Fleetwood Town loanee is excited to work with new manager Simon Grayson

The veteran centre-half joined Town on a season-long loan from Blackburn Rovers after a determined effort by ex-boss Barton to recruit him.

The former Scotland international appreciated Barton’s backing but believes the appointment of a new manager will give the club stability to make progress after a winless run that ended in midweek.

Mulgrew, 34, said: “It’s good for the lads to get settled and know who the manager is moving forward. Uncertainty is the last thing you want as a player.

“You just want to know who the manager is because he is the one who calls the shots. It’s good to have that consistency, so you know where you stand and can get on with your job.

“But I was disappointed to see Joey Barton go. He was a good manager and brilliant with me.

“He brought me to the club after I’d spoken to him a lot over the summer and we discussed what he was thinking for this team.

“You never like to see somebody lose their job, especially someone who has brought you in and who I thought was good for me.

“But that’s the industry we are in and you have to move on and do your job.

“It’s all about kicking on and winning a few games for Fleetwood. You have to get over the disappointment and start to look forward.”

As for the changes of approach at Highbury since Barton’s departure, Mulgrew added: “Different managers do it differently and do it their way.

“It’s a clean slate now and we will hopefully start to get the goals and keep the solidness that’s there.

“Simon Wiles did well after Joey Barton left. He had great ideas and I was impressed by a lot of the stuff he did.

“Now the manager has come in and it’s great to see someone with so much experience and success in this league.

“I’ve only heard good things about him and I’m looking forward to working under him. We had a solid performance at the weekend and hopefully we can kick on.

“I played with his boy Joe at Blackburn but had never come across the gaffer before, so it’s good to hear his ideas.

“Dunny (Grayson’s assistant David Dunn) was a first-class coach at Blackburn and it’s good to see him here. He can only add to the quality of the coaches.”

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