Sorry, but if anyone undervalues the work John has done at this football club, something is seriously wrong.
John, I’d say, if one of our most valueable assets. Yes, he won’t be sold for a six/seven figure fee like a player, his decisions on the field won’t win us promotion/get us play-offs/mastermind giant killing like a manager, and he won’t have us as a well drilled side like a coach, but all of the stuff we go onto achieve as a football club, John Still plays a significant role.
Just focusing on Kev’s spell in charge here, but since he walked through the door we had a losing mentality, a group of players who feared playing at Roots Hall, transfer embargoes, WUP’s, unpaid wages, suppliers threatening court action (and some following through), a shambles of a training ground etc etc. 95% of footballers would be on the phone to their agents to get themselves a new club, like Lopata did. The fact the majority didn’t is because of their characters, which John Still (and the three amigos) search for in players, not just their ability on a football pitch.
John Still, and his army (and it is an army in terms of numbers) watch pretty much every game of football you can imagine, even down to grassroots kids football and up to top flight matches.
There isn’t a player out there, at any age category, that JS isn’t aware of. It always makes me laugh when someone on here says about a forward who scored 74839 goals 12 divisions below us and says I wonder if we know about him. JS already does, and already knows agents etc.
He is the font of all football knowledge, and a fantastic man to boot. You won’t find anyone with a bad word said about him.
In fact, Kev has jokingly told him before to stop mentioning players and their potential as it’s too much. He doesn’t leave any stone unturned.
I’d love to sit down and watch a game with him, or even have a cuppa tea and biscuit and listen to him talk football. I think that should be a prize on offer in a raffle or an auction or something. That would be priceless in my eyes.