Coventry City manager Andy Thorn has finally made a signing and one he is delighted with - former City defender Richard Shaw has joined Thorn as his assistant.
Shaw will start work later this week when he reports to the Ryton training ground as the pair start their preparations for life in League One with the aim of gaining promotion back to The Championship.
With Shaw installed and with the embargo lifted, Thorn can now concentrate on recruiting new players to the squad.
During his time as a coach at Millwall, Richard Shaw helped to steer the Lions into the play offs.
Thorn told the CT's Andy Turner: “I’m delighted; really pleased that he’s coming on board. He’s a good coach, he knows the league and is someone I can trust and hang my hat on.
“We’re nearly there with it now and just finalising stuff. It should be a formality and hopefully done and dusted in the next couple of days.”
Shaw played for Coventry City for more than a decade, but he and Thorn played together when they were both at Crystal Palace and the two have been friends ever since.
Thorn continued: “He has respect in the game and we’ve been successful together before but I really wanted to get a backroom staff of all ex-Coventry players, knowing that the club means so much to them.”
Shaw joins two other former Sky Blues in Thorn's backroom staff. Goalkeeping coach Steve Ogrizovic was joined by former Academy coach and play Lee Carsley at the end of last season.
“We’re all in it together and I know they’ll be working their socks off because the club means a lot to them, said Thorn.
“I’ve known Shawsy for a long time. He came in as a young kid when we were at Palace and we played loads of games together including the 1990 Cup Final. He first came in at full-back and then he played centre-half and I kind of took him under my wing and have stayed close with him ever since.
“He’s someone who will be fresh and enthusiastic. He’s got ideas and he likes to play, and I’m sure he’ll be really good for the club, as he was when he was a player here.”
He concluded: “After losing out on a few signings during the embargo it was important to nail Shawsy down and hopefully we can get some players in now as well.
“We’re working on it and talking to a few and hopefully we will get them in and everything can be positive again.”
More on this; http://www.coventrytelegraph.net/coventry-city-fc/coventry-city-fc-news/2012/06/26/92746-31262959/