Craig Shakespeare offers foundations for solid start

He's the man who has been catapulted into the limelight after stepping in to replace Claudio Ranieri at Leicester.

But while Craig Shakespeare is now busy making headlines at the King Power Stadium – it is in the West Midlands where the Lichfield-based coach learned his craft, writes Joe Masi.

Snapped up by Walsall in 1979 after impressing for Aston and Birmingham boys, Shakespeare went on to enjoy a glittering career with the Saddlers.

An attacking midfielder, he played a starring role in some of the club's most successful years.

In 1984, Shakespeare was part of the side that famously made it to the semi-finals of the League Cup.

Walsall were a third division side at the time but they beat an Arsenal team containing stars Charlie Nicholas, David O'Leary and Alan Sunderland in the fourth round.

They were eventually knocked out 4-2 on aggregate in the last four by champions and eventual winners Liverpool.

But they more than held their own after securing a 2-2 draw at Anfield in the first leg before slipping to a 2-0 loss at Fellows Park.

The League Cup magic continued the following season with the Saddlers drawing 2-2 against Chelsea.

That game saw Shakespeare net what he later admitted was the finest goal of his career.

And his success with the Saddlers continued in 1988 when he was part of the team that won promotion to the second division.

In total, Shakespeare netted 60 goals in more than 350 games for Walsall before leaving to join Sheffield Wednesday.

But with the midfielder struggling to settle at Hillsborough, Albion pounced and paid £265,000 to secure his services in 1990 – with Shakespeare immediately slotting into the Baggies midfield.

A stylish passer who was also dangerous from long range, Shakespeare became the club's first-choice penalty taker and netted twice in Albion's first ever game in the Third Division – a 6–3 victory over Exeter City in August 1991.

In 128 appearances for the Baggies, he scored 12 goals before joining Grimsby.

Shakespeare saw out his playing days with brief stints at Telford United and Hednesford Town.

But he returned to Albion after his retirement in 1999 where he was appointed community officer.

Shakespeare progressed to reserve team coach in 2006 before former Baggies assistant manager Nigel Pearson made him his number two at Leicester in 2008. Pearson then took him to Hull in 2010, before the pair moved back to the Foxes a year later.

Shakespeare enjoyed many highlights with Pearson – including winning promotion to the Championship and helping Leicester achieve the great escape.

But it was last year under Ranieri that his star began to burn even brighter – with the Foxes pulling off the unthinkable and winning the Premier League.

"Craig was the glue that kept the dressing room together," said Leicester's performance psychologist Ken Way following the triumph. Now in sole charge of the Foxes, at least until the end of the season, Shakespeare has led the team to the brink of Premier League safety after winning games against Liverpool, Hull and West Ham.

While he also helped write another chapter in the club's remarkable story as Leicester overturned a first-leg deficit to beat Sevilla and reach the Champions League quarter-finals.

But where did Shakespeare mastermind those victories? Incredibly, in a park while walking his dog in Lichfield, where he still lives.

"I spoke to him after the Liverpool game and he was out walking his dog, desperately trying to get some normality back," revealed Tommy Coakley, a close friend of Shakespeare's and his manager at Walsall when the club won the Third Division play-offs in 1988.

"He wasn't sure about taking the job at first but when he saw the reaction of the players it was something he couldn't turn down.

"That's Shakey in a nutshell, he's a genuine guy who deserves this opportunity more than anyone."