PRESTON NORTH END are on the hunt for a new manager for the 2021/22 season after announcing the departure of Alex Neil this afternoon.
Neil spent almost four years in charge at Deepdale, and has been in charge of several Irish players during his time at the helm.
The 39-year-old leaves just one day after the sides’ 1-0 home defeat to Luton, noting afterwards: “I won’t lie, it’s probably as difficult as it’s ever been for me.”
It was Preston’s third defeat in as many games, and extended a run of form that has seen them record just three wins in their last 17 fixtures in all competitions. The side are currently 16th in the Championship, nine points above the relegation zone.
“Preston North End Football Club can confirm that it has today parted with the services of its Manager, Alex Neil,” a statement from the club today read.
“Alex joined the club in the summer of 2017 and he leaves us with our thanks and very best wishes for the future.
“It is the intention that Frankie McAvoy will take up the position of interim Head Coach and work with Steve Thompson, Mike Pollitt and Paul Gallagher in taking the team for the remaining eight games of the season.”
"He's done a fantastic job and ultimately us as players we've let him down"
— RTÉ Soccer (@RTEsoccer) March 21, 2021
Alan Browne reacts to the departure of his Preston club manager Alex Neil but says his focus remains on Ireland's upcoming World Cup qualifiers: https://t.co/uO3tpDqkUu #rtesoccer #pnefc pic.twitter.com/5tzoD8zE1f
Alan Browne, one of the Irish contingent at the Lilywhites, paid tribute to his departing boss this afternoon while on international duty.
“I was pretty gutted earlier,” the Corkman said during a media briefing having linked up with Stephen Kenny’s squad ahead of the kick-off of their World Cup qualifying campaign.
“He has been fantastic for me and my career, a lot of the lads at Preston as well, he did a fantastic job and us, as players, ultimately we let him down as he’s not the one going out on the pitch but he’s the one taking the criticism.
“Its gutting for me but am here in the camp now and need to put all my focus on that and worry about that when I get back to my club.”
- with reporting from Gavin Cooney.
Mcgeady has been utter dross. The fans want him gone. Gibson is a fan favorite but he makes darren anderton look like mr reliability. Mccarthy has digressed incredibly. At one point himself and besic was looking like a quality CM for everton for years to come but his form has disappeared. Shame but the fans have lost faith and want him gone. And lets not ignore that Seamus Coleman has spent two years being bang average and is on thin ice. Everton have moved up this summer with big signings and a big future on the horizon, it may just be that these players, Coleman aside, are just not good enough. U could see all 3 at Celtic tho.
Roberto martinez to sign mcarthy for belgium!
At least the Irish toffees have some sympathy for McGeady, the fans over there have zero time for him. Gibson has the game, it’s whether he’ll work to it.
McCarthy just hasn’t lived up to it. Shame. I think he should take a chance in Italy if it became available to him. He’d be outstanding.
Coleman’s Mustard.
I like the idea of our players going abroad for top division football but I do not know if we have a great track record of players succeeding abroad.
McGeady did well at Spartak in fairness,Cillian Sheridan doing great in Cyprus too.
They all play abroad in the UK. Ask Liam Brady about it
For me as an Everton fan the only one I would be glad to see go is McGeady, just isn’t up to PL standard. Gibson is actually a decent player, great passer of the ball just been very unlucky with injuries. McCarthy had a woeful season last year but that was the same with almost every Everton player so for me he deserves another chance but I can’t see him dislodging Barry and Gueye so he may have to bide his time on the bench and wait for his chance. Coleman is quality, he was restricted going forward like he used to do by Martinez tactics but from how Koeman is setting them up up he is going to be a wing back, bombing forward at every opportunity. I’ve no worries about Coleman, class act
McGeady hasn’t worked hard enough,simple as.Always felt he deserved a shot to show what he could do and when he did in the league cup last year he made a balls of it.Having said that he’s seriously talented and has the skill set of no other current Irish player(bar possibly Brady and Judge) but obviously isn’t putting the work in behind the scenes.Gibsons been horrendously unlucky with injuries when he gets on the pitch he looks extremely comfortable but again he must be putting in the hard yards in training.As for McCarthy I hope to God it works out for him.
It would be a disaster for McCarthy, Gibson and McGeady to join Celtic, we desperately need our top players playing in the Premier League (even if it is for Bournemouth or Crystal Palace) or another top league, Celtic are a fine team but they do not play top competition every week, yes they will likely play 6 games against in the Champions League but that cannot make up for the fact those will be the only significant games they will play (perhaps with the exception of Rangers) all year.
Conor go back to watching Sky Sports news because you clearly havent a clue about football. How did the England team get on in the Euro’s? Going by your reckoning they should have won the thing. The EPL is full of players out for a wage packet, thats it.. Fraser Forrester, virgil van dyke and Victor Wanyama all done well playing for Celtic in recent years..
David ,Celtic are rubbish .That’s why those players left Celtic . They would not survive in the championship
Tell me the last championship side to play in the Champions League Tony.. You’re talking crap mate
Except that only 31% of players in the premier league are from England… and the rest of those foreign guys… Ibrahimovic, Silva, Aguero, Paul Pogba, Ozil, Carzola, De Bruyne, Hazard… their not any good are they? And when’s the last time a Scottish team played in the European Cup/Champions League?1967? And how many times have English teams have won the European Cup/Champions League since? 12?! But i’m sure these facts don’t mean anything because you “Feel” Celtic and the SPL are better.
*Sorry last time they won a European Cup/Champions*
Just because celtic are in the champions lge doesn’t mean that are better than most premier lge teams, … are you telling me every team in the champions lge are better than every team in the premier lge just because they happened to win p1ss poor lges. ….
That’s unfair to write off Irish players this early in the premiership and championship season just based on form Shane Duffy scored an og last week and his careers over yet he scored the winner for blackburn last night.They had a fantastic euros and over achieved everybodys expectations.