Lincoln City made a big decision a week or so ago, taking on Chris Cohen and Tom Shaw as head coaches in the wake of Michael Skubala’s departure.
Skubala left for Bristol City, but instead of his coaching team following, they stepped up to the main role. Both have been coveted by clubs across English football, for the main role and assistant roles, but they’ve stuck with the Imps ahead of the new season.
Chris Cohen is a well-known name across the game, but Tom Shaw had a less high-profile career. He was a decent player, appearing for a number of National League sides including Cambridge United, Kidderminster and Rushden & Diamonds.
Born in Nottingham, he began his coaching career at Derby County, as well as being the assistant head coach at Chester City. It was there he crossed paths with Calum McIntyre, who has recently left his role as manager at the Deva Stadium.
McIntyre has also recently appeared on the I Had Trials Once podcast, hosted by Gareth Seddon and Jordan Hulme. On the show, he discussed Tom Shaw, whom he has backed to be a success with the Imps.
“Tom Shaw was always, always going to be a top coach,” he said. “You could see the way he played. Probably the funniest man in football as well. He used to have me from the age of 22, even now when he sends me a voice note.
“Shawsy was coaching, I think it was Derby’s Academy, he went to get a coaching gig elsewhere, he ended up at Lincoln doing the youth team, and he’s been there for years.”
Longevity isn’t always a route to success, but we know Tom understands the club and the culture inside out. He joined two years after the Cowley brothers, and has been here ever since, even combining his role as a coach with the Imps and a season as Gainsborough Trinity manager.
His experience has grown, and in 2023, he was handed the role of caretaker manager, where he managed seven matches, five in the league. It’s a small sample size, but his win ratio of 43% in all competitions was impressive, and we only lost one in five league matches, having previously lost three in five.
Remember, this was a team with no strikers, a team that has won three in 11 under Mark Kennedy, and a team that, after Michael took over, won two in 14. At that time, some did rally for Tom to get the job permanently, and McIntyre believes that now he has, the Imps will reap the rewards.
“They’ll do really well,” added McIntyre. “He’s got everything Shawsy, the ability to coach, tactically, you have to get the game.
“I watched them against Chelsea, and you’ve got to have a game plan. You’re playing against the Club World Cup champions
“But he can be one of the lads, can do the set pieces, the lot. So that’s the least surprising thing, to see him go and do so well.”
I think of all the appointments we’ve made in the last decade or so, this is the one that fans want to work on more than anything. Of course, we want every appointment to work, but did we care personally about Mark Kennedy or Michael Appleton? Not really. We wanted the club to do well, but the person was the catalyst, not the point.
Chris and Tom are a bit different. Chris has shown a real affinity for City, coming back three times, and obviously, it will be nice to see him thrive, whereas Tom has been here throughout, the League Two title win, the League One consolidation, and now another promotion.
In coaching terms, he feels a lot like ‘one of our own’, someone with longevity, someone familiar we can believe in. If chatter is correct, he’s been close to a number of jobs in League One and Two over the past couple of seasons, and yet he’s stayed here, and now, more than anyone since (maybe) Chris Moyses or Keith Alexander, we want the person to achieve as much as the club.
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