Shrewsbury folk have their say on Shrewsbury Town FC manager Gareth Ainsworth leaving

Shropshire Star

Gareth Ainsworth has left Shrewsbury Town FC, the people of Shrewsbury tell us how they feel about the departure.

Transcript

00:00So I'm here at the 12th Man retro football shirt shop in the Parade shopping centre in Shrewsbury

00:07with Sean Owen, big Shrewsbury fan and football fan

00:13to discuss the departure of Gareth Ainsworth as Salad Boss.

00:18Sean, what did you think when you heard the news?

00:21Absolutely shocked.

00:24Yeah, there's very few things in football that completely take your breath away

00:30but about half past ten today you start seeing weird stuff on Sky Sports News

00:36I was thinking, oh they've got another Ainsworth wrong

00:40and it turns out it was, the Ironman's gone!

00:44Don't know where, I mean it just throws up so many questions, it's unbelievable

00:48so what's happening with the takeover, being the main, the big one

00:54the season's over anyway, it's just what are we looking at

00:59first day of next season really

01:02Indeed, and I suppose given Mr Ainsworth was quite the man about town

01:08during his tenure as manager, I think he came in here didn't he?

01:13Yeah, I mean if you speak as you find, he was an absolute top fella

01:19it just throws up so many questions

01:24because how you could be so sort of like bought into something

01:28and then literally within a day

01:31because last week we had the big long interview with Dobson

01:36and you don't really get your assistant manager out front and centre as well

01:41if you're going to be at the club for a long time

01:44he's fronted the season ticket campaign

01:47which people have been buying season tickets off

01:50so literally the club have hung everything on Ainsworth

01:54and now he's gone, now what is there to look forward to really?

01:59I think that's the sense isn't it?

02:02we were kind of doomed in terms of league one status anyway

02:06but we had him, we had this charismatic manager

02:10and there was at least a little sense of optimism

02:12that he might be the person to galvanise us next season

02:15and take us up

02:16I think that's it, it's just extinguished any sort of hope that we had for next season

02:20Unless there is nothing wrong, the takeover is still happening

02:25Ainsworth maybe just wanted to live a little bit closer to home

02:28that could be perfectly reasonable

02:30but Fritz happened so quickly

02:32and to be so, at the time I'm speaking to you

02:35no comment from the club, no comment from Gareth Ainsworth

02:38no comment from Gillingham

02:40just a massive vacuum

02:42and at the minute it's sort of like

02:45town fans are just scratching their heads

02:48Have you had many Shoebury fans in and out of the shop since the new year?

02:52What are they making of it?

02:54Everyone's just sort of wandering around in a daze really

02:58asking, everybody's asking if anybody knows anything really

03:03Nobody knows anything at the minute

03:05We certainly need a statement from the club today

03:10and hopefully that will come from the chairman as well

03:13Incredibly early days, but who would you have to replace him?

03:17Jurgen Klopp's available

03:19Slightly optimistic

03:21I don't know

03:24I think we'll just have somebody on a temporary basis

03:27now into the end of the season

03:29CSL

03:31It's obviously killed the players that we've got in the club now

03:35Not much to look forward to this season

03:38We've got a big long time to be looking at a new manager really

03:43so get the next one right

03:45get him in place and ready for the summer

03:47How do you feel about it in terms of

03:50do you feel like it's a bit of a betrayal from Ainsworth

03:54given that he's been so vocal about how much he loves the town

03:58and how no matter what league we're in

04:02he'll be here for a good season next season

04:05or do you think it might be more that he's not been

04:09backed in the way that he should have been

04:12especially looking at the transfer window

04:14I think to be perfectly honest without knowing any of the details from either side

04:17there's complete silence at the minute

04:20you've got a feeling that maybe Ainsworth was lighting

04:24and he's taken another opportunity while he can really

04:30I can't really see any other alternative other than that

04:35to be perfectly honest

04:37it's because the last few years as a supporter we've been lied to quite a lot

04:41so it isn't really booking the trend so to speak

04:48we're just, yeah, we just sort of

04:53I mean as fans it's very very difficult to get any decent information

04:57about the club and what's really really happening

04:59everything's hidden behind NDAs, non-disclosure agreements

05:02etc etc

05:04and if there's any questions they seem to get shut down very quickly

05:07I think we need to know what's happening now

05:09and not hide behind NDAs etc

05:14the first one is the take-homes are happening

05:16if it isn't, please let us know

05:18because we need to brace ourselves

05:21to at least manage expectations for what's to come

05:24don't hang everything on one guy

05:26I mean they made Gary Ainsworth

05:28and he was more than happy to do it

05:30the messiah burnt the town

05:33and then when something like this happens

05:36then all them eggs in that basket have absolutely been smashed to pieces

05:41so yeah, tough time

05:44still looking forward to going to Birmingham on Saturday

05:48but that could be messy

05:58So I'm here with Dave and Bethany at Shrewsbury Market Hall

06:02reacting to the departure of Gareth Ainsworth, the Shrewsbury manager

06:07what was your take on it guys when you heard the news?

06:10what do you think Beth?

06:11I think it should have stayed

06:13should have stayed, should have seen it

06:15seen it through, yeah yeah yeah

06:17I think, that's what we think, it should have seen it through

06:20I mean it had some bad results but if you'd taken my advice

06:23absolutely Dave, it should have

06:25had he been in for a chat?

06:27I'd have been out for a drink, wouldn't I?

06:29oh really?

06:30yeah yeah, nice chat, really nice chat

06:33came up from Queen's Park range

06:37I believe so

06:38yeah yeah, but I think it's just perhaps a lack of money

06:41perhaps no money, no players, no new players

06:45possibly like that, yeah

06:47did it come as a bit of a shock?

06:48because he seemed to really love the place

06:50and be keen to ingratiate himself into the local area

06:53when I met, well we were

06:55he'd just moved into Shrewsbury from Telford

06:57he's got his flat in Shrewsbury and he was settling in quite well

07:00and yeah, he seemed a really decent chap

07:03I think he was prepared to make a go of it

07:05whether he didn't have any money for players

07:07don't really know do you Beth?

07:08don't know

07:09you don't know

07:10and there's rumours about the town being

07:12somebody buying the town

07:14as a growing concern

07:16perhaps that had been better

07:18that's about it really

07:20it's a shame, it's a shock

07:23what about you Beth?

07:25I understand your other half is a big salad fan

07:28what's the reaction been like?

07:30I'm not sure really, I haven't spoken to him yet

07:34you got a message didn't you Beth?

07:36I got the message to say oh he's gone

07:38so yeah I guess they're going to sit tight and watch the news

07:41and see what happens I suppose

07:43do you think he'll be upset by it?

07:45quite possibly

07:46I don't know what you mean by him himself

07:48it's only football

07:50it is only football

07:52but I think even though the town were having a bad season

07:55there was a sense that

07:57we've got Gareth and maybe he's the man to

08:01galvanise us when the money comes in

08:04at some stage

08:06but unfortunately that bit of optimism

08:08perhaps he just knew something that we didn't

08:12he knew something was going to happen that didn't

08:15did he really want to go down with the team?

08:18he's had a better offer obviously from Gillingham hasn't he?

08:21certainly sounds like it

08:24oh well

08:25at least maybe we'll have another new manager soon

08:28and you can show him your trade down here

08:31well he's been in

08:33he's come walking in and out

08:38I think that's kind of why people are a bit disappointed

08:41because the players and the manager

08:44normally they come in for their training

08:47and their matches and you don't really see them

08:50they live all over the place

08:51he's quite a man for the people I think

08:53yeah he seemed to revel in being a local celeb

08:56yeah he liked his music

08:57we had a chat to him to see a band

08:59he loved his music, he was in a band as well

09:01I think he really liked that

09:03I'd say you can sit around many pubs and stuff in town

09:07it's a shame

09:09any idea who we should get next?

09:11it's very early days

09:13I'll get my boots

09:15that's a good idea

09:18no really

09:20I wouldn't have a clue on that one

09:22we might have somebody in mind but I don't know what you're aiming for

09:26no idea at all

09:28we're a rudderless ship

09:30we are sinking ships

09:32we might improve if we're rudderless

09:35who knows

09:37well we've got Birmingham soon, a trip to Birmingham

09:40that'll be a tough one

09:41we beat them last time though

09:43yeah that'll be a good team

09:45fingers crossed

09:46you never know your luck

09:47something might come

09:49you never know

09:51so I'm here outside Ginger & Co Coffee

09:55in Shrewsbury Town Centre

09:57with George who works here

10:00George we've just had the news that Shrewsbury Town manager Gareth Hainesworth is on his way

10:05a lot of people are quite upset about it

10:08I know he was here for his interview wasn't he?

10:10football focus

10:12what do you think of the news?

10:14it's pretty gutting

10:15he seems like a nice manager

10:17he obviously came in a little bit

10:19I think it would have been an idea if he came in at the start of the season

10:22but he didn't

10:24and it's a shame to see him go

10:25he's a great guy

10:26he comes in for a coffee

10:28he's always saying hello to people

10:29and also for Shrewsbury I think

10:31I know they've not been doing too well

10:33but I feel like he would have done well

10:35with a bit more time possibly

10:37it's a strange one

10:39because even though we're rock bottom of the league

10:41and 14 points a trip

10:43the fact that we have Gareth Hainesworth

10:46this kind of rock star manager

10:48that was a man about town

10:50seemed to give people a bit of optimism

10:52that maybe we've at least got someone

10:54who can get us out of the trouble eventually

10:57yeah it did feel like that

10:58it felt like he was definitely

11:00the guy for the job is how it felt

11:02and it feels bad to be back at a starting point again

11:06you've got to find someone new

11:08and it's not ideal

11:09I kind of wish he was still here

11:11so what was he like as a guy when he came in?

11:14he was always so nice

11:16he'd always make the most

11:18he'd always make the most to get to know people

11:21and if they came over to have a chat to him

11:23he was always so nice

11:24and gave everyone the time of day

11:26so it's a shame to miss that as well

11:29have you had many customers come in today

11:31and talk about it?

11:33yeah there's been some people

11:35I think it's a little bit sad

11:37my mates in the group chat

11:38sent me a message saying that you'd left

11:39and it's a bit of a bummer

11:41so yeah, not good

11:43indeed, who do you reckon we should be getting next then?

11:46to start the renaissance

11:48no idea to be honest with you

11:50absolutely no idea

11:51but all the best to them, good luck

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