Comment: John Askey’s bold belief for Shrewsbury deserves recognition

He reaped the rewards last week as a long-awaited first win as a Football League manager as Shrewsbury Town got off the mark against Southend.

The Town boss could easily have been swayed away from his core values of freedom and expression on the football pitch.

Results were not forthcoming for his side in the early weeks of the season, but Askey had the nous to look beyond the scoreline and study where things were not going right for his side.

As pressure from the stands mounted, it would have been easy to make a knee-jerk reaction and scrap the copybook.

It would have been easy to rip up the favoured 4-3-3 system and stick two forwards up front when Askey was instead keen to control midfield.

While many Town fans – understandably – hit the panic button as their side lounged in the bottom four nine games without a win, the manager stayed true to himself and how he saw his team progressing and succeeding.

It was interesting to sit down with Askey’s No.2 this week, John Filan, to get a sense of how bold the Town manager was in his search of the answer.

Most, if not all, onlookers could see that Shrewsbury were not getting rolled over. They were paying for ‘stupid’ – as Askey called it – penalties going against them and a lack of ruthlessness in the final third.

Filan echoed what Askey has said about how the win would only be a matter of time. Yet also explained the frustration that the pair were feeling as points kept slipping away.

The assistant noted Askey’s patience. He referenced how it was apparent in training at Sundorne Castle there was a squad beginning to gel and get to know each other – no mean feat after 16 new signings.

In his first interview the manager told me his favoured system was 4-3-3 with advanced wingers and a dynamic midfield and he wasn’t persuaded away from that for a short-term fix.

Askey, who has a three-year deal at Montgomery Waters Meadow, is instead thinking about the long game and creating a style at the Meadow.

Players noted it in the very early weeks of pre-season. Omar Beckles spoke after the early friendly at Bristol City that the players are feeling much more free than under their predecessor. Others have said the same.

Given the extent of Town’s winless run, Askey deserves credit for staying true to players taking responsibility and being ‘free’ on the pitch. He doesn’t want robots.

It would have been easy to make his team more rigid. Set up to keep a clean sheet and be defensive even at the expense of going forward. But Askey trusted his methods and stuck with them.

At such an early time in the season when teams and the league table are taking shape, the former Macclesfield boss has by no means found a winning formula.

But he could be on to one.

If, as suggested by Askey and Filan, the players are buying into the manager’s methods then Town could have a side that will entertain this season.

Errors are out of a manager’s control and it remains to be seen whether Shrewsbury have the firepower and defensive prowess to go on a run of form that will trouble League One’s upper echelons.

It is a results business and, as the season settles down, the boss will not be excused similar poor runs of form as the bedding in stage passes.

Askey has suggested he is not a one-size-fits-all boss and will look at other options, including two strikers, when the opposition or time comes. A formation that could suit his options.

For now, as he targets two wins from two, his bravery should be commended.