Former Walsall boss Matt Taylor appointed as Shrewsbury Town Head Coach

Former Walsall manager Matty Taylor has returned to management after being appointed as Head Coach of Shrewsbury Town.

The former Portsmouth star has been out of work since February 2022 after being sacked by The Saddlers following a run of seven consecutive defeats.

His appointment at Montgomery Waters Meadow was confirmed on Monday evening via the club’s Twitter page.

Taylor will work closely with Director of Football Micky Moore, but no assistant manager has been appointed yet.

His former Walsall assistant Neil McDonald will not be joining him in Shrewsbury however, as he has recently been appointed as assistant to Simon Grayson at Indian Super League side Bengalaru FC.

Back in the saddle

Taylor’s short-lived and ill-fated spell at Walsall may have ended badly, but he nevertheless showed plenty of promise.

He recruited a good mix of youth and experience, including the likes of exciting midfielder Jack Earing and former Newport stalwart Joss Labadie, as well as giving plenty of opportunities to the club’s own youngsters.

Striker Shay Willock was given his EFL bow after joining from Solihull Moors whilst the likes of Sam Perry were in and around the first team.

Taylor’s Saddlers played plenty of exciting football during his tenure, most notably a 3-3 draw with Newport County on New Years Day in 2022.

The general consensus on his reign is that he played some good football and had good ideas but Walsall was not the club to implement them.

Walsall had just finished 19th before he came in and they needed a stronger hand to help them recover, but he was not that man.

It should also be noted that Taylor was saddled with unpopular and ineffective Director of Football Jamie Fullarton, who left the club not long after Taylor.

With Shrewsbury being in a healthier position than Walsall and having more freedom to implement those ideas, he should have a much bigger chance of success.