Neil Critchley

Last updated

Neil Critchley
Personal information
Full name Neil Critchley [1]
Date of birth (1978-10-18) 18 October 1978 (age 45)
Place of birth Crewe, England
Position(s) Midfielder
Team information
Current team
Blackpool (head coach)
Youth career
1989– Crewe Alexandra
Senior career*
YearsTeamApps(Gls)
1999–2000 Crewe Alexandra 1 (0)
2000–2001 Leigh RMI 3 (0)
Total4(0)
Managerial career
2013–2017 Liverpool U18
2017–2020 Liverpool U23
2020–2022 Blackpool
2022–2023 Queens Park Rangers
2023– Blackpool
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Neil Critchley (born 18 October 1978) is an English former footballer who played in the Football League First Division for Crewe Alexandra. He is currently the head coach of EFL League One club Blackpool.

Contents

He has previously managed Liverpool under-18s (standing in for Jürgen Klopp for two of Liverpool's cup fixtures in the 2019–2020 season), and guided Blackpool to promotion, via the playoffs, from League One to the Championship in 2020–21, his first full season in charge of the club. After a short stint as assistant head coach to Steven Gerrard at Aston Villa in 2022, he was appointed head coach of Queens Park Rangers. After signing a three-year contract, he was sacked after two months, having won one game from his first twelve. He returned to Blackpool in May 2023.

As of 2020, he was one of sixteen coaches worldwide to have obtained UEFA's elite badge. [2]

Playing career

Crewe Alexandra

Critchley, aged 10, joined Crewe in 1989. The club was then managed by Dario Gradi who had recently started a player development scheme that became the Crewe Alexandra F.C. Academy. Gradi noticed Critchley's ability, even at the age of 17, to coach younger players and encouraged him to become more fully involved. [3]

Critchley's only playing appearance for Crewe came in a 3–0 defeat away at Fulham during the 1999–2000 season.

Leigh RMI

He signed for Leigh RMI in 2000, and made three league appearances as substitute for the club.

Coaching and managerial career

Critchley retired as a player aged 24 and became a coach at Crewe, working under Gradi and Steve Holland, [4] and being appointed joint Academy director in 2007, before joining Liverpool as under-18s coach in 2013. [5]

Liverpool

Due to fixture congestion of Liverpool's first team during the 2019–20 season, Critchley served as their stand-in manager for their EFL Cup away match against Aston Villa on 17 December 2019. [6] The congestion was caused by Liverpool's participation in the 2019 FIFA Club World Cup in Qatar, which overlapped with the EFL Cup quarter-finals. [7] [8] [9] Liverpool, fielding a team made up exclusively of under-23s, were beaten 5–0. [10] [11] Critchley again served as Liverpool's stand-in manager for the FA Cup fourth round replay against Shrewsbury Town on 4 February 2020, as the first team were on a mid-season break. [12] The youthful Liverpool team won 1–0 via an own goal. [13]

Blackpool

On 2 March 2020, Critchley was appointed as head coach of Blackpool on a three-and-a-half-year contract. [14] After a curtailed regular season due to the COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom, Blackpool finished in 13th position after standings were amended to reflect a points-per-game ratio. [15]

In Critchley's first full season in charge, 2020–21, Blackpool finished third at the conclusion of the regular season, going on to win promotion via the EFL League One play-offs. [16]

On 19 November 2021, Critchley signed a four-year extension to his contract, keeping him at Bloomfield Road until 2026. [17] The following week, Critchley was named Manager of the Season at the annual North West Football Awards, beating Manchester City's Pep Guardiola, Blackpool's former captain and now Bolton Wanderers manager Ian Evatt, and Morecambe manager Derek Adams. [18]

Aston Villa (assistant)

On 2 June 2022, Critchley departed Blackpool after accepting the role of assistant head coach to Steven Gerrard at Aston Villa. [19] He had told Blackpool's owner Simon Sadler that he was keen to work again with Gerrard and "pit himself against some of the best coaches in the world". [20]

On 21 October 2022, Critchley departed Aston Villa, following the sacking of Gerrard the day prior. [21]

Queens Park Rangers

On 11 December 2022, Critchley was appointed head coach of Championship club Queens Park Rangers on a three-and-a-half year deal. [22] His first match in charge was a single-goal victory over Preston North End.

On 19 February 2023, Critchley was relieved of his duties as head coach of Queen's Park Rangers, with the victory over Preston North End being the team's sole victory during his time in charge. [23]

Return to Blackpool

On 23 May 2023, Critchley returned to his former club Blackpool, on a four-year deal, following their relegation to League One. [24]

Managerial statistics

As of match played 12 March 2024
Managerial record by team and tenure
TeamNatFromToRecord
GWDLWin %
Liverpool (stand-in) Flag of England.svg 17 December 20194 February 20202101050.00
Blackpool Flag of England.svg 2 March 20202 June 2022109453034041.28
Queens Park Rangers Flag of England.svg 11 December 202219 February 202312156008.33
Blackpool Flag of England.svg 23 May 2023present51251115049.02
Total174724656041.38

Honours

Blackpool

Personal life

Critchley is married to Janine. [26]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Crewe Alexandra F.C.</span> Association football club in England

Crewe Alexandra Football Club is a professional association football club based in the town of Crewe, Cheshire, England. The team compete in League Two, the fourth level of the English football league system. Nicknamed 'The Railwaymen' because of the town's links with the rail industry, and also commonly known as 'The Alex', they have played at their current Gresty Road location since 1906. The supporters' fiercest rivalry is with Staffordshire-based side Port Vale.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Blackpool F.C.</span> Association football club in England

Blackpool Football Club is a professional association football club based in the seaside town of Blackpool, Lancashire, England. The team competes in EFL League One, the third level of the English football league system.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dean Smith (footballer, born 1971)</span> English footballer and manager

Dean Smith is an English professional football manager and former player who is the head coach of Major League Soccer club Charlotte FC.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jürgen Klopp</span> German football manager (born 1967)

Jürgen Norbert Klopp is a German professional football manager and former player who is the manager of Premier League club Liverpool. He is widely regarded as one of the best football managers in the world.

Aaron Danks is an English football coach who is currently a first team coach at EFL Championship club Middlesbrough.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ben Woodburn</span> Wales international footballer

Benjamin Luke Woodburn is a professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for EFL Championship club Preston North End and the Wales national team.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Curtis Jones (footballer)</span> English footballer (born 2001)

Curtis Julian Jones is an English professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Premier League club Liverpool.

The 2019–20 season was the 140th season of competitive association football in England.

The 2019–20 Premier League season was Aston Villa's 145th season in English football. It was the club's 25th season in the Premier League, and their 106th season in the top flight, following their promotion from the EFL Championship by winning the play-offs.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2019–20 Liverpool F.C. season</span> 128th season in existence of Liverpool F.C.

The 2019–20 season was Liverpool Football Club's 128th season in existence and the club's 58th consecutive season in the top flight of English football. Liverpool also competed in the FA Cup, EFL Cup, FA Community Shield, UEFA Champions League, UEFA Super Cup and the FIFA Club World Cup. The season was suspended from 13 March to 17 June due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The 2019–20 EFL Cup was the 60th season of the EFL Cup. Also known as the Carabao Cup for sponsorship reasons, the competition was open to all clubs participating in the Premier League and the English Football League.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2020 EFL Cup final</span> Football match

The 2020 EFL Cup Final was the final of the 2019–20 EFL Cup. It was played at Wembley Stadium in London, England, on 1 March 2020, and contested by Aston Villa and Manchester City. It was Villa's first EFL Cup final since 2010, and City's third successive EFL Cup final and fifth in the past seven seasons.

The 2020–21 Blackpool F.C. season was the club's 112th season in the English Football League, and their fourth-consecutive season in League One, the third tier of the Football League. The season covers the period from 1 July 2020 to 30 June 2021.

The 2020–21 EFL Cup was the 61st season of the EFL Cup, the competition is open to all clubs participating in the Premier League and the English Football League.

The 2021–22 EFL Cup was the 62nd season of the EFL Cup. The competition was open to all clubs participating in the Premier League and the English Football League.

The 2021–22 Premier League season was Aston Villa's 147th season in English football. It was the club's 27th season in the Premier League, third consecutive, and their 108th season at the top flight of English football. Along with the league, the club also competed in the FA Cup, being eliminated by Chelsea in the third round, and the EFL Cup, being eliminated by Manchester United in the third round. The season covers the period from the 1st July 2021 to the 30th June 2022.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2022 EFL Cup final</span> Football match

The 2022 EFL Cup Final was the final of the 2021–22 EFL Cup. It was played between Chelsea and Liverpool at Wembley Stadium in London, England, on 27 February 2022. The match saw no goals in the initial 90 minutes or the additional 30 minutes of extra time and went to a penalty shoot-out; each of the first 21 kicks in the shoot-out was scored before Chelsea goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga missed his to give Liverpool an 11–10 victory and a record ninth EFL Cup title.

Iain Brunskill is an English former footballer who is assistant head coach of Blackpool FC having formerly held the same role at Queens Park Rangers. He was previously assistant head coach to Neil Critchley at Blackpool, a role he began in February 2022 before leaving Blackpool in June 2022 following the departure of Critchley to Aston Villa. He has previously coached at Liverpool, Blackburn Rovers and Norwich City in England, and in Malta, Norway, Jordan and China.

The 2022–23 EFL Championship was the 7th season of the EFL Championship under its current title and the 31st season under its current league division format.

References

  1. "Neil Critchley". Barry Hugman's Footballers. Retrieved 16 April 2018.
  2. "Liverpool lose Neil Critchley as U23s boss joins League One club" - Liverpool Echo , 2 March 2020
  3. Burley, Julian (20 August 2020). "Who Are The League One Managers? No.3: Neil Critchley (Blackpool)". Vital Football - Lincoln. Retrieved 13 April 2022.
  4. Morse, Peter (17 December 2019). "Liverpool have a 'top class coach' in charge against Aston Villa tonight, according to the man who knows him best". Cheshire Live. Retrieved 13 January 2022.
  5. Pearce, James (12 October 2013). "New Liverpool FC under-18s coach has brief to get home-grown talent ready for the first team". Liverpool Echo. Retrieved 13 January 2022.
  6. "Q&A: Neil Critchley's pre-Carabao Cup quarter-final press conference". Liverpool. 16 December 2019. Retrieved 16 December 2019.
  7. "Klopp explains Club World Cup and Carabao Cup squad selections". Liverpool. 6 December 2019. Retrieved 16 December 2019.
  8. "Aston Villa v Liverpool: Carabao Cup Quarter-Final tie confirmed". EFL.com. English Football League. 5 November 2019. Retrieved 16 December 2019.
  9. "LFC statement on Carabao Cup tie with Aston Villa". Liverpool. 5 November 2019. Retrieved 16 December 2019.
  10. "'A great opportunity' – Neil Critchley on Carabao Cup quarter-final". Liverpool. 12 December 2019. Retrieved 16 December 2019.
  11. "Aston Villa 5–0 Liverpool: Dean Smith's side overwhelm young Liverpool side". BBC Sport. 18 December 2019. Retrieved 19 December 2019.
  12. "Jurgen Klopp: Liverpool's first team will miss FA Cup replay v Shrewsbury". BBC Sport. 26 January 2020. Retrieved 4 February 2020.
  13. Johnston, Neil (4 February 2020). "Liverpool 1–0 Shrewsbury: Own goal by Ro-Shaun Williams sends young Reds through". BBC Sport . Retrieved 4 February 2020.
  14. "Neil Critchley Appointed New Head Coach" - Blackpool F.C., 2 March 2020
  15. "League One & League Two clubs vote to end seasons early" - BBC Sport, 9 May 2020
  16. Blackpool 1–0 Bristol Rovers – BBC Sport, 9 May 2021
  17. "Neil Critchley Signs New Long-Term Contract" – Blackpool F.C., 19 November 2021
  18. "Blackpool boss Neil Critchley beats Man City's Pep Guardiola to manager of the season award"Blackpool Gazette, 23 November 2021
  19. "Aston Villa announce Neil Critchley appointment". Aston Villa Football Club. 2 June 2022. Retrieved 2 June 2022.
  20. James, Alex (17 June 2022). "Sadler's message to fans in response to Appleton appointment negativity". LancsLive. Retrieved 5 July 2022.
  21. "Board Update". Aston Villa Football Club. 21 October 2022. Retrieved 21 October 2022.
  22. "Neil Critchley named QPR head coach". www.qpr.co.uk. 11 December 2022. Retrieved 12 December 2022.
  23. "QPR sack Neil Critchley after 12 games as manager". www.theguardian.com/uk. 19 February 2023. Retrieved 19 February 2023.
  24. "Neil Critchley Returns As Head Coach". www.blackpoolfc.co.uk. 23 May 2023. Retrieved 23 May 2023.
  25. Blackpool 2–1 Lincoln City 1 – BBC Sport, 30 May 2021
  26. "Neil Critchley: The Blackpool manager giving fans their club back" The Daily Telegraph , 16 April 2021