Playing Career
Shaw started his career at Crystal Palace, coming up through their youth system. He enjoyed a brief loan spell to Hull City before becoming a major part of the first team, playing in the 1990 FA Cup Final. Crystal Palace were a yo-yo-club at the time, hence Shaw experienced several promotions and relegations in his time at the club, though he was an ever-present in the line-up during that time. One of his more infamous moments in a Palace shirt came in January 1995, during the Eagles' home fixture against Manchester United. United midfielder Eric Cantona attempted to get on the end of a long clearance by Peter Schmeichel and was obstructed by Shaw, who had very effectively marked him out of the game. The Frenchman retaliated by kicking Shaw and was sent off. On his way from the pitch Cantona launched a 'kung-fu' style kick against a Crystal Palace fan, Matthew Simmons, followed by a series of punches. The event has become a famous part of English football's history for the wrong reasons.
Despite Shaw's best efforts throughout the season (for which he was named "Player of the Year"), Palace were relegated back to Division One, and Shaw moved to Coventry City in November 1995 for £1m. He performed consistently well for Coventry over 10 years, making over 350 appearances and scored his first and only goal for Coventry after over 250 games against Gillingham in May 2004. He won the "Player of the Year" award at the club in 1998/99 and the "Players' Player of the Year" award in 2002/03. Having spent a decade at Coventry where he had gained much respect from the fans, his testimonial match against Celtic in April 2006 was a big success, with the Sky Blues ending as 3-1 winners over the Scottish champions, before he was released at the end of that season.
He then moved back to south London, signing for League One side Millwall. He made himself an ever-present in the side over the next season, winning the club's "Player of the Year" award in the process, the third club at which he had won this accolade.
Read more about this topic: Richard Shaw (footballer)
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