Preston North End became the first club to pull the trigger on their manager this weekend, with the shock dismissal of former Bury boss Ryan Lowe.
That’s left them hunting for a new manager, with many names in the frame. Former Preston boss David Moyes is one who has been linked with a return to Deepade, while Crawley’s Scott Lindsay is also a surprise candidate.
Lindsay remains favourites with the bookies, ahead of Moyes, Paul Heckingbottom, current interim Mike Marsh and former Lilywhites striker David Healy. It’s a flattering position for the 52-year-old, who not only got Crawley promoted last season, but helped them to an impressive opening day win against promotion hopefuls Blackpool in League One.
Now Lindsay, whose only other experience came in a short spell at Swindon Town, a stint with Chatham, and a handful of matches in charge of Lincoln City in 2010, has admitted he is flattered by the interest, but that for now, nothing changes as he looks to once again defy the odds with Crawley.
“It doesn’t add pressure to me and doesn’t change anything,” Lindsey told SussexWorld.com.
“Nothing changes with the way I work – with the way I focus on the job that I’m doing. Of course, it’s always nice to be connected to certainly bigger clubs and clubs in the Championship.
“It’s fantastic to be linked to them in many ways, but it’s clear to me that I’ve got to keep my eye on the ball with the job that I’m doing here and that won’t change until I’m told otherwise.”
Lindsay had a modest playing career, with a 12-game stint at Gillingham his only exposure to the Football League. He was appointed a first-team coach under Chris Sutton at Lincoln in 2009 and served as interim manager when Sutton left and Steve Tilson took over. Tilson dispensed with his services at the end of the 2010/11 season, with the Imps relegated out of the Football League.
He then served as an under-18 manager at Swindon and assistant at Forest Green before returning to Swindon in 2021. He took over from Ben Garner but left the Robins with them eighth in League Two for Crawley Town. Many had the Red Devils as favourites for the drop last season, but instead, they earned promotion, with Lindsay name-dropping this site in one of his press conferences.
Writer’s View
Appointing Lindsay would be a bold move, but it would be an exciting one. He might not be young and up-and-coming, but he is experienced, and his time at Crawley has been nothing short of sensational.
They play great football with a recruitment model that is almost entirely based on stats and numbers. They defied the odds on paper last season, but anyone who saw them play will be impressed with how Lindsay got them firing. The players he used were cast-offs and non-league hopefuls, but he turned them into the Brazil of League Two.
If he could replicate that with better players at Preston, there’s no reason why he wouldn’t be a massive success. Crawley were underdogs, and they succeeded, and Preston, despite being a Championship staple, are probably also underdogs in the second tier. That’s the type of club Lindsay can thrive at.
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