'Why I couldn't say no to LFC return'
In our latest Academy column, we speak to coach Dave Shannon, who tells us why he couldn't say no when the call came to bring him back to his beloved Liverpool FC.
I have been working back at the Academy since April, when Alex Inglethorpe gave me the chance to return to the place I call home. Altogether, I have worked at the Academy for 22 years and it truly is a special place. We were originally based at Melwood with the school of excellence before we made the move to Kirkby. Liverpool FC is in my blood, it always has been and it truly is a special honour for me to be working here again. When you leave this fantastic football club you think you may not get the chance to return, so for that I am truly grateful to Alex.
During my first spell at the club I worked closely with Steve Heighway and Hughie McAuley and one or two players came through like Steven Gerrard, Jamie Carragher, Robbie Fowler, Michael Owen, David Thompson, Dominic Matteo, Stephen Warnock and Martin Kelly. It was a fantastic time and very rewarding to see what those lads went on to achieve. When we were told our services were no longer required in 2009, when the club had a major reshuffle of the Academy, it was pretty devastating to be honest, but football and life goes on and that is how it was back then.
Life without Liverpool was tough at first. I applied for a few jobs, didn’t get them and got a bit disheartened and resigned myself to the fact I might not get the chance to coach in football again. One day I got a phone call from the PFA, who asked me would I represent them as a football broadcast analyst on matchdays, working with the Opta stats. That was great for me because I got the chance to watch Adam Hammill at Barnsley, Jay Spearing playing for Bolton, Danny Guthrie at Blackburn Rovers, Darren Potter with Sheffield Wednesday and then MK Dons, Stephen Darby and Tom Ince, again lads I helped coach, so it was nice to see them doing well. I was bumping into a lot of good football people who were telling me what a shame it was I’m not coaching anymore and they told me I still had a lot to offer to the game. That is all well and good but you need someone who believes in you. This is where Alex comes in…
One Sunday morning I was playing golf with my wife Elaine and I checked my phone and I had a voice message from Alex. I hadn’t met Alex before and he asked me could I come in to the Academy for a chat with him. It was a bit strange going back because it was the first time I had been up to the Academy since I left the club, but it was a nice feeling and seeing a lot of the staff like Maria Hill in the laundry and Erol Erim still there was brilliant. I sat down with Alex and he told me he had a lot of talented young coaches like Mike Yates, Jon Newby, Tom Culshaw and Phil Charnock, all of whom I used to coach at Liverpool. Alex said he wanted my experience around them and offered me a part-time job, and I said to him it feels like I’ve got my life back!
At the moment I’m working between the U12 and U14 age groups. What has changed from my first spell with the club is they have two-day release coaching sessions as well as the work they do in the evening. Recently I have been working with Mike [Yates] with the U13s, which is fantastic. I love coaching, it is in my blood and life is perfect for me.
Alex has created a really special environment here at the Academy. He has also been remarkably brave to bring the likes of Steve Heighway and myself back because not a lot of people would probably do that. Alex is a visionary who is also an excellent coach and he has everybody working with the same principles and the same messages. What you can’t have when coaching young players is mixed messages, with one coach telling someone one thing and another coach giving a different message. Last week the club gave Alex a new multi-year contract and that was no surprise to me.