Preston North End are currently on the hunt for a new manager following the departure of Ryan Lowe after just one EFL Championship match.
In this article, I have a look at five managers that the Lilywhites may consider for the job.
Scott Lindsey
Scott Lindsey is the current manager of Crawley Town, a League One side. He led the club to an unexpected promotion last season, securing their place in League One through the League Two play-offs. The 52-year-old Lindsey was given his first opportunity to manage in the Football League by Swindon Town in 2022, after primarily serving as a coach at Gillingham, Lincoln City, and Forest Green Rovers. He is currently regarded as the bookmakers’ favourite for the job.
Paul Heckingbottom
Heckingbottom is out of work after leaving Sheffield United in December 2023. He did a remarkable job at Bramall Lane, guiding the club back to the Premier League by securing automatic promotion with a second-place finish in the 2022/23 Championship season. He has also managed clubs such as Leeds United, Barnsley, and Hibernian.
Shaun Maloney
The Wigan Athletic manager has made a positive impact since replacing Kolo Toure in January 2023. His points-per-game ratio in the 18 Championship games he managed at Wigan would have been enough to keep them up over 46 games, despite players not getting paid. He has stabilised the club in League One following a points deduction last season and will be eyeing the promotion playoffs this season.
David Healy
David Healy is currently the manager of NIFL Premiership club Linfield. He was appointed to the role in October 2015 and has since led Linfield to five NIFL Premiership titles, while also securing two Irish Cups and three Irish League Cups. Healy has been credited with modernising Linfield’s approach as a full-time team and came close to qualifying the club for the group stage of the Europa Conference League in 2022, narrowly missing out on penalties in the playoff round. He also played for Preston from 2001 until 2004 and was highly regarded at Deepdale during his time at the club.
Graham Alexander
A Preston icon who captained the club as a player, Graham Alexander is currently the manager of League Two side Bradford City. He began his managerial career with Fleetwood Town in 2012, where he led the team to promotion to League One in his first full season in charge. After leaving Fleetwood in 2015, Alexander managed Scunthorpe United, taking them to the League One play-offs in the 2016-2017 season. He then had a successful stint at Salford City, leading them to promotion to the Football League for the first time in the club’s history in 2019. Alexander also managed Scottish Premiership side Motherwell, guiding them to a European qualification spot in 2021. He had a challenging spell at MK Dons after leaving Motherwell and is now in his second season with Bradford City, who are expected to challenge for promotion from League Two this season.
Featured image: “File:Deepdalecomplete.jpg” by Hudson6dogs is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.
Callum McFadden 