Ryan Lowe reveals the real reason behind the decision to quit Preston North End just one game into the 24/25 Championship season.
The 46 year old saw his 2 and a half year stay at the Deepdale outfit, come to an end after his side lost 2-0 in their opener against Sheffield United, with his side being booed off, and then he riled up fans more by what he said in his post-match interview. See more on that HERE.
He left after 125 games, of he won 47, drew 31, and lost 47, giving him a win percentage of 37.60.
Ryan Lowe on real reason he quit Preston North End one game into the season
✍️ @JBurtTelegraph#TelegraphFootball | #PNEFC
— Telegraph Football (@TeleFootball) November 4, 2024
“I wanted to leave on my own terms” … “I was disappointed” [in Peter Ridsdale’s ‘unacceptable’ verdict on slump at end of last season] and “I have my mojo back” and am ready to return to a Championship club. Ryan Lowe in the Telegraph today on #pnefc and beyond. pic.twitter.com/bOaV2Zmnhg
— Tony Paley (@tonypaley) November 4, 2024
“I wanted to leave on my own terms and don’t want to fall out with anyone. Wherever I go next I want them to say, ‘good guy, him. We can sit down and work it out’. I want to look them in the eye and them to do that to me,” Lowe said to the Telegraph.
“Someone said to me when I went into management, ‘get a few sackings and you’ll be a millionaire’, but I don’t want a few sackings. I want to be right up there. I want to make my money by being successful, not getting sacked.”
He had a bad night, struggling to sleep after the 2-0 defeat to Sheffield United, he got up at 7:30am and had a 2 hour walk, with a day of football ahead, including watching Swansea and Sunderland, who Preston were next to play, as well as Wigan v Charlton.
He went had a drink with the PNE club chef Chris McCoy. “My missus said: ‘you’re not right, are you? And I said: ‘no’,” Lowe recalled.
The following morning, he got in contact with Preston director Peter Ridsdale, arranging a meeting to announce his decision he’s stepping down.
“He wanted me to stay,” Lowe said. “The chairman [Craig Hemmings] came down and I just said: ‘I think I’ve taken you as far as I can’.
“I had always said, and I stick by my word, that whatever club I am at, if I feel like that then I won’t hang around and pick my money up. I am never going to fall out with my owner, CEO, sporting director…
“When I left the training ground I felt relieved. I had had this weight on my shoulders that I couldn’t shake off. I always felt that if I’m not the one, if I don’t feel the vibe then I am very good with my gut instinct.
“It’s a big thing for me. I have been on the touchline many times and thought: ‘I need to get that player off quick; I need to change shape quick’, and I’ve done it and it’s worked.
“So, I listen to my gut instinct. At the time, I didn’t really speak to anyone apart from my missus. If you feel it’s going to make you ill and if you feel it’s not going be worth it and you’re not enjoying it, then what’s the point?
“And I’ve always said if I’ve taken a club as far as I can and I’m not enjoying it, I’ll go: ‘right, shake hands, let’s walk away’. And that’s what I’ve done.”
“It will be hard to beat what I did in my two-and-a-half years at the club,” Lowe said.
“Hecky rang me and asked: ‘what was the problem?’ And I said: ‘there is no problem. Great club, great bunch of lads, they just need a new voice’. And they have got that,”
Preston chairman Craig Hemmings said that the end to the season as ‘completely unacceptable’ having gone on a run of five straight defeats.
Lowe said he was disappointed by what Hemmings had said, as well as hurt, and felt he was outperforming and that wasn’t acknowledged.
“I was disappointed in that statement but the facts were the facts,” Lowe said. “I could have easily gone: ‘that’s me done’ but we saw the end of the season out and it was difficult. Did I contemplate going to speak to Peter at the end of the season? Yes. But what happened then was it was a bit of a snowball effect.”
Fair to say he’s been keeping busy since the decision to step down.
There was a heartfelt moment, which Lowe recalled. “I was invited to watch Plymouth Argyle away to Burnley by Neil Dewsnip, the director of football, and he said: ‘you should be proud because you started this journey’. And I thought: ‘that’s the first time I had heard that. And it made me realise that I’ve done a good job wherever I’ve been and it helped me get my mojo back.”
He’s been working on tactical plans, new formations, new approaches, looking at other managers, how they deal with the media, also spending two days with Celtic’s Brendan Rodgers, checked out how Man City prepared for a Champions League fixture, due to visit Denmark to spend time with Uwe Rsler’s Aarhus, and in Germany with Bayer Leverkusen and Xabi Alonso come the end of November but, although that depends, “only if I am not in a job by then”. Lowe is also on a sports management diploma course.
He decided not to attend the game between Hearts and Celtic with speculation that Steven Naismith was on the brink of getting sacked, which he did. Lowe did the same for Cardiff v Derby before Bulet was axed.
“It’s very difficult. You are never going to see me in the stands when a manager is under pressure,” Lowe says. He does not want the TV cameras to cut to him watching.
“The reason I went to watch Plymouth was because Wayne [Rooney] had won a couple of games. I never want to be that person. It happened to me at Preston and you feel it.
“With this little bit of a break, it’ll make me a better manager wherever I go next. I want to get back into the Championship but unfortunately someone has to lose their job for me to do that.
“But if that happens and a club wants an established Championship manager who overachieves budgets then I will be right in front of them.
“I will also look at different leagues. I would go to Spain, Holland, Germany, Scotland. But my ambition is to get a team in the play-offs in the Championship and get promoted.”
“I’ve had a break. I’ve got my mojo back. I am watching a lot of football and I am meant to be in football. I have a work ethic and a belief and a desire to do well. That’s me.”
Here’s how fans reacted as Ryan Lowe reveals the real reason behind his decision to quit Preston just one game into 24/25 season…
@DaveHogg2: It’s only taken him three months to think up this statement and find a newspaper to print it.
@wuftyruffruff: Shrewsbury are looking for a manager! Levels…..and that’s frauds level!!!
@GustavPaulUK: “I’ll pick up another three months wages, get the club recruiting to my requirements with the recruitment team I brought in, and then leave at a time to cause maximum damage because the chairman upset me (even though he should have sacked me months earlier)”
@andywhitespnefc: Many reasons why that incompetent fool left! A man with no plan B, playing players out of position, calling fans saying we know nothing coz we don’t have any uefa licences, bad training sessions, same excuses after games, terrible signings… List goes on and on..
@Johnnyproudlove: He’s deluded… the only real disappointment is that Ridsdale’s repeated failures are never dealt with by the owners… should have been a double exit!
@emlynh10: He wasn’t a good manager but he wasn’t as bad as made out to be
@chrisjacobs75: Ryan Lowe will be lucky to be in charge of a League Two team. He even says he doesn’t go to watch teams if there current managers are struggling. Isn’t it public knowledge he attended 2 preston matches when they were struggling under Frankie? #pnefc
@Ash_GW: If any Championship clubs take him I’ll be massively surprised #pnefc
@CasualsNorthern: If Ryan Lowe was an Ice Cream, he’d eat himself. 🙄 #pnefc
@GarethLivesey95: Well if he was relieved to have left then why not leave at the end of last season? Makes no sense to wait until 1 game in to the new season!
@wuftyruffruff: I was relieved you left too mate! 18 months too late like but still a relief!! 👍
@kevhpne: Deluded beyond belief. One win in 10, 1 goal in 10 and finished with 6 straight losses. Served up the dullest home performances in memory and continued with a formation which he never recruited properly for. Any takers……..
@iwasvvdrunk: Don’t worry Ryan, we were relieved as well! Just a fucking shame you didn’t do it at the end of last season to give Hecky a full pre season (and probably still with Browne playing for us).
@PR4PNE: How mad is it that Ridsdale spent 4 hours trying to convince him to stay when he clearly wanted to leave and is a shocking manager? #pnefc
@Joshlucs___: Will never understand why we let it continue after the West Brom game
@pnefc33: We were all “ relieved” you left too pal 👍 #pnefc
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