Paul Simpson has promised to deliver an exciting brand of football worthy of Shrewsbury Town’s new stadium after taking over the managerial reins at Oteley Road.
Simpson – quickly tipped to be a man capable of leading Shrewsbury into the Championship by a coach who knows him well – boasts an impressive track record in the game.
A skilful left winger in his playing days which started at Manchester City, the 41-year-old has led Carlisle to back-to-back promotions and guided Preston to the verge of the Championship play-offs last season since going into management.
And now, his batteries recharged by a five-month break from the game, he’s looking forward to his new challenge with Shrewsbury and will take charge for the first time at Macclesfield on Saturday with assistance from existing coaching staff John McMahon and Stuart Delaney.
“We want to play exciting football,” insisted Carlisle-born Simpson. “It’s an entertainment business and what everybody wants is winning football. If I can play winning football then I know that I will be here for a very long time.
“I’ve had a good break, enforced unfortunately. I’ve enjoyed my time off and it’s given me time to think about the way I go about my job. I’ve been looking forward to getting started again and I’m delighted to get the opportunity here.
“I’m coming into a club who are very ambitious and want to be in a better position than they are at the moment. They want to try and put a team on the pitch that reflects the stadium and the infrastructure that surrounds it.
“I’ve had other phone calls since I left Preston to see if I was interested but they didn’t appeal to me, but as soon as I was approached about this role it definitely appealed.”
Simpson is married to Jacqui – the couple have three sons, Joe (18), Jake (17), a first year trainee at Blackburn Rovers, and Dominic (12) – and the family plan to move to the Shrewsbury area in the summer, underlining his commitment to the club.
He said all of the current players would be given a chance to impress in the closing weeks of the season, with his first target making mathematically sure there is no danger of Town being dragged into a relegation dogfight.
“I want the players to enjoy themselves and I believe there is much more to come from them than they’ve shown of late,” said Simpson, greatly impressed by the club’s fan base.
“The first job is to make sure we get enough points to be in League Two next season. That’s not being negative, it’s just being honest, and then we can build from there.
“I think it’s a decent squad but like every manager I want to make changes to it. I want to change the squad around but I will give everyone the opportunity to show me what they’re all about. I’m coming here with no set ideas – I’m coming with an open mind.”
Simpson, who has been working for the FA, added he hoped the club’s supporters would quickly take to him as he felt the Preston fans never warmed to him.
But he feels he learned a lot of valuable lessons from his time in charge of the Lancastrians.
“I’m hoping the Shrewsbury fans will take to me and we can all get on well and it will be a successful time for us,” he said.
Meanwhile, former Gay Meadow goalkeeping coach Dave Timmins, who filled that role under Simpson at both Carlisle and Preston, said he believed Town had got themselves a winner by attracting a manager of Simpson’s calibre.
“He’s a very good manager, an excellent coach and for the club and the town it’s an excellent appointment,” said Timmins, who remains on the Preston staff.
“I really think he’s the man to take the club forward. I think he’ll be looking to take Shrewsbury into the Championship and, with the right backing, I think he will do it.
“He’s a real footballing man and being an ex-winger he really likes wingers, so the wide lads at Shrewsbury should be happy. He’s a nice family man, very approachable, and he’s great with the Press.”
