Yahoo News Two former Stoke City managers emerge as favourites to be new Preston North End boss
Alex Neil and Gary Rowett are the two immediate favourites to be next Preston North End manager following the shock exit of Ryan Lowe after just one match of the season.
Lowe has left his role by mutual consent today after Friday night's 2-0 home defeat to Sheffield United. He was booed off the pitch by sections of the home crowd after two-and-a-half years in charge, having previously worked with Steven Schumacher at Plymouth Argyle.
Rowett (3/1) and Neil (4/1) have been made the frontrunners by OLGB, followed by Steve Bruce and Andre Breitenreiter (5/1), Paul Heckingbottom (6/1) and Gareth Ainsworth (7/1). Paul Ince is priced at 8/1 while Frank Lampard and Dwight Yorke are both at 10s.
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Neil has been out of work since leaving Stoke in December last year and was among the contenders to take over at Birmingham City following their relegation to League One. He has always talked about his strong affection for Preston, where he was manager for four years, and he is still based in the area.
Rowett left Millwall last October after four years and spent time as interim boss at Birmingham, another of his old clubs, in the second half of the season while Tony Mowbray was sidelined by poor health.
A statement from Preston said: "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.
"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. Peter Ridsdale."
