Steve Cotterill signs easier deal

Last updated : 13 March 2006 By Tony Scholes

It was June 2004 that he signed that first contract, at a time when he was out of work, but he said at that time it was going into the unknown, he didn’t know the people involved and didn’t know whether he would settle in the north west.

Now, he said, he knows the club better, the chairman better and the people involved at the club better and also the supporters who he thinks have been magnificent. “I’m happy to be here,” he said but added, “I’d be a lot happier if we were in the top six.”

He admitted that the current run had gone on long enough and that we were desperate for a good result but that he wouldn’t be able to make too many changes for Saturday. He did reveal that we had made offers for two players after the sale of Ade Akinbiyi but there wasn’t enough time to negotiate when the first offers were turned down, and in any case the fees were very high.

There is some money to spend in the summer but it will have to be spent wisely and he stressed there were short term and long term plans for the team.

Barry Kilby was delighted to get his man after four months of talks and said, “I’m confident we have the right manager in place to take our club forward, we’ve got to know each other and I’ve seen how he works”.