Former West Brom caretaker Jimmy Shan opens up on life after Albion
Former West Brom caretaker Jimmy Shan believes he is a better coach for his experience at Albion - opening up about his time in management during an interview with Training Ground Guru.
Shan joined West Brom as an academy coach in 2006 and worked his way up to the first team - eventually taking over from Darren Moore as caretaker in 2019.
The coach won six of his ten league games in charge guiding Albion into the play-offs before losing to Aston Villa in a semi-final penalty shootout.
After leaving the club Shan had a short spell as manager of Kidderminster Harriers before going on to join National League Solihull Moors.
Shan was sacked by the non-league side and after a short spell on the coaching staff at Rochdale under former Albion coach Robbie Stockdale, he has reunited with Moore as first team coach at Sheffield Wednesday.
Speaking on his career since departing Albion three and a half years ago, Shan admitted that some may see his path as a downhill one, but he believes his Albion experience made him a better coach.
He said: "Some people on the outside might say I've gone downhill after being successful as a caretaker manager at West Brom.
"I have had a lot of hardship and made a lot of mistakes, but it’s been a fantastic learning environment.
"I think I’m a better coach and person for these experiences - it’s been like going to University. If I ever have another opportunity to manage a club I’ll be better equipped.”
Shan also spoke about a current Albion under 21 boss Richard Beale, who served under Shan as assistant at Solihull Moors.
Beale, well known around the West Midlands, had left Aston Villa to join Shan at Moors.
The pair were sacked after a run of eight games without a win - and Shan has revealed how his biggest concern at the club was for Beale, who had left a secure job at Villa Park to join up with Shan.
Shan said: "My biggest concern at Solihull was actually less for myself than for my assistant, Richard Beale. I had taken him from a really safe job at Aston Villa (where he was U18s coach) to a job at an ambitious club in the National League.
"In the back of my head I was thinking, ‘If we get the sack, what if he doesn’t get back into work? I know what his severance is. He’s got a wife and two kids.’
"Ultimately we did get the sack (in March 2021), because we hadn’t won in eight games. We just drew too many - although we were six points off the play-offs with two games in hand.
"Myself and Richard are both very passionate about developing players, that’s our background, but the pressure of results in first-team football means this isn’t always at the forefront, especially if you're hit with five or six injuries to key players, like we were."
