Looking highly likely, according to reputable sources, that he is being announced ad the new Shrewsbury Town Manager imminently.

Really pleased for him but I also wonder who he might try and poach; I think Harry Clifton is a cert and I think Eisa’s contract is up in the summer too. I can definitely see him taking a couple.

Why would he take any ? They let him down

Quoted from It Bites

Why would he take any ? They let him down

The stubbornness of Hurst , I doubt he believes many of his signings let him down. Probably feels more let down by the board.

Quoted from male private Nale

The stubbornness of Hurst , I doubt he believes many of his signings let him down. Probably feels more let down by the board.

Think it was your pal let him down so he left in his first spell.

Pearson ?

Very pleased for him, good luck Hursty. Hopefully he'll go and prove more doubters wrong.

Quoted from male private Nale

The stubbornness of Hurst , I doubt he believes many of his signings let him down. Probably feels more let down by the board.

Quoted from 1mickylyons

Think it was your pal let him down so he left in his first spell.

Which pal? Dave from the P&M? Possible but highly unlikely

Quoted from male private Nale

Which pal? Dave from the P&M? Possible but highly unlikely

You've never been in the P&M you wouldn't dare.

Feel like he will do well , hope he does .

It's suited to him isn't it ?
Hurst seems so much better as the underdog with little resource rather than with it (see Ipswich /us this season) .

I can't see them hitting the heights of his last spell there as league 1 is so much stronger and it seems a few leagues within that league, but Shrewsbury staying in league 1 year on year is a good achievment and shows it can be done with a low budget and crowds (they have averaged around the same as us the last 3 seasons ,no doubt with much higher away followings ).

I doubt there is many times a managers a club and fanbase are willing an ex manager to do well , just shows what regard he is held in and should always be imo (no 3rd spell though) .

Quoted from 1mickylyons

You've never been in the P&M you wouldn't dare.

I used to go in, good gaf that was as part of a big one down Town before moving through to 'the strip' on the riverhead back in the day .

He's a good bloke hope he does well back at shrews , i wont forget notts away wrexham away saints away luton away luton at home london stadium brighton away great memories that doubt i will ever see repeated utm

He’s gone, history. Let’s hope he takes the shower of shite he bought for us

Quoted from realist

He’s gone, history. Let’s hope he takes the shower of shite he bought for us

we know he's gone, doesnt mean we cant wish him well.

Good luck Paul, it's a great next move for him after leaving here - can't overstate how happy i am to see him sorted and back in the game.

Shame it didn't work out this year but a change was needed. Don't think its a stain on his record though - he deserves a lot of credit for what he has achieved here in both spells. I honestly think as years pass and things settle down he will be remembered (by those that don't already) right up there on our list of managers - in the circumstances he was here he's one of our most successful.

Quoted from Hagrid

we know he's gone, doesnt mean we cant wish him well.

Don't rise to the trolls H.

I openly slated Hursts style and thought he killed the atmosphere at BP tbh with his pragmatic, must not lose attitude but he also gave me memories to last a lifetime and for that I'm eternally grateful.

Can only wish the bloke good luck, hope he succeeds if he gets the gig.

When hurst came in (both times) he steadied a ship that was lifeless in rough sea’s. Anyone that doesn’t realise the job he did, in both spells, gave us a foundation to improve upon. He’s one of the most successful managers in towns history and you’d do well not to forget it. I agree with those that say the football was turgid/boring/painful at times but, every clubs successful managers have had bad times too. Just write a line under the chapter and let the records speak for themselves.

As someone earlier mentioned, there’s not many managers that get the boot but are still well respected by the fan base (majority). Good luck Paul and Thankyou for the times you gave us.

How can Hurst have steadied the ship, when he got the team relegated?

And he is not in the top 5 most successful managers at GY Town either.

Play offs, cup finals, big cup matches....these are the times and moments that can be rare and should be cherished as you never know when another one is coming.

Under Hursty we have been to Wembley FOUR times and London Stadium once (would've been a fifth trip to Wembley under any other circumstance). And also successful trips to Luton, Southampton and then on to Brighton.

For me, it's hard to look at both his tenures and not be massively grateful, tbh.

Quoted from cannylad65

How can Hurst have steadied the ship, when he got the team relegated?

And he is not in the top 5 most successful managers at GY Town either.

So top 5

Buckley
Kerr
Newman

Who else?

I’d suggest twice taking us out of a league with 1 automatic & 1 play off promotion place would get him a top 5 spot.

If you’ve not seen All Town Aren’t We than I’d suggest you check it out, that just adds context to his most recent spell at the club?

Allenby Chilton

Tim Ward

Lawrie McMenemy

guy took us to our first FA Cup Quarter final in almost 90 years, a feat none of of will ever see replicated again, He's got us our only 2 promotions in 25 years, comfortably top 5 managers. Most successful one I have seen us have.

Dam me father for not taking me in 1998 and leaving me at home with the grandparents

Quoted from cannylad65

How can Hurst have steadied the ship, when he got the team relegated?

And he is not in the top 5 most successful managers at GY Town either.

He followed in the footsteps of the circus that was Holloway and got relegated. I’ll give you that, but I don’t think I’d necessarily blame hurst for it. Unless am mistaken, I don’t think there was another one.

Isn't one sufficient?

Quoted from WOZOFGRIMSBY

He followed in the footsteps of the circus that was Holloway and got relegated.

Jolley came into a far worse situation than Hurst and kept us up, but doesn't seem to get any credit for that.

Hurst came in when we were outside the relegation zone, brought a load of his own players in and got us relegated, yet it was somehow all Holloways fault

I wish him well. Promotion out of the NL and a good FA cup run.

OK we were relegated under his management but that was in the Days of Fenty, at a time when we were told there was ample money to spend, but no cheques were signed. He had to get loans or freebies.

Best of luck to him wherever he ends up.

Quoted from Quagmire

Jolley came into a far worse situation than Hurst and kept us up, but doesn't seem to get any credit for that.

Hurst came in when we were outside the relegation zone, brought a load of his own players in and got us relegated, yet it was somehow all Holloways fault

Speaking of Michael Jolley I had reason to be going around Downing College Cambridge University recently and noticed a board headed famous alumni. The first name my eyes landed on was Michael Jolley Football Manager. Equal prominence with others such as Sir David Attenborough Naturalist and John Cleese Comedian etc

The most recent promotion was done on a tight budget with a lot of big spenders in the league.  Hurst fostered a massive team spirit, which earned us the nickname, "The Comeback Kings".  Watching those games when we went behind, I had faith we would prevail.   If he'd failed, we could be still stuck down there. Good luck to the fella;

Quoted from cannylad65

Allenby Chilton

Tim Ward

Lawrie McMenemy

Lawrie I get, the other 2 clearly achieved success but as I’m only 57 other than reading the history books I can’t tell you how they achieved it, their style of football could have been pragmatic & boring and god forbid one of them might have cupped their ear after one of their several Wembley finals.

You could argue to your blue in the face in who’s sits behind Alan Buckley in our best all time managers.

Quoted from Quagmire

Jolley came into a far worse situation than Hurst and kept us up, but doesn't seem to get any credit for that.

Hurst came in when we were outside the relegation zone, brought a load of his own players in and got us relegated, yet it was somehow all Holloways fault

Did he though?

I’d argue Jolley’s squad wasn’t great but the one Holloway left behind was really poor.

Jolley did well that season without a doubt, he did have the benefit of support behind him at games which due to Covid Hurst didn’t have.

Quoted from HertsGTFC

Did he though?

I’d argue Jolley’s squad wasn’t great but the one Holloway left behind was really poor.

Jolley did well that season without a doubt, he did have the benefit of support behind him at games which due to Covid Hurst didn’t have.

Jolley didn’t come in until March after a 20 plus game no win run that was far worse then anything under Holloway . He turned it round in the last 5 games of the season where admittedly we had some fortuitous penalties after he got Jamille Matt and JJ Hooper performing having been dire under Slade.
Hurst had half a seasin  to turn it round from a more favourable position and had the benefit of bringing in numerous new players in January which Jolley wasn’t able to do.

Pleased for him. Hope he does a good job there. The best manager I've seen at BP in my lifetime.

And what has Jolley achieved since?? Comparing Jolley to Hurst is like comparing Troy Deeney to Liam McKenna. (Yes that’s an o.t.t comparison but you know what I mean..)

A lot seem to enjoying knocking Hurst since he’s left. Each to their own and all that..don’t see the need myself. And anyone lasting 6 years or so under Fenty deserves respect.

It's really difficult to try and compare managers from our long history on a like-for-like basis. There are way too many variables, not to mention the varying state of the sport itself, and outside cultural factors.

We've had some really good managers down the years. Some brought success in the shape of promotions, others in the shape of survival or cup runs.

I think we can generally say that Buckley and Hurst have been two of our best managers in recent times.

I know it's not trendy to say, but I also thought our spell under Laws was very good. He was left a good squad and initially improved it. At the peak of Ivano-mania, teams couldn't live with us. I honestly thought we'd improved on what Buckley left.

However, it all unravelled and he's just another name in a list that ultimately didn't deliver and got sacked.

It's also a massively subjective topic, depending on when you grew up, what type of football you grew up watching, etc.

Hurst brought in some very good players — a top pro like Pearson, one of our best modern midfielders in Disley, some very good full backs like Danny Andrew and Carl Magnay who won POTY awards, plus a record-breaking goalkeeper in McKeown.

Let's not forget some of the strikers we had, like Hearn, Podge, Bogle, Hannah, etc. He also identified others who went on to have decent careers elsewhere (and come back to score against us).

On reflection, that FA Cup run apart, it did seem he went dry and ran out of ideas. But we very rarely rolled over for anyone under Hurst. True hammerings were few and far between.

I hope he does well at Shrewsbury if he goes, because he's a decent bloke and a good manager.

This thread prompted me to watch "All Town Aren't We".  It is actually much better than I had thought.  I imagined that only Grimsby fans would really watch it.  If it was split into episodes, it would be a great watch for any real football fan.  It has a nice balance between on field action, talking heads and clips from around the grounds. What a bunch of players we had then. Nice to watch Fox, McAtee, Scanz, Taylor, JMD and Mani to mention a few. And, Cropper's throw was immense.  It was good to listen to people from around the club and cameo's from Ryan and Rob at Wrexham.  How much would a film director have to pay for that in Hollywood? It brought it all back to me In other news there must be bad pollution here in HCMC because my eyes are watering. UTM!

You can split Town fans into two categories. Those who blame Hurst for getting us relegated in 20/21 and those who actually bothered to watch our matches that season.

Quoted from HertsGTFC

Lawrie I get, the other 2 clearly achieved success but as I’m only 57 other than reading the history books I can’t tell you how they achieved it, their style of football could have been pragmatic & boring and god forbid one of them might have cupped their ear after one of their several Wembley finals.

You could argue to your blue in the face in who’s sits behind Alan Buckley in our best all time managers.

There won't be many on here who do remember Allenby Chilton but to take a team from re-election to the Division 3 (North) championship in 12 months must give him a shout in the all-time great manager stakes.

Quoted from Son of Cod

You can split Town fans into two categories. Those who blame Hurst for getting us relegated in 20/21 and those who actually bothered to watch our matches that season.

We wouldn't have gone down under Ian Holloway, agree we were very poor but at no point did i think we would go down that season until Hurst arrived and we just went into freefall

The season after 21/22 we were equally shite but got lucky in the playoffs, because we got promoted people forget how dire we were from memory we finished sixth on 78ish points, fifteen points or so behind stockport who won the league.

So yeah i watched that season and the one after without the rose tinted glasses

Quoted from barralad

There won't be many on here who do remember Allenby Chilton but to take a team from re-election to the Division 3 (North) championship in 12 months must give him a shout in the all-time great manager stakes.

I seem to think he was player manager too, good shout.

Though plenty of organisations operated in that way in those days it's hard to believe you had to get elected or re-elected to be part of the Football League, I bet there was some real dark arts going on then with the clubs involved.

Quoted from Son of Cod

You can split Town fans into two categories. Those who blame Hurst for getting us relegated in 20/21 and those who actually bothered to watch our matches that season.

The ones who blame him for our relegation donbt understand momentum. we may have been above the relegation places when he arrived but we where dropping like a stone. It was a while before he  was able to bring players in who needed time to gel/get fit. By the end our form was actually good, but it was too late. if wed started the season with hursts squad i doubt wed have been relegated, the damage was already done

Quoted from Simon

We wouldn't have gone down under Ian Holloway, agree we were very poor but at no point did i think we would go down that season until Hurst arrived and we just went into freefall

The season after 21/22 we were equally shite but got lucky in the playoffs, because we got promoted people forget how dire we were from memory we finished sixth on 78ish points, fifteen points or so behind stockport who won the league.

So yeah i watched that season and the one after without the rose tinted glasses

I wish we were dire enough to get 78 points this season.   :)

Quoted from paulmblythe

The ones who blame him for our relegation donbt understand momentum. we may have been above the relegation places when he arrived but we where dropping like a stone. It was a while before he  was able to bring players in who needed time to gel/get fit. By the end our form was actually good, but it was too late. if wed started the season with hursts squad i doubt wed have been relegated, the damage was already done

Correct. The Holloway team was absolutely woeful. A load of 20 year olds on loan from Championship clubs in midfield and Montel Gibson up front with George Williams and Virgil Gomis. Our form from Feb onwards once Hurst's side had clicked was midtable. How anyone could have watched most matches that season and conclude that Hurst was more to blame than Holloway is baffling.

Quoted from Simon

We wouldn't have gone down under Ian Holloway, agree we were very poor but at no point did i think we would go down that season until Hurst arrived and we just went into freefall

The season after 21/22 we were equally shite but got lucky in the playoffs, because we got promoted people forget how dire we were from memory we finished sixth on 78ish points, fifteen points or so behind stockport who won the league.

So yeah i watched that season and the one after without the rose tinted glasses

Yeah we where poor either side of Christmas for sure, it's pretty disingenuous to say won the play off's because we were lucky.

You need luck in a play off campaign but the manner in which the team achieved promotion across 3 games all with extra time across 13 days at the end of the season was remarkable. Not sure there was much look in McAtee's goal in the SF and Taylors was pretty neat too.

As much as people don't like it Hurst put that side together and added the likes of Gav (promotion experience) Cropper (long throw) and Manni (super sub) just at the right time to give us something that was missing.

Quoted from Son of Cod

Correct. The Holloway team was absolutely woeful. A load of 20 year olds on loan from Championship clubs in midfield and Montel Gibson up front with George Williams and Virgil Gomis. Our form from Feb onwards once Hurst's side had clicked was midtable. How anyone could have watched most matches that season and conclude that Hurst was more to blame than Holloway is baffling.

The difference being Holloway put together a squad of player who weren't invested in the club or good enough. The following season Hurst did the opposite and it worked.

Regardless of what you think I don’t blame Holloway I blame fenty.

He was the one that told to slash the wage bill thinking Covid was going to end the season.
I still think Holloway would have kept us up, shame he had no money tbh because I don’t think really he could be faulted when it comes to the playing side.
Probably unpopular opinion I know.

Quoted from monkeyboy

Regardless of what you think I don’t blame Holloway I blame fenty.

He was the one that told to slash the wage bill thinking Covid was going to end the season.
I still think Holloway would have kept us up, shame he had no money tbh because I don’t think really he could be faulted when it comes to the playing side.
Probably unpopular opinion I know.

Him and Day took us down with their chancer ideas of the season ending and saving (i won't say pocketing) a few quid ; Holloway was a chancer but he did construct a half decent squad before his meltdown with a decent team which was good to watch tbf .

Quoted from barralad

There won't be many on here who do remember Allenby Chilton but to take a team from re-election to the Division 3 (North) championship in 12 months must give him a shout in the all-time great manager stakes.

I remember him as coming along at a time when you could have your own kick about in the Pontoon there was that much room.  He built from that.
He was a man motivator old school 'centre half'' who led by example, driving out of defence with the ball at his feet and shouting the odds to his team.  Forceful, big built and absolutely positive 'go for goal' in attack and no messin' in defence.
Old style leader.  Don't recall much skill but plenty of excitement!

Quoted from HertsGTFC

I seem to think he was player manager too, good shout.

Though plenty of organisations operated in that way in those days it's hard to believe you had to get elected or re-elected to be part of the Football League, I bet there was some real dark arts going on then with the clubs involved.

I imagine there certainly was a fair amount of " back room horse trading" involving the teams seeking re- election back into the Football League. To be fair we had to seek re- election at the end of the 1968/69 season when we finished 91st in the Football League. Bradford Park Avenue finished at 92nd but they were also re-elected.

Quoted from rancido

I imagine there certainly was a fair amount of " back room horse trading" involving the teams seeking re- election back into the Football League. To be fair we had to seek re- election at the end of the 1968/69 season when we finished 91st in the Football League. Bradford Park Avenue finished at 92nd but they were also re-elected.

Wow, I didn’t know that, typical Town rollercoaster moment I guess

I think the fact that there was always a 'parcel' of fish for the away team directors helped to keep us in the league at re-election time.

Quoted from cannylad65

I think the fact that there was always a 'parcel' of fish for the away team directors helped to keep us in the league at re-election time.

The refs used to get one too apparently

Quoted from HertsGTFC

Wow, I didn’t know that, typical Town rollercoaster moment I guess

It's also worth noting that if two teams points were the same then their league position was determined by goal average. This involved dividing the total number of goals scored by the total number conceded. In fact town were relegated from Division 2 in 1963/64 by 0.045 of a goal as calculated by this system.

Back in the 1950s, PNE missed out on winning the league title one season by something like a tenth of a goal when average was calculated.

That's a thought. I know it is almost impossible to but how would the title be awarded in the modern era if two teams finished with identical records, including goals scored and conceded and an identical head to head record? Most money in the bank?

Quoted from Maringer

Back in the 1950s, PNE missed out on winning the league title one season by something like a tenth of a goal when average was calculated.

That's a thought. I know it is almost impossible to but how would the title be awarded in the modern era if two teams finished with identical records, including goals scored and conceded and an identical head to head record? Most money in the bank?

I think it goes next to the team's disciplinary records.

If all else fails, it finishes with drawing of lots.

Quoted from HertsGTFC

So top 5

Buckley
Kerr
Newman

Who else?

Dave Booth who took us to our highest position in the Football League since 1948 and at one point with a few weeks of the season remaining to dreaming of playing in Division 1 what is now the Premiership.

I was always pro-Hurst but I don't mind admitting that he had enough games to keep us up in L2 when he first took over. I think if you asked him directly he'd shoulder some of that blame.

I also think JS & AP acted at the right time to sack him. We failed to rack up the points earlier in the season when we were playing well, then we went to pieces in a way that I'd never seen under Hurst before. That Tuesday night Colchester game in particular was very un-Hurst-like.

Who knows whether we'd have stayed up under Holloway. It's easy to forget now, but it was looking and feeling very ominous leading into that period where firstly he said he was going nowhere, then he did one just a few days later.

Maybe his close relationship with Fenty skewed our opinion of him? Having said that, his appointment was about as universally approved as you could reasonably expect from a fan base that rarely agrees on anything!

I just didn't like the look or feel of the squad Holloway put together when he, Fenty and Day all thought the season would get curtailed. We signed a load of rubbish, let's be honest. Holloway did well to not be bottom with that lot. But we were disorganised. We had a load of players on not a lot of money, then he plays a 15-year-old kid in a trophy game. Nice bit of history but on a practical level it was totally unnecessary.

Holloway's methods were as bizarre as the man himself. They're embraced when things go well, but you just sensed at the time that all wasn't well. The squad didn't look united at all.

Anyway, it's always darkest before the dawn, and all that stuff. All this only made what followed feel even more spectacular!

Hursty and Doigy back in employment, at Shrewsbury. Shrews fans divided with him being back, good luck to him, hope he does well.

Hurst might be playing us next season with a bit of luck, for us not them.

Now confirmed

Good Luck PH

Done good luck to him

Honestly? My feelings are mixed about this.

It’s like jacking in your long-term girlfriend. Lots of great memories, but it just wasn't quite working out. You split on amicable terms, but then a couple of months later, you see her out with someone else. You’re pleased for her, but part of you still wishes you were still together.

Am I the only one? There’s no denying that the dying embers of the Hurst MkII reign were excruciating to watch, but boy, the good times were good, weren’t they?

If he’s got money you can kiss goodbye to Danny rose

Quoted from It Bites

If he’s got money you can kiss goodbye to Danny rose

I very much doubt Shrewsbury will have any money to spend.
I fully expect Hurst has been tasked to starve off relegation this season, with loan players and a couple of frees.

Im not worried about Hurst taking any of our 'better players' this Janaury in the likes of Rose and Conteh.
The summer would be more likely, IF they survive relegation and would expect Eisa to certainly be one that goes.

Good luck to them both.

Good luck Paul you gave us some great times such a shame you just could not get a tune this season

Quoted from It Bites

If he’s got money you can kiss goodbye to Danny rose

I’m sure Danny would love to be playing with no support or runners near him again. There were people in Antarctica who were less isolated than Danny was in the early parts of this season.

Quoted from Poojah

Honestly? My feelings are mixed about this.

It’s like jacking in your long-term girlfriend. Lots of great memories, but it just wasn't quite working out. You split on amicable terms, but then a couple of months later, you see her out with someone else. You’re pleased for her, but part of you still wishes you were still together.

Am I the only one? There’s no denying that the dying embers of the Hurst MkII reign were excruciating to watch, but boy, the good times were good, weren’t they?

No, a relationship in danger of going on too long,  parted on good terms without resentment or wishes of failure in the future from both parties

About as happy ending as you will get barring a lifelong relationship and they don't happen in football .

Quoted from It Bites

If he’s got money you can kiss goodbye to Danny rose

They are skint

They wont sign players for fees

Quoted from Mappers

No, a relationship in danger of going on too long,  parted on good terms without resentment or wishes of failure in the future from both parties

About as happy ending as you will get barring a lifelong relationship and they don't happen in football .

Fair enough, the red cross count quite telling that I’m more or less on my own on this one. It’s probably oversentimentality on my part; there’s just this bit of me that wishes we were having the season we were all hoping for back in July.

Quoted from mariner91

I’m sure Danny would love to be playing with no support or runners near him again. There were people in Antarctica who were less isolated than Danny was in the early parts of this season.

Yeah don't think he will want to sign for Hurst strats, I bet he's glad he went lol.

Quoted from HertsGTFC

You could argue til you're blue in the face as to who sits behind Alan Buckley in our best all-time managers.

I thought someone would have mentioned Frank Womack: second-tier champions 1934, fifth place in top flight 1935, FA Cup semi-final 1936.

Quoted from Son of Cod

Correct. The Holloway team was absolutely woeful. A load of 20 year olds on loan from Championship clubs in midfield and Montel Gibson up front with George Williams and Virgil Gomis. Our form from Feb onwards once Hurst's side had clicked was midtable. How anyone could have watched most matches that season and conclude that Hurst was more to blame than Holloway is baffling.

Well you obviously didn't watch many matches because up to the end of February from when Hurst took over we played  10 games winning 1 and drawing the other. At the end of February we played one of the worst performances of the season losing at Harrogate and after that game I came on here stating that Hurst would take us down and calling for him to be sacked.

He signed some excrement and a player who probably turned up at the ground on crutches, Habergham.

However you try to mask what happened, he performed worse than Holloway in gaining points per game.

Hypothetical question .

When we went down last time when Hust replaced Holloway in December inheriting an iffy squad most opinion remains it was Holloway’s fault.

Fast forward to 23/24 Manager leaves November leaving dodgy signings particularly goalkeeper and defence behind .

Similar League position at time of change.

If god forbid  we did go down this time for consistency would it be Hursts fault ? Or Artells?

Difficult to say.

When Hurst came in during that relegation season, I thought he would lift us out of the mire as there was no doubt that the team was an absolute shambles at the time but I expected he would be able to do enough with them. However, we were only a few points above the relegation spots and both teams below us had games in hand.

Unfortunately, I think he gambled on signing Payne to fire us out of trouble and he turned out to be simply useless, not just in the goalscoring stakes, but not looking like he gave a crap. Another LJL-alike in the team instead of Payne and I reckon the extra hustle and bustle would have been enough to keep us up. I don't blame Hurst entirely, but thought he probably ought to have been able to keep us up.

Artell has come in and taken over a squad lacking in confidence yet still with a few good players in there, even if others are badly out of form or well past their best and also with a bit more breathing room in terms of the table. Not to mention better ownership. Given the position in which we currently find ourselves, I think it would have to be considered his failure if he didn't keep us up this time. If we can stop shipping so many stupid goals, we ought to be fine, but time will tell.

Quoted from HerveJosse

Hypothetical question .

When we went down last time when Hust replaced Holloway in December inheriting an iffy squad most opinion remains it was Holloway’s fault.

Fast forward to 23/24 Manager leaves November leaving dodgy signings particularly goalkeeper and defence behind .

Similar League position at time of change.

If god forbid  we did go down this time for consistency would it be Hursts fault ? Or Artells?

Fenty’s. For leaving us with a derelict ground which meant vast sums of Cup money that could have put us on an extraordinary upward trajectory on the pitch actually meant we had to use the money to make the ground fit for purpose.

Quoted from LH

Fenty’s. For leaving us with a derelict ground which meant vast sums of Cup money that could have put us on an extraordinary upward trajectory on the pitch actually meant we had to use the money to make the ground fit for purpose.

I’m no Fenty apologist but there has to come a time when we stop harking back to the past. Yes, he left us deep in the excrement but we’ve had a successful promotion, a lucrative cup run and substantial season ticket sales since he left.

Quoted from MuddyWaters

I’m no Fenty apologist but there has to come a time when we stop harking back to the past. Yes, he left us deep in the excrement but we’ve had a successful promotion, a lucrative cup run and substantial season ticket sales since he left.

My palace mates still slag off Ron noades and that was 20 or so years ago. So if that’s anything to go by then I’d say it’ll linger in the memories for a long time yet

Did we ever get that new manager bounce when PH came back?  

Quoted from MuddyWaters

I’m no Fenty apologist but there has to come a time when we stop harking back to the past. Yes, he left us deep in the excrement but we’ve had a successful promotion, a lucrative cup run and substantial season ticket sales since he left.

Fenty continually ‘harked back to the past’ he continually blamed itv digital for most of what went wrong. The Fenty era is still recent past and a successful promotion, lucrative cup run and substantial season ticket sales I’d imagine doesn’t even come close to putting us to where we would be if there had been investment beyond merely papering over the cracks.

Quoted from MuddyWaters

I’m no Fenty apologist but there has to come a time when we stop harking back to the past. Yes, he left us deep in the excrement but we’ve had a successful promotion, a lucrative cup run and substantial season ticket sales since he left.

But the point is that a decision taken today can have repercussions many years later. Who would have thought , at the time, that the UK declaring war on Germany over it's invasion of Poland would change the political climate of Europe to date with it's effects still being felt today, especially in the Balkans.

Quoted from MuddyWaters

I’m no Fenty apologist but there has to come a time when we stop harking back to the past. Yes, he left us deep in the excrement but we’ve had a successful promotion, a lucrative cup run and substantial season ticket sales since he left.

I  can't just forgive & forget , not sure about others .

He has left us handicapped for decades

I would probably let go my dislike of him , his crew and the total mess he made of us  if we got a new ground , but  I will probably be brown bread by the time that (if ever) happens. .

Quoted from MuddyWaters

I’m no Fenty apologist but there has to come a time when we stop harking back to the past. Yes, he left us deep in the excrement but we’ve had a successful promotion, a lucrative cup run and substantial season ticket sales since he left.

Agreed. The day the custodian of the day stops paying for work that should have been done between 2004 and 2021 I will move the blame elsewhere.

Quoted from rancido

But the point is that a decision taken today can have repercussions many years later. Who would have thought , at the time, that the UK declaring war on Germany over it's invasion of Poland would change the political climate of Europe to date with it's effects still being felt today, especially in the Balkans.

I get all of that but berating Fenty isn’t going to change anything. I had multiple run ins with him and his brother on private messaging and disliked him with a passion but he’s thankfully gone but we’ve got to get on with it.

Holloway’s Covid season was a disaster. Hurst didn’t really stop the rot when he came in . The Stevenage game at home summed the club up when we got a last minute equaliser , then they went straight down the other end and scored. I knew we were doomed as soon as that goal went in . Tbh im still nervous about the next couple of years .

Quoted from MuddyWaters

I get all of that but berating Fenty isn’t going to change anything. I had multiple run ins with him and his brother on private messaging and disliked him with a passion but he’s thankfully gone but we’ve got to get on with it.

I totally agree but we still have to never forget the damage he did to the club. You ignore history at your peril to help ensure you don't make the same mistakes again.

Quoted from rancido

I totally agree but we still have to never forget the damage he did to the club. You ignore history at your peril to help ensure you don't make the same mistakes again.

I’ll never forget it, don’t worry, but I’m not sure how Jason and Andrew are going to balance sustainability and being competitive in the future. I sometimes wonder if the promotion and the cup run have created an unrealistic sense of expectation.

Quoted from MuddyWaters

I’ll never forget it, don’t worry, but I’m not sure how Jason and Andrew are going to balance sustainability and being competitive in the future. I sometimes wonder if the promotion and the cup run have created an unrealistic sense of expectation.

If anyone can then I'm sure with their experience and business acumen then they can.

Quoted from MuddyWaters

I’ll never forget it, don’t worry, but I’m not sure how Jason and Andrew are going to balance sustainability and being competitive in the future. I sometimes wonder if the promotion and the cup run have created an unrealistic sense of expectation.

Not sure hoping to be pushing for a L2 playoff place should be considered an unrealistic expectation!!

We aren’t the wealthiest club by any means but many clubs with smaller crowds and less money have achieved promotion or a regular top half finish. Christ Fatty Evan’s took basket case Stevenage from relegation, avoided on technicality, to promotion almost instantly.

Quoted from MuddyWaters

I’ll never forget it, don’t worry, but I’m not sure how Jason and Andrew are going to balance sustainability and being competitive in the future. I sometimes wonder if the promotion and the cup run have created an unrealistic sense of expectation.

It will be impossible if they want to go anywhere over lower mid table in League 1 you would have thought . As you see with Lincoln, Bristol rovers etc you lose 2 to 3 million quid just to be higher to mid table .

People point at Luton but they made big losses to get to the Prem , even Rotherham who are as close to a yo yo club you can get between Champ & League 1 make big losses .

If relegation fodder in league 1 or average league 2 club is the ambition then it might be possible to 'keep it sustainable ' Artell did it at Crewe tbf with trading quality younger players  , Cheltenham & Burton seem prudent and manage to stay in league 1 .

I think the future will be brighter but whether thats in line with somes expectation (maybe even Stockwoods of 'going right through ' as he puts it ) i'm not sure - I would be happy with a few years top 10 in league 2 while trying to sort the infrastructure out , I'm not sure many would be happy with that but who knows .

Quoted from MuddyWaters

I’ll never forget it, don’t worry, but I’m not sure how Jason and Andrew are going to balance sustainability and being competitive in the future. I sometimes wonder if the promotion and the cup run have created an unrealistic sense of expectation.

I think the promotion and cup run didn’t create an unrealistic sense of expectation, quite the opposite, I think they emphasised just what can be achieved with the right formula.

That promotion season was mental, those last few games! Then a quarter final in the fa cup next season. But what I find so hard to process is, just how wrong it all went this year. Quite literally the opposite to a standard hurst team.

Quoted from kevikov

I think the promotion and cup run didn’t create an unrealistic sense of expectation, quite the opposite, I think they emphasised just what can be achieved with the right formula.

That promotion season was mental, those last few games! Then a quarter final in the fa cup next season. But what I find so hard to process is, just how wrong it all went this year. Quite literally the opposite to a standard hurst team.

I think the club wanted a style of football that he couldn't produce. He tried and failed, and I think it's as simple as that.

Good luck to them both.

Quoted from ginnywings

I think the club wanted a style of football that he couldn't produce. He tried and failed, and I think it's as simple as that.

That doesn’t quite ring true with the business acumen the owners are supposed to have to me though. We got hurst in for a reason, steady the ship, get rid of the deadwood, start to build a side capable of moving upwards. If we got relegated, which we obviously did, he’s the man with the experience to get us back up. The promotion came immediately, something JS has gone on record as saying before they planned for. The FA cup run wasn’t planned for, and it provided the club with much needed funds for a squad improvement. But hurst is still the man he is, he’s not going to change his beloved tactics and strategy and if you forced him to that’s your responsibility as his employer. We’ll never know if half the players we got were hursts 1st choice or someone else’s, but it was clear hurst was never a manger destined to do the things he was asked to do, if that’s the case.

Hadn’t realised Hurst had been appointed by Micky Moore, Bignot’s former assistant at Town and now director of football at Shrews. Explains what Bignot was doing there, but always thought Moore came across as a bit of a goon when he was here.

Quoted from AdamHaddock

Good luck PH. I suspect He'll make a move for Andy Smith on loan

too late, he's at Cheltenham

Oops

Quoted from ginnywings

I think the club wanted a style of football that he couldn't produce. He tried and failed, and I think it's as simple as that.

So here's another hypothetical question...

If Hurst had been left to his own devices last summer and not influenced to bring in players perhaps not to his preference nor a remit to install a style of play that's less than favourable to him, would we have parted company with him in November after a terrible run?

On the player front I think there's an argument that he managed to push back on a lot and the majority of those brought in were definitely his choices.  But it's the style of play for me.  It didn't sit well with Hurst and I'm not convinced he really knew how to build a squad to play expressive football.  It's kinda left us in no-mans land a little bit. Under Hurst the squad was probably a bit more than just robustness and keeping shape and didn't know really how to play in a Hurst way.  Now we've got a squad that isn't really good or balanced enough to play the expressive way that Artell wants to play.

We'll never know the answer I guess, but I think Hurst will always get the flack for 'wasting' a good budget. When in reality it's probably not quite as simple as that.

Either way, I wish him the absolute best.  Hope he keeps Shrews up.

Quoted from arryarryarry

Well you obviously didn't watch many matches because up to the end of February from when Hurst took over we played  10 games winning 1 and drawing the other. At the end of February we played one of the worst performances of the season losing at Harrogate and after that game I came on here stating that Hurst would take us down and calling for him to be sacked.

He signed some excrement and a player who probably turned up at the ground on crutches, Habergham.

However you try to mask what happened, he performed worse than Holloway in gaining points per game.

I went through my bank statement after the season was over and counted how many tenners I'd spent watching the whole fiasco so can confirm I watched something like 40 matches.

You point to Habergham as Hurst's worst signing but he wouldn't even have been in the worst five Holloway signings that season. Hurst signed our best player that season in Matete and shored up defence, midfield and attack with experienced/decent players in Menayese, Coke and Lenny. It was a decent window all things considered. The window before was a complete and utter shitshow. This is all before we even get onto the fact that Holloway allowed Vernam to walk away from the club despite us having an option on another year.

Holloway: Bilel Mohsni, Ir Jackson Jr, Montel Gibson, George Williams, Alhagi Touray Sissay, Danny Rose, Felipe Morais, Sean Scannell, Luke Spokes, Danny Preston, Owura Edwards, Terry Taylor, James Morton, Kyle Bennett, Owen Windsor, Virgil Gomis

Hurst: Sam Habergham, Stefan Payne, Joe Bunney, Lennell John-Lewis, Julien Lamy, Giles Coke, Rollin Menayese, Jay Matete, Idris El Mizouni, Joe Adams, Jake Eastwood

I wish him well, and think he's a good manager. Most know here that I was probably one of his bigger supporters at times.

He's clearly made some mistakes, and like any human will hopefully learn from them. He's got many good attributes and I think he's got as much chance of turning it around as not. I think he will, and I think he'll progress from here. Obviously it didn't work out here, and Artell is hopefully the right man for the job now. Sometimes life is weird and doesn't work out the way you expect.

Quoted from Son of Cod

I went through my bank statement after the season was over and counted how many tenners I'd spent watching the whole fiasco so can confirm I watched something like 40 matches.

You point to Habergham as Hurst's worst signing but he wouldn't even have been in the worst five Holloway signings that season. Hurst signed our best player that season in Matete and shored up defence, midfield and attack with experienced/decent players in Menayese, Coke and Lenny. It was a decent window all things considered. The window before was a complete and utter shitshow. This is all before we even get onto the fact that Holloway allowed Vernam to walk away from the club despite us having an option on another year.

Holloway: Bilel Mohsni, Ir Jackson Jr, Montel Gibson, George Williams, Alhagi Touray Sissay, Danny Rose, Felipe Morais, Sean Scannell, Luke Spokes, Danny Preston, Owura Edwards, Terry Taylor, James Morton, Kyle Bennett, Owen Windsor, Virgil Gomis

Hurst: Sam Habergham, Stefan Payne, Joe Bunney, Lennell John-Lewis, Julien Lamy, Giles Coke, Rollin Menayese, Jay Matete, Idris El Mizouni, Joe Adams, Jake Eastwood

That's a really good point.  I think people underestimate how much of a repair job was needed at the time.  I'm sorry but the argument about where we sat in the table when Holloway left doesn't wash with him.  We were rotten to the core and getting worse by the week.  

Hurst, without shadow of doubt, improved that spine.  The four of Menayese, Matete, Coke and Lenny were significant improvements on what we had.  Where Hurst failed was that he didn't really improve anything beyond the spine.  We were still pretty excrement out wide and whilst Lenny did Lenny stuff up top, we weren't very threatening for a long, long time.  

He also, arguably, took too long in making us solid.  There was a crucial few weeks when we looked ready to have a go at teams and try and win games, but he was too focused on avoiding defeats.  The win over Crawley should have been the springboard to really get more wins on the board, but we went to Harrogate four days later and put in one of the most negative displays I've ever seen.  We had to wait exactly another month for the second win under him and even with a little flurry at the end it was too much too late.  

8 games undefeated in the midst of trying to get out of the relegation places, that should be something to be inspired by.  But in reality we only picked 10 points.  At a time when points were crucial.  10 points adrift when we started that undefeated run, yet it only reduced the gap to 7 points when it ended.

The likes of Habergham are always brought up as bad signings.  He literally was out there with his begging bowl trying to get anyone in who would play for 4p and a banana.  Fair enough, he gambled on Payne but that was all he had - a single roll of the dice. Coke and LJL hadn't played for ages because of the NLN closing down, the loan lads had limited game time, the free agents had barely seen the grass in god knows how long.  Those that were here when he arrived were unfit.  The final two months of the season were frantic.  Tuesday-Saturday every week with even a Tues-Thurs-Sat thrown in there.  Our ragtag lot couldn't handle it.  

Could he have done things different?  Definitely.  Could he have done better?  Probably (always room for improvement).  Did he make mistakes? Of course.

But the blame doesn't lie at his feet, the damage was done. He just couldn't do the repair job in time.

Quoted from Son of Cod

I went through my bank statement after the season was over and counted how many tenners I'd spent watching the whole fiasco so can confirm I watched something like 40 matches.

You point to Habergham as Hurst's worst signing but he wouldn't even have been in the worst five Holloway signings that season. Hurst signed our best player that season in Matete and shored up defence, midfield and attack with experienced/decent players in Menayese, Coke and Lenny. It was a decent window all things considered. The window before was a complete and utter shitshow. This is all before we even get onto the fact that Holloway allowed Vernam to walk away from the club despite us having an option on another year.

Holloway: Bilel Mohsni, Ir Jackson Jr, Montel Gibson, George Williams, Alhagi Touray Sissay, Danny Rose, Felipe Morais, Sean Scannell, Luke Spokes, Danny Preston, Owura Edwards, Terry Taylor, James Morton, Kyle Bennett, Owen Windsor, Virgil Gomis

Hurst: Sam Habergham, Stefan Payne, Joe Bunney, Lennell John-Lewis, Julien Lamy, Giles Coke, Rollin Menayese, Jay Matete, Idris El Mizouni, Joe Adams, Jake Eastwood

That you can only name 4 players out of the 11 that were decent, not sure you can complain about Holloway's signings. The first 3 of Hurst's you mentioned were really crap.

Your quote about improving in February doesn't match the facts as below :-

Last 10 games Holloway was in charge = 10 points (he actually achieved in total 19 points from 19 games)

First 10 games Hurst was in charge with Holloway's signings and his own = 4 points.

If we had continued at Holloway's rate of scoring points I believe we would have stayed up with 46 points.

It was a dreadful time to try to rebuild a squad. Hard enough attracting players to a League 2 relegation battle without the backdrop of another COVID lockdown and all the challenges that will have brought with trying to persuade players to relocate.

Not sure why the need for the conversation anyway. Maybe we'd have stayed up if they'd sacked him or appointed someone else. Almost certain we wouldn't have had the play off campaign of the following season or the FA Cup run of the last. If you didn't like him them fine and he's gone. But would you really want to change the last three years?

Quoted from diehardmariner

That's a really good point.  I think people underestimate how much of a repair job was needed at the time.  I'm sorry but the argument about where we sat in the table when Holloway left doesn't wash with him.  We were rotten to the core and getting worse by the week.  

Hurst, without shadow of doubt, improved that spine.  The four of Menayese, Matete, Coke and Lenny were significant improvements on what we had.  Where Hurst failed was that he didn't really improve anything beyond the spine.  We were still pretty excrement out wide and whilst Lenny did Lenny stuff up top, we weren't very threatening for a long, long time.  

He also, arguably, took too long in making us solid.  There was a crucial few weeks when we looked ready to have a go at teams and try and win games, but he was too focused on avoiding defeats.  The win over Crawley should have been the springboard to really get more wins on the board, but we went to Harrogate four days later and put in one of the most negative displays I've ever seen.  We had to wait exactly another month for the second win under him and even with a little flurry at the end it was too much too late.  

8 games undefeated in the midst of trying to get out of the relegation places, that should be something to be inspired by.  But in reality we only picked 10 points.  At a time when points were crucial.  10 points adrift when we started that undefeated run, yet it only reduced the gap to 7 points when it ended.

The likes of Habergham are always brought up as bad signings.  He literally was out there with his begging bowl trying to get anyone in who would play for 4p and a banana.  Fair enough, he gambled on Payne but that was all he had - a single roll of the dice. Coke and LJL hadn't played for ages because of the NLN closing down, the loan lads had limited game time, the free agents had barely seen the grass in god knows how long.  Those that were here when he arrived were unfit.  The final two months of the season were frantic.  Tuesday-Saturday every week with even a Tues-Thurs-Sat thrown in there.  Our ragtag lot couldn't handle it.  

Could he have done things different?  Definitely.  Could he have done better?  Probably (always room for improvement).  Did he make mistakes? Of course.

But the blame doesn't lie at his feet, the damage was done. He just couldn't do the repair job in time.

Spot on, agree with all of that.

Quoted from arryarryarry

Your quote about improving in February doesn't match the facts I quoted so is it your memory failing?

Our points per game in February was better than it was in December and January.

Quoted from Son of Cod

Spot on, agree with all of that.


Our points per game in February was better than it was in December and January.

FFS how far do you want to drill it down.

Holloway's last game in charge we lost so no points. Hurst's last game of the season we lost so no points, therefore no better.

intercourse knows why some cannot accept the very simple fact that Hurst was in charge for more games than Holloway but was no better than Holloway in fact points per game were slightly less.

Quoted from arryarryarry

FFS how far do you want to drill it down.

Holloway's last game in charge we lost so no points. Hurst's last game of the season we lost so no points, therefore no better.

intercourse knows why some cannot accept the very simple fact that Hurst was in charge for more games than Holloway but was no better than Holloway in fact points per game were slightly less.

Because we have eyes and opinions

“ intercourse knows” why you cant accept it

Quoted from arryarryarry

FFS how far do you want to drill it down.

Holloway's last game in charge we lost so no points. Hurst's last game of the season we lost so no points, therefore no better.

intercourse knows why some cannot accept the very simple fact that Hurst was in charge for more games than Holloway but was no better than Holloway in fact points per game were slightly less.

But what you fail to mention is momentum....which was spiralling downwards when Holloway did a runner.

Quoted from Rodley Mariner

It was a dreadful time to try to rebuild a squad. Hard enough attracting players to a League 2 relegation battle without the backdrop of another COVID lockdown and all the challenges that will have brought with trying to persuade players to relocate.

Not sure why the need for the conversation anyway. Maybe we'd have stayed up if they'd sacked him or appointed someone else. Almost certain we wouldn't have had the play off campaign of the following season or the FA Cup run of the last. If you didn't like him them fine and he's gone. But would you really want to change the last three years?

The main problem with recruitment seems to be they expected the season to be cancelled so they did it as cheap as possible.  ;D

Few young non-league players to develop and the cheapest disposable players possible they could get rid of once a season started but there was no real excuse for the January window having so many flops.

Either way some people will endlessly rake Hurst over the coals no matter what like they have some need to whine about him even when he's gone again. I wish I had the time or energy to endlessly pour through stats to try to prove a point like the Hurst hate brigade does.

Paul left Shrewsbury under a cloud i seem to remember he cleared his desk and left for Ipswich.
A lot of the Shrewsbury fans where livid,if he has a poor start he could be in trouble.

If he gets them  to KEEP US SHAPE he will be fine

Quoted from It Bites

If he’s got money you can kiss goodbye to Danny rose

I recall location being a big factor for Danny leaving L1 Stevenage to drop down to us in that he wanted to be closer to his home town (Barnsley). So for that reason alone I’d say a move to Shrewsbury, with its 2 1/2 hr commute, is unlikely (god I hope so)!!!!

Quoted from Son of Cod

I went through my bank statement after the season was over and counted how many tenners I'd spent watching the whole fiasco so can confirm I watched something like 40 matches.

You point to Habergham as Hurst's worst signing but he wouldn't even have been in the worst five Holloway signings that season. Hurst signed our best player that season in Matete and shored up defence, midfield and attack with experienced/decent players in Menayese, Coke and Lenny. It was a decent window all things considered. The window before was a complete and utter shitshow. This is all before we even get onto the fact that Holloway allowed Vernam to walk away from the club despite us having an option on another year.

Holloway: Bilel Mohsni, Ir Jackson Jr, Montel Gibson, George Williams, Alhagi Touray Sissay, Danny Rose, Felipe Morais, Sean Scannell, Luke Spokes, Danny Preston, Owura Edwards, Terry Taylor, James Morton, Kyle Bennett, Owen Windsor, Virgil Gomis

Hurst: Sam Habergham, Stefan Payne, Joe Bunney, Lennell John-Lewis, Julien Lamy, Giles Coke, Rollin Menayese, Jay Matete, Idris El Mizouni, Joe Adams, Jake Eastwood

If it was left down to Hursty, we wouldn’t have had Conteh for a start. Besides, I thought Paul had the final say on all signings - players were suggested to him by the recruitment guy and Paul/ Chris find the yay or nay! I could be completely wrong of course but I just can’t see Paul working in that way/system 🤷‍♂️