He's Gone - Shawly An Improvement?!

By CovSid67
August 2 2006

Tin hat time. Richard Shaw has finally left Coventry City, and that can only benefit the side! Our gain is Millwall's .... we'll see!

Yes, he was loyal. Yes, he was a model professional. And yes, you could not fault hit commitment. But in my opinion he shouldn't have been given the opportunity to serve Coventry City for 10 years. Probably not even for the last five.

Goodbye to him, and defensively the side should be greatly improved thanks to his departure!

He's not nasty enough to be a centre half. He's not pacy enough to be a central defender. And he most certainly should never have been played as a full-back!

The constant shirt tugging, responsible for giving away so many free-kicks in dangerous areas, really were (Usually) rather pointless. And far to often, costly.

Yes, he did have a few decent games, and yes he did make a few awesome last-ditch challenges, but, to (Probably mis)quote 'Withnail And I': 'Even a stopped clock tells the right time twice a day....'.

And while most people claim a defenders job should be all about stopping goals, I also believe every out-field player on the pitch should be chipping in with a few goals a season - one in 10 years is an abysmal return (It might have been two had he connected with a spectacular attempt at an overhead kick in a pre-season friendly a few years back, but he didn't).

His partnership with Paul Williams was a massive factor on Coventry City's fall from the Premiership, with neither being capable of playing anything but the most simple of passes, and their hit-and-hope 'hoof-ball' usually resulted in the opposition receiving possession, playing it back into our danger area, and putting us under more pressure.

That Shaw has survived so long at Coventry City would suggest that there are people at the club not doing there job properly, whether that be bringing in a better player, or bringing through a youngster.

Plenty have looked capable of making the step up (Certainly looking more than able over a consistent period in the reserves while Shaw struggled in the first team), yet they were rarely - if ever - given the chance. Maybe their attitude was wrong, but maybe with the responsibility of a first team call-up might have brought about a change?

Who would you rather have in your side? David Speedie, or David Rennie?!

I would be interested to know if over the 10 years Shaw has been at the club any decent clubs ever offered to take him off our hands? Rumours of a struggling West Ham side trying a few years back, and recently promoted - before soon being relegated again! - Wolves were the only two sides I have ever heard of expressing an interest. And Notts County.

It is my opinion that if a club in the top half of the division you are playing in don't want you, you should be dumped! And if only lower league sides ask if you are available, you should also be dumped!

His testimonial match versus Celtic was deserved for his loyalty to the club (And is possibly the last one we will ever see at Coventry City, with players seeming to move on every two or three years) but I didn't attend. There were a number of reasons for this.

The first, and most important, is because I was working! The second is because I'm no fan of Celtic. And the third is because it would have been an act of hypocrisy. Even the chance to boo Strachan, Dublin, and Telfer, could not lure me!

And while there was a decent sized crowd, guestimates suggest 50% of those in atendance were only there to see Celtic anyway.

I have nothing against Richard Shaw as a person, and his attitude and professionalism is something it's to be hoped our youngsters did learn from. But, as far as footballing ability goes, I would suggest/hope their role model(s) were elsewhere....

Just my opinion. Don't hate me for it....