EFL • NON-LEAGUE • SCOTLAND
You were named Shrewsbury’s new boss this summer, after departing Walsall last year. How pleased were you to join the club, and you’re titled head coach rather than manager – is there a subtle difference?
It’s the modern landscape of the game – rewind to my playing days and the structures at clubs were very different. As people’s methods have evolved, and I’m talking generally here, roles have become more focused on particular aspects. At Shrewsbury, I have a really good relationship with our director of football – I don’t see a huge difference between the two job titles. We’re here to fight for three points, and that goes for both ‘manager’ and ‘head coach’. The project is incredibly exciting – I had a burning desire to work at a club that aligns with my personal, professional and tactical values, and I sensed that right from the first conversations I had with Shrewsbury.
What are your aims, after the team finished 12th in League One last term under Steve Cotterill?
The club have had a successful playing style and I want to build on it. We have some brilliant footballers – part of my role is to give them a platform so that they can express themselves, entertain the supporters, receive the ball under pressure and show what they can do, underpinned by how we set up out of possession. We’re hungry for success – we have the foundations in place to take us in the direction we want and there’s a clear structure and blueprint for that internally.
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