Ladies and gentlemen, it’s almost time for me to start another Football Manager 2019 adventure on Fuller FM. In “Floreat Salopia”, I will take the helm at Shrewsbury Town, with the aim being to take this unheralded club from League One and to new heights.
In this preview post, I will take you on a journey through the history of Shrewsbury and its football club. I will also have a quick first look at some of the players at my disposal, as well as detailing my main goals for the save.
THIS IS SHREWSBURY
Shrewsbury is the county town of Shropshire, which is in the West Midlands region of England. It is located about 150 miles north-west of London, 50 miles west of Birmingham, and just nine miles east of the Welsh border. With a population of just over 70,000, it is the second-largest town in Shropshire, after Telford.
There is no general consensus on the correct pronunciation of Shrewsbury. Many locals call it “Shroos-bury”, but there are also many (particularly on the outskirts) who say “Shrows-bury”. The town also has an alternative name – Salop, which is now used as a nickname by supporters of its football club.
The modern town of Shrewsbury was established in the early 9th century on the banks of the River Severn. Originally an Anglo-Saxon settlement, was besieged by Welsh forces on multiple occasions during its early history.
During the late Middle Ages, Shrewsbury thrived as a market town, specialising in its production and sale of wool. Later on, it became an important stopping points for stagecoaches that were travelling from London to Anglesey on their way to Ireland.
Shrewsbury’s most famous son was the renowned naturalist Charles Darwin, who was born there in 1809. The town is also home to the world’s first iron-framed building – the Ditherington Flax Mill, which has been described as “the grandfather of skyscrapers”.
Having survived World War II relatively unscathed, most of Shrewsbury’s historic buildings remain intact to this day. However, this commercial centre of the West Midlands has been modernised, with a new market hall having been built in 1965 and a shopping centre in 1989. The town makes around £300million a year in retail.
HUMBLE BEGINNINGS
Football has been played in Shrewsbury as early as the 1860s, but Shrewsbury Town was formed only in 1886, following the demise of two local clubs. There are two conflicting reports about where exactly the new club was established, with one suggesting that it was formed at the Lion Hotel [above] in Wyle Cop.
Shrewsbury originally played only in friendlies and regional cup competitions before entering the Shropshire & District League in 1890. Five years later, they moved to the Birmingham & District League, where they played for over four decades.
Shrewsbury first adopted its traditional crest – based off the town’s coat of arms – in 1907. A few interruptions aside, the club has always used those loggerheads, which supposedly represent three leopards (not lions). They also use the town’s Latin motto – “Floreat Salopia”, which translates as “May Shrewsbury Flourish”. In addition, they have always worn blue on their jerseys, usually with white or (more famously) amber stripes.
In terms of home grounds, Town lived a nomadic existence during their first few decades, playing at several venues. In 1910, they eventually settled on a venue just outside the town centre. They would call Gay Meadow home for the next 97 years.
Shrewsbury’s most successful season was in 1922/1923, when they won their maiden league title… but not their first trophy. Curiously, they had lifted the Welsh Cup in 1891, beating Wrexham 5-2 in the Final. Back in those days, English clubs from counties that were on the border with Wales could also enter that competition. Indeed, Town would go on to win six Welsh Cups, their last triumph coming as recently as 1985.
Shrewsbury resigned from the Birmingham League before the 1937/1938 season to join the Midland Champions League (which really wasn’t as glamourous as it sounded). They won that at the first attempt, and then twice more in 1946 and 1948, before setting their sights further afield.
WELCOME TO THE LEAGUE
Having established themselves as one of the Midland League’s top sides, Shrewsbury were elected to the Football League in 1950. Their first match in Division 3 North was a 2-1 win over Wrexham, but that wasn’t a sign of things to come, as they finished 20th out of 24 teams. After being moved to Division 3 South for geographical reasons, they continued to struggle at the wrong end of the table for close to a decade.
It wasn’t until the legendary Leicester City forward Arthur Rowley was appointed player-manager in 1958 that Shrewsbury’s fortunes changed. ‘Gunner’ Rowley scored 38 goals in his first season for his new club, who finished 4th and were promoted from what was now a national Division 4. The 1959/1960 season would be their first at the third level of English professional football.
Rowley eventually netted 152 league goals in a Salop jersey – a club record that still stands today. He retired from playing in 1965 but continued to manage the club for another three seasons. Rowley kept Shrewsbury in Division 3 throughout his long reign, also masterminding a dream run in the inaugural League Cup in 1960/1961. After knocking out top-flight Everton, they were eventually beaten by Rotherham United at the Semi Final stage.
Former Manchester United goalkeeper Harry Gregg took over the reins from Rowley, but his four years in charge were unremarkable. His successors Maurice Evans and later Alan Durban oversaw a disappointing relegation to Division 4 in 1974, but promotion back to Division 3 was secured at the first attempt.
Then came another successful player-manager, as Cheshire-born central defender Graham Turner [above] took the helm in 1979. He would lead them to the Division 3 title in his first season in charge, building the foundations for a decade-long stint in Division 2. In that same season, they also reached a first FA Cup Quarter Final, losing to local rivals Wolverhampton Wanderers.
In the 1983/1984 season, Turner guided Shrewsbury to a best-ever finish of 8th place in Division 2. He was then invited to replace Tony Barton as manager of Aston Villa, and his nous would be sorely missed on Gay Meadow. Though successor Chic Bates – yet another player-turned-coach – also achieved an 8th-place finish in 1984/1985, even improving on the previous season’s points total by four points, a golden period was coming to an end.
THE FALL
August 1986 saw the emergence of a future Shrewsbury club legend. That was when a diminutive 18-year-old winger from Birmingham came on as a substitute against Blackburn Rovers, replacing Paul Johnson. Three months later, he scored his first goal to salvage a draw at Sunderland. His name was Mickey Brown, and over the next 15 years, he would go on to make a record 418 league appearances for the club across three different spells.
There were a couple of mid-1980s additions that didn’t survive long. A crudely-drawn cartoon shrew which replaced the loggerheads as the club crest was gone within a few years, as was a predominantly-white home kit. The attempted ‘rebrand’ was never going to be successful, especially as the old blue-and-amber jersey had become iconic after being worn by Derek Smalls (aka actor Harry Shearer) in the movie “This Is Spinal Tap”.
Meanwhile, a certain David Moyes joined the Shrews’ defence, which would take a real hammering in 1988/1989. That season ended in relegation to Division 3, where they remained for three years before enduring another relegation to… Division 3. The Premier League’s formation in 1992 meant the three remaining Football League divisions were renamed, not that the Shrews were chuffed to be spared the embarrassment of being back in ‘Division 4’.
Town didn’t stay down for very long, winning the fourth-tier Division 3 title in 1994 to return to the league which previously had that name. Two years later, they made their first appearance at Wembley, losing the Football League Trophy Final 2-1 to Rotherham, for whom future Shrews striker Nigel Jemson scored twice. More disappointment came in 1997, with another relegation to the basement division.
The next few years were painful for Salop fans, who watched their team go out early in all cups and endure a couple of battles with relegation. The first of them came on the final day of the 1999/2000 season.
Shrewsbury’s 50-year membership of the Football League was on the line. New manager Kevin Ratcliffe needed to mastermind a victory at Exeter City to keep them in Division 3 and avoid relegation to the non-league Conference. They did just that, prevailing 2-1 after Brown set up an own goal for Exeter before finding the net himself. The Shrews survived by a single point, and it was Chester City who went down instead.
Ratcliffe oversaw another famous win in 2003, when he stunned former club Everton (now managed by Moyes) in Round 3 of the FA Cup after a double from Jemson. Shrewsbury were thrashed 4-0 by Chelsea in Round 4, and their league form soon nosedived. Three months later, a 3-2 home defeat to Carlisle United [above] confirmed their relegation from the Football League, and amid growing anger from the fans, Ratcliffe resigned.
SALOP FLOURISHES AGAIN
A new manager – Jimmy Quinn – and an overhauled squad ensured that Shrewsbury’s time in the Conference was brief. After finishing 3rd, they beat Barnet in the Play-Off Semi Finals to book a Final showdown with Aldershot Town in Stoke-on-Trent. Following a 1-1 draw, promotion was decided in a shoot-out, where goalkeeper Scott Howie [above] saved three consecutive Aldershot penalties before defender Trevor Challis scored the decider.
Quinn didn’t stay at Shrewsbury for long after their return to Division 3 (now named League Two after another rebrand). Despite that, the Shrews survived their first season back up before finishing comfortably in mid-table in 2005/2006. By then, a homegrown hero had replaced Howie as their first-choice goalie.
Born and bred in Shrewsbury, Joe Hart made his senior debut in April 2004 – a day after his 17th birthday. Within less than 18 months, he was wearing the number 1 jersey and attracting strong interest from the Premier League. Hart was sold to Manchester City for £100,000 in the summer of 2006, and he was never seen again.
2006/2007 was an emotional season for the Shrews. A 14-match unbeaten run helped them to reach the League Two play-offs, during which Gay Meadow staged its last ever match – a goalless draw with Milton Keynes Dons. Town won the second leg away from home to book a Wembley date with Bristol Rovers, who came from 1-0 down to win the Final 3-1.
The club moved to a new 9,875-capacity stadium on Oteley Road – named New Meadow – for the 2007/2008 season. Though the Shrews failed to reach the play-offs that time around, they did return to Wembley for another promotion decider in May 2009. That too would end in heartbreak for the Shrews, who lost the Final 1-0 to Gillingham after a controversial 90th-minute winner from Simeon Jackson.
Shrewsbury fell short again in the 2011 Play-Off Semi Finals, during Turner’s second spell as manager. 12 months later, though, the veteran coach worked wonders again, guiding a resilient Shrews team to 2nd place in League Two. It was a James Collins header on the penultimate day of the season against Dagenham & Redbridge that secured automatic promotion to League One.
BACK IN THE THIRD TIER
Shrewsbury finished 16th in League One in 2012/2013, but the following season was one to forget. Turner departed for a second time in January 2014, and caretaker boss Michael Jackson (not that one) couldn’t stop the Shrews moonwalking back into League Two.
Fortunately, new manager Micky Mellon was no lemon. A 2014/2015 season which saw the Shrews push Chelsea close in Round 4 of the League Cup ended with them securing an immediate return to League One, where they’ve remained ever since. Mellon oversaw another excellent cup run in the following campaign, as the Shrews got to Round 5 of the FA Cup before being outclassed 3-0 by Manchester United.
Shrewsbury narrowly avoided relegation back to League Two in 2015/2016, and the 2016/2017 campaign looked like being a similar story. They were bottom of League One when Mellon left the club that October. Paul Hurst took over and oversaw a turnaround in fortunes, as the Shrews finished 18th. The next campaign would be even more remarkable.
Hurst led Town onto the hallowed Wembley turf not once but twice in 2018. Their first visit was for the Final of the EFL Trophy, which they lost 1-0 to League Two Lincoln City. That meant the Shrews still hadn’t won a match at the spiritual home of English football, but the biggest heartbreak was yet to come.
Shrewsbury had got off to a flying start in League One, going unbeaten in their first 15 matches before finally losing at Peterborough United. Despite that slip, they managed to stay in the top two for most of the season. Alas, both Blackburn Rovers and Wigan Athletic eventually pulled themselves clear to secure automatic promotion to the Championship. The Shrews had to make do with 3rd place, and a play-off spot.
After a 2-0 aggregate win over Charlton Athletic [above] in the Semi Finals, Town were back at Wembley to face Rotherham – the club where Hurst had spent his entire playing career. Centre-half Richard Wood put the Millers ahead in the 32nd minute, before Shrewsbury winger Alex Rodman levelled. When Wood scored again in extra-time, though, the Shrews couldn’t muster a second equaliser, and thus Rotherham were promoted instead.
That proved to be Hurst’s final match in charge. Barely 48 hours after a disappointing end to an exhausting season, the Yorkshireman handed in his resignation, leaving Shrewsbury in need of another new manager.
THE SHREWS TODAY
It’s not unusual to see significant player turnover in lower-league football, but the Shrewsbury squad has undergone especially radical change this summer. Many of last season’s heroes have left, including Rodman and top scorer Stefan Payne, who both moved to League One rivals Bristol Rovers. Centre-half Aristote Nsiala and midfielder Jon Nolan were both snapped up by Ipswich Town in the Championship.
An incredible 16 players have arrived at New Meadow over the summer, either on loans, free transfers, or for undisclosed fees. Of those acquisitions, arguably the most experienced is the tough-tackling midfielder Anthony Grant, who’s spent most of his 15-year career in League One.
With Payne gone, the Shrews might turn to non-league signing Fejiri Okenabirhie [above] or former Oldham Athletic target man Aaron Amadi-Holloway for goals. Keeping them out at the other end will be promising youngster Joel Coleman, who’s arrived on a season-long loan from top-flight Huddersfield Town.
There are still plenty of players who’ve stuck around amidst the chaos. Right-winger Shaun Whalley [below] found the net 12 times in all competitions this season and is likely to be a regular provider of goals and assists. The 30-year-old – who honed his craft in non-league football – is one of the Shrews’ most experienced first-teamers.
The club captain is Mat Sadler – a 33-year-old central defender who started his career in the Premier League with Birmingham City. His understudy (for the moment) is the hard-working 29-year-old target forward Lenell John-Lewis. Both men feature on the title image at the top of this page.
That should give you a good idea of some of the players I’m working with. There will be a more in-depth squad and tactics report in Part 1 of this story.
MY PLANS
You’re probably wondering why I’ve decided to manage Shrewsbury. As I’ve stated in a previous post, this is a throwback to my first ever Championship Manager career, exactly 20 years ago. Back then, I was a naive schoolboy who couldn’t achieve any success with the Shrews on the Championship Manager 3 demo. I’d like to think I have more of a fighting chance this time.
A lot has changed at Shrewsbury since I first managed them, but one thing has stayed constant. Local businessman Roland Wycherley has been Town’s chairman since 1996, and I’m looking forward to working with him again on FM19.
This career also holds extra resonance with me on a personal level. My younger sister currently lives in Shropshire (Telford, specifically), having met and fallen in love with a local man online. They got married two years ago at Rowton Castle, just outside Shrewsbury.
Anyway, my long-term goal is a basic one – to take Shrewsbury into the Premier League for the first time in their history. If we can subsequently go on to become hugely successful at domestic and European level, that’d be great too.
I’ve learned from my previous career at Fiorentina that I shouldn’t set myself season-by-season goals. I won’t promise to do such-and-such in the first season, and this-and-that in the second, because you never know what to expect – certainly not in the lower leagues.
My target for the 2018/2019 campaign is simply to keep Shrewsbury in League One. Last season was brilliant, but with the squad having changed dramatically since Hurst left, I’m not expecting them to immediately produce fireworks under my management. I just want us to secure our survival and build from there.
This is very much a long-term ‘road to glory’ career. If all goes well, I reckon it could take Shrewsbury about 3-4 seasons to get promoted to the Championship, and then another 3-5 seasons to reach the Premier League.
A lot of English Football League clubs pride themselves on developing youth, and I don’t want the Shrews to be any different. Throughout this save, I will look to improve the club’s youth programme and blood our best prospects into the senior set-up. In that respect, the aim is to develop at least one youth product into a first-team regular per season.
I hope that has whetted your appetite for this new FM19 story. Part 1 is currently scheduled to go live on Friday, and from next week onwards, I’ll look to provide at least two or three updates per week. Don’t forget to hit the ‘Follow Fuller FM’ button and/or follow me @Fuller_FM on Twitter to stay updated when new posts go live.
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