interview continued.....

Steve On – His First City Experience 10 Years Ago
“It gave me the taste, not just for certain people here but also the area where I eventually moved. I stayed at Sally Cooke's farm and I was waking up to the cows, sheep and horses!

Can you imagine the difference after coming home from Japan having been a Championship-winning manager dealing with international players? 60,000 fans at the Emperor's Cup Final and one game away from the World Club Championships to helping Noel try to get a win against Barnet at home! (Which we did with Alex scoring right at the end)

I wanted to give people the impression I wasn't desperate for a job so they wouldn't think I was here to take Noel's. The cynics of the world said I was but I thought ‘I don't need to be the manager of Exeter City as I still hold true.”

Steve On – Experience:
“Exeter has been a great learning process for me and due to various spells as a player, manager, assistant and also my role as Vice President at Yeading FC I've been involved from the top to almost the bottom. Not a lot of people can say that, and you have to learn from every experience.

Whether that's arranging sell-ons for players sold or arranging disco fundraiser's. Sometimes the only difference is the amount of noughts involved. Whether selling Jamie Mackie or being part of bringing in Klinsmann. It's just about whether player 'x' can improve your team or what player 'y' is worth, no matter what level you are at.

If I was sat at home on a Saturday afternoon watching the results coming in, all that knowledge and experience would be going to waste.”

Steve On – The Set Up Here:
“I really like being involved and I also like working with the people who are here at this particular time. The group that Tis has assembled around him are a joy to work with. Whether we are having a meeting because we've won or lost five on the spin, you want to be with them.

No one backs out, they are all standing up and giving an opinion. They is a great sense of unity in your management group that matches that amongst the players.

We have certainly got that.”

Steve On – Eamo, Alex & Tis:
Tis often mentions Eamonn and Alex's impact and so he should. They got us back to an even keel, developed the youth and brought in young pros like Billy and Paul Jones, Woodards and Mackie.

You might look back on Alex's time and say ‘well he didn't get us out of the Conference' but you have to say how the five years getting back gave us a magnificent foundation to be a proper league team and a proper club when we got back.

We often talk about how Exeter, because of relegation, turned into the place where talent met opportunity. It became a place for opportunities that talented players may not have got elsewhere in an environment created to improve them.

It has been very much give or take with all three and they all knew I'm not after their job. I have absolutely no interest in being at the sharp end of English football again, because of the lack of respect in the game mainly brought about by ill trained, ill informed journalists and message boards, website morons who take a stab on the dark at being correct in their comments, as compared to what i have been used to in years gone by as well as Japan.

I have regular phone calls from Alex and Eamonn and at the end of the season we have a talk with Tis about what we have and haven't done and it makes it all worthwhile.”

Steve On – An Improving Side:
“In my time here since being full-time, under whatever manager most players, I think, have improved. And the team I think has got a bit better every year and progress has been made on and off the field which is as important. I think I've actually progressed with that, I know more now than I knew then. More about human nature.

Are we doing it the best we can? Yes I think we are. Is the club making progress? Undoubtedly. And do I like being part of it? Of course. When is the time to go? I don't know I'm sure my wife will tell me when I should be spending more time with the family. All in all life in general and at ECFC isn't too bad. Whilst not working for anyone but alongside some brilliant workmates all pulling together as football should be but rarely is.”

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