Michael Appleton reveals honest conversations with Shrewsbury players after departures hinted
Michael Appleton says he has had to be open and honest with some of the Shrewsbury Town players, with a number of them expected to leave before the transfer window closes.
Salop’s recruitment is now being led by the head coach, and he has spoken about his desire to bring in fresh faces to the Croud Meadow before the window closes on September 1.
To do that, a number of players will need to be moved on to create room for the incomings.
That requires honest conversations with members of the Town squad, and Appleton says footballers appreciate him being straight with them.
“There'll definitely be a couple of players moving on before the end of the transfer window,” he said.
“We're speaking to the players on a daily basis. It's clear from my point of view, that some of them are not going to play as many minutes as they probably would like, if any at all.
“And sometimes people can see that as maybe not right or threatening, but it's business, and I think the more honest you are with players, the more you get from them and the more response you get from them.
“There are a couple of players in the group that I've had to be really, really honest with and make them aware that their minutes are going to be very minimal, if not at all.
“But at the same time, flip that into a positive, that there'll be new faces coming into the building to try and re-ignite a little bit of energy.
“I think there are certain profiles of players out there that we clearly need to help us that are different to what we've got already. Whether that be athleticism, pace or strength. They're all three ingredients and qualities that we're certainly looking for.”
Ricardo Dinanga was the first to be moved on. He joined local Shropshire side AFC Telford United in the National League North on loan - he only joined Town from the Bucks in January this year.
And with more conversations expected to take place with individuals over the next couple of weeks, Appleton says, while some people avoid challenging conversations, he relishes them.
“It's definitely more natural for me because I'm used to being honest and straight with people, and I'm not really good at the other side of it,” he said. “I like being straight with people. I'm happy having difficult conversations with people, and that's, I won't say a problem with some people, but I think it's definitely something that certain people can avoid at times.
“The more honest I've been with people, even when I've had to give them bad news, I think you end up getting far more respect because once they've got rid of that disappointment, they understand it's coming from a good place and it's coming from a place that you want it to work for both parties.”
