Relationships will take time to build says Shrewsbury Town boss Matt Taylor

Matt Taylor says it is going to take time for the Shrewsbury Town players to learn how he and his staff work – and that relationships will be built over time.

Salop returned to pre-season training on Sunday and it was the first time Taylor and his new assistant coach Marcus Bignot met the players.

And in the week since, training has ramped up at Shrews’ Sundorne training base with the players doing double sessions, where the new coaching staff have been implementing their ideas.

Taylor said: “It’s going to take time for them to understand how we work.

“The relationships within the coaching room will become organic, you can’t force that, but what I will say is that conversations that I’ve had with the players have been really open and honest.

“It’s not all about them on the pitch, I have to understand them as people first and I’ve always said person before footballer, so let’s try and build those relationships over time because I’m going to ask them for everything they’ve got every single day. That’s a minimum requirement.

“It’s imperative that we work as a group of staff. It’s also vitally important that the players and staff are seen as one because the players need us and we need the players to be successful.”

Bignot, himself, was only appointed by Town earlier this week – arriving from Cheltenham Town.

And Taylor says after consulting people he respects in the game he asked Bignot to be his assistant as he could fill in the gaps in knowledge that he does not have.

The pair now have just over four weeks to prepare the team for their first League One clash when it is Bignot’s former club the Robins they take on at the Croud Meadow.

He continued: “Marcus has very good knowledge of this level having worked in League One last season and I’m really looking forward to working with him.”

“First and foremost I knew of Marcus but didn’t know him. I spoke to some very influential people within the game who know me very well and asked them ‘what do you think I need?’ and a few names came up.

“Marcus fills the gaps in my knowledge, Marcus is an exceptional coach, an exceptional human being and then it was a case of speaking to Micky (Moore) and making sure it was a viable option to have him.

“I think the football club is very lucky to have him.

“He has led training sessions alongside myself and the detail he goes into will be immense for our players.”