Alex Neil says he would contemplate a return to Scotland as the former Hamilton Accies manager looks to life after Preston North End.
The 39-year-old – who spent 10 years at Hamilton as a a player then manager before heading south in 2015 – left Preston last month after arriving at Deepdale in 2017. He has been linked with returns north of the border before, but Neil says he’s open to coming back to Scottish football.
Neil left Preston North End last month. (Photo by Alex Dodd – CameraSport via Getty Images)
But it will be determined by who wants him (Daily Record): “When you win in football, you win together. When you lose, you lose and leave on your own. You reflect on the job you have done, mistakes you may have made and things you may have done differently.
“It’s the manager who carries the burden on most things. It’s also about having the appetite to get back in to work. Getting my name back out there is probably the most uncomfortable bit, it doesn’t come naturally for me. You don’t see my name much in the papers unless I’m doing something specific for the club as I don’t actively try to get exposure.
“I get that when you are out of work as a manager then you need to keep your face and your name alive. No matter how high your profile was in the game, you can be forgotten quickly. There have been far more successful managers than me who have been in the game one minute and next they are just off the radar.
Alex Neil would come north again. (Photo by Alex Dodd – CameraSport via Getty Images)
“I’d certainly manage again in Scotland if I was given the opportunity. I keep being asked what my plans are next. It’s a strange one, my plans next will be dictated by someone actively wanting to talk to me about a manager’s role. That then would become my next plan.
“It’s not like being a plumber or a joiner and saying, ‘ That’s a good company. I’d like to work for them so I’ll make contact with them.’ The simple fact is that you wait by the phone and hope that something interesting comes up and that they feel you’d do a good job for them. I have aspirations and wants but if those aren’t available then I can’t control that.”
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