Preston North End set to sack their manager

Reports have emerged claiming that Preston North End are set to sack their manager Alex Neil following a dismal run of form.

His Lilywhites side fell to their fourth defeat in five Championship games against Luton Town on Saturday.

A source has told Football Insider that the Celtic linked Scotsman is set to leave Deepdale after almost four seasons in charge.

Preston North End have only won two games since the January window closed which saw wholesale changes to the playing staff at the club.

Key players Ben Davies and Ben Pearson were sold to Liverpool and Bournemouth respectively while eight players arrived at the Lancashire outfit.

After remaining within touching distances of the playoffs all season, they have slumped to 16th place in the Championship table, nine points above the relegation places on Saturday.

Speaking to iFollow PNE post-match, Alex said: “I’m just disappointed. We didn’t do a lot of the basics well enough first half for me. We didn’t get round to the second ball well enough, we didn’t use the ball well enough at times.

“We had a couple of little errors that we got away with. I didn’t think there was a lot of opportunities in the game to be honest. What happens is at the moment for us, if there’s a goal to be scored, we seem to find ourselves on the wrong end of it.

“I didn’t think there were many chances for both teams, but when the goal had to come about, they got it.”

The manager said he couldn’t fault his players for effort but said a lack of fortune couldn’t be excused for the recent form.

“You can dissect and read into that as much as you like, but we’ve lacked quality on occasions when we need to maybe produce a bit for the goal. We’ve conceded some really cheap goals, bad decision-making. We just haven’t done well enough.

“I’m not going to stand here and blame luck, we just haven’t done well enough, it really is as simple as that. I haven’t got any excuses for you where I can turn around and say, ‘It’s this, that and everything else’.

“If you’re just looking at purely the game performances, trying to win of late, we just haven’t done well enough, and that’s it in a nutshell.”

Alex brought Ryan Ledson back into the starting line-up for the Hatters’ visit and he said the midfielder’s presence has been missed of late.

“We’ve missed Ryan, and to be fair to him, he’s trained a day-and-a-half,” he added. “He’ll have a go, he’ll run about, he’ll try his best, and I thought today to be fair to him, he gave us everything, he always does, he’s a good lad. We’ve missed his character as much as anything.

“We haven’t lacked effort, the boys are trying, so I’m not standing here saying that they’ve gave up, that’s not the case at all. But we haven’t done well enough recently to win enough football games.

“I think sometimes people read too much into the quality of players that have left, but also characters, the dynamics of the changing room’s completely different. Guys are trying to find their feet.

“I want to make it really, really clear, I’m not for one second talking purely about the guys that have just come in the building. The guys who are currently here have been here for a long time, they’re the guys who need to step up and take the mantle.

“They know what this club’s about, they know how we’ve worked for three-and-a-half years. This isn’t something that all of a sudden, I’ve just appeared and it’s not quite worked, we’ve had a real good, steady, solid base for such a long time and at this moment in time, that’s just unfortunate not being there.”

Fans reacted with Preston North End are set to sack their manager Alex Neil…

Worrying comment from Neil, all things a side he’s human and I hope he’s getting support and help if he’s not feeling the best #pnefc pic.twitter.com/Xl7rfbcHZV

— PNE home and away (@PNEhomeandaway) March 20, 2021

@fromthefinney: Yep. Won’t come as a surprise to anyone at all. By the way, let’s not kid ourselves, the blame doesn’t lie entirely at Alex’s door. Feel he’s been thrown under the bus here as well.

@GraemeS83416381: get it done. #pnefc

@fortsandvodka: Dont get me wrong Alex Neil has been served up a shitter from the board. They’ve not made it easy for him by any means. But the football has been poor for longer than that – this stretches back to January 2020 at the latest. #pnefc

@ScottyRoddie: @AberdeenFC announce Alex Neil

@CharlieGreg15: Can’t deny, I love Alex Neil and appreciate everything he’s done for us. Best manager we’ve had for a while. Do think the issue runs deeper than him and lands squarely at the feet of people like Paul Ridsdale. However, think now may be the right time for a change. #pnefc

@jamiebcfc7: Wow

@jamie_castle96: Laters lad 👋🏼

@LukeyWilson94: 20 defeats this season… 1 nil down and no positive changes. Time to go and best time to go!

@0161ppr: I fucking beg

@jackdantucker_: It’s coming.

@AllonbyTroy: 20 losses 😳😂

@politicalfutbal: Wouldn’t be the worst appointment if he’d come.

@DannyGuitar91: Take him at boro after Warnock

@ColloLew: If Neil ends up going he’ll do well at his next club I’m sure of it, made a league one side battle for the play offs for a few seasons with no backing from the board whatsoever. He’s not the problem the ones above are #pnefc

@kylefleminggg: Usually spot on these lot #pnefc

@PeterJMilburn: I hope AN is treated with the dignity he deserves should he leave PNE. Not close to working but no lack of effort from him #pnefc

@WatfordTalk: Preston maybe set for a new manager bounce? Their next 3 games:
Norwich (H)
Swansea (A)
Brentford (H)

@pww8afcb: We couldn’t even beat them….. #afcb

@lancs_rob: Should have been done in the summer. He isn’t a bad manager he hasn’t looked/sounded right for over a year now. Time for a change and it will probably benefit both sides to be honest

Scenes when we employ Neil Lennon https://t.co/owHyl4UYOr

— Kris (@Kris_2001) March 20, 2021

Send for Big Dunc #pnefc pic.twitter.com/rKDZH8FrMH

— Northern Corinthian-Casuals (@CasualsNorthern) March 20, 2021