The View From The Other Side

Rob Tanner is a football writer for the Leicester Mercury and author of 5000-1: The Leicester City Story. Here, he discusses recent Foxes’ events and what Evertonians can expect today

Rob, Craig Shakespeare seems to be making the transition from assistant boss to manager look straightforward...

Craig is a calm, stabilising influence around the place. He was number two under Nigel Pearson when they came in from West Brom (in June 2008) and steadied the club after relegation to League One, helping mastermind promotion back up to the Championship. Then he returned with Pearson for a second spell in 2011 from Hull City and there was another promotion, this time to the Premier League.

He has the respect of the players, he is a very methodical guy, planning every training session to the finest detail. He has carried on most of what he was already doing as assistant manager - he is still taking the sessions, he is very much a hands-on manager.

Do supporters want him to get it full-time now?

We did a poll on our website after Claudio Ranieri left, asking whether fans would prefer a big-name manager, Shakespeare to get the job until the end of the season or Shakespeare to get it on a long-term contract. Around 74 per cent wanted Shakespeare until the end of the season, but I think that is changing now and there are more fans who want him to get it permanently.

He is very popular and it’s because of the success he is associated with and the reaction he has got from the players. I think he is the common sense appointment.

It has been an incredible couple of years. How do you reflect on it?