Gaffer looking for Town to punch above their weight
Shrewsbury Town boss Paul Hurst will be looking to instil the right character when he brings in new recruits this summer.Paul hasn’t been shy in declaring that he wants to sign a number of players this summer, but with the likes of Rotherham, Wigan and Portsmouth entering the league, there will be no shortage of competition when it comes to getting players to sign on the dotted line.
Hurst admitted that Town won’t have the biggest budget in League One next season, but will be looking to make up for that by creating a work ethic which allows players to challenge themselves against the best players in the division.
“We’ve got to try and make up for that (size of budget) in terms of the initial sell about the club, the training ground, how well it’s run, how well people are looked after, the staff – all of that”, Paul confessed.
“And then, when it comes to coming up against them (the top teams) it’s about causing mini upsets on a regular basis and challenging yourselves.
“Can we make up for maybe a slight difference in quality by it being about the team, being organised, being prepared to work harder than the opposition and having a big team spirit?
“If the teams that have the higher wages to spend do all of those things they’ll beat us, but we’ve all seen enough results and enough football to know that that’s not always the case.
“But, that’s why we needed to be near enough at the top of our game to be in with a chance of winning games of football and I think that’s where we will need to be again and I think that’s why it’s going to be demanding.”
Hurst proved many people wrong when he turned Town’s fortunes around last season and he makes no apologies of wanting to do the same next season.
“There’s not going to be time to just slack off and turn up in a couple of weeks”, continued Paul.
“We need to be bang at it every day and that’s on the training ground as well, that’s the demands that we put on the players and let’s see where it can take us.
“In a lot of ways, when things are difficult but you achieve them, it’s more satisfying than when you are expected to do it. When the season starts will we be one of the favourites to get relegated? I’m not a betting man, but I would say that we would be.
“So, let’s prove people wrong again. My motivation will be clear and the bigger picture again is about improvement. Can we improve the football club? I think we can.”