Shrewsbury Town is reportedly looking to bring their former striker Andy Mangan back to the club to replace Paul Hurst as manager, according to BBC Sport Shropshire.
The Shrews gave Hurst his marching orders earlier this week after just two wins from 14 league matches this season.
Who Is Andy Mangan?
Mangan played most of his football at National League level, representing sides such as Wrexham, Forest Green Rovers and Fleetwood Town.
After beginning his career with Blackpool, the striker would play for Accrington Stanley and Tranmere Rovers before arriving at Forest Green. It was there that the Liverpool-born striker would have the best scoring season of his career.
Having bagged 26 league goals from just 41 games, Mangan was snapped up by Forest Green’s National League rivals Wrexham. Following two seasons and 22 National League strikes, his next stop was Fleetwood Town.
He was part of the Fleetwood side that gained promotion to the Football League, contributing 19 goals alongside Jamie Vardy. He would stay one more season with Town before joining Shrewsbury.
He never regained the impressive scoring form he managed at Forest Green but he still recorded 16 goals and nine assists in 70 outings for the Shropshire side, helping them to promotion into League One.
After dropping back into the Conference with Tranmere, he would play for AFC Fylde and Bala Town of Wales before retiring at Accrington Stanley.
Mangan In Management
At the end of his playing career, Mangan moved into coaching. He became assistant manager to Joey Barton at Fleetwood in 2019 and would follow the manager to Bristol Rovers two years later. When Barton was relieved of his duties, Mangan stepped in for a seven-game spell in the hotseat.
With Mangan in charge, Rovers lost just once, winning four and drawing twice while scoring 14 goals. He would leave the Memorial Stadium in November 2023 before eventually joining Stockport County this summer to act as Dave Challinor’s assistant.
In September, it was reported that Mangan has a visa application for Spain rejected meaning that he could not take up a coaching role with Carlo Ancelotti at European giants Real Madrid.
Writer’s View
Appointing Mangan may be seen by many as a risk for Shrewsbury due to the lack of experience he has as the man in charge. Clearly a talented coach, perhaps taking a risk and hiring someone not on the managerial merry-go-round is what Shrewsbury Town need.
