RIP Shakey

(pic by Laurie Rampling)

Five years ago this week I interviewed Craig Shakespeare for my 2020 book From Buzaglo To Balis.

Five years on I cherish that Friday morning in Lichfield.

Shakey spoke with humour and pride about his 100% record as West Bromwich Albion boss (a 2-0 win vs Palace) and as England No2 (England beat Slovakia).

"Beat that," he beamed.

It was during that afternoon that he opened up about his life in Great Barr, some special times at Walsall, a brief period at Sheffield Wednesday and his spell with West Bromwich Albion.

Shakey was a survivor when it came to Albion.

He played against Woking; he was there when Frank Sinclair head-butted referee Paul Alcock; he was there when supporters were invited to give Albion players a dressing-room dressing-down following a loss at Bournemouth; he was there when Bobby Gould went to war with the Birmingham Evening Mail; he was there when the Baggies supporters marched past the team's hotel in Shrewsbury carrying a coffin depicting an image of Gould; he was there when the players stormed out of the Player Of The Year Night following stinging criticism by compere Malcolm Boyden; he was there when one of his Albion team-mates was grieving the disappearance of a pet tortoise; he was there (albeit in the stands) when the Throstles won at Wembley.

He saw it all.

He was also the initial captain of the 1992/93 team under Ossie Ardiles, starting the season at centre-half and then being shifted into the anchor role of midfield. He was a natural fit - a ball-playing footballer, who could read the game and situations with or without the ball. Sadly, during that 1992/93 campaign, Shakey was to get injured, suffering a heel injury that side-lined him for a long while. He would have been a huge asset that season.

What was particularly insightful during our chat for From Buzaglo To Balis - a book about West Brom between 1991-2002 - was Shakespeare dissecting Ardiles' unusual 4-1-2-1-2 formation of that side (2-1-4-1-2 when attacking), where the midfield was effectively formed in the shape of a diamond. He spoke eloquently about the dynamic of that side, why it worked, where its flaws were, and why it wasn't the place to be if you were a natural winger. He claimed that even then, at 28, he was tactically switched-on and already onto a coaching pathway.

That season at Albion was to give him a valuable insight into strategic subtlety - not least as the Baggies side of 1992/93 were so different.

Shakey was invited to be a contributor to From Buzaglo to Balis as he was miffed (jokingly) to not have an on-the-record role in In Pastures Green (sorry, Craig, players only for the 2000-2012 period) - but he still brought so much context with his backgrounders. He didn't disappoint when he finally had his own chapter in FBTB.

He was a lovely man, totally absorbed by football. He loved a gossip, loved finding out who was doing what, and what was happening where. He was about to start jury service when we met in Lichfield that day. I suspect he would have found it a bit boring compared to the football environment and drama he so loved.

I'm not sure the Staffordshire legal landscape was engaging enough for Craig. He was all about the football.

Shakey was promoted by Bryan Robson at WBA, worked alongside Tony Mowbray, played for Ardiles...no wonder he won the league with Leicester. He was a winner. Above all else, he was a gentleman.

Nigel Pearson, his former colleague at The Hawthorns, took Craig to the East Midlands. But, some years before that, they had combined as caretaker manager and interim No2 respectively following Robson's Albion exit. The Baggies went unbeaten over several games, beating Ipswich 5-1 along the way and 2-0 at Crystal Palace (a game where Shakespeare was in lone charge after Pearson left on the morning of the game). While Pearson left to pursue his own ambitions, Shakespeare stayed to work alongside Mowbray and Mark Venus.

Pearson retained his admiration for his former colleague. His tribute can be read here.

By the latter part of the 2010s, Shakespeare's coaching career had grown in prominence. He was a huge influence behind Leicester's 2016 Premier League success, before succeeding the title-winning Claudio Ranieri as manager. He later served as a coach with Villa, Everton Watford and Norwich.

As a player, Shakey stepped out for Walsall some 300 times, before joining Sheffield Wednesday, and then moving to Albion in 1990. He also played for Grimsby and Scunthorpe.

I last heard from him in October last year when he knew he had big challenges ahead with his illness, but was still very upbeat.

He was loved by all who met him. Condolences to his family and close friends. He was a good one. One of the best in fact.

RIP Shakey.