Michael Appleton reveals what he needs from Shrewsbury fans and the board

Originally, he came in as interim boss, with the damage to their season already done after Paul Hurst and Gareth Ainsworth’s spells at the club - he would have needed a miracle to keep Town up. 

He did oversee a transformation in the playing style. His predecessor, Ainsworth, was direct, with Shrewsbury choosing to play the ball in behind and squeeze up the pitch. 

Whereas Appleton tried to make them a more possession-based football team. 

It is something he hopes to build on in the coming months, with Shrewsbury set to embark on a League Two campaign for the first time in more than 10 years. 

And while this transformation is taking place, he feels he might need trust, not just from his players, but in the boardroom and stands, too. 

"I think that's obviously where you need a little bit of trust,” he said about implementing an identity. "Not just trust in the boardroom, I think I'm gonna have to rely on a little bit of trust in the stands as well.

"It's not going to be just plain sailing, there's going to be a lot of tough days ahead.” 

The Salop boss did not mince his words after their defeat to Northampton towards the back end of the campaign. 

He believed there was a softness to the group which he said made his ‘skin crawl’. 

He continued: “It will be a rocky road and there's going to be times when I get frustrated as I was after Northampton and I had my say.

"I think ultimately, given the time, I'm very confident that you know we can certainly do what obviously we're clearly wanting to do.”