The compound Y₉Co₇ is an unusual system that exhibits strong spin fluctuations and superconductivity on cooling before losing its magnetism and becoming a true superconductor at lower temperatures. The author reports new measurements of the temperature dependence of the resistivity thermopower and susceptibility in Y₉Co₇. The data are discussed in terms of a simple picture involving 'hopping' of the Co atoms from one site to another along the c axis. The strong hopping creates large fluctuations in the spin density, which give rise to local phonon modes and determine the interplay of magnetism and superconductivity in Y₉Co₇.