SHAW LEAVES

Very poor decision and Just confirms more that upstairs have no idea what they’re doing. Just announce relegation. Clueless

If you look into the move you can see the thinking behind it on Tom’s part. Closer to home for him, less training and he can focus more on his coaching career at Derby, now closer to his current club, as he comes towards the end of his playing career.

Does beg the question as to how it affects our midfield!

Sorry mate but are you the manger?

Not ideal to lose him at this stage but it makes sense for him going forwards in his career. If we're being brutally honest, he wasn't as effective as he was last season. He still gets in people's faces but doesn't seem as box to box as what he used to be. He used to be pretty effective at arriving late into the box and grabbing a few goals, but just doesn't seem to do that anymore. He always gave his all though and there's no doubting it would have made sense to have kept him on even if just for his leadership skills, but if it's a toss up between him and RHJ then I think we've made the right choice. Having to play a relegation battle with Halls as first choice right back gives me the shudders, at least RHJ gives us genuine quality and most importantly he's an athlete and can get up and down the pitch, which not many of the others can!

Yet another of McCarthy’s cock ups, leaving our best midfielder standing next to him, twiddling his thumbs, when he should have been playing.
As soon as Bignot came in, he realised the cock up and put him straight back in the team. Unfortunately having not played a lot for the 1st 15 games and not being involved in the pre-season, he looked unfit but always gave 100% and will be missed.
Unfortunately, Bignot needs cash and much as we’d all like to see the back of some of other players, it’ll be next to impossible getting somebody to take them off our hands.
Let’s hope as well as resigning Hall-Johnson there maybe some money left to bring in a box to box midfield player! (I would guess that Shaw will have been one of the higher paid players)
Whatever division we end up at the end of the season, some of the board need to look at themselves closely and don’t get me started on McGuuire!!!!

Yes, possibly the single biggest cock-up McCarthy made in my opinion. Not only did he offer contracts to players who had proved themselves not to be good enough, he failed to appreciate the value of the better ones in his squad.

After last season, he must've realised how lost he looked without Sharps. You'd think that having clung onto his job, he'd realise that he would need an experienced assistant alongside him. But what did he do? Deplete his squad further by converting our best midfielder into a rookie dugout presence. Nothing against Tom as a coach but, as I said at the time, it made no sense.

All the best lad makes sense for him.
We'll see you next Season

Good Bloke - Makes sense for him & for us

Clearly we've overspent, biggest budget, lowest attendances, got claw back the money. Plenty of CM's in the team, Tom will have been on a V.Good wage, nice little saving.

RE: Joyce, Davies etc. Easy to say 'move them on first' but who's going to take them on the wages we'll be paying? only way is to part fun the difference between what we are paying and another club would, to get rid.

So quick to jump to conclusions aren't you Matt, why is that exactly?

The reality appears is a little different however:

Tamworth FC re-sign former midfielder Tom Shaw



So it reads like Tom was struggling with training - due to his other job at Trent, and likely his travel distance - and MB did the right thing by allowing him to take up the offer made by his old club if that is what he wanted (wouldn't be surprised if it is parceled with a coaching/assistant position there but we'll see). The alternative was forcing a player to see out his remaining contract when he wanted to be elsewhere which is never a good situation to be in when you need to get the best out of someone.

I'm really sorry to see him go as he is one of our best players, but if it does mean we don't lose Reece H-J when we thought we would have to then to me it was the right action to take for both Tom and ourselves.

Gutted by this. Can't knock him at all given the circumstances and what he did for the football club over the last 3 years.

Always played for the shirt and was the first to bark in the referees and oppositions faces when something was out of order. Loved the way he steamed into tackles, especially the time he rugby tackled Ryan Higgins in the defeat to Southport last year.

Will be sorely missed. Had leadership qualities and was a fine example to the other players in the squad - if only some of them had half the passion and determination Shaw did we probably wouldn't be in the position we are now.

Wish him all the very best, fantastic business by Morrell. We are worse off as a football club without him.

Tom is one of our better midfielders and certainly one of our more passionate.

Gary Roberts is suspended for 3 games.

We now lack depth and quality in midfield for some very important games

Why are folk drawing Hall-Johnson into this, no one has said its one or the other. We need both.

We are in a relegation fight

Very poor managerial decision. At least Bignot is consistent.

I asked the question elsewhere, are we really a professional club?

And before the expected challenges to my point of view, if you contracted someone to do a job for you, would you release them before the job was finished, before you have a replacement and leave yourself short on quality staff.

“Tom, I’m happy for you to leave once our fate is decided or when I have signed a replacement who is at least as good.” Would be a more professional response. 

If if we were contesting a play off place I imagine Tom might have stayed until the end of the season, who knows. 

Wishing you all the best Tom, don’t blame you for getting out, just disappointed with the ease you’ve been allowed to leave.  See you next season?

I have to agree with the comments in regard to the playing side. I’m not privy to information in regard to non playing role so won’t comment.
i recall his first pre-season game for us when he originally signed, and was far from impressed. He shied out of every tackle for the entire match, and was very poor for the whole season, in my opinion. Football is a matter of opinion after all. As McCarthy’s influence took a stronghold he only looked better because by comparison the standards around him fell. When I look at some of the midfield quality at Chester in lower leagues I’m afraid he doesn’t rank alongside them.
He seems a committed and intelligent young man who is correctly moving onto the next stage of his career. I wish him well, and hope his coaching career exceeds his playing career. It has for Wenger and Mourinho for example.

Big Si, you might, indirectly, have hit on another aspect of this move.

Shaw always struck me as a decent, honourable and honest person as evidenced when he was caretaker boss.

It has crossed my mind, like yours, that he perhaps realised that he wasn't at the standard he was last season and coupled with his other activities he decided that the move was good for all parties - he could easily have seen out the next three months, taken the money and left in April. But I wonder if he decided not to "steal a wage" (surely something that should not cross any player's mind), and give a club he obviously had great affection for an improved chance to stay up.

Just a thought!