Former Lincoln City boss Michael Appleton has been dismissed by Shrewsbury Town, marking the third time he has lost his job since leaving Sincil Bank.
The League Two strugglers confirmed on Wednesday that Appleton and his assistant Richard O’Donnell have departed by mutual consent, ending a troubled spell in Shropshire that never truly gained traction.
In a brief statement, Shrewsbury Town said Appleton and O’Donnell had “conducted themselves with professionalism and integrity” since arriving in March last year, before thanking both men and confirming the search for a new head coach is already underway.
For Appleton, it is another abrupt ending to a post-Lincoln City managerial career that has been defined by instability. Since leaving the Bank, he has now been sacked on three separate occasions, with Shrewsbury the latest club to conclude that progress on the pitch was simply not coming quickly enough.
Salop Chaos
The timing of the decision feels particularly chaotic. Just hours before his exit, Appleton had been publicly praising Shrewsbury’s January recruitment, describing the club’s business as “clever” and “smart” despite limited finances. Six new players arrived, four on loan, with the manager insisting the squad was stronger and better equipped for a relegation fight.
Yet results told a very different story. Shrewsbury’s 1-0 defeat at Cambridge United, settled by a stoppage-time penalty, left them hovering perilously close to the relegation zone, without an away win since early September and having failed to register a single shot on target in that match. Appleton’s furious post-match protestations about the decision only amplified supporter frustration rather than easing it.
Fans had already reached breaking point. Reaction to the Cambridge defeat was scathing, with criticism focused not just on results but on tactics, team selection and a complete lack of attacking ambition. The sense was not of a side suffering bad luck, but one sleepwalking towards relegation with little clarity or identity.
Against that backdrop, Shrewsbury’s decision to talk up a “smart” transfer window while persisting with a manager already losing the faith of the fanbase now looks like a failure of joined-up thinking. Strengthening a squad is meaningless if there is no coherent plan to use it, and Appleton never convinced supporters he had one.
Appleton remains a significant figure in modern Imps history, but his post-Lincoln career continues to unravel in increasingly messy fashion. His exploits in taking us to the play-off final remain firm in some people’s minds, while his belligerent honesty and poor performance the season after have led many to dislike him intensely.
I like the man, but I think perhaps the manager is best suited to something behind the scenes after some really tough jobs, with little joy. He’ll remain a divisive figure at Lincoln. Shrewsbury, meanwhile, are left once again searching for answers.