Shrewsbury Town manager Steve Cotterill remains adamant that he’ll be the only man responsible for picking his team despite news of a new football board coming in at the Shrews, in comments given to the Shropshire Star.
These comments were made off the back of Brian Caldwell’s exit from Shrewsbury, the long-standing chief executive at Salop leaving the club with immediate effect after seven years in the role down in Shropshire.
The news coincides with the brand new appointments of Peter Brophy and Duncan Montgomery to the football club, two new additions that will begin to make up the brand new board.
Why Is Steve Cotterill Angry At This News?
Steve Cotterill’s concerns might well stem from the fact his Shrewsbury team have performed reasonably well this campaign under the previous set-up, a set-up that Steve Cotterill has grown accustomed to at Salop.
The Shrews sit in 12th position with one game of the season remaining, a positive finish after recent seasons at Salop have often seen Shrewsbury finish precariously above the drop-zone.
Therefore, with a new board coming into the building, Cotterill might well fear this season’s good work and feel-good factor might well be wiped away and his authority over proceedings diminished.
Steve Cotterill’s Outspoken Approach
It shouldn’t come as a surprise to Shrews fans that Steve Cotterill would be unafraid to speak his mind, Cotterill has a reputation to speak without a filter in press conferences with the media.
Cotterill will, however, try to remain focussed on Shrewsbury’s final League One game of the season despite this shake-up at boardroom level at Salop.
Salop travel to Lincoln City for the final game of the season this coming Sunday, with all the attention diverting back to who will make up this new football board when that match – and then the season – is up.
What Has Steve Cotterill Said?
Speaking to the Shopshire Star directly after Shrewsbury’s win over Bristol Rovers on Tuesday night, Cotterill didn’t mince his words about his thoughts on the new football board and the powers they will hold.
He said: “There will not be anybody else that picks the team, that is for sure. There won’t be anyone else that does that, no matter how many is on the board.
“I have picked a team now for nearly 29 years and that is not going to change.”
Cotterill even confessed to not knowing about the developments coming out of the club until directly after the 2-1 win over The Gas.
He said: “Somebody said there was a statement that came out at five but I have not seen that because I have not been on my phone.
“I would not be checking my phone at five o’clock on a match day.”
Writer’s View
It’s no real surprise to see Steve Cotterill fight back against what he sees as his authority being undermined, an anxiety that this new board coming in at Salop will interfere and tell Cotterill who to pick in his starting elevens and more.
Shrewsbury clearly felt the time was right for this shake-up, waving goodbye to a club servant in the form of Brian Caldwell is a bold call.
Let’s hope this new football board coming in at the Shrews can work alongside Steve Cotterill and continue the successes seen on the pitch this season.
If Cotterill does feel undermined in any capacity, however, he could well walk out of Salop.
