What will new director of football Micky Moore bring to Shrewsbury Town?

After more than four-and-a-half years at Cheltenham, Moore has decided to move to Salop in search of a new challenge.

His time in Gloucester was undoubtedly a success with the club winning their first EFL title in 2021 and achieving two of their highest finishes in League One – ending up 15th and 16th in the last two seasons.

The Shropshire Star caught up with Jon Palmer, reporter for Gloucestershire Live who covers the Robins, to find out what Town’s new main man is about.

“One thing that is absolutely certain is that he has left the club in an infinitely better place than when he came in,” Palmer said about the job he has done at Cheltenham. “It is unrecognisable as a club.”

With Cheltenham having one of the lowest budgets in League One, Moore has had to think smart about how he works with the manager to build a squad.

Cheltenham have had loan players like Josh Greaves in recent times, who has gone on to captain Hull. As well as Finn Azaz, who has continued to impress since his time in Gloucestershire and gained promotion with Plymouth Argyle this season. Goalkeeper Josh Griffiths is another, after a successful loan period with the Robins and a short spell at Portsmouth he has found himself playing in West Brom’s first team.

Credit for these signings must go to Moore, who Palmer says is incredibly dedicated to the cause with lots of hours spent going up and down the motorway to take in football matches – while also very well connected, particularly with some big local clubs.

He said: “His use of the loan market and his relationship with top-level clubs, particularly in the West Midlands, has been really impressive. He has not got every single signing right, but I do not think any club can when they have the budgetary restrictions that Cheltenham have.

“When Cheltenham won the League Two title they had the 17th biggest budget in the league, and for the last few seasons they have had the second smallest budget in League One, so for them to finish 15th and then 16th and do what they have done while Micky has been at the club – it has been an historic time for them.”

The Robins went for a slightly different recruitment strategy this season, assembling a younger squad due to budgetary restrictions. And Palmer thinks the job he has done without major injections of cash makes it even more impressive.

He continued: “This season, in particular they made a conscious decision to go for a younger squad because they cannot afford to sign proven League One players.

“They had to take gambles on people who had been out in League Two, and done well, or first-time loans they think have got potential.

“They had a couple of heavy beatings in the league as well as another couple of bad results but they never lost their heads. They were patient with them as they knew it was a young squad.

“The budget is not a League One budget, really. And that is one of the most impressive things – he has done it without any major injections of cash.

“It has not demanded money or taken any gambles it has all been done within their means. It is a really stable club off the pitch.”

Shrewsbury only announced their new football management structure a few weeks back. And many fans were left wondering what this means. Peter Brophy, a former senior policeman, has been appointed as chief operating officer, while Duncan Montgomery is the new finance director. Jamie Edwards, of the Shrewsbury Town Foundation, will also join the football board.

And Palmer provides some clarity as to what Moore’s role has been in the past.

He said: “He summed his role up pretty well in an interview with me saying he is a ‘conduit’ between the manager and the board. So he is the link between the manager and the board.”