654 Richard Shaw

Biography

Young centre back Richard Shaw spent a month on loan at Hull City in December 1989 and January 1990 as new manager Stan Ternent sought to turn around a squad that had performed poorly in Colin Appleton’s short second term in charge. Shaw’s four starts yielded three festive wins and a January 1-4 thumping at Bournemouth.

Richard Edward Shaw was born in Brentford, West London and came through the youth ranks at Crystal Palace in the mid-1980s. By Janiuary 1986 he was played for the Eagles’ Reserves side before a knee operation sidelined him for six months – in June 1986 Shaw joined the new-fangled YTS apprentice ranks at Palace but by November 1986 he was handed his first professional contract alongside fellow prospect and future England player John Salako.

Shaw made his first team debut for the Eagles in a Division Two match against Reading in September 1987, a week after his nineteenth birthday, and added three more senior appearances that season. In the 1988/89 season Palace won promotion to the top flight and Shaw made 17 further appearances as his career started to develop. Richard was given a run of games in the top flight at full back during September and October 1989 and was still part of the first team squad when City borrowed him for a month in December 1989. The spell at Boothferry Park benefitted Shaw greatly and when he returned to Selhurst Park he made the left back shirt his own for the remainder of the season as Palace avoided relegation and reached the FA Cup Final – Shaw started the Fifth Round win against Rochdale, the Sixth Round victory at Cambridge United and the tumultuous 4-3 semi-final win against Liverpool at Villa Park. He then played twice against Manchester United in the FA Cup Final, the first match that ended in a 3-3 draw after Ian Wright came off the bench to twice rescue to Eagles and the replay that Palace narrowly lost 0-1.

Shaw was now a first team fixture at Crystal Palace and made 50 appearances in all competitions during the 1990/91 season as they finished third in Division One and won the Full Members’ Cup with an April 1991 win over Everton at Wembley Stadium – Richard also scored his first senior goal in September 1990 against Nottingham Forest. Injury kept him out of the team for much of the 1991/92 season but he returned to fitness and played regularly for the next two seasons as Palace were relegated to League Division 1 then promoted back to the Premier League as champions at the first attempt. In the 1994/95 season Palace were again relegated while also reaching both the League Cup semi-final and the FA Cup semi-final, which Palace lost to Liverpool and Manchester United respectively. In January 1995 it was Shaw that was on the receiving end of a kick from Eric Cantona that led to the Frenchman’s dismissal and subsequent infamous kung-fu style lunge at a mouthy Crystal Palace fan in the stands. Back in the second tier, Shaw started the 1995/96 season at Palace and by November 1995 he had scored three goals in 268 appearances for the South London side.

In November 1995 Shaw joined Coventry City for a £1 million fee. Returning to the Premier League, he served Coventry in the top flight for six seasons as they hovered around the lower reaches of the table befoer succumbing to relegation at the end of the 2000/01 season. He stayed with the Sky Blues for a further five seasons in the second tier and when he left Coventry in the 2006 close season he had scored just one goal – against Gillingham in May 2004 – in 362 appearances. He then joined League One side Millwall in June 2006 and stayed at The Den for two seasons, making 65 appearances. He drew a close to his playing days in the summer of 2008 having scored four goals in 699 appearances across 21 seasons – a remarkable effort.

In October 2007, while a senior player at Millwall, Shaw was appointed caretaker manager for 4 matches after Willie Donachie was dismissed. The Lions’ newly appointed boss Kenny Jackett relieved Shaw of his playing duties in November 2007 and appointed him academy manager, a role he fulfilled for nearly five years. In July 2012 he left Millwall and was appointed assistant manager at Coventry City, who were now plying their trade in League One. Within a few weeks another managerial sacking saw Shaw appointed caretaker manager for 5 matches, but he left the club a few weeks later.

In January 2013 Shaw returned to his first club Crystal Palace where he coached the Under-23s for several seasons before leaving the club in October 2019. In January 2021 he joined the Under-21s coaching staff at Watford and in the summer of 2023, while still working for Watford, Shaw joined the coaching staff for Canadian international mens’ team during the CONCACAF Gold Cup campaign. In December 2024 Shaw was appointed assistant coach at Championship side Cardiff City, working alongside head coach Omar Riza. When Riza was relieved of his duties in April 2025 ahead of the Bluebirds’ relegation to League One, Shaw was also dismissed.

In October 1995 Shaw was called up for the England senior squad by manager Terry Venables, though he was not chosen to play and never won an England cap.

Details

Nationality: England
Date/Place of Birth: 11 September 1968, Brentford
Hull City First Game: 26 December 1989, Wolverhampton Wanderers A (Division Two), 21 years, 106 days old
Hull City Final Game: 13 January 1990, Bournemouth A (Division Two), 21 years, 124 days old

Clubs

Crystal Palace (1985-1995), Hull City (1989-1990, loan), Coventry City (1995-2006), Millwall (2006-2008)

Hull City Record

Career: 4 apps, 0 goals