Working on one of the lowest budgets in the Championship, Neil took Preston to seventh in his first season, missing out on the play-offs by just two points. Last term was a step back as they finished 14th, though arguably still above where they should have been. Having been in contention for the top six, they lost six of their last eight games of the season as speculation Neil might join West Bromwich Albion derailed their charge.
In that first season, Preston sold star striker Jordan Hugill to West Ham United for £9m, last season full-back Greg Cunningham left for Cardiff City and, in the most recent window, Neil lost top scorer Callum Robinson to Premier League newcomers Sheffield United for £7m. Unlike many other managers in the casino-style English second tier, the manager does not get riches in return.
Despite a billionaire owner, Preston have spent no more than a total of £2m on transfer fees each season Neil has been there – and the average age of those signed is under 24.
“That’s not difficult if I’m being honest,” he says. “My principles are pretty much old-fashioned nowadays, but I’ve got morals, principles, standards, work ethic, all those type of things.
“If you give lads an opportunity from lower levels, you can find that quite easily. Because those lads are really hungry. They’ve had to work for everything they’ve got to get to the point they’re at, they’ve never been handed anything, they’ve never been pampered, they’ve not got the type of money that makes your belly full where you don’t really want to work that extra bit.”
Neil could quite as easily be describing himself. He admits he almost never made it as a professional and instead might have joined many of his mates working on a building site. He did forge a respectable career at Airdrieonians, Barnsley, Mansfield and then Hamilton Academical, but none of it came easily and he had to scrap for everything. And none of it lined his pockets. The knowledge that things could have been so different still drives him.
“I do feel fortunate for the position I’m in, I do feel fortunate for some of the successes I’ve had up until this point. But I don’t look at it and think ‘wow’ that was great. I look at it and think ‘that was good, we did well’, but it’s borne out of hard work. That hunger and determination to do that again, or better it, is what keeps me going.”
