Joe McConnell
Preston have drawn up a shortlist of possible candidates for the role of new manager, which includes Alex Neil, Brian Barry-Murphy, John Eustace, Scott Lindsey, Paul Gallagher and Gary Rowett.
Among experienced coaches, former Preston player Barry-Murphy is thought to be top of the list of contenders.
Barry-Murphy is currently the coach of Manchester City’s Elite Development Squad and works closely with Pep Guardiola.
Former Preston manager Neil, former Birmingham manager Rowett and former Stoke assistant Gallagher are all out of work and available immediately.
Lindsey from Crawley and Eustace from Blackburn currently have jobs and may have more difficulty finding them in Deepdale.
Preston are thought to be hoping to find a job quickly, having agreed to part ways with Ryan Lowe after just one game of the new season.
Lowe: It’s the right time to move forward
Lowe left after Preston were booed off after being beaten 2-0 at home by Sheffield United on Friday night.
He said: “I’ve had an incredible two and a half years, met incredible people and coached fantastic players, but I feel now is the right time to move on.
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Sky Bet Championship match highlights between Preston North End and Sheffield United
“I think now is the right time for the club to go in a different direction. I have always stressed since I walked in that if I couldn’t take the club further, I would leave it to someone else and that’s what I’m doing.
“I leave the club in a good place, with a fantastic squad, and I wish the football club and everyone involved in it all the best for the future.”
Mike Marsh, accompanied by Peter Murphy and Ched Evans, refereed Preston’s game against Sunderland in the League Cup on Tuesday.
Director Peter Ridsdale and Lowe spoke for four-and-a-half hours on Sunday before the manager decided to resign.
“It’s a combination of the difficulties we encountered in the final part of last season,” Ridsdale said.
“Friday was a tough day for him, I don’t think the atmosphere in the stadium after the result helped him, which I understand because the fans pay and have a right to their opinion.
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Stephen Warnock and Sue Smith react to the news that Lowe has mutually left Preston and discuss who could replace him
“He said he liked Monday through Friday, but not Saturday, and that he felt that, from his and his family’s point of view, he would like to go. Unfortunately, we wish him all the best and have reached an agreement with him.
“This was Ryan’s initiative, not ours. We’re not sitting here after a game trying to react impulsively to Friday’s loss.”
“We don’t hire or fire managers”
Preston ended last season with a run of five consecutive defeats, during which they failed to score.
Ridsdale added: “Only he can tell you why he didn’t make that decision. [at the end of last season]We had a long chat at the end of the season to understand whether or not the ending was a symptom of a deeper problem.
“Ryan will be the first to tell you that fans have been thinking for a while now that we should make a change. I think Ryan probably thought we could start something at the end of last season and we didn’t. As a football club, we pride ourselves on the fact that we don’t just hire and fire managers.”
Lowe was appointed in December 2021 and led the club to 13th, 12th and 10th-place finishes during his two-and-a-half seasons.
After the opening weekend of the season, Preston sit 23rd in the Championship table, ahead of only Plymouth Argyle.
