Paul Hurst: Shrewsbury Town boss 'grateful' for return but does not regret leaving

Paul Hurst is in his second stint in charge of Shrewsbury Town - having previously managed Grimsby twice, Scunthorpe and Ipswich

Returning Shrewsbury Town head coach Paul Hurst says he does not regret leaving the club for the Ipswich job in 2018 but understands some fans will think he was disloyal.

Hurst was reappointed on Wednesday in place of Matt Taylor, who was sacked three days earlier.

The 49-year-old returns with Town four points above the League One drop zone.

"There were a lot of different stories about what happened, but so much of it is false," Hurst said.

"From leaving here, very quickly, there's been a real desire on my part of returning and you never know if you're going to get that opportunity, but thankfully that's come true."

Hurst's departure to Portman Road, and a chance to manage in the Championship, came three days after Shrewsbury's League One play-off final defeat by Rotherham at Wembley in May 2018.

When his move to Suffolk turned sour, and he was sacked just five months later, Hurst was linked with a move back to Town - but then chief executive Brian Caldwell ruled it out, saying it would be "too soon" and that trust had been "lost".

Although Hurst does not feel bad about the way things happened he says, with hindsight, he would have wanted things to have been different.

"Regret is the easy thing," he told BBC Radio Shropshire. "If I said 'yes', then I think I can justify the reason for leaving, so it would be wrong of me to say regret.

"If I knew that everything was going to happen [as it did] then, yes, of course, but why should I?

"There is so much false news out there. Some people want to believe it and a some maybe are bit more open to the facts of it all - the Championship club and the ambition - but that's not to say it was an easy decision.

"The biggest thing for me was that it wasn't very long before I wanted to come back and I'm very grateful that's happened."

First spell 'doesn't count for anything'

Hurst said he knows he has "made mistakes" in his career and says it is important he is held "accountable" for those, but wants people to "look at it objectively".

He added: "Sometimes that's hard for people on the outside who don't have all the facts and I appreciate that."

Asked whether he accepts there will be some sections of the fanbase who think he was disloyal over the way he left, Hurst realises some supporters will take a bit of winning over.

"I kind of get it, in one sense, but I'd like them to look at the situation - there was a bit of nonsense written and some people want to hold on to that, and for others time is a bit of a healer and are OK with me coming back, but I understand the job is from now," Hurst said.

"What happened in the past - which in the main was a lot of good times and results - doesn't count for anything in terms of me coming back here, but it does moving forward - it's a different group of players and time and it'll be difficult to replicate that.

"One of my weaknesses is that I'm up for a challenge. I'm not frightened of going into a situation and giving it my best shot.

"Sometimes things don't work out and sometimes they do. It's a lot nicer when they do. There are not many mangers who won't lose their job at some point - does that suddenly make them a bad manger? No."

Hurst returns with Town uncomfortably close to the relegation scrap after six defeats in seven in the league - a run that cost Taylor his job.

Going into his first game back in charge, at Northampton on Saturday, Hurst says he wants to bring "stability" back to the club but wants to produce a team that "the fans are happy with".