:00:07. > :00:12.So it is time for the most important people to speak. The managers. They
:00:12. > :00:22.win promotion. They get sacked. They get relegated. And they all appear
:00:22. > :00:33.
:00:33. > :00:38.right here. I am Tony Husband. This Coming up... Wayne Bridge has
:00:38. > :00:42.starred for Southampton, England and now Brighton. In a rare TV
:00:42. > :00:45.interview, he says he has found football joy again.
:00:45. > :00:49.The key men at Bristol City will be unveiling their plan for the future
:00:49. > :00:52.of the club. Promotion dreams hang in the balance
:00:52. > :00:56.for both Yeovil and Swindon. Their play-off second leg hopes are
:00:56. > :01:06.assessed. And are Cheltenham Wembley bound?
:01:06. > :01:10.
:01:10. > :01:15.Their play-off semi-final was guests, the ex-Torquay manager
:01:15. > :01:23.Martin Ling, and Steve Fletcher. What's to come from you throughout
:01:23. > :01:30.the programme. -- lots to come. We start with Brighton, who now know
:01:31. > :01:33.what it will take to make Premier Wembley play-off final arch rivals
:01:33. > :01:39.Crystal Palace. The first leg is next Friday at Selhurst Park. Before
:01:39. > :01:42.the return on Monday week at the Amex. And the signed off the regular
:01:42. > :01:52.season with another commanding performance. Martin, great to see
:01:52. > :01:53.
:01:53. > :02:02.the club doing so well? Yeah, a great gold. You played with them, a
:02:02. > :02:12.real transformation? It is. The AMEX looks absolutely wonderful. And a
:02:12. > :02:14.
:02:14. > :02:17.lovely celebration. That of course going into the play-offs will be
:02:17. > :02:20.Wayne Bridge. Now 32, he has so much experience as a Premier League
:02:20. > :02:29.player with Southampton, then Chelsea, Manchester City, and of
:02:29. > :02:32.course for England. He went to two world cups. In a lake Late Kick Off
:02:33. > :02:41.exclusive, he spoke to James Beattie, who has been friends with
:02:41. > :02:46.him for years. I used to say, shut up and let me do the talking. I just
:02:46. > :02:52.got my head down, what guy with a pat on the back, make sure you play
:02:52. > :02:54.well at the weekend. Now it isn't Wayne's turn to do the
:02:55. > :02:57.talking. Newly engaged to The Saturdays singer Frankie Sandford.
:02:57. > :03:01.Congratulations to them. They are expecting their first baby this
:03:01. > :03:05.year. But before that, the play-offs beckon.
:03:05. > :03:14.How come you find yourself playing for bright and? What was the
:03:14. > :03:20.process? -- Brighton. For me, I was not sure if it would be the right
:03:20. > :03:29.choice. I have gone back to enjoying it and loving the game. The lads
:03:29. > :03:37.just welcomed me as well. Remember the first time that I walked into
:03:37. > :03:43.the gym, they started playing songs by The Saturdays. It was easy for me
:03:43. > :03:47.to settled there. We have a chance to get into the Premier League. With
:03:47. > :03:55.the players laying, we can go into the game being positive we can win
:03:55. > :04:00.it. A lot of people think, you being footballers, you do not appreciate
:04:00. > :04:06.laying the game, but you do. Yes, you can safely say, playing for
:04:06. > :04:11.Southampton is probably the highlight of my career. And playing
:04:11. > :04:16.for England is a massive one, but growing up and supporting
:04:16. > :04:21.Southampton all my life, and knowing the feeling it gives my dad, who is
:04:21. > :04:25.a massive Southampton fan, and my family, is just brilliant. I am sure
:04:25. > :04:35.abroad tears to their eyes when I first ran out. Who has been your
:04:35. > :04:40.
:04:40. > :04:46.favourite manager? Really difficult. We have the likes of Morinho. He did
:04:46. > :04:52.great things for the manager. Now we have just yet. What is he like? --
:04:52. > :05:01.now we have Gus Poyet. He is very positive, wanting you to move on
:05:01. > :05:06.from the mistake, just do not stop playing football. I thought Glenn
:05:06. > :05:16.Hoddle did well at the club. But not a lot of people agreed with
:05:16. > :05:16.
:05:16. > :05:23.everything he did. Gordon Strachan, another favourite. So yes, those are
:05:23. > :05:29.some of the main ones. Not bad managers there, to be fair.
:05:30. > :05:39.James Beattie signing of full stop and thanks to his contributions. --
:05:40. > :05:44.
:05:44. > :05:53.signing off. And what a couple of games in prospect here.
:05:53. > :06:03.This is what these games are for. Absolutely, a great rivalry. It was
:06:03. > :06:11.made in the 1970s, but a potentially fantastic game that could go anyway.
:06:11. > :06:17.Brighton were very strong, and Crystal Palace having some issues.
:06:17. > :06:20.It is a positive attitude going into it. But once you get into it, the
:06:20. > :06:25.atmosphere, knowing it is the play-offs, all of the form going
:06:25. > :06:32.into the game goes out of the window. It is tough to call. What
:06:32. > :06:36.about the two managers, Holloway against Gus Poyet? It will be
:06:36. > :06:43.interesting, both love the game, both energetic around players, and
:06:43. > :06:53.really up for the game. Brighton have had a lot of credit. So who is
:06:53. > :06:54.
:06:54. > :07:02.your money on? Two huge games. Della macro I will go Brighton. -- I will
:07:02. > :07:08.go breaking. I will toss a coin, but possibly Brighton.
:07:08. > :07:15.The whole of that interview is on the Facebook page. There is a lot of
:07:15. > :07:23.top-flight experience at the AMEX. Such as David Lopez and Tomasz
:07:23. > :07:27.Kuszcak. And he also spoke about those from the lower leagues.
:07:27. > :07:30.That is Brighton. So what is next? Quite a finale to our last
:07:30. > :07:32.programme. Bristol City fans, your key men, the manager and the
:07:32. > :07:37.managing director, are about to speak.
:07:37. > :07:40.So is Martin Ling. Hail and healthy after a layoff. But where now after
:07:40. > :07:43.Torquay dispensed with his services? This is his first TV interview on
:07:43. > :07:46.the subject. And play-off drama for Swindon and
:07:46. > :07:49.Yeovil. Their promotion hopes and dreams will be decided with their
:07:49. > :07:52.play-off second leg semis less than 24 hours away. Plus Cheltenham's
:07:52. > :08:00.road to Wembley has been decided in the last few hours. A full report
:08:00. > :08:09.coming up later in the programme. Now we head to the other end of the
:08:09. > :08:13.Championship. Bristol City were Charlton. Yann Kermorgant scored
:08:13. > :08:18.twice to put the home side ahead early in the second half. Bobby Reid
:08:18. > :08:24.scored what turned out to be City's consolation. He has taken it well.
:08:25. > :08:30.Charlton added a couple more. The last through Johnnie Jackson as City
:08:30. > :08:33.lost 4-1. The end of a really miserable season.
:08:33. > :08:38.Earlier, we talked to manager Sean O'Driscoll and managing director Jon
:08:38. > :08:40.Lansdown from our Bristol studio. They tell us they need to establish
:08:40. > :08:44.a new City identity from buying younger players to coaching their
:08:44. > :08:48.own youngsters. And improving facilities along the way. All this
:08:48. > :08:54.has to be done under a regime of financial prudence.
:08:54. > :08:57.When I walked through the door, they said to me, we want to stay in the
:08:57. > :09:03.championship, but if that was not the case, we shall not change
:09:03. > :09:07.direction. You do not get that very often from football clubs. The
:09:07. > :09:12.football clubs at all about players, we need to make sure we recruit Abel
:09:12. > :09:18.began developed. People with good characters. -- recruit people we can
:09:18. > :09:21.develop. We wanted bounce back immediately to the championship but
:09:21. > :09:27.also make sure the next person coming after me all those on the
:09:27. > :09:34.work we started. �80 million wage bill this season. You now need to
:09:34. > :09:42.have a salary cap. How much does that give you a problem, or can you
:09:42. > :09:46.work with that? It is definitely something we can work with. You have
:09:46. > :09:54.challenges all the time. You have the clauses that Ireland senior
:09:54. > :10:01.professionals contract. What kind of player do you need? Who will you
:10:02. > :10:09.back to your boss for the money to buy? Players that can excite people.
:10:09. > :10:15.We want to produce a brand of food all that obviously wins games. --
:10:15. > :10:21.Randolph football. And won the supporters can come and enjoy. But
:10:21. > :10:26.this is not, this is trying to protest at J and vision together
:10:26. > :10:33.that, when the club eventually returns to the championship, we are
:10:33. > :10:39.in a far better state. Has he given you a list? There is always a list
:10:39. > :10:43.of players. It gets interesting when you get down and close to it, but
:10:43. > :10:49.there is plenty we are looking at, but obviously, it times to put
:10:49. > :10:54.together. After a tough year, you two are the figure heads that have
:10:54. > :11:00.to put a smile back on Bristol city fans faces. How much do you take
:11:00. > :11:04.that job and responsibility on? have the opportunity to join several
:11:04. > :11:13.clubs, and this one excited he more than anything else, as stable club
:11:13. > :11:17.as there is. Supporting the club through thick and thin. I think this
:11:17. > :11:20.is a great opportunity to build something and I am sure the
:11:20. > :11:25.supporters are sick and tired of hearing me say that and now want
:11:25. > :11:34.some action stop we have light winds, now we have to come back
:11:34. > :11:38.fighting. -- we have light injuries. What do you think about this? Under
:11:38. > :11:42.24s forming the core of the squad? Do City need to bounce straight
:11:42. > :11:46.back? Or are you prepared for it to take time? You can tweet me your
:11:46. > :11:50.views. We shall have a look through the best of those.
:11:50. > :11:53.As Bristol City head down into League One, two of our sides still
:11:53. > :11:56.have the chance to swap places with them. Swindon and Yeovil are in the
:11:56. > :12:00.play-off semis. One leg played, the deciding second legs to come. Fletch
:12:00. > :12:10.has seen all the sides involved at close hand. Here is his assessment
:12:10. > :12:16.
:12:16. > :12:23.This tie is really up grabs. Yes, a deflection in off the post, what you
:12:23. > :12:28.need. And should this have been a penalty? Absolutely. He raises his
:12:28. > :12:35.arm, then blatantly headsets, but maybe the referee did not see it.
:12:35. > :12:40.Got away with that one. Looking good for Swindon. Yes, a great bit of
:12:40. > :12:47.skill. Gating it round into the bottom corner. Two talking points in
:12:47. > :12:52.the penalty area. A great header down, or corner, the defender,
:12:52. > :13:01.slightly touches down, and the slightest of touches, the referee
:13:01. > :13:08.did not see it. And at the other end. Brentford, from hero to villain
:13:08. > :13:15.again. As cool as you like, the bottom corner. Maybe if he had taken
:13:15. > :13:18.that last week, we would not be in the same position.
:13:18. > :13:28.So here is confirmation of where the games stand. The second and deciding
:13:28. > :13:32.
:13:32. > :13:36.Griffin Park. Some advantage with that late penalty. We saw what
:13:36. > :13:46.happened the last time at Griffin Park, as seen devastation, maybe
:13:46. > :13:57.
:13:57. > :14:07.the game starts, last week is all forgotten. I fancy Swindon in the
:14:07. > :14:07.
:14:07. > :14:17.play-offs but toss of the coin. will learn a little bit about him as
:14:17. > :14:21.a manager. He is a lot cooler in the technical area. He is a different
:14:21. > :14:29.type and he will have to show his true colours over this game and in
:14:29. > :14:35.the final. You must demand what we will see from Alan McCormac. We will
:14:35. > :14:44.will see from Alan McCormac. We will highlight him in a second. There he
:14:44. > :14:54.is. This is tremendous if you are a manager. That is one piece of great
:14:54. > :14:56.
:14:56. > :15:04.defending. He has travelled 40 yards to Is the timing right for you fill,
:15:04. > :15:10.they are only a goal down. He has done a great job there. They have
:15:10. > :15:19.every chance. They have goals in this team. James Hayter, Paddy
:15:19. > :15:26.Madden. They have kept a lot of clean sheets this season. Putting
:15:26. > :15:32.James Hayter and Paddy Madden, if they are on form you will cause the
:15:32. > :15:39.Sheffield United defence of all kinds of problems. I saw Jermaine
:15:39. > :15:44.Defoe at Spurs on Saturday but James has been tremendous. He is my
:15:44. > :15:50.favourite. We are great friends. Still to come we give the floor to
:15:50. > :15:56.our guests. Martin Ling talks about the events surrounding his sacking
:15:56. > :16:03.at Torquay and Steve who hangs up his boots after 24 years. Plus the
:16:03. > :16:09.reporter who saw it all once before when Aldershot went bust before
:16:09. > :16:15.outlined his fears. A Swindon fan who is loyal to take
:16:15. > :16:20.some beating. Derek Elston has seen won thousands 709 games
:16:20. > :16:28.consecutively. He will be back at Brentford four won thousands 710 and
:16:28. > :16:35.he hopes there will be won thousands 711 before this season ends. This is
:16:35. > :16:45.the seat where the run started. This is my seed from 1990. I moved into
:16:45. > :16:51.this seat one season ago. Carlisle away about five years ago I had a
:16:51. > :16:57.knee operation. I thought that was going to be good. About half past 11
:16:57. > :17:03.when I came out of surgery, my wife drove me to the football match.
:17:03. > :17:10.People did not believe I was not going to make it. But fortunately I
:17:10. > :17:16.did, hence the run still continues. People say you go all that way for
:17:16. > :17:24.90 minutes, they don't realise it is more than 90 minute minutes. I have
:17:24. > :17:29.made fantastic friends over the years. Derek does not live local to
:17:29. > :17:32.that ground, he has a won hundred and 40 mile round trip.
:17:32. > :17:35.Well, a manager's existence is one of dedication, but of course the
:17:35. > :17:38.association with a club is as far away from a lifelong bond as you can
:17:38. > :17:44.get. More than 100 managers and coaches have left their clubs during
:17:44. > :17:48.this season alone. The latest is Martin Ling. Martin went on a leave
:17:48. > :17:51.of absence in January with his Torquay side in lower mid-table. The
:17:51. > :17:54.club stayed in the football league under interim boss Alan Knill. Last
:17:54. > :18:04.Sunday, as we were showing you the scenes of celebrations at Plainmoor,
:18:04. > :18:05.
:18:05. > :18:11.Martin was being sacked. Martin, you left on a leave of absence in
:18:11. > :18:16.January, how are you feeling now? Fine. I left with a stress-related
:18:16. > :18:24.illness, I have recovered from that and I will be ready to go back to
:18:24. > :18:33.work. My health is in a one condition. How did you find out that
:18:33. > :18:37.your services were no longer required? I got a phone call last
:18:38. > :18:47.Sunday and the woman read out a statement. It said my service was no
:18:48. > :18:49.
:18:49. > :18:55.longer required. You had a statement read down the telephone? Exactly. I
:18:55. > :19:05.don't hold it against the woman but there is a certain way of doing
:19:05. > :19:05.
:19:05. > :19:11.things better. How did you feel?I felt devastated. There was certain
:19:11. > :19:18.assurances during the illness from the club. They were assurances about
:19:18. > :19:22.me going back and they were not kept. The club said that your
:19:22. > :19:28.contract was terminated for football reasons, it is their right to do
:19:28. > :19:36.that. It must have been a tough week for you. The statement said
:19:36. > :19:43.everything to me. You only lose your job as a manager due to football
:19:43. > :19:48.reasons. They chose to suck me, they chose to move on to new pastures.
:19:48. > :19:55.Only time will tell if it is a right decision but I felt I did a good job
:19:55. > :20:00.while I was there. Last year I went in there to keep them out of the
:20:00. > :20:06.bottom two. I got them in the play-offs and this year did not go
:20:06. > :20:16.so well but after 26 games, 34 points I was in a position where
:20:16. > :20:22.they should have shacked me down. But you are fit now. The ECB has
:20:22. > :20:27.been updated and it will be winging its way out as we speak. I want to
:20:27. > :20:36.get back into management as quickly as I can. And experience you will
:20:36. > :20:41.move on from hopefully? As a football manager you will get more
:20:41. > :20:44.ups and downs. You get used to these situations.
:20:44. > :20:48.Now, last week Aldershot's five year stay in the football league came to
:20:48. > :20:51.an end. A few days later they failed to pay April's wages. Now they're in
:20:51. > :20:54.administration with debts climbing. Remember this is a club that went
:20:54. > :20:58.bust in 1992. It was quite a story, and one which BBC reporter Steve
:20:58. > :21:05.Humphrey followed. This is all too familiar territory
:21:05. > :21:08.for all the shot fans. They do have debts of won million pounds. On
:21:08. > :21:14.Thursday admin was appointed just a few days after the club were
:21:14. > :21:18.relegated from the football league. Those of us who covered Aldershot's
:21:18. > :21:23.financial problems in 1992 will remember that then it reached the
:21:23. > :21:27.ultimate stage when the original club was eventually wound up. I
:21:27. > :21:32.remember that we have the rather bizarre spectacle of a man being
:21:33. > :21:36.stabbed sent round change the locks at the grounds. I was there when we
:21:36. > :21:43.had the sad sight of all the clubs possessions including Birkett,
:21:43. > :21:52.trophies furniture is being auctioned off. That was not the
:21:52. > :21:57.end. A new club was set up under the name Aldershot town 1992. It started
:21:57. > :22:00.life in league three. Eventually they worked their way back up to the
:22:00. > :22:04.football league. This time round I sense there is a different
:22:04. > :22:10.atmosphere around the club. Those that want to save Aldershot have
:22:10. > :22:15.their work cut out. They are facing a race against time to get their
:22:15. > :22:19.finances in order if they are to be accepted into the conference. If
:22:19. > :22:26.they do not manage that they could face a difficult tumble down the
:22:26. > :22:28.nonleague pyramid. You can follow more on that
:22:28. > :22:32.Aldershot story. Some said the stand named after him
:22:32. > :22:34.would fall down before he hung up his boots. But yes, the day has
:22:34. > :22:37.come. He's graced Bournemouth, Crawley and Plymouth and now Steve
:22:37. > :22:43.Fletcher is calling time on his playing career- unless, like a boxer
:22:43. > :22:49.craving one last fight- he gets an offer he can't refuse.
:22:49. > :22:55.Steve, you announced it this week. A tough moment for you. The toughest
:22:55. > :23:03.decision I have ever had to make. I had long discussions with the
:23:03. > :23:08.manager, won of my best friends in football. I was devastated. That is
:23:08. > :23:12.my favourite highlight. The Grimsby gold that kept us in the football
:23:12. > :23:20.league. I have played at Wembley and I have scored at the millennium
:23:20. > :23:27.Stadium but for me, that meant so much for the town, supporters.
:23:27. > :23:35.have seen it all. Administrations... I have. Back then
:23:35. > :23:42.it was very difficult. Can you remember what it was like when you
:23:42. > :23:52.left Hartlepool? I had been in to see the manager. I did not know
:23:52. > :23:59.
:23:59. > :24:06.where Bournemouth was. You saw I did and that was it. Sean O'Driscoll
:24:06. > :24:14.said this. A pleasure to work with. I am sure he will have many more
:24:14. > :24:19.plaudits now that he has announced he will not be pulling on his boots
:24:19. > :24:28.any more, but fully deserved and I wish him well. Can you describe him
:24:28. > :24:30.in one word? Awesome. He would like that. You have been called Paul
:24:30. > :24:32.worse! The league two Wembley play off
:24:33. > :24:35.finalists are now known. Both semifinals were decided today.
:24:36. > :24:42.Cheltenham went into their second leg decider a goal down after the
:24:42. > :24:45.first game. Roy O'Donovan giving Northampton a narrow lead. And this
:24:45. > :24:55.is what happened in the decider this evening. John Roder is the
:24:55. > :25:04.
:25:04. > :25:14.Tozer should pick up for Northampton on that far side. Here is Russell
:25:14. > :25:14.
:25:14. > :25:24.Penn. Tozer goes in. That is a penalty kick. Tozer with the foul.
:25:24. > :25:25.
:25:25. > :25:35.Might have just been outside the area. Marlon Pack. What a save! Lee
:25:35. > :25:53.
:25:53. > :26:03.Nicholls. Goes the right way, Extraordinary strike! He hit that
:26:03. > :26:06.
:26:06. > :26:16.well! Here is Hector. Against the bar! Northampton scramble it clear.
:26:16. > :26:17.
:26:17. > :26:23.Supercross from Hector and Mohamed so close. Shaun Harrad ride. Saved
:26:23. > :26:32.again by Lee Nicholls. He has had a splendid game tonight, the
:26:32. > :26:37.Northampton goalkeeper. Cheltenham can't find a way past him. Bradford
:26:37. > :26:43.can't find a way past him. Bradford will play Northampton. Before we go
:26:43. > :26:53.what about the rest of the clubs? What will happen at Exeter the
:26:53. > :27:01.
:27:01. > :27:07.manager will stay. Bristol Rovers. The season as they did this want.
:27:07. > :27:12.Oxford. They have had consolidation Oxford. They have had consolidation
:27:12. > :27:16.they have to move on. That's it for this series we hope
:27:16. > :27:20.you've enjoyed this whirlwind tour around the south and west. Don't