Ol'Jug Ears Is Back

I only hate Steve Cotterill these days. I must have mellowed.

Time must have diminished my feelings towards him because I used to really hate Steve Cotterill.

In fact, for a spell back in October 2002 I hated Steve Cotterill more than anyone in the world (and that includes Noel Edmonds.)

You see, in October 2002, Jug Ears as he was known – there are other names, Quitterell being one – left Stoke City to become Howard Wilkinson’s bibs and cones man at Sunderland. After just 13 games in charge. And just a few months after promising fans loyalty, hard work and commitment.”

It was his dream, apparently, to work for Wilkinson, who had been something of a mentor to him. Of course, we all thought that Steve just didn’t have the fight for the relegation battle he was going to face at the Brit that year – and my, how we laughed, when The Black Cats went down ignominiously and The Potters completed a miraculous escape from the drop in May – with Steve sacked.

It took him a year to get another job, landing at Burnley, where he spent three and a half years, achieving little before getting the bullet. He did, memorably eyeball 3000 baying Stoke fans in a game at Turf Moor so he has got some balls somewhere at least.

It looked like we’d seen the back of him, but these people always surface and 18 months ago he was taking his rampant egotism to Meadow Lane, where he steered the shambles that was Notts Co FC to the Championship in league two.

Typically, though, it was all about him – to listen to Steve’s interview at the end of the season it was as thought he had left the car at home and walked on the Trent to work.

He did though revert to type and he was off. To Fratton Park, Portsmouth to take what – and I don’t care what anyone says – a really easy job. Pompey had gone down after what can be euphemistically be described as a “turbulent season.” The upside of this to someone like Cotterill is that no one expected anything. And he could bleat.

He also seemed to be able to spend astronomical sums of money –and pay wages that would be the envy of most clubs at that level to bring in players like Liam Lawrence, Dave Kitson, Benjani and Greg Halford.

Of course, he achieved nothing and just as people question whether he might be able to achieve more, he’s off again. This time to Nottingham Forest. Not on the face of it the most straightforward club to manage. Both Billy Davies and Steve McLaren have had enough of the hoops you need to jump through to buy new players at the City Ground and have left.

Our friend Steve might have his work cut out, but as he’s shown before, he’ll be down the Motorway at the first sign of trouble.

I’d wish him well but I’d be lying.

So good luck instead to Forest. As long as you don’t expect loyalty – or hard work and commitment - you will be fine.