Chief Executive talks about the departure of Micky Mellon
Shrewsbury Town Chief Executive Brian Caldwell has thanked Micky Mellon and Micky Jackson for their hard work at Shrewsbury Town.Micky and his assistant Mike Jackson left the club by mutual consent this morning after spending over two years at the club.
Brian admitted that it was disappointing to see Micky move on, but believes that it was in the best interests of everyone involved.
“It’s always disappointing when any manager moves on,” Brian told ShrewsWeb
“It’s been a difficult one for everybody I think. At any football club you have to look back and realise there are humans involved, people with families. It’s always a sad day when people you know and respect move on, but I think everybody realises that is the nature of football. These things happen and we all move on and we all remain friends and we all leave on good terms.”
Micky enjoyed success during his time as Town boss, leaving with a win percentage of more than 42%, but Town have found it difficult this season and Caldwell felt it was right for all parties to move on.
“We came to a mutual agreement with Micky and Michael that it would be in the best interests of everybody to move on,” said Brian.
“I think the team haven’t performed to how we would have expected this season and we’ve taken a view. We’ve tried to be as patient as possible with how it’s going and I think it’s in the best interests of everybody that we make this change.
“We’ve all left on good terms, we’ve all shaken hands and I think that’s important in football sometimes. Sometimes people leave on bad terms in football, but you always want to leave on good terms whether it’s the manager, the assistant manager, or whether it’s a player.
“I think everybody should leave on good terms and shake hands and that was the way it was this morning, and we wish Micky and Michael the best wishes for their future as well,” added Brian.
The search now begins for a new manager, but Caldwell believes that the club will take it’s time in order to make the right appointment.
“We do now need to address what we are going to do,” said Caldwell
“The most important thing is the team on the pitch. It’s Bradford on Saturday and we are grateful to Danny Coyne for taking the team affairs. Obviously we are keen to try and make an appointment as quickly as we can, but at the end of the day it’s important long term, that we make the right appointment for the best interests of the football club.
“We need to look at what the options are and to make a decision as quickly as possible, but also make sure it’s in the best interests of the club. I would never like to put dates on it. Having been in football for nearly 20 years I would never like to say when anybody would be appointed.
“I think we also need to look back on Micky and Michael as well and have a little bit of respect for them and take our time and make sure we get the right appointment, which is more important than anything else.”
Whoever the next boss may be, Brian reassured fans that the new manager would have to buy into the club’s long term philosophy.
“It’s very important to us as a football club that any new manager buys into the youth system and the community, which is important to the club that we are seen in the local community,” said Brian.
“Micky was brilliant for the community aspect, to make sure he was seen about the county of Shropshire. So, it’s important that any new manager we bring in buys into the philosophy of the club and also the philosophy of the young players that we are trying to bring through with the academy that we’ve had success with.
“I’m sure there will be a lot of managers that will look at the facilities and we’re building a new training ground just now, so there’s a lot of positives about the football club, even the financial state of it as well. It’s an attractive proposition for people to come and work here.”