Episode 1 Late Kick Off North West

Hello. When they say football's coming home, they must have the

North`West in mind. 14 of the league's most famous clubs, with

1,500 years of history between them are about to open their doors to us

again. Welcome back to Late Kick`Off.

Kicking off our brand`new series: Burnley's goal is the Premier

League. We ask whether the Clarets really have what it takes to make

the top flight. The real reason Paul Ince left

Blackpool. We check on the state of the Seasiders. I thought if they

can't be bothered I shouldn't worry too much about defending their

position against the supporters and everyone else. And what has got them

rolling from the aisles in Morecambe? It is the return of

football's funniest quiz, One on One. Cream?

LAUGHTER That has to be seen to be believed.

Welcome back to our brand`new series. We are here every Monday

until the end of the season. Kicking off in style our guest David Dunn.

He scored the world's first penalty hat`trick. And Ryan Lowe, who once

scored in a club record nine consecutive games with Bury. One

website says you've got multiple children. Have you ever counted them

up? Children? Yes. Two. At Blackpool the chairman has revealed to Late

Kick`Off exactly why he sacked Paul Ince. He's also been telling me

about the chances of caretaker boss Barry Ferguson being named full`time

manager. But in an exclusive interview we started with the club's

current precarious position. I've never lost sleep over it. It

never does any good to worry about these things. All you can do is try

and make sure that whatever input you can have to try and give to the

manager. August of the manager, Barry's not yet managed a game since

games in. How do you assess his performance so far? Not on results

obviously. You can only assess it in the spirit of the camp and the way

the management team are going about things and from what I'm told. I

don't have any direct involvement with the team and the players. I

never have and probably never will as long as I'm here, so I think on

the whole the things I'm hearing and what I see from the performances, I

think we've turned things round albeit just not in the results yet.

Despite having had several applications, as you always do when

a manager goes from the Football Club, we are not speaking to anyone

else whilst Barry's in charge. It's so Barry's job to lose really, he's

got a great chance for the future? He's doing very well. No manager

ever takes over in particularly good circumstances I suppose, but he s

taken over a difficult position and he's done very well so far. Let s

see if we can talk about the position he's taken over from.

What's happened? You were top early on and still in a play`off place in

November. Yeovil away I think. Whether that's the defining moment

but the wheels fell off big style following that. We hope as quickly

as the wheels fell off we can turn things round. By all accounts you

gave him a chance to account for himself and save his position. You

had this now famous four`hour summit at your house, was it on a Sunday

night? A Sunday evening, yes. With his number two and number three

What did or didn't happen at that meeting to your satisfaction? It was

clear we had problems. I really wanted to be told how we could get

out of that bad run that we were in. And in particular how we could

strengthen the squad and which players had been identified to

strengthen the squad. I needed really to be given some sort of

confidence and some steer from them how we could all work to get out of

it. And presumably that wasn't forth coming? Well, no it wasn't. I didn't

get any great impression that anything would change quickly. And

then the manager went off on a coaching or media course. I asked

for a list of players and leads to follow, because we did need players.

That wasn't forthcoming either, so I thought if they can't be bothered, I

don't think I should really worry myself too much about defending

their position against the supporters and everyone else. It was

said he was sacked by text. Was that deliberate?deliberate? Ic he had

been `` I think if he was here it might have been face to face, but he

went to St George's Park for two days and we couldn't get hold of

him. At that stage were you angry? I was angry when I asked him for a

list of players by Monday lunchtime and when it still hadn't arrived by

Tuesday lunchtime, having stressed for four hours on a Sunday that we

really needed to do something quickly to get players in, which we

didn't have any players at all. No`one mentioned Paul going off on a

course. To find out on Tuesday lunchtime he had gone off straight

from our house to a course for two days, it really said all I needed to

hear about their commitment or priorities. Clearly it was possible

for us to bring people in, because in a short space of time of Barry

being put in temporary charge we will had a lot of players recruited

and settling in ready for the fight. So it wasn't that it was an

impossible task we put in front of him. If Blackpool stay up then

Barry's done his job? I think you would have to say that. This run

we've had since the Oval came has really changed our priorities. I

think staying up is definitely a bigger target than it was at that

stage. And you are doing that without Tom Ince, a great player.

He's head and shoulders above a lot of players this the championship. It

was a difficult position for Tom. His father had left the club and it

probably put him in a difficult position both professionally and

personally. Did you just think it was, that it would inevitably go,

that when you got rid of his dad you would have to write Tom out of the

scenario too? I think it would have been difficult for Tom to come

bouncing into work with any degree of enthusiasm. With what had

happened with his father. It probably was inevitable. If the

worst did happen and if you did go down, you would roll your sleeves up

and fight on? I think the first season I took over we went down into

League Two, so we've come a long way since then. You don't give in.

There's football relegations, they are inevitable in football. That's

how the industry is strufrmtd I just hope `` structured, I just hope that

doesn't happen to us. Thanks to Karl for giving the us his time. There's

much more of the interview on BBC Radio Lancashire.

League Two has a nice North`West look to it. Looking back at the

weekend's action, here's Nazir. And secured the match ball just

after the hour. Fleetwood's hopes of automatic

promotion have faltered of late This stalemate at home to bogey team

Wimbledon means it is just one point from the last nine. Nathan Pond

headed wide five minutes from time. Morecambe are another side finding

good form hard to come bit. It is just one win from 11 after a

thumping at Plymouth. They were behind early and never recovered. To

compound their misery Lewis scored two in the home side's 5`0 win.

Bury's six itself game unbeaten run ground to a happen. They took the

leave through Clive Platt. Cheltenham were level within two

minutes. Despite deserving a point, the Shakers were denied it when

Harrison scored from close range eight minutes from the end.

The Accrington boss was furious after defeat at birthton Albion The

home side took a first`half lead but Stanley hit back after the break.

Visitors were left fuming after a disputed penalty settled things ten

minutes from time. Referee saw something nobody else seemed to

Burnley are going through a phase of the not so terrible twos. Clarets

are on a superb second in the championship and on course for a

second stint in the Premier League. Into the box and in! Burnley

absolutely flying on the promotion charge. From the pitch to the press

conference it is all smiles around turf more. He's taken us up. That's

all we've got to say really. We were always tipped to be at the bottom of

the league. I think they were disappointed not to make the

play`offs. I think they have done a lot better than normal because

they've got more strikers. Burnley had the second`best home record

They are still unbeaten here. Players who will be arriving in this

dressing room in a few minutes are aiming to take Burnley into the

Premier League for the second time. The manager is only in his second

season. Is this the way he mapped it out all along? It wasn't a master

plan but I felt there was things we could change last year. Contract

situations, players, players out and players in, et cetera. We always

laid the base for what we thought was important for the team going

forward, and hate come together so far. And that format includes the

second meanest defence in the championship and the deadly duo 42

goals between them for the season. They are on course to break records

that have lasted 40 or 50 years at Burnley. Signs that they could build

a relationship last January when Charlie Austin was injured. I don't

think anyone envisaged them scoring that amount of goals when Charlie

left. But the twos aren't always on

Burnley's side. Derby County has the championship's

second best away record. They are second only to Leicester.

He picks up the ball on the far side, pulls it back to Danny Ings.

Jones scores for Burnley! A tremendous finish for the

midfielder. First blood to Burnley in the battle of the top of the

championship table. It is Burnley 1, Derby County 0.

Danny Ings strikes it, takes a deflection and Burnley have a

second! Burnley double their league. Just like a week ago against

promotion rivals, the Clarets come up with the goods. They lead Derby

County by two goals to nil Our last two results are massive and very

important, but you've got to be ready every time the whistle blouse.

We want the players to be ready physically, mentally, tactically and

ready to deliver. They have done it again today. While Burnley fans go

home looking happy and looking forward to the match at Ewood

Park... Between the two of them it is top

class. I'm surprise surprised no`one came for them in January, especially

Ings. You are playing Burnley on Sunday. It is important that we play

our own game. I think form goes out the window o in a Derby, so I'm sure

our players will be looking forward to it. And you'll be playing? I hope

so. Burnley aren't the only one of our

sides going great guns in the Championship, Wigan have really got

their act together since Uwe Rosler was recruited as manager. And it's

with The Latics that BBC Radio Manchester's Delyth Llloyd starts

her weekend round up. It's five wins in a row now for

Wigan, who moved into the Championship's play`off places with

an emphatic win over one of their promotion rivals. Martyn Waghorn had

put them ahead at The City Ground, but it was actually after Forest had

levelled that the visitors went into overdrive. Emerson Boyce got the

final touch to edge them ahead before James McArthur all but sealed

the points with 20 minutes to go. And, just for good measure, Jordi

Gomez scored a stylish fourth to round off a polished Wigan

performance. There were also four goals for

Bolton, but these were at the expense of a depleted Blackburn

Mohamed Kamara put the home side ahead midway through the first half,

but it was this goal from Joe Mason just seconds before half time which

was the real clincher. Jay Spearing made it three two minutes after the

break, and Andre Moritz' last minute goal rounded off a differing day for

our two teams. That's the edge of the box and a tremendous hit from

Moritz from 25 yards. It puts the icing on a very sweet cake for

Bolton. We really deserved the win from the first. They created

numerous opportunities and taken four wonderful golfs by four

different goal scorers, so I'm pleased with that. That result was

for the fans. It's been a difficult season and the fans have struck by

us. The players have been strong but not getting the ruts, so today it

was for the fans. Blackpool boss Barry Ferguson is

still seeking a first win in charge after a poor display and heavy

defeat at Watford. That is it. An absolute howler from Gary Mackenzie.

This is a disastrous show from Blackpool Football Club. It's seven

winless games for the caretaker boss now as The Seasiders slipped to 19th

in the table. It is just not acceptable that kind of performance.

I set standards and they fell way below those standards today.

Well, we know that Burnley sit second in the table, but Wigan and

Rovers are also in that top half. Wigan are the form team and into the

play`off places. Rovers now six points shy of the top six. Bolton

and Blackpool occupy the other half. Let's hope neither end up as genuine

relegation candidates. Shall we talk more generally about

Blackburn Rovers? If you like. They did very well. They didn't look like

a team that was on a bad run. But that game aside, just talk to me how

things have changed from those days when it was Keane, and Appleton How

much disarray was that club in at that time? I don't think any club,

certainly as players we prefer to have a bit of continuity. I think we

had five managers over a small period of time, so it was difficult.

The manager came in and did a very good job as caretaker manager and

got the role. It is chalk and cheese from what it were. You are rooted in

Blackburn Rovers, so when Gary Boyd came in, did he bring stability

What's he done? I think a club like hours, similar to Burnley I think,

it is at the hub of the community. It is important that people are

running are I it `` running it are familiar with the local area and

have a passion for what happens at the club. And with the manager being

there for such a long time, the youth team manager and then the

reserves and now the first team manager. It is important to that it

is not just the results on the pitch, barring Saturday. It is the

off the pitch stuff as well that needed sorting and he's done a

fantastic job off the pitch as well. In other words you've been out of

the newspapers for a good few months haven't you? And that's a good thing

for Blackburn. It certainly helps. I don't like to focus on what's

happened in the past. It's been well documented. There's certainly no

help to the Football Club and try to get results on the pitch when

there's that much chaos going on off it. You are six points off the

play`offs. It is feasible this season no doubt. What would it mean

to Blackburn Rovers if you don't get back up? I think this season was all

about becoming more stable. Like you said, there's a hell of a lot of

games to go. There's 13 games to go which is a lot of points to play

for. I'm still very confident that there's one team that's going to

have a late push and go on a good run. I certainly hope it's us. Some

of the teams in the play`offs are slipping up. David, thank you.

Now I'm still kicking myself for not recognising that a Labrador was a

retriever on Celebrity Mastermind at Christmas. I need kick myself no

longer. It's time for One on One, where this week the brains trust of

number 14, Marcus Marshall and Will Bell from Morecambe, take on the

Late Kick Off Quiz. So from the fictional town of Manchester ` just

keep watching ` let's go to the seaside.

What is the capital city of Australia? Sydney? Melbourne? Cran

borough? I know it but not how to say it. Canberra? That's it.

What nationality is tennis star Novak Djokovic? Serbian. What is the

highest mountain in England? Snowdonia?

LAUGHTER Is it not? Isn't it? I ain't got a clue. The moors?

LAUGHTER I ain't got a clue. Scafell Pike. That's one for the bank. Which

Australian soap is set in Summer Bay? I used to watch this. Go on,

Danny! Neighbours? LAUGHTER

Home and away? Who presents the X Factor? Gary Barlow?

LAUGHTER Dermot O'Leary. I don't watch telly. In which

fictional town is Coronation Street set? Manchester?

LAUGHTER Weatherfield? Finish the title of this famous Beatles song.

Strawberry... Cream? LAUGHTER

Strawberry Fields Forever. Spell definitely. Oh, that's me out!

David, you were asking if they were serious and they are. That's the

worrying thing. Dear me. Ryan, your job is to pick the two guys. Who've

you chosen? The captain, James Wallace, and the fire blanket as he

is known, Steven Jennings. On what basis? Similar to that one. That

will do for us. Ryan was on the score sheet again

this weekend. He made it 18 for the season against Oldham. With that and

the rest of the weekend's League One action, here's Ian Haslam.

Oldham manager Lee Johnson reckoned both his team and Tranmere were a

bit edgy in Saturday's north`west derby. Not surprising, given their

proximity to the relegation zone. Oldham took the lead at Prenton Park

through James Wesolowski's 18`yard effort, but Rovers were level by

half time through Jason Koumas's deflected shot. Latics regained the

lead in the second half through this own goal from the unfortunate Liam

Ridehalgh before Ryan Lowe earned a point for the hosts with his 18th

goal of the season. Below both sides in the table are Crewe, despite

drawing with Swindon, who, according to their manager, gave one of their

best performances of the season Crewe had a chance to take the lead

after being awarded a first half penalty, but Chuks Aneke blazed his

penalty kick over the bar. His side were then punished early in the

second half as Swindon's Harley put the visitors in front. Butthe

Latics, and Vadaine Oliver in particular, weren't finished, the

substitute producing a moment of individual brilliance to salvage a

valuable point. At the other end of the table,

Preston's fight to gain ground on the automatic promotion places

continued. A calamitous moment from Wallsall Keeper Richard O'Donnell

after a seemingly innocuous Paul Downing backpass gave them the lead.

Sam Mantom equalised soon after for Wallsall, before Bailey Wright

headed home Paul Gallagher's free`kick to seal the win on 29

minutes. Swings it in towards goal and that's a lovely goal from

Preston North End by Bailey Wright. It looks like League One will

provide excitement to the last kick of the season. Preston look nailed

on for a play`off place, but can they bridge that gap to the

automatic places? In the bottom half, Crewe are causing us some

concern, especially with that goal difference, which is significantly

worse than any of their rivals. Ronnie Moore is suspended at the

moment. There's an FA probe into a potential breach of betting rules.

What's the mood like at the club? It's fine, to be honest with you.

It's the same as normal. They have took the reins but John did much of

the work anyway. He's told us to go out there and believe and do the job

we've been wanting to do all season. He's admitted you are one point off

the drop. Is that affecting the players? Not really. I think it s

given us a bit of motivation. We obviously want to, our plan this

season was to try to push on for promotion. To turn the tables a bit.

It is going to be tough and we've got some important games coming up.

Are you ahead of the fixture list? It is just the manager's putting

things into mini leagues and asking the players what points tally we

should be getting. Hopefully we can get them points on board and push on

up the table. Just to be specific, your next three games, Stevenage

away, they are 23 in the league and Brentford away, they are tough, and

Notts County at home, who are 2 th. Two out of those two three games are

winnable and a chance to improve your position. I think they are all

winnable to be honest with you. Brentford are probably favourite to

beat us. But who's to say we can't upset the apple cart and climb away

from the relegation zone. Away from the pitch? It is Joe Thompson, he

developed some sort of cancer and some of the lads are going their

hair and beards for Joe. It is on Twitter, Grow for Joe. How long have

you been doing it for, 8 months No, mine's been 10 or 11 weeks and I

think I've got another ten weeks to go. Are you allowed to trim? Just

around the lip a little. I can't trim the beard itself. It is turning

into some sort of Gok Wan programme. The kids are running away from me.

It is going a bit grey at the front as well. Two tone.

The international fixtures mean it's a quiet midweek for our teams,

despite a real backlog of games for some of them. There's one game

tomorrow, with Fleetwood in Europe. They're away at Newport. And then

the big one on Friday ` Bury and Rochdale. Big buddies David

Flitcroft and Keith Hill go head to head at the JD Stadium.

Well, that's it for this week. the big one on Friday ` Bury and

Thanks very much to David Dunn and Ryan Lowe. We're back next Monday

night with the action from two big local derbies, a look at the

confusing rules surrounding footballers and betting on another

One on One. Until then, goodnight and thanks for watching.