Survey results: Shrewsbury Town fans upbeat about the future
The optimism currently surrounding Shrewsbury Town is a breath of fresh air and the outcome of our Shropshire Star end-of-season survey shows the club in a positive place.
Around 500 voters provided feedback to our 20-question multiple-choice survey and the majority of fans were overwhelmingly positive about the Greenhous Meadow club. From Paul Hurst’s remarkable impact to the very top of the boardroom, supporters are seemingly encouraged from what they see.
Some 82 per cent revealed they were happy with the job chairman Roland Wycherley is doing.
The club’s latest set of finances, released in March, revealed a £1.2million profit, following on from losses of £480,000.
An FA Cup run culminating in Manchester United’s visit helped, as did cash sales of key players, but Town’s boat is very much afloat financially. What some Football League clubs would give for such stability upstairs in the boardroom. Ask Leyton Orient or Blackpool fans. Shrewsbury Town are run by individuals that have the club at heart and are willing to ensure the numbers stay in control.
The addition of the new training ground, soon to be opened, was a big outlay but will cater for the club for years, decades even, to come. It makes Shrewsbury a more attractive and stable club.
Even so, no matter how well boardrooms are doing, player and staff still need to do the business on the park.
Hurst’s appointment, an undoubted success given the memorable finish to last season, has helped the board’s stock.
They fell under pressure as the club went 18 days without a manager after Micky Mellon’s departure.
Fans were eager for an appointment, Town waited on the relatively unknown choice of Hurst, and were rewarded.
A massive 95 per cent of our survey takers are happy with the job Hurst has done in keeping Town up.
As the optimism continues, almost 70 per cent of fans are happy with Town’s ticket pricing, while three quarters believe that the club are doing everything they can to improve the Meadow match day experience.
An interesting set of results came in relation to the termination of Town’s relationship with sponsors Greenhous.
Almost half of voters were disappointed that the sponsorship deal has come to an end., although a sizeable 37 per cent of voters admitted they don’t care who is named as Town’s stadium and shirt sponsors.
While that may be the case as fans mostly – understandably – care about on-field matters, sponsorship for a club like Shrewsbury, especially where a stadium name is concerned, is pivotal.
Whoever is named as Town’s new partners will get nationwide coverage.
Alongside the new Lidl Supermarket deal and the move to Sundorne’s training complex, it makes for a crucial summer.
The results surrounding former boss Mellon were mostly damning. Many blamed the now-Tranmere chief’s poor recruitment and bad tactics for Town’s perilous position when he departed.
Most of Mellon’s business from last summer flopped, including Adam El-Abd, Ryan McGivern, Olly Lancashire and Jim O’Brien who did little to impress and earned six per cent of votes as a quartet.
It is telling that Hurst’s first Shrewsbury acquisition, Toto Nsiala, gained 72 per cent of those votes.
Hopefully Hurst’s summer business – beginning with Arthur Gnahoua – builds upon that success.
