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Yeovil midfielder and Club Captain Steve Stott gives his view of the club from the inside.
In this article, Steve looks at the departure of Colin Lippiatt, and the successful start of Colin's successor Steve Thompson.
He also tells us the latest on his own injury status.
12th December 1999 |
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Colin Lippiatt has obviously left us since I last wrote. It was very disappointing for all the players and without going into the politics surrounding his departure, he will be sorely missed. He will be missed not only for his abilities as a manager, but as a person who was genuinely liked and respected by the whole squad. While things are going so well it is easy to forget how much he did for Yeovil Town, but he has left Thommo with an excellent squad capable of winning the Conference and that should not be forgotten.
Despite the above, Thommo's appointment was universally welcomed by the players, which kept the problems usually associated with a change of manager to a minimum. I've been most impressed by how he is determined to do things his own way and with the start he has had it certainly looks like the right way! There will obviously be more difficult times ahead, but I honestly believe Thommo has the strength to deal with anything that is thrown at him. e.g. at the recent BBC Bristol West Country Sports Awards Dinner where myself, Trigg, Matty and Thommo were representing Yeovil Town, after the meal without being warned he had a microphone shoved under his nose and was interviewed for Radio Bristol. The questions were coming thick and fast - no problem, although I think the free wine might have helped!
You know it is going well when nobody says to you. "Stotty, we are missing you out there in the middle." Quite frankly I haven't been missed and that is credit to the lads who have come in and done a magnificent job for us and it also proves that a large squad is essential if you are going to win things at this level. Ben, Tis and Trigger have all been outstanding over the last month or so. Wazza looks back to his best and is IMO is back to being the best all-round centre forward in the league. (Carl Alford, a good mate of mine, won't thank me for that!) As for the defence, we look so solid and is a big reason why I think it has allowed the rest of the lads to play with such confidence. Penns is just Penns! I've lost track of how many important saves he has made. Although we have come to almost expect it from him now, he should never be taken for granted as he is so vitally important to us.
It has been fantastic to see us go back to the top of the league. Obviously the most important thing is to be there come May, but as Thommo said in his radio interview we would rather be there than any other position in the league.
All this good news has to have a downside and for me personally it is that my patella tendonitis will need an operation to sort it out. The operation (20th December) has a very high success rate, but it will be three months before I will be back playing. I am obviously gutted, but I hope I can get back quickly and help influence the outcome of the Championship race later in the season. If required!!!
Stotty.
Steve Stott
12th December 1999
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