The first managerial casualty of the football season has come at Preston, with Ryan Lowe leaving by mutual consent on Monday morning.
The surprise announcement after only one game of the campaign followed the team’s abject display on Friday night, when Preston were beaten 2-0 at home by Sheffield United. His assistant Mike Marsh will take temporary charge, along with Peter Murphy and Ched Evans.
Lowe’s relationship with the Lilywhites’ fanbase had become severely strained at times last season and he was booed off the pitch by a section of the home crowd after the latest setback. He looked to have rescued the position towards the end of the last campaign, guiding Preston into playoff contention, but they lost a crucial game at home to potential promotion rivals Norwich and have not won a point since. The latest defeat meant North End had lost their six games in a row without scoring a goal in any of those losses.
The Preston director Peter Ridsdale told Sky Sports that the club will take their time over their new appointment and that the decision was taken after a four-and-a-half-hour meeting on Sunday after which Lowe was still determined to leave.
“It’s a combination of the back end of last season when we obviously had a difficult end to the season,” said Ridsdale. “Friday was tough for him, I don’t think the atmosphere in the stadium after the result helped, which I understand by the way because supporters pay their money and they’re entitled to their opinion.
“He said he was enjoying Mondays to Fridays but not Saturdays and he just felt from his and his family’s point of view, he’d like to go and we sadly wish him all the best and have reached an understanding with him. It was Ryan’s initiative, not ours, we’re not sitting here after one game with a knee-jerk reaction to the loss on Friday.”
Ridsdale added: “Only he can tell you why he didn’t make the decision [at the end of last season]. We did have a long chat at the end of the season as to whether or not the end was symptomatic of a deeper problem. He felt that there was an opportunity to add to the squad this summer which we’ve done.
“We’ve signed three players having lost four and in the next couple of hours, we’ll be announcing a fourth signing, all of which were Ryan’s proposals. I think that Ryan probably thought we might have initiated something at the end of last season and we didn’t. As a football club, we’re proud of the fact we don’t just hire and fire managers.”
The 45-year-old Liverpudlian, who had been in charge at Deepdale for two and a half years, was the second-longest serving head coach in the Championship, behind Mark Robins at Coventry.
He was appointed in late 2021 as successor to Frankie McAvoy after a successful stretch at Plymouth Argyle and took Preston to a 13th-place finish in his first season, before 12th- and 10th-place finishes in the following two seasons.
Lowe posted a statement to fans on Monday acknowledging he felt he could not take the club any further.
“Obviously, as you know, my time at Preston North End has come to an end,” Lowe said. “I’ve had an unbelievable two-and-a-half years, met some incredible people and coached some fantastic players, but I feel now is the right time to move on.
“I think now is the right time for the club to go in a different direction. I’ve always stressed since I walked through the door that if I can’t take the club any further, I’d leave it to someone else and that’s what I’m doing.
“I’m leaving the club in a good place with a fantastic squad, and I just wish the football club and everyone associated with it all the best in the future.”
A club statement read: “Preston North End can confirm that manager Ryan Lowe has left the club by mutual consent. Ryan joined the club in December 2021, leading us to 13th, 12th and 10th-placed finishes in his two and a half seasons as the club’s first team manager.
- Download the Guardian app from the iOS App Store on iPhone or the Google Play store on Android by searching for 'The Guardian'.
- If you already have the Guardian app, make sure you’re on the most recent version.
- In the Guardian app, tap the Menu button at the bottom right, then go to Settings (the gear icon), then Notifications.
- Turn on sport notifications.
“Following discussions that took place on Sunday 11th August, it was mutually agreed that now was an appropriate time for a change to be made. 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.
“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. Arrangements beyond these two fixtures will be announced next week.”
