Alex Neil


I don't actually think he's very good. He's probably decent but we give him a lot of praise for getting us out of league one. I reckon that's more down to the fact the previous managers were f***ing shit. I mean, look at the squad he had man. By the end we had Patterson, Roberts, Clarke, Stewart, Neil, batth, Evans, onien, pritchard. All of these have proven themselves perfectly capable of playing at the upper end of the championship. Wright as well, easily a top L1 player. I think what time has shown is that we had the kind of side that should have walked league one. The fact they didn't is more a negative reflection on previous managers, rather than a sign that the one who finally did it was anything more than decent

If you look at our squad now then yeah I don't think it's a stretch to say we should have got promoted out of that league but it completely removes any context of the situation we were in.

Dan Neil barely played a game second half of the season because he was badly burnt out seemingly and performing poor for a month or so before he was dropped, Patterson hadn't played a single second of pro football until last season and spent the first part of the year out on loan in non league, Roberts had barely played for football for the best part of two year and was sat on the bench twiddling his thumbs at some shite French team, Clarke had barely played football for years and had struggled when he'd been out on loan (and wasn't exactly getting a load of praise on here from a fair few), Corry Evans was in minging form and was public enemy number one on here when Neil came in, Luke O'Nien spent most of last season popping his f***ing shoulder back into place :lol: even with Ross Stewart the lad was playing every second of every game and was struggling at times. We even had that Xhemajli playing centre half on occasion, I wasn't entirely convinced he was a real person until he rocked up on the pitch down at Wigan that day. That list of players looks a lot stronger now than it did right then IMO.

We'd been rattled all over at Portsmouth, Rotherham and Sheffield Wednesday earlier in the year, we'd just lost 6-0 at Bolton and 2-1 against two shite relegation battling teams in the days before he got the job. He completely flipped everything on it's head. Every single person supporting or connected to the club wanted to see subs made towards the end of the Sheffield Wednesday second leg when it was 1-1 on aggregate, Alex Neil kept both Roberts and Clarke on the pitch and look what happened.

He can get fucked now of course and I get the negativity towards him but I feel like it's disingenuous to play down what Alex Neil did here or say he isn't very good, it was the perfect appointment.
 
Brilliant how he was smiling away after their Coventry win thinking he was a genius and that they’d turned the corner

:lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:
 
To be fair, they have a bang average squad full of plodder and have been under financial restraint. They can spend again next season and I imagine they'll be pushing for the play off positions.

I dislike Neil for how he left, that and the fact he's an egotistical bellend; but there is no denying he's a good championship manager.
 
For those who rate him as better than Mowbray in particular, why is he doing so badly at Stoke?

He's certainly picked them up it seems. He crushed us, although the result was flattering, but he also slaughtered Coventry. He needs time.

Their fans do seem to change like the wind though and after going on a fantastic run of form, the wheels seem to have come off slightly.
 
To be fair, they have a bang average squad full of plodder and have been under financial restraint. They can spend again next season and I imagine they'll be pushing for the play off positions.

I dislike Neil for how he left, that and the fact he's an egotistical bellend; but there is no denying he's a good championship manager.
he hasnt achieved much in the champiosnohip and by his own admission is poor at recruitment
 
He'll be fine and so will we. Players on the beach now and the groundwork is being done behind the scenes for a very busy summer. This current run will probably help refocus a few minds in the recruitment department as to exactly what needs doing.

Good luck in your play off push. 👍
 
He'll be fine and so will we. Players on the beach now and the groundwork is being done behind the scenes for a very busy summer. This current run will probably help refocus a few minds in the recruitment department as to exactly what needs doing.

Good luck in your play off push. 👍
Cheers marra. Be interested to see how Andy Carroll and Barkhuizen get on for you next year.
 
He'll be fine and so will we. Players on the beach now and the groundwork is being done behind the scenes for a very busy summer. This current run will probably help refocus a few minds in the recruitment department as to exactly what needs doing.

Good luck in your play off push. 👍

Any word on the Wilmot injury? Looked a really bad one.
 
Any word on the Wilmot injury? Looked a really bad one.

Rushed to hospital with suspected spinal injury. No more news.
Cheers marra. Be interested to see how Andy Carroll and Barkhuizen get on for you next year.

Will be interesting to see our business this summer. Never really been sure where the accusations that Neil prefers experienced players has come from. The average age of his signings at Preston was 23/24.and we only signed one player over the age of 25 this January just gone, and he was under 30?
 
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he hasnt achieved much in the champiosnohip and by his own admission is poor at recruitment
Other than winning promotion from it and taking Preston within touching distance of the play offs on a shoe string budget. Seems a decent championship manager to me.

You didn't answer my question yesterday, which isn't unusual for you, but do you know Tony Coton personally?
 

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