When Gareth Ainsworth was dismissed in October 2023 by Queens Park Rangers, it gave him the first real break in his managerial career.
Time Away
He had gone straight into management while still playing at Wycombe Wanderers, meaning that it had been over three decades since he last had any time away from the game. While there was obvious disappointment that the 51-year-old’s spell in West London, where he was a legend as a player, wasn’t more successful, it did give him a chance to enjoy the smaller but more important aspects of life, which he disclosed exclusively to The Real EFL:
“I can’t lie, it was nice to be at home with the kids! I’ve got three children who are 21, 18 and 15. To spend time watching netball and football games and being around was good because I haven’t been around for 34 years. You have to be at the top of your game.
“You don’t just work hard and do the hours at the training ground, but it’s the hours at home aswell. It’s on your phone, on your family holidays, when the transfer window’s happening. You’re talking to your family, but you’ve got other things in your mind as well. There’s always someone ready to take your place as a manager, walking that knife edge that is football management.
“To have that clear mind was really nice. We did a couple of things that we’ve not done as a family, like going away all together at times of the year that we’ve not been able to do before. But once the 24/25 season started, I was missing it and I was ready to get back into pre-season training and friendlies. Doing a lot of media work kept me a little bit involved, but it wasn’t the same. Inspiring and changing people, winning games, tactical battles, that was all stuff that I had missed.”
Approaches Before Shrewsbury
Given his success at Wycombe, it was inevitable that clubs would be interested in Ainsworth’s services. While a break came at a good time, thirty years in the game meant he was hardly going to stop there, it was just about choosing the right job. That opportunity arrived in November at a certain club in Shropshire.
“There were three or four serious offers for me, a couple of them came too early. I’d just been in the cauldron of QPR; I think somebody rang me on the second day after I’d been sacked, which was way too early. And then in the summer, there were a couple of teams. I won’t be disclosing who they were, but we got as far as getting an offer from one. I had a club abroad as well, which was very close and that would have been an amazing opportunity to have a look at a different culture and way of living in a different country.
“For one reason or another, things didn’t come about. But within a week marking a year since leaving the game, Shrewsbury Town called me and asked me to come. The decision was pretty easy once I saw what the ambition was and how the place was run. There were teams that I could have gone to, but I’m proud to say I’m here with no regrets about being the Shrewsbury Town manager. Shrewsbury was the right choice at the right time, the right club with the right ambition. That’s the reason I’m here.”
