining games. Burnley failed to spoil Cardiff's
:22:35. > :22:43.promotion party. Craig Conway strike gave them the
:22:43. > :22:48.lead, but then David Edgar equalised in the 90s minute. They are now four
:22:48. > :22:51.points away from the relegation zone. If we look at the Championship
:22:51. > :22:57.table, we can see that Bolton's play-off chances are now firmly in
:22:57. > :23:06.their own hands. I glance at the bottom shows
:23:06. > :23:10.lingering concerns for Blackburn and, to a lesser extent, Burnley.
:23:10. > :23:13.In the two years that our quiz has been on air, nobody has done what
:23:13. > :23:18.Blackpool has does. When the Late Kick Off camera pulled into
:23:18. > :23:24.Bloomfield Road, nobody would have expected the first assistant manager
:23:24. > :23:34.versus manager battle. Paul Ince versus, and I mean versus, Andy Rae
:23:34. > :23:34.
:23:34. > :23:44.is the sublime. In which year did Blackpool Tower
:23:44. > :23:52.
:23:52. > :24:02.open? 1934. 1995. 1895? That's as close as I can
:24:02. > :24:12.get it. Correct answer is only. It was 1894.
:24:12. > :24:12.
:24:12. > :24:20.Who wrote Hamlet? What is his name? Shakespeare?
:24:21. > :24:28.What is the capital City of Italy? Rome. It who said this?
:24:28. > :24:34." I love tackling. It is better than sex."
:24:34. > :24:44.Henman! The patella is more commonly known
:24:44. > :24:44.
:24:45. > :24:54.as what? Gal and pink ladies are varieties of which food? Yellow mac
:24:55. > :24:55.
:24:55. > :25:05.Apples! Thailand?
:25:05. > :25:06.
:25:06. > :25:16.What is for multiplied by eight eight! Name the Coronation Street
:25:16. > :25:18.
:25:18. > :25:28.character that has been in the show since 1960. How sad is that!
:25:28. > :25:33.
:25:34. > :25:43.H is a member of which pop band? steps. Steps, clearly. How many
:25:44. > :25:44.
:25:44. > :25:54.England managers that Paul with? two. He got about half a dozen
:25:54. > :26:00.
:26:00. > :26:10.sacks, didn't he? For. Surely, it was the first answer. You can get as
:26:10. > :26:20.many times as you like. The answer is six. What is a baby deer called?
:26:20. > :26:32.
:26:32. > :26:41.Baby deer? What's it called? What was it? Fall. Move on the next one.
:26:41. > :26:51.Spell the word excellent. Excellent. How old is television personality
:26:51. > :27:02.
:27:03. > :27:12.Tony Livesay? Who knows, by the way. 51. 52. 53. 49. 48. Yes! 49, or so
:27:13. > :27:17.
:27:17. > :27:27.he says. The final score is Paul six, Alex five. Thank you very much.
:27:27. > :27:29.
:27:29. > :27:35.That's harsh. I am gutted that they didn't know who I was, but 51? Maybe
:27:35. > :27:43.I do 51. I bet the hours flyby when they are on the coach. Would you
:27:43. > :27:50.fancy a good? They were over at our place a few weeks ago. He picked a
:27:50. > :27:56.victim in Jimmy McGuire, who has got better banter than us. Great stuff.
:27:56. > :28:06.Thank you very much for that. Don't make net -- don't miss next week's
:28:06. > :28:22.
:28:22. > :28:28.quiz. Before we go, let's have a in. Thank you Julie Ann grain. Hope