John Askey not afraid to mix things up in search of Shrewsbury success
New boss John Askey will target substance over style as he gets the new Shrewsbury Town era under way.
Askey believes in playing positive football but will not sacrifice points for an easy on the eye approach in the way his team play.
The former Macclesfield boss, who completed his Town switch last Friday, revealed he has favoured a 4-3-3 system in his five-year spell in charge at Moss Rose.
But the new Montgomery Waters Meadow manager is prepared to mix up his approach dependant on opposition, personnel and form.
“I believe in playing. There’s various ways of playing football but the main thing is winning,” said Askey, who led the unfancied Macclesfield to the National League title by 10 points.
“More often than not we’ve played 4-3-3. We try to play through the thirds.
“Towards the end of the season I was able to get a big centre-forward, which I hadn’t had before, and we went a little bit more direct.
“That helped us and we needed it at the time.
“You’ve got to work with what suits the players. If 4-3-3 suits the players and it works then you stick with it.
“It might be 4-4-2 depending on your players, it might depend on the opposition. You’ve got to be adaptable.
“If it’s working then you don’t try and fix it.
“But if it’s broken then you’ve got to do something.”
Town’s success last season came through a variation of a 4-1-4-1 or a 4-3-3 system, with wide players Shaun Whalley and Alex Rodman joining a lone centre-forward.
But former Macclesfield forward Askey is always keen on building from a solid defensive foundation. Shrewsbury had the second-best defensive record in League One last season.
Askey’s Silkmen shipped 46 goals in 46 games on their way to the title last term, the joint-third fewest conceded in the division.
He continued: “I’ve always had wide men who can beat a man and get crosses in. Also midfield players with plenty of energy who are good footballers.
“I think with any team you need a solid base and defensively you’ve got to be strong. That’s where you build from – a defensive unit.
“People will forgive any way you play as long as you win.
“There’s no use playing like Barcelona if you lose every week.”
