Planet Swans ArchivesCotterill joined Swansea City this week and was on hand to make his debut at Newcastle yesterday with an encouraging performance despite the 3-0 final scoreline.
And he revealed his final thoughts on Sheffield United and their manager Kevin Blackwell when he said “He didn’t give me a fair crack of the whip. If he’d given me a run in the side I’m confident I would have done the business for him.
“I had a good run at the back end of last season when I played 15 or 16 games. I produced some of the best football of my career and we got to the play off final.
“This season was different. I was starting once in a blue moon and it’s difficult to find any form when you’re in that situation.
“I needed a decent run of games but the manager was judging me on one game. Other players would have two or three bad games yet were still getting picked. I was playing with zero confidence because I felt I was going to be dragged off if I made one mistake.
“It was obvious to me I wasn’t one of Kevin Blackwell’s favourites and it was time to move on.
“I came off the bench at Reading, scored and we won 3-1.. A week later I came off the bench against West Brom and scored a penalty near the end that got us a 2-2 draw. After that I thought I was going to start the next game at Derby but I was on the bench again. That’s when I realised I wasn’t in the managers plans.
“After I scored against West Brom he pulled me to one side and said I was doing really well and should be playing for Wales. He wasn’t picking me for his team yet he was saying I shoudl be playing for my country – that didn’t make sense to me.
“Another time in training he said I was on fire and doing really well. Then a few days before I joined up with Wales for the Scotland game he called me into his office and said I wasn’t doing it this season. I seemed to be in a no-win situation.
“A lot of Wales players – and some of them have played in the Premier League – couldn’t believe I wasn’t playing for Sheffield United.
“I need to settle down at one club now. I’m 21 and Swansea is my fourth club – that’s not good.
“I need to get my career back on track and that’s why I joined Swansea. I don’t expect to walk straight into the team because they’ve had a great run and it would be unfair to drop anyone. I’ve got to bide my time and take my chance when it comes.”
