Shrewsbury Town eye new man as life after John Askey begins
Gary Bowyer has emerged as the early favourite to become Shrewsbury Town boss after John Askey was sacked.
Askey’s 165 days as Town boss came to an end as he paid the price for inconsistency in performances and results this season.
Former Blackburn and Blackpool chief Bowyer flew straight to the top of the betting odds to succeed Askey, as low as 5/4 and 11/8 in some markets.
He has been out of work since leaving the Seasiders on August 6 – just one game into the new season.
Bowyer is believed to be a leading candidate to succeed Askey, who has been sacked five-and-a-half months into a three-year deal.
Bowyer, 47, guided Blackpool – amid reported problems behind the scenes – to promotion from League Two via the play-offs in his first season in charge.
He then led the Bloomfield Road outfit to an impressive 12th-placed finish in League One last season, an achievement that impressed onlookers.
It is believed Bowyer has previously been a Shrewsbury target and is of interest to the Town hierarchy as they look to fill the vacant role.
Askey’s disappointing reign at Shrewsbury failed to get off the ground and pressure mounted in recent weeks. It came to a head after Sunday’s 1-1 draw with National League Salford in the FA Cup, where angry fans called for the manager’s head at full-time.
Less than 24 hours later, Askey, assistant John Filan and first-team coach George Pilkington were relieved of their duties. Goalkeeper coach Danny Coyne has been put in charge of tonight’s Checkatrade Trophy clash at Crewe (7.30pm).
In a Shropshire Star poll, former Town boss Paul Hurst – who was replaced by Askey after leaving for Championship Ipswich in the summer – was yesterday the favourite among fans, earning 50 per cent of the vote from more than 1,200 who voted.
Hurst took Shrews to the League One play-off final in May before moving to Suffolk, but was sacked by Ipswich at the end of October with the club at the foot of the Championship.
Managers who are interested in the vacant Montgomery Waters Meadow post include former Notts County chief Kevin Nolan and ex-Coventry and Fleetwood boss Steven Pressley. Premier League midfield stalwart Nolan, who racked up more than 400 games in the top flight for Bolton, Newcastle and West Ham, took County to the League Two play-off semi-finals last season.
But he was sacked by the Magpies just five games into a winless start to the current campaign.
Scot Pressley was keen on the Town job after Micky Mellon left Shrewsbury, before the club appointed Hurst in 2016.
Pressley worked under tough conditions at the Ricoh Arena, keeping the Sky Blues away from trouble despite entering administration.
He spent a season at Fleetwood and has most recently been managing in the top flight in Cyprus with Pafos, where he was sacked last month.
Former Rangers and Brentford boss Mark Warburton has also been spotted at Montgomery Waters Meadow in recent weeks.
Askey was the third Football League manager to lose his job in the space of 24 hours after League Two Swindon sacked Phil Brown on Sunday and AFC Wimbledon parted company with Neal Ardley yesterday.
