Make no mistake about it, Alex Neil has made it his ambition to lead Preston North End into the promised land of the Premier League.
The former Norwich City boss has been appointed as Simon Grayson’s successor at Deepdale, after the 47-year-old ended his four-year stint in Lancashire to take over at Sunderland. Neil had been out of work since being shown the door at Carrow Road in March, with his side 8th in the second tier.
The 38-year-old was a surprise appointment by the Canaries in January 2015, but he soon won his doubters over when he led them to promotion to the Premier League in his first season. And this is an achievement he is planning to repeat with his new employers.
“I’ve looked at this opportunity and seen that the club has made progress for four years running and I am looking forward to trying to continue that progress,” he told the official club website. “My job is to improve us as a club and hopefully try and push further up the league.
“The ultimate aim for any club in the Championship is to try and get promoted at some stage. The club has been stable in the Championship for the last two years, but we want to try and build a side and a squad that is capable of competing at the top end of the Championship.”
