Liverpool Legend To Take The Preston Hot Seat?
Preston North End’s pursuit of a new manager has taken many avenues so far as many names continuously find themselves linked with job.
After the dismissal of Paul Heckingbottom on Sunday following the Lancashire side’s 1-0 defeat to Lincoln City, Peter Ridsdale have welcomed many applications, according to some sources.
Even though it’s not known, Graham Alexander remains the bookies favourite for the hot seat, with the Bradford manager enjoying a period success with the Bantams that’s seeing them push for promotion to the Championship.
Although it seems the natural step up for the Preston club legend, it’s still viewed as a risk due to his lack of experience managing at Championship level and a few tumultuous spells at clubs such as Motherwell and MK Dons, before his new found success in West Yorkshire.
Another name that could be poised to take the job is none other than Liverpool legend Steven Gerrard – a high profile name whose most recent managerial job came in Saudi Arabia with Al-Ettiffaq.
A Scottish title winner with Rangers, the Whiston-born figure initially went into management with Liverpool’s youth teams where he and Neil Critchley would take them to a respectable third place in a league campaign, which was a hit by rapid player promotions to the first team or the U23s.
Rangers was where he made his first steps into senior management, coming runner up in the Scottish Cup in 2019-20, before winning the Gers first league title for 10 years in 2020-21.
His record against fierce rivals Celtic is also mightily impressive: seven wins, one draw, and four losses – more wins than Michael Beale, Giovanni van Bronkhorst, Phillipe Clement, and Danny Rohl combined.
Gerrard moved to Aston Villa in November 2021, guiding the Villians to 14th in the Premier League: winning 13 games, drawing five, and losing 13 in the process.
The former Liverpool skipper nearly handed his old side the league title in the final day of the 2021-22 season as Matty Cash and Phillipe Coutinho gave his side a 2-0 lead at the Etihad against Manchester City to put the title in the Red’s hands.
A stunning and famous comeback provided through Rodri stunner and an Ilkay Gundogan brace ultimately snatched the league title back to Manchester.
The next season, Gerrard would only last until November after losing six games and winning only twice in 11 games.
Although, he wouldn’t get too hung up on the dismissal as a payday in Saudi Arabia, with a reported £15m a year salary to manage Al Ettifaq in the Saudi Pro League.
Lasting only 18 months in the job, it seems that left rather continued with the club to save his coaching career, as a potential relegation with a multi-tens-of-million pound squad would have caused so much irreversible damage for his image.
His next destination could very well be Lancashire, as the ex-Liverpool midfielder seems to found himself as one of the favourites for the Deepdale hot seat.
Would He Be A Good Fit?
He’s very much a man-manager, someone who can galvanise a changing room and his players through his personality.
The media attention it would bring would also be unprecedented, all of a sudden it’s ’Steven Gerrard’s Preston North End’ and then a record number of PNE matches are on Sky Sports Main Event.
Throughout his playing career, Gerrard was the defining character in the changing room, a player who has continuously dragged his club through matches and single-handedly won finals for the Reds.
This personality seems to have be carried through into his managerial career, with his number two often being used as more of a tactical mastermind behind his sides.
Neil Critichley and Michael Beale have been just a couple of names that have been working alongside Gerrard, the pair also went on to get first-team head coaching roles at clubs such as Blackpool, QPR, and Rangers.
It would very much be like Ryan Lowe in that regard, but this time they actually have a proven winner, someone who has been there and done it.
That being said, he’s probably not in my top three choices – simply because I don’t know whether he can bring in a suitable number two to do the tactical side alongside him, with Beale most likely wanting a head coach role and Neil Critchley probably not willing to ruin any relationship with the Blackpool fans by joining PNE.
After the dismissal of Paul Heckingbottom on Sunday following the Lancashire side’s 1-0 defeat to Lincoln City, Peter Ridsdale have welcomed many applications, according to some sources.
Even though it’s not known, Graham Alexander remains the bookies favourite for the hot seat, with the Bradford manager enjoying a period success with the Bantams that’s seeing them push for promotion to the Championship.
Although it seems the natural step up for the Preston club legend, it’s still viewed as a risk due to his lack of experience managing at Championship level and a few tumultuous spells at clubs such as Motherwell and MK Dons, before his new found success in West Yorkshire.
Another name that could be poised to take the job is none of than Liverpool legend Steven Gerrard – a high profile name whose most recent managerial job came in Saudi Arabia with Al-Etiffaq.
A Scottish title winner with Rangers, the Whiston-born figure initially went into management with Liverpool’s youth teams where he and Neil Critchley would take them to a respectable third place in a league campaign, which was a hit by rapid player promotions to the first team or the U23s.
Rangers was where he made his first steps into senior management, coming runner up in the Scottish Cup in 2019-20, before winning the Gers first league title for 10 years in 2020-21.
His record against fierce rivals Celtic is also mightily impressive: seven wins, one draw, and four losses – more wins than Michael Beale, Giovanni van Bronkhorst, Phillipe Clement, and Danny Rohl combined.
Gerrard moved to Aston Villa in November 2021, guiding the Villians to 14th in the Premier League: winning 13 games, drawing five, and losing 13 in the process.
The former Liverpool skipper nearly handed his old side the league title in the final day of the 2021-22 season as Matty Cash and Phillipe Coutinho gave his side a 2-0 lead at the Etihad against Manchester City to put the title in the Red’s hands.
A stunning and famous comeback provided through Rodri stunner and an Ilkay Gundogan brace ultimately snatched the league title back to Manchester.
The next season, Gerrard would only last until November after losing six games and winning only twice in 11 games.
Although, he wouldn’t get too hung up on the dismissal as a payday in Saudi Arabia, with a reported £15m a year salary to manage Al Ettifaq in the Saudi Pro League.
Lasting only 18 months in the job, it seems that left rather continued with the club to save his coaching career, as a potential relegation with a multi-tens-of-million pound squad would have caused so much irreversible damage for his image.
His next destination could very well be Lancashire, as the ex-Liverpool midfielder seems to found himself as one of the favourites for the Deepdale hot seat.
Would He Be A Good Fit?
He’s very much a man-manager, someone who can galvanise a changing room and his players through his personality.
The media attention it would bring would also be unprecedented, all of a sudden it’s ’Steven Gerrard’s Preston North End’ and then a record number of PNE matches are on Sky Sports Main Event.
Throughout his playing career, Gerrard was the defining character in the changing room, a player who has continuously dragged his club through matches and single-handedly won finals for the Reds.
This personality seems to have be carried through into his managerial career, with his number two often being used as more of a tactical mastermind behind his sides.
Neil Critichley and Michael Beale have been just a couple of names that have been working alongside Gerrard, the pair also went on to get first-team head coaching roles at clubs such as Blackpool, QPR, and Rangers.
It would very much be like Ryan Lowe in that regard, but this time they actually have a proven winner, someone who has been there and done it.
That being said, he’s probably not in my top three choices – simply because I don’t know whether he can bring in a suitable number two to do the tactical side alongside him, with Beale most likely wanting a head coach role and Neil Critchley probably not willing to ruin any relationship with the Blackpool fans by joining PNE.