Salop Social: Frustrated fans, new boys & words from mouths of babes

From a continued fan shutout, to new signings and two points dropped – they cover their thoughts and feelings here.

Nathan Rowden

I was delighted to see Shrewsbury throwing their weight behind a social media campaign to get fans back into grounds this week.

There was a swell of bemusement in footballing circles after Boris Johnson encouraged people to support and visit cinemas following Cineworld’s announcement it was temporarily closing all its picture houses.

It’s become a bit of an old argument but now, but how is the responsible management of small crowds at big outdoor stadiums any worse than cramming people into an indoor cinema, pub and restaurant for that matter. I’m still yet to hear proper justification for the government’s position on this.

Just as hospitality venues are fabrics of our society, so are football clubs. Seemingly the government are happy to leave lower-league clubs to hang out to dry.

Shrewsbury have shown how getting fans back in the stadium can work well, and safely.

As far as I am aware, there have been clusters or outbreaks from that trial of 1,000 fans in September, and if fans behave in the way they did that day then I see no reason why that can’t continue, but so far the powers that be don’t seem in any mood to even give football fans the chance to prove themselves. As with cinemas, maybe clubs will get the ear of government once they reach closing time, by which time it will probably be too late.

Steve Jones

There’s usually a theme with Shrewsbury’s signings – none of them are ready to play!

So often does Sam Ricketts water down expectations by warning the latest recruit ‘needs a few weeks to get up to speed’, his quotes can probably be copied and pasted from one announcement to the next.

No wonder fans are used to being underwhelmed, rather than excited, by so many transfers.

Still, when Salop’s budget is a fraction of their rivals’, they can’t be as picky when shopping.

That’s why it was all the more refreshing to see the newest captures – Jan Žamburek and Matt Millar – go straight into the mix on Tuesday, with the former playing 90 minutes.

Despite both players being relatively unknown to Town fans, the most stirring aspect of their arrival is the expectation both will make their mark on the starting XI and improve it.

Hopefully the new boys and those who join by the time this seemingly never-ending transfer window shuts have the desired impact. Early results certainly suggest more quality is needed.

Chris Hudson

“Come on, silly Shrewsbury, play better and you’ll score goals!”

This was the analysis from my five-year-old son as he sat alongside me watching Town give away two points against Gillingham on Saturday.

Thomas doesn’t yet really understand what is happening in a game most of the time, but his enthusiasm is undeniable and, pleasingly, he wants to be just like his dad, telling anyone who will listen that Shrewsbury Town is his team.

His choice of words this time might have been a bit blunt, but he kind of had a point! The game was there to be won against a poor Gills side, but Town really went off the boil in the second half.

I do believe that Sam Ricketts is trying to introduce a new, more attacking brand of football this season, even if it hasn’t quite clicked yet.

Since Saturday, of course, he has added two new faces to the squad. Aussie Matt Millar is an intriguing acquisition; while Czech midfielder Jan Zamburek, from Brentford, sounds like an exciting signing. Both made their debuts in Tuesday’s 2-1 win against Bolton in the EFL Trophy.

Again, it was left to Thomas to come up with the killer question. As he heard me telling my long-suffering wife all about the new faces, he came bounding over to ask: “New players? Will they make a difference to our team?”

Time will tell, son, but hopefully we both have something positive to shout about the next time we watch a game together!