Micky Mellon swots up on leaders for Town
Bookworm Shrewsbury Town boss Micky Mellon has revealed how he stays on top in the management game – by reading about leaders.
The Shrewsbury Town boss will try anything to improve himself and his players.
He has recently read about 19th-century United States president Abraham Lincoln and legendary polar explorer Sir Ernest Shackleton.
He said: "I've just read Abraham Lincoln – if anyone wants to read anything good that was a fantastic book. It was all leadership stuff.
"I've read Shackleton and I've read a lot of business books. I'll look into anything I can do to improve, I don't just try to improve the players!
"All the time I'm listening and reading, looking and watching and trying things to help my players to be better. I want to be the best I can and hopefully I can continue to win games for Shrewsbury."
Winning games for Shrewsbury is something the Scot has done pretty well in his 22 months in charge.
The 2-2 draw against Scunthorpe was his 100th game in charge of Town and he has 49 wins – an excellent record.
And he has targeted more of the same after entering his second century of matches.
He said: "A hundred games is a lot, but it's gone in a heartbeat. It's about this football club continually trying to win games.
"All of that is in the past. It's not my win percentage, it's our win percentage. Winning games at that rate, I can keep people off my back and keep trying to improve things.
"I want to win more; I want to have a 50 per cent win percentage and then 51 because that would mean we're successful.
"There are many things I want to do here, be that with the recruitment plan, the youth system, and the identity we want."
At 44, Mellon has been in management for eight years and has taken charge of 330 games for Fleetwood, Barnsley – as caretaker boss – and Shrewsbury.
That's not including his stint as a No 2 at Oakwell and he wants to remain in the game for life.
He said: "I absolutely love football and I want to stay in it as long as I can. But 330 games – that makes me feel old.
"When you read the programme I'm no longer a young manager, I'm an experienced manager – I must have crossed the line somewhere!
"I can't believe I'm 44 – I probably look older than that, but it's gone very quickly! They (the players) put lines on me every day – this job does.
"But I love it – I love the game and I love what it does to communities and I hope I'm involved in it for a very long time."
