Preston North End have made the first managerial sacking of the season, with just a single game played.
Ryan Lowe got his marching orders this morning after his side’s 2-0 defeat against Sheffield United this weekend. Club chairman Peter Risdale made the announcement on Monday morning, bringing to an end the former Bury boss’s two-and-a-half-yeat tenure at Deepdale.
“Ryan leaves with the thanks of everyone at the club for his hard work, dedication and commitment, and we wish him and his family the very best for the future,” a club statement read.
“For the two upcoming fixtures against Sunderland and Swansea City this week, Mike Marsh – accompanied by Peter Murphy and Ched Evans – will be in charge of the team.”
Lowe has seen steady progress as Preston boss, finishing 13th, 12th and 10th in his three seasons at the helm, but that is clearly not enough to keep him in the dugout. He becomes the earliest sacking of the season, and leaves Preston with a huge job on their hands – finding another manager who can come in and potentially recruit before the transfer deadline.
Who is in the frame? A number of names have already been suggested, but these three are sure to be right up there on their watchlist.
David Moyes
The former Everton and West Ham boss is out of a job, having left East London at the end of last season. He’s a familiar name to Preston supporters – he served them as both player and manager in the nineties. He took them from the third tier into the second as champions and then narrowly missed out on the Premier League, losing the play-off final in 2001.
The 61-year-old might have moved on a bit since then, but he’s sure to be mentioned as a steadying hand, and given that he won a European trophy in 2023, he’d be quite a coup for Preston.
Dave Challinor
Challinor might be an outside shout, but his work at Stockport County will surely not be unnoticed. The 48-year-old had a modest playing career in the north-west but has been anything but modest as a manager. He took Fylde into the National League, then put Hartlepool into the National League play-offs. Two promotions in three seasons with Stockport County have seen them back in the third tier for the first time since 2002.
He would be a bold choice, and there would be some compensation due to Stockport were he to move. However, he would also be a progressive pick, given his recent impact at Stockport.
Gareth Ainsworth
Ainsworth was once a Preston player, and if they wanted a change of approach, then he could be the man. He’s out of work, having left QPR last season, but his time at Wycombe showed him adept at competing against teams with better budgets. His style isn’t to everyone’s tastes, but the former club connection could put him in as a candidate.
In the Championship, doing something different is often a route to success, so maybe Preston need to think outside the box and get the popular 51-year-old through the door.
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