COTTERILL MESSAGE IS LOUD AND CLEAR ...GET THE JAB!
Shrews boss still suffering after battling for his life, and urges players to get vaccinated
STEVE COTTERILL had to fight back tears as he recalled his life-or-death struggle in intensive care with Covid.
Shrewsbury manager Cotterill still does not know if he will ever fully recover as he endures the long-term effects of the virus.
And he has added his voice to growing calls for footballers to get vaccinated.
The debate escalated this week when Republic of Ireland and West Brom forward Callum Robinson (right) said he would not have the jab, despite having had Covid-19 twice.
Five England players are also understood to have refused the vaccine, including three who played at the Euros this summer.
Less than 50 percent of players at most Premier League and English Football League clubs are vaccinated.
In the EFL, the BBC reported that, as of September, 49 percent of players are fully vaccinated, up from only 18 percent the previous month.
With jabs readily available, Liverpool coach Jurgen Klopp has said he doesn’t understand the hesitancy of so many players.
Now Shrewsbury chief Cotterill, who nearly died from Covid earlier this year, has stressed the importance of getting jabbed as he struggles with long Covid.
Asked if all players should be vaccinated, Cotterill, who tested positive on January 1, replied: “Yes they should. It has been an awful virus. Some players will think they will be OK. I thought I would. I just wish those vaccinations would have been around six months earlier.
“I don’t know when I will get rid of what I have. If you have a cough or a cold you know you will get rid of it in a few days.
“I still get up every morning and either put the kettle on or have a wee and hope I will be better.”
His office still features the many cards he received and a picture of the club’s squad wearing ‘Get well soon, Gaffer’ Tshirts (below). But the 57-year-old does not want sympathy. Instead, he hopes his return to the dugout in July, after two spells in hospital lasting 49 days, will offer hope to other sufferers stricken by the disease.
“I am thankful for still being here in the land of the living,” said Cotterill, who in a career in management, has taken charge of Cheltenham, Stoke, Burnley, Notts County, Portsmouth, Nottingham Forest, Bristol City and Birmingham
“I am suffering with long Covid and how long does it last? No-one knows.
“I have taken a massive hit to my body. Some days you feel certain parts of your body and think: ‘Why does that keep hurting?’ It is really tough but my heart is still banging and I have great support staff here to help me.
“I have been fighting to get back here from the minute I was in intensive care.
“It is important that people know you can fight it and you can beat it to give others out there a bit of hope. Some days with the virus you wake up with not a lot of hope.
“I remember just getting out of bed, sitting on a commode in hospital. You are all wired up and your heart-rate monitor is flashing and you have only gone to the toilet. I don’t want any sympathy but there will be people suffering like I suffered or have family members with it. People need something to grab hold of when they are that low and there are a lot of people who haven’t lived to tell this tale.
“I am not religious but I thank God for keeping me here so I can look after my family.”
Cotterill is off all medication now after previously being given blood-thinners, antibiotics, steroids and injections under the expert care of Dr Katrina Curtis at Bristol Royal Infirmary.
He will have a chest X-ray at the end of the month and other tests to assess his recovery.
On Tuesday he watched his League One team’s Papa John’s win over Wolves Under-21s from the stands to give his lungs a rest as his coaching staff ran the dugout. Usually he is in bed by 9pm after a day at the training ground.
Cotterill is working hard on his fitness to rebuild his lungs by exercising when possible, and his passion for the game remains undimmed, despite so long in the hot-seat.
He now aims to repay Shrewsbury for their backing when he was so ill.
He joined the club last November on a three-and-ahalf-year deal.
Shrews are second from bottom ahead of today’s trip to fellow strugglers Ipswich with just eight points from
11 games.
“The defeats hurt me because I don’t cut any corners,” he said. “I am all in with this job. I am still in love with football. I want to do well here for those people who were so behind me when I was poorly. I want to give back to them.
“There was so much support for me when I was in hospital.
“We work hard on the training ground and it is not showing up at the moment but, the more you practise, the luckier you get.”