Graham Turner quits as Shrewsbury Town manager
Graham Turner this afternoon resigned as Shrewsbury Town manager, with the team battling for survival in League One.
Turner, the longest-serving manager in English football, said he felt recent results culminating in Saturday's 3-0 defeat against Rotherham meant it was now the right time to stand down.
And he revealed it could be the end of his career as a manager.
"It's a very sad decision, " said the former Wolves and Aston Villa boss.
"It's a club that I've really enjoyed working at. It's a club that gave me my first opportunity in management so I'll always appreciate that and will always be close to the club."
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Video: Graham Turner on why he has resigned at Shrewsbury Town
Shrewsbury Town tried to get Graham Turner to change his mind, says Roland Wycherley
Full statement from Shrewsbury Town:
Graham Turner has taken the decision to step down as manager of Shrewsbury Town Football Club.
He feels recent results culminating in Saturday's 3-0 defeat against Rotherham meant it was now the right time to stand down.
Graham said: "It's a very sad decision. It's a club that I've really enjoyed working at, it's a club that gave me my first opportunity in management so I'll always appreciate that and will always be close to the club.
"I just felt it wasn't necessarily just Saturday. I think there's been a sequence of results where for several weeks now I thought I could improve things.
"I thought I was the right man to get the results going and it hasn't materialised so I felt that there was a need for a decision to be made.
"I don't think we could just carry on in the same vein and that decision I reached was I would step down as team manager of Shrewsbury Town."
Graham led Town to promotion from League Two in 2012 and believes his decision to stand down now offers the club the best opportunity of preserving their place in League One over the final 19 games.
"As a manager you take responsibility," he said. "One or two things can improve where we've got one or two players coming back from injury in Luke Summerfield and Aaron Wildig while Jermaine Grandison looked good in training this morning so all that will help the cause.
"But I just feel that sometimes there's a fresh voice needed in the dressing room, and I think the time is right to do that at this club.
"I think I had got the belief from the chairman that I could turn it round. I don't think there was any thoughts of him asking me to resign or anything like that.
"In fact, he's done nothing but back me all the way. He doesn't always get a good press with supporters but I've got to say he's a good chairman to work for.
"Anything I've wanted within reason he's provided me with and if the right players had been available there would have been funds available, I've no doubt about that.
"The fact that we haven't been able to sign players over the last month or so when they were badly needed, I don't think in any way shape or form it was down to any reticent attitude from the chairman to provide the finance.
"I think he has backed me 100 per cent and that's one of the reasons that's led me to the decision.
"I feel we should be doing better than we are and perhaps somebody else can take it forward now."
As for the future, Graham is keeping an open mind but said his managerial career spanning more than 35 years was now at an end.
He added: "I've got to be honest, you sit and contemplate the future, and I would think it would be fair to say that my managerial days are over.
"There might be something I can contribute somewhere. There may be a door open to come back at sometime in the long-term future here.
"But I go away purely with the view that my time is up here. I think it's the right time to do it.
"I think there's only one thing that's important and that is the football club itself and ensuring safety so it's perhaps taking stock over the next couple of weeks and deciding where we go from here as a family man.
"But I think it would be fair to say I can't see myself in another managerial role."
